Artificial Cyberlogic review by Philippe Desjardins
Artificial Cyberlogic is a classic EBM album, with all the warm accurate bass lines stimulating the brain, and the irresistible drum sequences pumping the blood stream until the last call. It's an attractive exploration of the renowned analogous aesthetics, brought through up-to-date digital sounds. The link to Front 242 is a bit too obvious, but fortunately, Lightphaser brings it with enough mastery to erase any doubt that could lead to plagiarism. In fact, it is so well done that it might just be a question of adding some lyrics to these instrumental landscapes, and possibly become the next Front 242.
This release's first surprise is Storm. It features a major rhythmic treatment, with plenty of toms and percussion. It's very lively, and you soon become impatient for that moment when every element goes one step further to make the track 'explode'. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen. It stays on its path until the end, which makes it much more linear than what it could have been. Coded Illusions and Ai also go in that same direction, with an emphasis on percussion.
It's with these three tracks that you realise the talent that Joseph Gogh has for composing well-developed, solid rhythms. The bass lines are often as effective, as well as the melodies. But due to the absence of any vocals or voice samples, everything lies on the music itself. And in the case of Lightphaser, it might not be diversified enough to fill an entire album, and keep the listener's attention to every element, until the last note. Imagine Front 242 without Jean-Luc De Meyer. Would you stay as focused?
That's why it's preferable to consider Gogh's work as a combination of classic EBM and an atmospheric dark movie soundtrack. That way, you can fully enjoy the music, without having to wait for the ultimate chorus (although I would have liked to hear one, at least). Additionally, Lightphaser has accomplished a great deal of work by modernising EBM respectfully. It's a very hard task to bring something 'new' to the genre. In the case of Gogh, there might still be some refinement to do concerning the lead instruments, but overall, his work is impregnated with high quality sounds, and a predisposition for the club hit. Let us see if there will be any vocalist in the future.
review by Philippe Desjardins
July 30, 2002