Beyond Flatline

When I first listened to Seabound's Beyond Flatline, I wasn't taken with it. I, like many other people, dismissed the effort as another edition in the same EBM genre, not taking in all the little things that make the band differently. While that perhaps wasn't fair, it has been warranted as of late because of the reproduction of what sells becoming a staple of that (and any other) musical outlet. After sitting it aside for a week and then returning to it, however, I found quite a few things that allowed it to grow on me. I noticed that many of the songs went outside of what I was accustomed to with first releases, allowing me the electronic sounds I've become accustomed to but also allowing me a twist that I liked. Within the worlds endowed with both vocals and beats, there was the most important factor -lyrics. And, ultimately, that is one of the essential qualities in making something memorable.

There are a few tracks on the album that I would think of sitting aside were I scanning it. Still, there are many quality pieces and a few that grew on me almost immediately. I personally liked "Poisonous Friend" and its attempt to capture what it feels like to have someone at your side that is frightening to behold. The lyrics paint an interesting picture of someone in a relationship with another person and the noticing of what they are that comes as time progresses. "You frighten me" mingles hand in hand with watching her and wondering how it feels to feel like her when she "annihilates a friend" while being afraid to show that. And that's pretty interesting. I also thought "Torch" was a nice storytelling piece, using analogy to showcase some interesting imagery. "One by one we sacrificed our pawns for the protection of our queen" starts the tale, leading down a road twined with images of someone torching the kingdoms we all build upon the properties build and bordered by emotion. And then there were a lot of other varietized works that caught my audio eye when I sifted through the works. Pieces like the more sadistic "Digital," touting someone innocent that was "attracted to trouble" as they're taken and sampled, are also worth mentioning. "I took her to a forest, I tied her to a tree, I monitored the action, it's astounding how ruthless we can be." That seems to show another side of the same compendium that offered up songs of sadness in "Soul Diver" and the touching "Watching Over You," and I'm a fan of changing seasons within the same album.

When listening to them, it should be mentioned that they aren't always pulsing for the dancefloor. Some songs have beats that bleed involuntary movement from my arms and a tempo tapping through my feet when I'm listening to them, but some simply paint pictures and set moods. While that isn't something that everyone looks for, I personally found the diversity blinding and I found myself wanting to play them more and more as the listening sessions we spent together stretched on. It's commendably worth obtaining.

After the release of their largely unknown first album, "No Sleep Demon", Seabound return with another groundbreaking release, helping to resurrect the dying EBM genre in the process. Many people tend to compare Seabound with the more recognized EBM giants, Covenant. But this is wholly unfair to Seabound, who have managed to find their own niche in a dying genre. Frank Spinath's vocals soar over carefully constructed electronic sequences, creating diverse soundscapes that draw the listener inexorably deeper into this digital masterpiece.

Transformer - Ambient synths create a lazy opening to this track, before the sequencers and the beat kick in. Kick drum, hi-hat, and snare drive the basic beat forward, with minimal synths and keys supporting the verse. The chorus is catchy, and I found myself singing "You are no scientist" to myself after the first listen. I'm surprised that this song isn't one of the singles from the album, as it is simple but extremely effective. A great introductory track for new Seabound listeners.

Contact - The first single lifted from the album. The same 4 on the floor beat as Transformer, with a little more snare and hi-hat percussion. The vocals are almost drowned out by the distorted keyboards, and Frank's voice is somewhat distorted as well. Listening to this track, one can see why Seabound is compared to Covenant. I can almost imagine this track on Covenant's "United States Of Mind". A good song, but for me it doesn't reach the catchiness of Transformer.

Soul Diver - Classic Seabound. Very reminiscent of Avalost, from "No Sleep Demon". If you liked that track, you will feel right at home here. Lazy, moody synths, and minimal percussion give this song a more laid back feel. Again, mildly distorted vocals bring the lyrics to our ears, until the chorus comes up, and then Frank is back to his true form, with clean vocals and a sad, solemn delivery. I like the simple approach to this track. I think that Seabound is one of the few EBM bands out there that can do a truly enjoyable downtempo song.

