The Pain Machinery “Auto Surveillance” (Album/Complete Control Productions)

Artist: The Pain Machinery Title: Auto Surveillance Format: Album Label: Complete Control Productions Genre: EBM Release date: March 17, 2011

My first thought when listening to the new remix album from The Pain Machinery is “this sound very much like earlier Nitzer Ebb”. In a remixed stage that is. The vocals are nearly identical with Douglas McCarthy. This made be think, since this was definately not what I compare TPM with with previous albums. If I can recall, I remember TPM to have a more dirtier and gritty Industrial sound with distorted vocals.

Looking over the very limited back catalogue I have with TPM – the 2003 album “The Venom Is Going Global” – this proves a lot have changed since then. I thought that was a good album back then so this is for sure a huge disappointment, but most of all it made me lift my eye brows. A very small string of light though, in all this darkness, is the new tracks “Twilight” and “Exit Strategy”.

Tracklist:

01. Hard Cash (12″ Mix Feat. Ted Barley)
02. Armed! (Jouni Ollila Remix)
03. Grinder (Ted’s Acid Mix)
04. Twilight
05. Armed! (The Weathermen Remix)
06. Hard Cash (Severe Illusion Sober Mono Mix)
07. Grinder (12″ Mix)
08. Hard Cash (Necro Facility Remix)
09. Armed… To The Teeth!
10. Exit Strategy
11. Hard Cash (Testarossa Remix)
12. Grinder (Mix 2)
13. Hard Cash (Sebastian Rivas Acid Rave Remix)
14. Hard Cash (Performed By Ragged Bones)