Verily, when James Kent kicks open the door with Pertubator's Theme, there seems to be no stopping the menacing synth beats. Raw Power sounds like a modern video game version of the Blade Runner chase sequence, while Future Club is just that - a futuristic rave. By the time War Against Machines comes along - clearly a take on the Terminator theme - willing listeners find themselves immersed into a retro version of the dark future.
This apparent single-purposiveness would make for a short diversion, which would then get boring between 20 and 30 minutes in. Luckily however, Kent's vision allows for some much-needed breathing space. Minuit grants us just that - being a lot closer to the original feel of Blade Runner's panoramic imagery - and the lovely Hard Wired is one of the better synth-pop ballads this side of David Lynch. The 12 minute long title track closes the album by painting a summarizing picture of the previous 60-odd minutes, and leaves you longing for a future which - compared to our own - is certainly less optimistic, but way more cool.
Dynamic and intense throughout, with a few moments of tranquility accentuating the (very heavy) beats, this album is bound to bring pleasure to fans of the aforementioned future dystopia/sci-fi/cyberpunk/synth soundtrack staples (also: the Matrix, Robocop, Akira, Deus Ex...). Just give it a listen. If you like it, tell your friends, and listen to it again. The future from the eighties is now, and Perturbator helps us realize its horrible glory.
- Arnaud Uwland