Digital - A largely sequenced track, Digital is one of my least favorite songs on this album. Fortunately, it is one of the shortest tracks as well. Very beat driven, with whispered and distorted vocals on the chorus. If there ever was a Seabound filler track, this would be it. Sad that this song had to be on the album, as Without You from the "Poisonous Friend" single would have been a much better choice, and would have made the overall experience more enjoyable.

Poisonous Friend - The second single taken from the album. Overall a great song, with catchy synths and vocals. The sequencing moves this track right along, with the synths floating from channel to channel. I head this song before I heard the first single, Contact, and consequently enjoy this one more than the first single. The song takes ambient pauses in the buildup to the chorus, but overall a very dancey and driving track.

Separation - The shortest track on the album, and a very slow song. Is this the EBM version of a ballad? Part of me really doesn't enjoy this track too much, as the heavily vocoded vocals just don't connect with my idea of what Seabound is. But there are some excellent synth lines that roll along midway through the song that somehow catch my fancy.

Torch - Begins with ambient synths rolling along with whispered vocals. The mood shifts a bit as the verse kicks in, and suddenly this track starts to sound a lot like one of their earlier catchy songs, Day Of The Century, which is not a bad thing. When the sequencers start up, you know that this is going to be a standout song. This is the longest song on the album, but it moves along nicely, carrying the listener with it. I like the lyrics, and the vocal delivery is spot on. Not really single material, but I wouldn't mind hearing some remixes of it.

Go International - Another reviewer here said that the music was pretty enjoyable, but the lyrics were pretty weak. I second that motion. This song would probably have been better served as an instrumental. I don't hate it, but it certainly doesn't stand out. Pretty uptempo, I guess this could end up in rotation at a club, but it doesn't fit well between Torch and the following excellent track, Watching Over You.

Watching Over You - My favorite song on the album, this to me is what Seabound is all about. Conjuring images of an endless expanse of sea, rolling waves, gray skies, and cold breezes, this track is definitely the unsung hero of Beyond Flatline. Pretty downtempo, it relies more on Frank's vocals and the excellent lyrics to propel it along. This song is awesome on headphones, and could have been a great album closer. The remix by Haujobb on the Poisonous Friend single is a bit more upbeat, and really complements the vibe of the original. So if you like this version, check out the remix as well.

Icarus - Like many of the previous tracks, this one opens with ambient synths and minimal beats. The sequencers really drive this song, and the lyrics are pretty basic, mildly distorted and treated with a slow reverb effect. Would have fit better between Go International and Watching Over You, but overall isn't a bad choice to close the album with.

The voyage that is Beyond Flatline is somewhat short, but ultimately sweet, despite a few less than stellar tracks that mar the experience. The general feel of this album has been something akin to the waves on the ocean. We have gentle areas that build up to a faster climax, and then drop back down before building up again. Up and down, like the motion of the ocean. Whether this is intentional or not, the effect is very noticeable and definitely appreciated. This would definitely be a 5 star album, if not for Digital. I would go with 4 ½ stars, but since we can only do either 4 or 5, it has to be 4. But don't let the few filler tracks keep you from picking this great album up.

On first spin, I thought this album sounded like so many other bands within the Dark synth-pop and industrial scene. But the more I listened the more I found these guys are different. They are very subtle. And it is effective, beleive me. Cutting, intelligent lyrics. Catchy synth lines and some very interesting beats. Similar in overall sound to later Covenant, but with sharper teeth. There are also some spooky aspects to the album that I found all the more appealing, like the hard-driven beats and sinister lyrics on 'digital', a song about abducting a young woman and photographing her tied to a tree in the forest, it makes you think about some of the pornography floating around on the internet these days... not that I like to look at pornography or anything.... please... pfft! The album seems to concentrate on how people learn to isolate their feelings after being hurt, and some of the negative affects it has on them. Maybe this is kind of a deep analysis, but if you listen to the lyrics closely, you will see.

Well worth the money. For any fan of synth-pop or related music.

Hasta Banana!