Released on: 24th August 2018
Helix is a collaboration between Tom Shear and Mari Kattman, both of who are well established in the field of dark and riveting electronica. The debut album of the project is called Twin and is an exponent of the talent held by these two wonderful musicians. As it delivers both a familiar structure and a unique sound from the two artists meshing together.
The album itself is haunting and Kattmans’ vocals are heartwrenching in the same way that the sun is bright on a winters day. You can feel the warmth on your face but your body is seeped in cool, cold and calculated electronica. Cold and calculated is perhaps a bit harsh, but cool definitely fits.
With that being said the synth voices on Twin are a wonderful contrast to the incredibly emotive vocals. And the sound production is humanely artificial. As the overall structure paints a spectacular image in sounds rather than lights. With Shear covering the tonal spectrum majestically with his dynamic and detailed synth patches.
Overall Helix appears to be more like a pet project than an alternative to Shears’ Assemblage 23. However it does feel like an extension to another one of his many projects called Back And To The Left. Helix is certainly fresher than that and Twin is like a sister project. The musical geneaology is maybe not as interesting as the family values in Game of Thrones but it does hold some interesting mutations within its evolved DNA.
With all that being said Twin will leave you wanting more, more of Shears excellent songwriting and more of Kattmans’ dreamy vocals. Secondly it will leave you wanting more of Helix as the final track leaves you stranded in an emotionless void after having filled your body with nihilistic optimism.
8/10
