Exemia – Cryptobiosis – review

Updated: 22 July, 2023 Created: 14 March, 2016 By:Adalbert Category: News|Reviews

Many dark electro albums are issued these days, and it’s harder and harder to get the listener’s attention. However, not all artists care about that, and Exemia is the case. I know the project since one year or something, but must admit I missed the premiere of the new effort of Fabián Morelos Aldana who is the man behind Exemia. In fact the project releases albums since 2008 without any contract or even physical releases (you can get everything via bandcamp), so I guess Exemia is done by someone who really loves to create music, and doesn’t care much about its reception. However some of such acts should be noticed. Especially “Cryptobiosis”, the new album of Exemia deserves attention.

Listen to the whole album at https://exemia.bandcamp.com/album/cryptobiosis

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What is different between the previous efforts and “Cryptobiosis” are the vocals. Previously Exemia was doing rather industrial rave, but now you get regular (well, if we could such adjective to this kind of music) songs. I have nothing against instrumental tracks, but I must admit Fabián has done vocals in a great way – I haven’t heard so sick vocals in dark electro for many years.

The first song, “Discraced” is enough to attach the listener’s attention because of it great, fat bassline (which merges trance with EBM), some really scary pads and samples, agrresive vocals and really good songwriting. The atmosphere is very thick, and this anger which is trademark of the genre is very authentic.

The atmosphere is very thick, and this anger which is trademark of the genre is very authentic

And what’s pretty good, the lyrics are as strong as music, so just give them a try. I know it’s hard to do that after so many uninspired verses cried uot by so many dark electro artists. When Fabian is shouting about “demonized national schizophrenia roaming the streets with a lust for blood” it sounds really convincing.

Next song “Ruido en el cielo” returns to the patterns that were already present in the previous efforts of Exemia – the hardcore/rave/techno beats and samples are devastating your ears for almost one minute when… grindocre vocals enter and the thought about genericness of the track fades away. What’s that? Some kind of dark/rave/industrial/whatever Napalm Death or Brujeria? I don’t rally care about the moniker here, since this strange mixture (enriched with some oldschool 8-bit synths in the chorus!) works just perfectly great.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYjcvwwR6us

“Hateful Apparatus” continues the vibe of the previous tracks, but adds some… tribal samples. It all works pretty good together in this case as well. The slaughter continues until 3:40, when EBMish bassline and vocals intensify the dynamics, and then after this climax some melancholic melodies came in… along with fake guitar solo, so the whole song concludes in very exceptional, but natural way.

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“Nighterrors” is maybe the most typical dark electro track here, and also very memorable, so it is nothing exceptional that it promoted the whole album (for example on the Halotan sampler). Good piece of music to start if you don’t know Exemia. And even it’s the most eccassible and melodic track on the album it’s still fierce and heavy as hell.

“Abnormality” is a heavier track, yet still very danceable, and it has pretty good and melodic leads along the whole song. But when we talk about melodies the next track, “Gris” is a smasher. It’s obviously one of my fauvorites on the album – so many things are happening here. Mind the only clean vocals on the album which, along with the oldschool 80s synths are making this track hardly forgettable.

All leads to one goal: create the heaviest, the fiercest, the most dynamic dark electro tune, which is the perfect soundtrack for very sad reflection on the condition of human society

“Devolved state”, apart of typical Exemia’s brutality and beautiful synths adds the new element – influence of the trance music. As usual, all of the elements fit perfectly to each other.

“Whispers of the enemy” starts with some spooky piano and choir sounds and mid-tempo drums, but when you think that the whole track will be calmer, the storm unelashes. Then harsh electro and atmospherical moments interfere, which results in very intensive yet dark ambiance.

At the end of the wole album we have the title tracks. It starts as industrial rave/powernoise tracks, but after one minute great EBM bassline comes in, it’s almost such great as in the opening track so we may say that the whole album makes a full accomplished circle. “Cryptobiosis” has also some very memorable chorus, and I’m not astonished that the song was chosen as a closing track.

What can we say more? When I’m listening to Exemia I just can’t understand why the whole dark electro became so generic. Exemia shows that the melting pot of many influenceces can be very coherent. So many things are happening at once in those songs, but all leads to one goal: create the heaviest, the fiercest, the most dynamic dark electro tune, which is the perfect soundtrack for very sad reflection on the condition of human society.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vwpucnItDg