Shadow of Fear

Album review

Richard H. Kirk resurrected the name Cabaret Voltaire for live performances of specially composed material in 2014, two decades after the group disbanded. Shadow of Fear is the first CV album in 26 years, and the first to be solely created by Kirk, although by the end of the influential group's run in the mid-'90s, their music had evolved into a mixture of dub, techno, and house much more in line with Kirk's myriad solo ventures, like Sandoz and Electronic Eye, than the band's earlier incarnations. Without Stephen Mallinder's cyberpunk vocals, Shadow of Fear still feels more like a Kirk solo album, but its primitive drum machines, caustic distortion, and gritty samples recall his stellar output for Industrial Records and Rough Trade during the 1980s. The tinny beatbox rhythms and acid-laced effects of cuts like opener "Be Free" and "The Power (Of Their Knowledge)" flash back to post-punk-era CV, with sinister yet playfully chopped samples illustrating themes of corruption and destruction. "Microscopic Flesh Fragment" features a swirl of evil, pitched-down voices over a fractured, stop-start drum loop and a steadier drum machine bounce. "Papa Nine Zero Delta Unlimited" is a more suspenseful, fuzz-caked shuffle, nearly fit to soundtrack a busy action scene. Other tracks have more club-driven rhythms. "Night of the Jackal" has an acid house-informed beat along with bubbling sequencers and melting vocal samples. "Universal Energy" is easily the most hypnotic, cosmic track on the album, driving ever onward for 11 minutes in a quest for spiritual enlightenment. "Vasto" is a far more aggressive industrial techno stomper, embedding a mysterious vocal loop as a catchy hook. Even though Kirk used a restrained setup of vintage equipment to make Shadow of Fear, his vibrant energy and "don't look back" attitude keep the album sounding fresh and forward-thinking.
© Paul Simpson /TiVo