Mortal Realm
Stab in the Dark
Negative Gain Productions
Adam Jones’ work as a member of HAEX is notable for how well it sits in between various styles of modern industrial; that project’s electronic grooves held appeal for those seeking high-impact club tracks, fans of sleek modern industrial metal, and a side of witchy esoterica for texture. Jones’ solo project Mortal Realm continues in that vein, pushing further into more electronic and melodic territory in the process.
At its core, Stab in the Dark is an electro-industrial record, one whose major strength comes from its rhythm programming before anything else. The record’s first proper song “Trash” finds Jones mirroring his processed vocal delivery to the chunky bassline, using some well placed breakdowns and builds to give the song dynamics. Yeah, there’s a vocal hook and a synth lead, but they exist as secondary concerns to the song’s push for momentum. Letting the beat and the bass drive the song works well in the style, with songs like “The Face” adding some EBM flair to the programming and some vocal samples for added flavour.
With the rhythmic elements of his compositions dialed in at all tempos, Jones does dip his toes into some slightly more melodic territory in places. This is most notable on “Death Debt” with its cleaner vocal delivery and longer held notes that contrast with his usual growled and bitten-off syllables, extending the emotional range of the song into regret and melancholy, albeit with a solidly catchy bassline to keep the track moving. More subtly, he switches up his vocals on closer “Bitterness of Life”, layering clean and distorted vocal tracks in a way that brings the sharper, less bludgeoning feel of the track and its more complex and evolving arrangement into focus.
Stab in the Dark recalls the mid-to-late 2000s electro-industrial sound in the best ways; it certainly wouldn’t feel out of place in a playlist with early cuts from Aesthetic Perfection or Panic Lift thanks to its thick, club-ready production and hard if not overly harsh (a distinction useful in separating it from aggrotech) remit. At seven tracks it’s a bit on the brief side, but does the job of introducing Mortal Realm, and suggesting the directions in which Jones might go from here.
This is real mighty stuff. Energetic, harsh but with a strong sense of pace and melody. I might remember aggrotech more fondly than many but it was often bogged down by needless breadth, rendering it too dull even on an actual dancefloor. This is sharp, well structured crossover stuff. Makes you absolutely curious for more that hopefully comes soon. And it’s a detail but I love how the intro flows into the first full length track.