There is plenty of Industrial aggression on this album!
author: Synthpop.NET / Jason Baker
This was the second album for Tim Tyran's Bunker Soldier project, and was his first effort to work without a producer. He recorded and engineered almost every aspect of this album, which meant that the hip-hop influences of the first record vanished along with its' producer. However, the album was written right after he broke up with his Fiance, so there's plenty of Industrial aggression to be found on this album. The album opens with 2 instrumental tracks before the vocals come in on Come To Me. And when the tracks do feature vocals, the general tone is much more dark this time out. The less polished production this time lends a creepy edge to these dark tracks, using what would normally be a great disadvantage into a positive aspect of the music. In fact, these vocals sound almost exactly like they would if this were a live album. There are some very interesting songs here, such as Come To Me, My House In Order, Friendly Fire, Break The Ice and Amazon Girl. Also, several of the instrumentals are very cool, such as Deviant and From The Dark. The blend of techno, industrial and synthpop that is Bunker Soldier's sound is here presented for the first time without a hip-hop inclined producer filtering it. While a remastering job wouldn't fix all the production shortfalls here, it'd be interesting to hear several of these songs with a more cleaned up and honed edge. This isn't the album I would introduce Bunker Soldier to a new listener with, but it is worth hearing. A album with shortfalls, but plenty of promise! -Jason Baker / www.synthpop.net
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Great hooks and an old school goth, electro sound.
author: Black Harvest Magazine - U.K.
Texan industrialists Bunker Soldier fuse elements of KMFDM, Wumpscut and Gary Numan to name a few, Innuendo opens with a Wumpscut esque instrumental which leads into early 90's era electro Goth/ industrial angst, lightweight by today's industrial comparisons, Bunker soldier appear more twinned with the Goth side of things than all else, with unique vocal stylings blending lyrical Skinny puppy styles with the drudgery of the Goth pitch and tone often in an almost spoken word style, electro drum patterns fill the speakers with steady paced guitar accompaniment tuneful bells and ticking bass lines keep songs progressing in a 'happy' direction - not sure if that is wholly a good thing - competent in arrangement and song writing with some nice touches, and more interesting and better in quality as the release progresses, this is by no means poor, more difficult to place in today's industrial climate. Unique with the style of sound, there are bands out there still producing electro Goth/industrial 90's style and to a good standard, some of the electronic elements used are sometimes questionable as are some the lyrics and tunes, however, on the whole there are a couple of tracks on here that are great just because of the old school sound and some of the hooks contained therein. I have heard a lot worse and Bunker Soldier did leave me with a smile on my face, a very distinct electro-agro industrial sound with some quirky elements, very similar to the UK's own Putra Chic for those that remember them, only Texan. A refreshing change to some of the drab ebm/futurepop that is filling the dance-floor these days, not terribly exciting but competent and refreshing, interesting in a retro style, a few tweaks to the production and a release or two more will cement Bunker Soldier firmly on the map. MATT / Black Harvest Magazine - U.K.
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great stuff!!
author: alan ingles
great stuff!! bought all 3 of his discs and this is the first one i have listened too...my car sound system will never be the same :)...great production/sound/writing etc...now i have to hear the other two, especially the new one...
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Marcus Pan is the editor of Legends Magazine
author: Legends Magazine #100
More from Texas. Land of the Alamo brings us another harder core group attempting to meld industrial/techno grooves with metal. The Bunker Soldier is Tim Tyran, and he brings in other artists for recording and live-play help as needed including Tony Greene (keyboards/vocals), Don Bradbury (live drums), Carter Livingston (guitars), Ton Pacia (producer/vocals/webmaster). Rhythmically powerful, if a little banal, Bunker Soldier's latest release, Innuendo, give us a bass and beat laden mash of sound with good arranging and techno-riff style stylings.
Debuting in 1996 with Quite A Dilemma, Tyran claims Prodigy, Nitzer Ebb, New Order and others as his musical influences. Clearly visible in his work, especially the Prodigy sound, Tim's debut received high acclaim. It rose to a number 1 ranking on WCOT/Utica, NY and achieved air and club play worldwide. Tim's approach to his Bunker Soldier creation is one of alter ego - a backlash of his more normal life in the daytime, he rumbles away in his home studio long into the night.
Much of Innuendo is instrumental, concentrating on techno- and guitar-laden rhythmic grooves. Tim's a master at rhythm creation in many ways. Opening with Deviant, a scraping and sample-laden track, this track rolls into the slower, moodier-starting Break The Ice. Drums are the guiding force in this, the second track on Innuendo, and the grooving arrangement and style is excellent. A highlight track.
Bunker Soldier's pioneering single from Innuendu is My House In Order. The arrangement is standard fare techno-metal and the vocals are a bit whiny - I'm not sure if I like this vocal style, but it does grow on you. One of my favorites on Innuendo is Timmy Didn't Get A Buzz, another sample-laden song that seems to have been mish mashed together to create a rhythmically stirring piece of music. Filled with vocal samples, the song has a rolling attribute to it.
The eighth track is Innuendo - named for the album. Another instrumental piece, Innuendo has a surfing groove highlighted by guitars and bass. It's a fun song with a bright melody - excepting the keyboards which keep an ethereal quality to it so that the track keeps from becoming pure cheeze. Beach Boys on acid. Speaking of cheeze, however, let's jump back to track 4, Slash And Burn. A bass-heavy rumbling permeates the underside of the track and the lyrics of the song is your standard "We'll kick your ass" style. The keyboards keep a chord-hit style and guitars are not apparent - unless they're hiding maybe. It's the bass that pushes the track along, rumbling it from note to note and staff to staff.
The last track I'm going to cover in detail here is Amazon Girl. Located on track 9 of Innuendo, Amazon Girl is enjoyable for its rhythm. Tim again shows that he is a master at the art of beat movement - a pre-requisite for any audio creation. The lyrics are again a little cheezy and vocals take on just a little of the whining quality that I wasn't quite thrilled with in My House In Order, but it doesn't go too far here. The flute-like breakdowns are nice and add a bit of spice to the track and the keyboards that seem to sit above the strumming guitar riffs and, again, rumbling bass line keep it from falling into the "just another techno track" syndrome. Differentiates it just enough I think.
Bunker Soldier - Tim Tyran's alter ego. Going for just about five years now, he feels Innuendo is his path to his newest and best music. While a lot of it is standard techno of the kind you can pick up from Prodigy or Chemical Brothers, you will find that Bunker Soldier infuses his music with a little more in the way of style. His rhythm and groove are a bit different, and I've done my best to highlight where you can find it best here on his latest release.
Contact Information:
Post: Neo-Cultural Front Records, P.O. Box 612243, Dallas, TX, 75261
Phone: (817) 275-6110
E-Mail: bunkersold@aol.com
Web: http://members.aol.com/neofront
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