Review:

		8/10
		Artist: Access Zero Title: Living In Transition Format: CD Label: A Different Drum Genre: Electronic, Industrial Release date: March 5, 2010

This US-based band from Phoenix, Arizona was formed in 2006 and consists of the four members Elias, Steve, Yana and Nick. Even though the band is concidered a new band the members isn’t new to creating music at all. Elias started the electro/industrial band Dubok while Steve was one of the founding members of The Azoic before he left the band in 2006 to start up Access Zero. Yana hails from St. Petersburg, Russia where she was classically trained and played violin for a symphonic orchestra, but have also played keyboards for The Azoic, while Nick has his solo-project SANG.RÆL.

Access Zero plays heavy electronic music and draws similarities to the music from Imperative Reaction or even sometimes with XP8. With pounding beats and heavy synthesizers they’ve created a strong debut album that has a great sound structure, catchy hooklines and a sharp and emotional vocal performance. I think they blend modern synthpop with the more danceable and darker electronic scene in a great way. Some tracks offers catchy electropop tunes, but even if the music sometimes is a bit heavier the melodic feeling is always there. “Away” is a great electropop song with an amazing classical piano in the background while the following slower track “Let It Go” offers harsher and darker vocals from Elias but you can also hear vocals from Yana. It’s beautiful, emotional and easily the best track on the album. A cover version of the classic “Tainted Love” originally done by Soft Cell is included on the album and I think the output is really great.

The music is constantly shifting between numerous different styles and the affect of that is that you never gets bored. Don’t miss the heavy piece “Little Stranger” or the melodic “Years Of Wasted Time”.

Tracklist:

01. These Things They Fell Apart
02. Little Stranger
03. Broken
04. Going Nowhere
05. Away
06. Let It Go
07. Draw the Line
08. Lost Among the Reign
09. Tainted Love
10. Years Of Wasted Time
11. In These Dreams