CD, Crunch Pod, 2005
www.hazmat-infection.com/manufactura
Manufactura, the outlet for Karloz M.’s creative hostility, comes back with “Presence: into the Here and the Now”, released under the banner of Crunch Pod.
I’ll start with just a harsh but honest comment: this record made me feel like Manufactura is trying to pull out a reverse Scott Sturgis, as in, changing from a great rhythmic noise act to a just good industrial/ harsh EBM one. I can just assume that the inner demons that Karloz has been pummeling down with his beats and samples throughout the previous releases finally found their way out and into this album. Of course, this is by no means a bad thing, since expression of feelings through cold, harsh music is usually a feat itself, and “Presence” churns out feelings in audio with impressive dynamism and aggression.
Switching from 4/4 thumps to a jackhammer of faster beats, moments before they dissolve into a slower paced backdrop, the percussions earn the spotlight and hold the entirety of the album solidly together, from the synths to the variety of samples that can be found in the release. Karloz M. gives an acceptable performance invoicing out all the horrid images within his mind through some greatly emotional and dark lyrics.
This is by no means a bad record, sounding somewhere between :wumpscut: and Dulce Liquido. However, the main problem with it is nothing but its predecessors, surpassing “Presence” even in its supposed strong points (aggression and darkness), which seem to be too stressed almost to the point of extravagance, when compared to the magnificently elegant malice that reeked from “Precognitive Dissonance”. I’d recommend this album as ok, but don’t expect much greatness here. Let us just hope that said greatness is saved for the next release, one ready to bring Manufactura once again back to the top in our dark little playlists and hearts.
[7/10]
— George Mouratidis