Grandchaos is one of ‘old’ Belgian EBM bands, which never totally broke through. But the previous opus “Rumours Of My Life” clearly was the best work ever by Tcheleskov Ivanovitch. Two years after this promising album Grandchaos strike back again including guest vocals appearances by SA42 singer Jacky Meurisse.
The sound of Grandchaos has been never that EBM-minded as on this new work. It’s a well-crafted vintage-like EBM sound that will please for all lovers of electro-minimalism. There clearly is a kind of go back to late 80s and early 90s EBM music, but with an contemporary touch on top. Grandchaos sounds hot and merciless. The opening track “The Light” directly indicates the musical direction of this album. This is a powerful EBM format featuring fast sequences à la Birmingham 6 and featuring Jacky Meurisse on vocals. “Man On Fire” coming next confirms the great EBM treatments while the song becomes a bit darker, which totally matches with the cavernous timbre of voice of Ivanovitch.
And when the power turns down you can hear the subtle bleeps running through “Love And Hate”. Meurisse is back on track at “The Death Of You And Me”, which is another attention grabber. This is a solid piece of body music mixing retro- and modern elements together. This work is a succession of noticeable cuts. “The Tempest” reveals the great production skills of the band. This song sounds pretty detailed and subtle for its sequences while a bouncing kick makes it fully danceable.
“We Suffer” appears to be the biggest potential hit of the album. The song is a minimal piece of ultra-danceable body music with a catchy chorus. A few more cuts like “Memory Is A Poison” and the powerful “Tell Me You Love Me” confirm the irresistible dance vibes this album is made of.
Last, but not least we get a final chapter revealing the usual load of remixes. It’s quite interesting for the remixes of artists like Ethan Fawkes and Parade Ground. Atropine, VV303 and #366 complete the list. My personal favorite one comes from the technoid-body inspired approach of Ethan Fawkes. I have to admit the original versions are far more convincing than the remixes.
Conclusion: “We Suffer When The World Changes” is without a shadow of a doubt the most accomplished and kicking release of Grandchaos ever. This is a great EBM release in the purest tradition of the genre!