DEBUGGED REVIEWS
OUTBURN MAGAZINE, #12, USA, May '00
Classy electro-industrica: California's Regenerator have always impressed me with their ability to combine Euro-sounding electronics with very catchy vocal melodies, and Debbugged is one of their best yet. Patrice Synthea's silky vocals sound better than ever, though they are tempered by Wrex Mock's darker, less melodic voice on most of the tracks. The music is a dense and rhythmic collection of samples, synths, and the occasional highly processed guitar riff. What I like about Debugged is the individuality each track has, incorporating all manner of sounds, from the strange and noisy to the gentle and melodious. The band delivers everything from an ethereal, Middle Eastern tinged track ("Horn of David") to highly charged dancefloor material ("Crusher") with equal skill. Although some modern electronica elements have seeped into Regenerator's sound, their style remains surprisingly intact. The focus is kept on creating memorable songs, maybe even more than in the past. The duo's Christian outlook is evident on tracks like "Sever" and "Horn of David," but it never comes across as preachy or heavy-handed at all. It's nice to see such a strong, fresh sounding release from one of the scene's veteran acts.
SIDELINE MAGAZINE, #31, Belgium, April '00
Regenerator has always been successful at combining harsh electronics and dark themes with melodic vocals and synaptic soundscapes. Their newest release, "Debugged", is no exception. Following in the same tradition of intensity as their past releases, "Debugged" has a collection of tracks like "Intruder", setting the disc in motion with a hypnotic groove and a steady beat, to pop prospective "The Crucible of Love", which bounces around and forces you to the dancefloor. The band combines a marriage of vocals between Wrex Mock's deep whispers and Patrice Synthea's sensual, yet innocent voice. "Uber De Maschine" is a prime example of the harmonious blend between the two. The song is in German, but translates universally with the emotions it emits. The disc flows from one track to another, but differs in styles giving it a nice mixture of flavours. Songs like "Horn of David", which has a strong Celtic sound with pulsing drums and varied instrumental usage shows the band's diversity and ability to draw from outside influences. This disc is on the top of my list of must-haves.
ELECTROAGE
For their fourth album, Regenerator is following the path of their 1997'release Soulseeker to create a solid techno-pop album meeting industrial elements. On Debugged the duality between male and female vocals still present, but we can see Patrice Synthea getting upfront; handling the vocals with an unnerving beauty with her soft and breathy voice. ÊÊÊ Mainly focussing on the social problems of the new millenium such as AIDS, drugs and dependence on technology, Debugged remains a witness of today's society; without falling into preachy clichŽs. On Drug, it's with a fluid synth-programming surrounding by a watered rhythm that the act is introducing the vicious circle of drugs; with elegance, Patrice is handling the vocals while Wrex provides a soft refrain. As one of the best track of Debugged, Crusher is delivering a powerful mix of techno and pop playing on a EBM-oriented musical structure where we clearly can feel Wrex's influence and love for legendary acts of the genre such as Front 242 and Bigod 20. The following track is taking most of the elements from the previous song and revamping them into a gloomy track with a tribal-oriented rhythm where Patrice is providing gorgeous chants with a certain ethereal feeling. Excision remains a powerful instrumental track where Regenerator is showing their skill to mix various musical influences into a whole, single song. On †ber De Maschine, the act is again showing their love for early EBM's project and the German lyrics aren't here for nothing; but the language is creating an unusual but pleasurable cold atmosphere for Regenerator which are normally much more on the emotional driven side. The music of the song is following the vocals path with static electronics floating on a steady minimal beat; excellent. ÊÊÊ The most I'm listening to Regenerator the most their songs are growing in me. Maybe it's the act's way to mix early EBM influences with today standards creating an appealing genre for both purist and newcomer fans of the scene. But one thing remains true, Debugged is a great album and it should finally give the act the recognition they deserve