Asymmetrical – Overwhelmed [Fill-Lex Records]

Fill-Lex Records is finalising the celebration of its fifth anniversary, which will have its climax on 2 September with an event to be held at the Valencian venue 16 Toneladas, with Years of Denial as headliners, as well as other great artists such as SOJ, Julio Tornero, Javato and Orco himself, owner and head of the Spanish label.

But before reaching this day, the label releases a great album to commemorate its five years in business, and again, it shows Orco’s great ambition to maintain a sound design based mainly on his musical concerns and his taste for EBM, although mostly reinforced with influences from other genres such as techno and industrial, and intended for both the dancefloor and more peaceful and reflective atmospheres.

Asymmetrical, an Italian artist who also manages Raw Culture, is the artist behind this album released on both vinyl and cassette. Overwhelmed has a total of five original tracks and four versions by different producers. Isis, the opening track on side A, takes us into a tense scenario, with a punch followed by an anacruse, a certain depth given by the dense reverb of a few percussive elements, the flanger of the rhythmic pattern and the different layers of synthesizer that intermingle with each other. Overwhelmed, the title track, is much more direct, with a constant break, an acidic arpeggiated line and a metallic vocal that constantly modulates. The third cut is a version of Isis by Sam de la Rosa, in which he gives a little more life to the rhythm by doubling the beat, thus managing to show a less esoteric character, in addition, he also incorporates vocals and a stable sound background. This Humanity is the fourth and last cut of side A in the vinyl format, a track marked by the rhythm, by a powerful and visceral bass, and also, in this occasion Giovanni Inglese (Asymmetrical) counts with the collaboration of LDWG on vocals.  The remix of Isis by Lex-Or (Orco) closes the first side of the cassette, and unlike Sam de la Rosa’s version, Lex-Or keeps the same rhythmic structure and much of the original sound, however, its nuances are degraded and lose much of its natural state. 

Vatican Thriller opens the B-side offering a different aspect, with a character designed expressly for the dancefloor, just like the rest of the tracks on this side, however, at first the rhythmic sequence does not have enough dynamism to move a body entirely, but everything changes when a repetitive melody appears and even more, when the imposing bass line makes an appearance. Next up is Italian artist Anna Funk Damage‘s remix of This Humanity, which, unlike the original title, takes on a robust personality, with an imposing bassline, a more solid punch, a much more accentuated melody and LDWG’s invigorated vocals. Sci-Fi is the third and final track to appear on the vinyl, an energetic track featuring excellent percussive conjugation and a mix of textures surrounding an unfathomable vocal. The fourth track on the B-side is only available on tape and digital and is by SOJ, a final remix by Isis with more dynamism than the original track and the two previous versions.

Release date: July 31st, 2022.