Withdrawal by nolongerhuman
With the albums "Antipathy" (2009) and "Depersonalization" (2012) nolongerhuman mastermind Clint Robertson managed to gain a lot of attention and praise in the electro/industrial scene. Now it's time for the third sound rocket: "Withdrawal".
The album features 10 tracks that should give you pause and contemplate your personal reality. A lot of bands in this genre find easy inspiration from the standard topics of war, sex and violence. nolongerhuman’s approach is a much more personal, soul searching experience. But lets have Clint explain how he felt when he created this beautiful masterpiece:
" 'Withdrawal' is very personal in nature. It deals with my experiences the last few years, moving all over the country to find peace. Getting rid of my own addictions, and seeing life from a different perspective, standing up to challenges and overcoming them, instead of avoiding them or running from them. It's about fighting to become who and whatever one wants to be, without limits, and fighting anyone who would want you to change who you are.
The concept was simple. Sometimes to find yourself you have to withdrawal from everyone and everything and truly look in the mirror, decide if you like what you see, and if you don't, change it by any means necessary. I didn't pull any punches with the vocals, there is very little allegory, every track is directly related to a situation I experienced, or a person who was in my life. I guess, the sample in the first track says the concept the best, this is a new introduction for what people can expect from me, and I only plan on moving forward from here, or I will die trying. The overall thought process is in opposition to the culture of commercialism, blind faith, corporatism, and apathy, the idea is that the only real strength is in the integrity of the individual, and the only way to use that strength is to admit your own faults - to really know yourself, no matter how frightening that might be."
Musically, the American musician gives us a great mixture of hard hitting beats, catchy keyboard riffs and a haunting sense of ambience drenched with foreboding swirls of doom. Heavy use of vocal samples put "Withdrawal' in a historical context, harking back to early 90s industrial. It will work easily on the dance floor but offers so much more. Listening to the album as a whole, in a chill environment, will make you appreciate the outstanding songwriting and production of this powerful album. Beautiful is not a word easily associated with harsh electro but nolongerhuman injects soul and beauty into a genre that is usually just defined by volume and attack factor.
"Withdrawal' is a deeply personal album, a journey to find oneself, but it never shys away to take a stand, to be honest, to be truthful.
"I only plan on moving forward from here, or I will die trying"
Tracklist
| 1. | Stop.Listen.Think.Infest | 6:45 |
| 2. | Apostate | 5:28 |
| 3. | Raptor | 4:09 |
| 4. | Lusus Naturae | 5:43 |
| 5. | Modern Narcissus | 5:05 |
| 6. | Sycophant | 5:32 |
| 7. | Dead Empire | 5:14 |
| 8. | The Forgotten | 5:50 |
| 9. | Quiet Desperation | 4:11 |
| 10. | The Death Hour | 6:48 |
