It's finally happened: Industrial music has been around for so long and has gone through so many stylistic shifts in the 25 years since
Throbbing Gristle first began that even this resolutely forward-looking genre has started creating nostalgic records.
Dismantled is Gary Zon, a young sampler/musician clearly heavily influenced by the likes of
Front Line Assembly,
Skinny Puppy, and even the less pop-oriented side of
Trent Reznor. Although recorded in 2002, there's little on
Dismantled's self-titled debut that would sound out of place on one of those artists' albums from the late '80s. Tracks like the spookily ambient "Circular" and the pummeling opener, "Purity," are well-formed sonic collages, and Zon even shows a hint of actual songwriting ability, but it's impossible to completely discount the sense of déjà vu that permeates this album, from the cover art to the songs themselves. ~ Stewart Mason