SOULSEEKER REVIEWS
SIDELINE MAGAZINE, Belgium, January '98
With 2 albums and 2 maxis under their belts, Regenerator, one of the better exponents of the US electronic school, take us on a soul searching trip with their brand new third full length album totalling some 69 minutes..."Soulseeker" is an album I had been looking forward to with great enthusiasm and that was worth the wait! They've done a really masterful job here offering a good variety of tracks to please most tastes with a steady astounding production. Wafting tones and solid heartbeats nestle side by side on this record in perfect harmony. Blasts of low bass synthesizer, creeping synth lines, strong basslines and drum tracks surround excellent lyrics. And the male somber melancholic vocals enter in perfect duality with Patrice's emotive vocal performance confirming she has a greater vocal range than many of her contemporaries.
Regenerator's modern passionate sound and hypnotic dark pop reaches tops on songs like the dancey "Rush", the carrying "H", the touching smooth title-track "Lightbringer", the pearl "Wirklichkeit", "Mind Control" and "Somewhere". Regenerator also adopted guitar sounds in a few songs they brilliantly incorporated in the mix bringing them some similarities with Cat Rapes Dog on a song like "Megawhore" for example. A truly triumphant release that has a certain addiction that once in your CD player it never leaves! A grandiose album inflecting the senses...
INDUSTRIAL BIBLE WEBZINE, USA, November '97
Regenerator are back this fall with a brand new album and on a brand new label. Soulseeker, On Synthetic Symphony, shows Regenerator moving forward with their sound, which revolves around the shared vocals between Wrex and Patrice.
As of late, I've become quite a fan of female fronted electro/industrial acts and Regenerator fits perfectly into that category. Although the vocals are split between the two, its Patrice's vocals that really drive this band home for me. One Chance is the album opener. This piece is comprised of Patrice's breathy vocals, sweeping synth lines, radical beats, and Wrex's growling backing vocals. Fierce guitar riffs provide the backdrop for Megawhore; a track on which Wrex takes over as the lead vocalist with Patrice supplying the backing vocals. A firm beat is intertwined with crashing sequences on this dance-orientated piece. Wrex's gruff vocals are joined together with Patrice's assertive singing and a spastic techno rhythm on Rush.
Wet, pumping sequences, snarling vocals played against a soothing chorus, screeching guitar riffs, and a strict beat drive H. Lightbringer is a slower piece with a throbbing rhythm, hollow beats and raspy vocals. The placement of this piece brings the listener back down to earth before skyrocketing them into the outer space sounding 7th Seal. Built around a compact, bass beat, spastic sequences, and demonic samples, 7th Seal is a complex, semi techno oriented piece that shows Regenerator's more experimental side. Mind Control is a less aggressive piece that joins 303 sounding sequences together with dense beats. Blending an erratic rhythm line together with equally unpredictable sequences and Wrex's grumbling vocals give Tumor its life. Patrice's vocals reach their apex on Somewhere; a piece that is both musically and vocally fantastic. The energy she puts behind her vocal delivery is unmistakable. Night & Mourning is a mild piece with delicate sequences placed a top a galloping beat. Soulseeker finishes out with Communion, an airy instrumental with spacey sequences and soft string arrangements. Divergent music and diverse vocal delivery abound on Soulseeker. It's a shame that a US band with this much talent has to go overseas to get a record deal. Granted Soulseeker does contain 16 tracks and clocks in at over one hour, so if you pay the import price you do get your moneys worth, but I'm afraid that some people who are not familiar with them thus far, may not want to shell out the cash, which would be bad for them because they'd really be missing out on some spectacular music.