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ReviewsThird Stroke: After Biopsy's last disc, "Cervix State Sequencies," they're back once
again with an even more powerful disc, "Third Stroke." Biopsy is the
side project of Guilherme Pires and Fabricio Viscardi of the
electro band Aghast View, but after listening to "Third Stroke" you get
the feeling this could be a full-time project. Tight beats, tons of
sampled sounds, and heavenly processed vocals shine brightly on every
single track. Stand out tracks include the dance-club hit "Body
Wire," and the angst ridden track "Why Bother?" A few of the tracks
have been re-worked by the bands Idiot Stare and Negative Format, making
an already great album even better.
Powerful-crossover electro,similar to Noise Unit,in the deeply shredded guitar manipulation,with drastically different vocals which still remain in the harsh aggro realm.the presence of innovative noise terrorism,fused with a classic EBM-consciousness and polished production efforts creates a hard-hitting album from this fine Brazillian band.DEFINATELY RECOMMENDED!! -Daryl Litts -IN_FACTION MAGAZINE (october 1999) www.infaction.8m.com More aggressive,more compressed,more technologic.this third BIOPSY album is a sort of mix between the 2 older ones"nervate" and "cervix state sequences".The tracks are direct and sounds distorted,the sound blasts out of your speakers and in some way the music conveys a techno/dance influence which is very infectious.I can say that there are two ways to enjoy this CD-dance while you listen to it,or try to discover all the hidden melodic lines that are under the distorted voice of Fabricio.Guitars,crazy basslines and loud drones make THIRD STROKE and electroshock for all fans of the extreme electro dance music. -Maurizio Pustianaz-CHAIN DLK(october 1999) http://www.dune.fionline.it/chaindlk OUTBURN MAGAZINE-JANUARY 2000
Yes again, Biopsy seems to satisfy my taste. This time around, Fabricio Viscardi & Guilherme Pires gives us a even more solid electro/industrial sound focusing more on programming manipulation for the CLUB FLOOR! Using more resonance loops, crushed percussion and bass, razor guitar loops, ear tearing voxx, and more crazy unforgettable structuring manips. Tracks such as “Leech”, “Hypervent”, “Body Wire”, Negative Format’s mix of “disgust” , & “No2 Boost” will pummel your mind and body and soul with no mercy intended! These prove to be healthy for any DJs or rivet-heads diet. Other remix contributions include a electro dance mix of “Body Wire” by Idiot Stare and a solid EBM mix of “Disgust” by Dead Jump. Idiot Stare” This is definitely the strongest releases yet on DSBP. Pretty cool artwork as well! Another must for all rivet-heads and Deejays. (McClelland, deadwyre webzine) My first ever purchase from DSBP, and the first album by Biopsy I've chanced
to hear (previous to this, I'd only heard a few mp3s from CX State Seq). 14
tracks total: 8 new ones, 5 remixes, and 1 track that sounds like it was made of
samples from one or more of the other songs. Definitely dance-floor material
(or, if you're not into publicly displaying dance-floor ineptitude like myself,
it's good for a "sit-in-front-of-the-computer-boogie"). Yes, as someone once
mentioned, the vocalist has a tendency to sing like Taz at times, but I think it
works fairly well. Many different electronic styles seem to seep through from
time to time (I keep thinking I hear an acid-house song buried in one of the
trax, but that may just be me), and the percussion would take on an almost
ethnic structure at times. At times the music reminded me of groups as
different as FLA and New Mind. Overall, I really like it, and it seems to grow
on me with each listen. Favorite Track: Body Wire [Note: One track, "Disgust,"
was previously available on Futronik Structures Vol.2 (a good CD in it's own
right, especially for the price), so if you have it, that will give you a
partial preview of this album]
This is the second album from the highly amusing
Biopsy on TommyT's label DSBP.
Third Stroke can be best be described as techno meets
sepultura. Imagine a remix war between the early 90's
Prodigy and BioHazard and you wouldn't be far off.
A bit like Bile, but with far more catchy techno hooks
you'd think you were listening to a Dynamica band.
Track 2 is brilliant with its ever changing hard
driven techno beats and great 80's rave 'whoooo' noise
and Track 4 'Body Wire' has a catchy mix of classic
female dance samples and rough metal screaming vocals.
At face value Third Stroke seems like a simple
techno-metal dancefloor smasher, but if you actually
listen to it the programing is quite complex and there
is far more to it than you first think.
With 14 tracks of intense smashing electronic metal
this is a must buy for people who like their
industrial fast and testosterone filled by a band who
knows how to do it.
