Tim Skold returns to us with his personal account of living within the industry. Collaborating with Motionless In White, Marilyn Manson and the classier KMFDM as songwriter/producer/man-at-arms more recently, Skold’s experiences refashioned as intimate songs are invaluable tales of trials and tribulations. The Undoing is structured like an argument for industrial music, working through its weaknesses and complimenting it through its strengths.
There’s industrial music and then there’s cyber punk, and Skold’s new album fits more into the dystopic futuristic society envisioned by William Gibson than the manufactured emotional synthesis frequently punted in reality. Using his own voice Skold turns an affection for metal into a dreamy mix of cool rhythms paved with heavy ‘tude and neon reflections from a bygone era in musics’ industrial history. Suffice in its presentation The Undoing revitalizes the lazy genre without hinging on a saccharine lead at every step.
When the pacing rides on The Undoing its equivocal to a good cinematic score. The highs and lows build tension until the final resolution like a classy film narrative. Tracks seamlessly progress, harmoniously creating a sense of continuity, and yet remain distinct. Uniquely turning the zeitgeist of previous tracks into a foundation or floor leveling what has gone before and intensifying the scenes Tim writes, The Undoing is the fifth element in Skolds’ expansive solo career.
8/10
