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Cenotype – Origins

Cenotype - Origins

CD, Hive Records, 2007
www.cenotype.com

“Origins” is the first full-length release by US-act Cenotype, a.k.a. Lenny B. With a long past as a DJ, “Origins” is very aptly titled, hinting at the influences behind the act in general as well as the within the record, which was released through Hive Records.
Thus it comes as no surprise that the sound of the album mostly follows the classic American brand of powernoise, focusing on a more solid and industrial sound with a strong emphasis on the strength and sheer impact of the tracks and utilizing simple yet effective structures, quite unlike the faster, more technical sound that’s more associated with its Canadian or European counterparts. Still, in our case, simple is by no means bad, lending a very danceable vibe to the disc, with the industrial tinge helping greatly in fitting the material into not strictly powernoise/experimental playlists. Another factor that greatly contributes to the above effect is the sense of emotion that subtly permeates the record, even in the harder parts, giving it a greater depth than most powernoise releases, which merely rely on aggression to pull their weight.
Overall, Cenotype’s offering is a rather mixed affair of a record. At 68 minutes, the album easily classifies as a full-length release. However, therein lies its biggest flaw, because 68 minutes, divided somewhat unevenly in merely ten tracks, leads to them feeling somewhat stretched, with the ambient pieces becoming outright tiring. Slow and long in their attempts at minimalism, they end up feeling uneventful and bland, thus detracting steam from the album instead of working as foci for the overall mood.
All in all, despite its faults, this is a great release, working on the proven formula of solid, industrial rhythmic noise, with enough of Cenotype’s personal twist so as not to sound unoriginal. Hopefully the next release, which we will be looking forward to, will be free of the few faults that keep this release from being positively exceptional.

[7.5/10]

— George Mouratidis

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