for DTRASH25 - "Exist"
Reviewed by Psionic @ starvox.net

"Filled with chewey nougat. Clowns, clowns, and that circus carny touched me in my "no" place... Why is that organ-grinder monkey strangling that man with the finely-pencilled mustache? My sweat sort of looks funny drifting around in little clouds like that. Philosophically speaking, is it socially acceptable to have such gleaming teeth in the midst of a homicide? What -is- that shrill sound?

Somewhat more subdued than it's predessesor, Schizoid, EXIST is nevertheless an unsettling entity. Created by the sonic delinquents J. Schizoid and .Miq, EXIST is the howl of laughter escaping from the throat of a butcher's cleaver at the moment of climax... boasting clearer production than the relentless 'angry-redneck-of-digital-hardcore' that is Schiziod, EXIST allows for a more clinical examination of the madness within. Superb use of low-fidelity vinyl sampling provides a touch of creepy atmosphere, sort of that 'Spiders-legs-up-your-spinal column' to offset the desire to see what a femur looks like sliding through it's fleshy sheath. Have I mentioned how not-Teddy-Ruxpin this cd is?

There is an evil carnival feeling to this cd, mixed liberally with the certainty that you're about to witness a messy murder. In essence, the same premonition-of-violence that attracted me to Schizoid can be found in EXIST's work as well, albiet in a less obvious sense. My only criticism of this cd is that the strongest ideas all fall within the first 6 tracks. At around track 7 it begins to lose focus. It stays all over the board and still has alot to offer the rabid fans of digital disharmony, I just personally find myself switching off. But, based on the strength of the first 6 tracks alone, I am more than willing to place my stamp-of-happy-pie on it. Well worth the price of admission."

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