REVIEW

SOME REVIEW OR CRITICS TAKEN OVER THE NET

This band mixes electro industrial and goth elements into one style of music.There are touches of Leæther Strip and :wumpscut: found here. The beats are very catchy with electronic rhythms mixed with haunting synths. The vocals are extremely distorted, and sing in a dark and moody style. I wouldn't consider this dance music due to it being so gothic. But the rhythms and beats will make you want to get up and move. All of the songs on this album do sound fairly similar to each other, but do have subtle differences to make them stand apart. My favorite songs are "Make Up", "No Life", and "Nuclear Lab". These songs stand out the most. But there isn't a bad song to be found here. If you like dark, moody, and haunting electro goth music, you will like Evils Toy.

When trying to avoid labels and direct comparison fails I often have to fall back on old hat reviews much like in the case of this album. Evil Toy sounds like Leaetherstrip on valium with an Ogre wanna-be on vocals. If you can overlook the likening of the band and the aforementioned artists that music simply ceases to exist. Normally I'd consider this band a wash and toss it to the bargain bin but I'm making an exception in this case. The album is just catchy enough to keep a solid listen and just fast enough to keep me from getting bored. For the most part the music is plain vanilla dance industrial with just enough creative insight to avoid all the tracks sounding the same. No new ground has been broken here just the same old stuff we've been hearing for years.

While we wait for XTC Implant to be released stateside, we can pick up this CD. I assume that Morbid Mind is basically the singles for Dear God and Organic thrown together with a few unreleased tracks. Dear God is an amazing track that sounds like X Marks the Pedwalk from the Human Desolation period. The original version stands out as the best, with the remix coming in second and Sevren's XMTP remix placing last. Sacrifice! is another song found on here in multiple places, one being the original and Morphed being the technofied remix. The music behind Nature's Revenge and the choosen samples makes it sound like it could have been written by Leaether Strip. Kill Another is a demo from 1989 and the simplistic keyborad work and whispered vocals make it sound very dated. Overall, this is an excellent disc, especially for those not familiar with thier work. Many of the tracks compare to older XMTP work, which isn't suprising considering the tracks were all recorded in Sevren's studio.

It appears that Evils Toy has been able to shed the stereotypical German electro sound with this new album. While "Human Refuse" was a pile of sorely derivative tracks that were never quite self-sufficient, "Morbid Mind" exudes many of their old mannerisms in favor of a more refined and crisp sound. Only one tiny influence remains, that of the lead singer Volker Lutz sounding amazingly like Dominik Van Reiche of yelworC and amgoD, and that isn't likely to ever change. The overall depth and complexity of the music has increased dramatically and as a result the album actually maintains a strong cohesiveness that never existed previously. Most of the programming is extremely robust and many of the tracks encourage the audience to get up and dance themselves until they pass out. A definite improvement over their previous work which suggest that Evils Toy might be a band to watch closely for a new trend of electro in near future.

Evils Toy have really mellowed out and gone a bit techno with the release of their third album, "XTC Implant". This album marks a definitive change in Evils Toy style similar to the deviation that occurred when X Marks The Pedwalk released of "Facer". Evils Toy also seem to have gone the way that Haujobb went on their last album, and incorporated a number of techno based loops in place of some of their more gritty sounds. In essence, they have changed from sounding too much like :wumpscut:, to sounding too much like Haujobb. I supposed this is the price
one pays when you physically dwell too close to your musical influences as well as share the same label. Evils Toy also have virtually replaced all of the signature percussion with strings. As a result the music is less choppy, a little more fluid, and extremely danceable. Unfortunately, they have alsobecome a bit more derivative than on previous albums, and I have a feeling this change is only going to hinder rather than help them.

XTC Implant is the follow up to their full-length debut release Human Refuse, which I didn't think much of although there were some good songs overall it seemed to be repetitive. XTC Implant is a much more solid release from Thorsten Brenda & Volker Lutz. Excellent EBM tracks, several with dance floor potential. There are some definitely outstanding tracks on this release. Organics is one of them, which appeared on the Electrauma III comp, which some may have heard. Hypnosis is another track worth a mention; excellent EBM composition. Another thing worthy of mentioning, which also made me enjoy the disk more is the interesting voice effects used by Volker Lutz on some of the songs. Although this album isn't ground breaking, it's worth the pickup. There is still more room for improvement, but they have definitely moved a step up in their music. I do have to admit that my favorite song by this band still remains Dear God.

reviewed by R. Abarca

Diese Metall-Box-Edition - schlicht und ergreifend BOX genannt - hat für Hypnobeat eine gute und eine schlechte Seite. Denn zum einen darf das Label genauso wie die Band über gemeinsam Erreichtes stolz sein, zum anderen markiert diese Edition das Ende der Zusammenarbeit. EVILS TOY haben es in den letzten fünf Jahren geschafft, traditionelle Elektro-Sounds mit frischen Zutaten zu verfeinern und dem konservativ behafteten EBM neuen Schwung zu geben. Die BOX vereint alle Highlights von EVILS TOY auf einer CD. Das Beste aus ihren drei Alben "Human Refuse", "Morbid Mind" und "XTC Implant", sowie ihrer Singles "Dear God", "Organics" und "The Old Race" wird aufbereitet und lecker angerichtet.Dazu gesellen sich neue Stücke, die das Gesamtbild abrunden.

