The group
C-Tec contains several members already well known to fans of the techno/electronic genre (
Jean-Luc DeMeyer of
Front 242,
Marc Heal of Cubante, and Ged Denton of Crisis N.T.I.). The aptly titled
Darker is industrial-influenced, aggressive electronic dance music with all of the necessary ingredients for success -- the vocals are sung with the mandatory pissed-off foreign accent, and the music drills into your brain with ease (just check out the leadoff track, "Random"). "Silent Voices" is a stark contrast to the album's full-on assault songs -- it's essentially an a cappella vocal piece accentuated by synthesizer noises here and there, as is the '80s computerized pop sound of "The Lost." And as mentioned earlier,
C-Tec explores dance territory as well. Just give a listen to the pulsing beats of "Flowing," the freaked-out "Foetal," and "Stateless" for electro-dance demonstrations. If you want to experience today's techno sounds, chances are
C-Tec's Darker won't let you down.