This is the third outing for Brazil's Biopsy, the excellent side-project of the equally excellent Aghast View. Taking the hard electro-industrial foundation that FLA formulated on Caustic Grip, Biopsy build an entirely new and terrifying structure on it. "Leech" starts off in a very dark, electronic vein, building up a rhythm and eventually introducing sampled metal guitar and some hard, angst-filled vocals. "Hypervent" kicks the danceability factor up some, with a wonderfully hard beat and an almost bondage-like sense of claustrophobia. "Why Bother?" brings the guitar back, while "Body Wire" features a more melodic chorus, thanks to a female vocal sample that gets repeated a number of times. The next few tracks follow in a similar vein, with "Peel the Core" giving Psychopomps a run for their money with its guitar-driven intensity. The album only starts to lose it a bit with track 11, "No2 Boost," where sonic elements from "Hypervent" are reworked into a trance-techno instrumental that has me reaching for the skip button within the first minute. The band also adds a couple of remixes of their own (of "Leech" and "Body Wire,") that also seem to take a similarly unappetizing approach. Fortunately, they also hooked up with the likes of Deadjump, Idiot Stare and Negative Format for some much more interesting mixes. So, while some of the remixes near the end leave me a bit fearful of the
band's future direction, the rest of Third Stroke is a stunning success.
Classic industrial/EBM crossover with a distinctly modern flavor,
relentless beats, great programming and vocals with an attitude all add up
to a must for any serious electro-head.
The best elektro-industrial music works on the listener like the films
"Bladerunner" and "Dark City." It pulls you into an unknown but
fascinating world, like a sonic virtual reality. This alternate world is
so interesting and lush that you want to dive in and stay a while. The
details of this alternate world have to have enough integrity and
consistency that you can suspend your disbelief and "live" according the
new rules. The band Biopsy is a gorgeous example of the best
elektro-industrial music. True to the images its name conjures up,
Biopsy cuts like a knife, so you might as well opt for general anesthetic
and go along for the ride. From second one, you are sucked into the
sonic universe that Biopsy inhabits, and you won't want to leave. The
sounds of "nature" in this new world are exotic, vibrating somewhere
between harsh and hauntingly beautiful. This world is very mysterious
but not quite frightening because the noises are not random but rather
operate according to set of unknown laws. Even though the listener
doesn't understand these laws at first, there is still a cryptic sense of
order. To prepare for this journey, you might want to pop a lozenge
(otherwise, after 14 tracks of jaw-dropping surprise and wonder, your
mouth will get dried out). What exactly should you expect to discover?
Relentless beats that never stop evolving, incredible sounds from
machines that this planet has yet to invent, excellent elektro melodies
that pull you through the rough industrial soundscapes like a safety
rope, and distorted power vocals like cries of lost inhabitants. Are
these voices offering guidance or warning? Are they your friends or
enemies? That is but one of many mysteries you will encounter in the
world of Biopsy. Only one fact is certain: Biopsy are masters of their
domain.
Extortionist electronics, suspended vocals, pure energy is the best way to describe biopsy. Their latest album "Third Stroke" once again takes another small step towards the electronic edge than their original guitar laden sound. Their third album and getting stronger every time, Biopsy would best be described as an electronic version of sepultura [also hailing from brazil], and is the brainchild of Frabricio Viscardi who is also a member of the more popular "Aghast View." Third stroke is by far the strongest Biopsy album as a whole, never failing on any tracks, but the one that appeals to me beyond any other is "Disgust," which I heard well over a year before this album was released on the a compilation "Futronik Structures volume 2" and was immediately mesmerised. Biopsy continues on with their "full" and "chunky" sound but I found the electronics to have matured further, and doesn't bore easily with a typical 4/4 techno sound that seems to be predominate in much industrial music today. Biopsy is sure to be a big hit on the dancefloor's around town, and every album has at least a couple of "killers." So if high energy & heavy intelligent music appeals to you, the Biopsy collection is a must!!! --Jarod, GUP Biopsy, is Guilherme Pires and Fabricio Viscardi (Of Aghast View). It is intensely heavy EBM with sampled guitars, almost Numb like angry vocals, and a few twists and samples chucked in here and there. Biopsy definitely should appeal to those who are into the harder side of EBM, or for those who once liked metal, but now realize the folly of their ways. Now Biopsy isn't metal by any means, I just think that there is something to this music that should appeal to ex-metal heads. It's the harsh vocals, mixed with grinding guitars and heavy beats. Very much like a lot of new CDs lately, there are a pile of remixes at the end of this CD. (It really could be considered a EP with bonus tracks to fill it out). Negative Format (a band who I come to like more and more every time I hear their album Result of a New Culture, but that's another review) remix Disgust and do a good job of it, toning it down somewhat and adding their IDM/EBM touch. -Squid (06/03/99) Cervix State Sequences :
Biopsy's second offering comes out being one of the best surprises I had this year so far. Combining incredibly distorted guitar samples with EBM rythms in a way similar to Aghast View (the other project of Fabricio Viscardi), Cervix State Sequences is a strong, varied & well produced CD. The aggressives vocals sound a little like Leaether Strip's and the programming sounds like Aghast View's with more structure. However, Biopsy is not an Aghast View rip-off : they do have their own particular sounds. I was quite surprised by my appreciation of this album since I do not usually like the use of guitars in electronic music. This is definitly a CD worth checking out if you like EBM/Crossover bands or aggressive industrial music. Yan @ Kortex Webzine (original french version at http://kortex.rapeculture.net |