The CD of the month has to go to Evils Toy and their new full length, Illusions. Illusions picks up where XTC Implant left off and carries their sound even further along. With other Evils Toy albums, I found myself really enjoying a handful of tracks, but on Illusions I can not pinpoint the track I like best, because they are all so good. On Lucifer’s Garden you’ll find two unique things; one is the goth vocal style used on the chorus, the second is the eerie, whistle sequence that sweeps its way through the whole track. Co-Excistence begins with a series of computerized bleeps and blips before the squeaky sequences, gritty beats, and growling vocals overtake them. The vocoder effects on the vocals, along with the catchy synth-pop riffs during the chorus make this track very addicting. The title track trots along with cascading sequences, thick vocals, and a rough beat. A distinct FLA comparison can be made on Prevision. The vocals are low and glottal, the rhythm is electrified, and the melodies are amazing. A song about mermaids, Under the White Waves contains ethereal sequences, a trotting beat, and unique lyrics. At first, my favorite track was PSI, a piece having to do with the aliens among us. Again, an 80’s-ish vocoder effect is used in the chorus, alongside a hollow break beat. This piece goes through several transformations. Everything from the percussion to the sequences to the melodies to the rhythms change back and forth. Fallen Angel is one of three instrumentals. On this particular track, resonating wet rhythms are aligned with simple, pounding beats and airy sequences. The final track, entitled bonus track (’92),sounds like an early, instrumental version of what would eventually become Dear God. Granted, not all of the Dear God elements are present, but enough is there to give me this impression. The beat is very similar to Smothered Hope by Skinny Puppy, but the sequences sound like primitive Dear God. I can only imagine that there is already a deal worked out to get the CD released in the US, but if not, it’s not to hard to get ahold of as an import.

This 3 song single is a limited edition release from the never disappointing Evils Toy. Even thought The Old Race is short, it is still worth picking up for three reasons.
1) There is an exclusive track, Golden Sands, which is a very mild electro piece with nice melodic breaks between the rapid percussion during the verses. The electronics on this track are well orchestrated, blending symphonic, atmospheric sounds with very upbeat, highly danceable rhythms.
2) The previously unreleased Stage Mix of The Old Race. This is a much denser version of the original, with added electronic elements and more prominent beats, making it more accessible for club play.
3) The fact that this CD is limited to 1111 copies makes it a must for collectors and Evil Toy fans alike.
The third track is the album version of The Old Race. This lyrics of this track remind me of some of Project Pitchfork’s musings on their IO CD which evoke thoughts of wiser, elders who know right from wrong and vow to get back what was once taken from them. Deep, dark, thought provoking lyrics laid over solid electro-dance make Evil’s Toy one of the most refreshing bands around.

Begonnen haben die Bochumer EVILS TOY 1993 als eine weitere Band, deren Idole und Wurzeln eindeutig bei Bands wie Skinny Puppy, Front Line Assembly oder Yelworc zu suchen sind. Nach ihrem 93er Debut, dem 94er Nachfolger "Morbid Mind" ist das neuste Oevre "XTC Implant" das mit Abstand überzeugenste, vielfältigste Werk. Die EBM-Härte ist hier immer mehr der melodischen und instrumentellen Viefalt gewichen, aktuelle, trendige Techno-Sounds finden ebenfalls Einzug. Natürlich sind EVILS TOY noch weit davon entfernt, "The Future Sound Of Electro" zu sein - dafür sind die erwähnten Vorbilder immer noch zu sehr präsent - doch immerhin bietet "XTC Implant" solide Ware über dem Durchschnitt.

RE/Act: Virtual Symmetry (CDS, Hypnobeat, 1997)
Aus dem direkten Umfeld von Evils Toy kommt die Formation RE/Act. Das Trio wurde folglich auch gleich von Volker Lutz aus eben dieser Combo produziert, klingt aber trotzdem eigen. Drei Tracks auf mageren zwölf Minuten bietet ihre Debut-Maxi-CD, die aber dafür umso mehr zu gefallen wissen. RE/Act sind schon nach diesen drei Songs nicht stilistisch einzuordnen. "Virtual Symmetry" erinnert noch am ehesten an Evils Toy, mit atmosphärischen Klängen zu tanzbarer, relativ weicher und sehr modern klingender EBM, dunklem, gesprochenem Gesang und kurz abgehackten Sounds. "Sacred Air (Renewal)" stammt eher aus dem Synthiepop-Sektor, mit modernen Dance-Rhythmen und weiblichen Vocals angereichert, ruhiger als der Titeltrack und insgesamt sehr stimmungsvoll. "Communion" ist als einziger Track zusätzlich zur Elektronik mit Gitarreneinsatz gestaltet und mit Sicherheit der härteste Track auf der Scheibe, bei Crossover oder Industrial anzusiedeln. Mir persönlich gefielen die ersten beiden Songs besser, aber auch dieser letzte birgt einige gute Ideen, vor allen in den ruhigen Parts. Insgesamt ein gut gelungenes Debut, auf einen Longplayer kann man gespannt sein.