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GOTHIC BEAUTY, Issue #9
By Jett Black
[4 Stars]

Brewing manifestations of "survival and conquest", Houston, Texas gives rise from cataclysmic fire and ash to ASMODEUS X, reborn as long-knive visionaries of The New Blood Groove, pointing into the night sky, and quoting Jack London's The Law of Club and Fang from The Call of the Wild in archetypical references to similarly cold nights, star-gazing, and matching cadences with wolf-like ancestors. Wolf in the Sky provides the core of Wolf Age, beginning with guitar intro reminescent of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here. Rain showers, wolf howlings, critter twitters, chirps, fog horns, wind, waves and other environmental sound samples thematically set the atmospheric tone throughout Wolf Age for musical alchemy between synth, industrial, metallic EBM, and even darkened neo-classical noise-scapes beneath melodic vocal harmonies, and experimental infusions of vocoder mood enhancers. ASMODEUS X reveals in song online more than this cd review will encompass. Explore Wolf Age further at mp3.com.


LEGENDS, Issue 132
By JHR

Given the name - Asmodeus X - and the title of this CD - Wolf Age - I was vaguely expecting some Eastern European beat combo where the crowd of some ten musicians were to be found sawing vigourously away at a variety of strange instruments and collectively singing songs of the frozen tundra. Or perhaps how their tractor had become bogged down, and that would be the last use they'd get out of it until the spring thaws.

Not so. Not even a bit slightly. What we find here is... More than a little odd, yet surprisingly engaging. Imagine, if you will, some mostly bippety-bop synthesizers humming cheerful little riffs to themselves as they pack a hamper for a picnic in the countryside. But! What's this? It's a couple of scary looking fellows with guitars peering from the windows of a large four-wheel-drive and they've brought the rain with them! Oh no! The picnic will be spoiled!

As luck would turn out, the chaps in the 4WD know of a splendid picnic spot which is both handy for an abandoned factory, should the rain come on properly, and affords splendid views over the surrounding countryside. So off they all travel, singing... Well, not happy songs, by any stretch, but the synths have become increasingly worried about global warming and the unequal division of wealth, so are more than pleased to be able to emit somewhat disturbing bip-bop riffs as mindless happiness could lead to denial and psychosis.

Thus there are scrunchy guitars underpinned by oddly borbling synths accompanied by Really Quite Angry vocals. At first, it sounds like it should fail to work on a cosmic scale, but then you notice the Asian influenced riffs and the snatches of randomness that sound like someone with a broken short-wave radio cycling past the studio at speed. Mind out for them dustbins! Oh! That's got to hurt... Then everything goes unexpectedly Pink Floyd for no adequately explained reason.

By the time we arrive at the tree-lined slopes of the song that is pleased to call itself Black Forest, things have gone a whole lot RAWK (chunky goth-metal subdivision). Maybe it was going that way all along...nope. The next track - White Mountain - sounds not unlike a hungover Mike Oldfield wandering about his darkened studio in search of coffee mugs and accidentally composing something that has equal hints of early music and Newcastle Brown Ale. And a damn fine thing it is too.

On the other hand, you could refuse to imagine any of that. Further, you could consider it silly and wonder when the proper review is going to put in an appearance. Well, unfortunately, that's been delivered to a factory near Namur by accident and been zinc plated for its trouble. In a couple of weeks it'll be forming the greater part of a new counter-top in a local bar in Ghent.

Starvox Music Zine, March 2003
Asmodeus X EP
~ review by chris parasyte;
Out of Houston, Texas comes Asmodeus X. Following a string of singles and EPs, the band has finally released a full-length album and, as bit of a sampler, this promotional release, which I'm dubbing the 'Asmodeus X EP' (highly original, I know). The EP features three songs from the album Wolf Age (available now on Black Pepper Records). 'Songs of Gory' and 'Wolf in the Sky' are well chosen, being easily two of the strongest tracks on the band's full-length release.

Asmodeus X crafts thoughtful electro industrial music at its best, and it's little wonder that the group was named Best Industrial/Noise Act in the 2000 Houston Music Press Awards. 'Wolf in the Sky' is an odd blend of psychedelic sound and heavy industrial weight, which works surprisingly well. Imagine The Wall-era Pink Floyd mating with Velvet Acid Christ and you're halfway there. This is a song with anthemic power and emotion that deserves to be on numerous film soundtracks... well, you know, if anyone ever made a movie that deserved a song like this. Actually, while Hollywood may never notice it, 'Wolf in the Sky' is featured in the independent film Shut Eye, alongside tracks from In Strict Confidence, Arcanta and Stromkern, and the video for the song is included on the film's DVD release.

Just as 'Wolf in the Sky' creates powerful images with its music, 'Songs of Glory' also strikes a powerful chord with its lyrics. The song is perhaps best labeled psychedelic cybergoth with a rock twist. With elements of the baroque and new age in the composition, and crafty use of the theremin, 'Songs of Glory' is one of the best pieces of music to come along in a long while. There's more complexity and thought put into the composition of this four-minute track than many bands put into entire albums.

A small sampling of what Wolf Age has to offer, listening to the Asmodeus X EP left me wanting more. Thankfully, I have a copy of Wolf Age on my shelf at home. The full-length album was one of the highlights of 2002, with great songs like 'Black Forest', 'MuZ' and the band's absolutely delightful (and surprising) cover of the Partridge Family's 'Point me in the Direction of Albuquerque'. Asmodeus X is a band with some talent and diversity in their music, and one I look forward to hearing more from in the future.


StarVox Music Zine March 2003
Asmodeus X
Wolf Age
~reviewed by Eric Rasmussen;
Asmodeus X are kinda like And Oceans without the crack, or Funker Vogt with well-developed guitar sections - either way you look at it, you're in for a fairly hard-hitting industrial/EBM/electronica sound merged with crunchy guitars and raspy vocals. For a debut album, I'm very impressed with Asmodeus X's sound. They've got the kind of songwriting depth that many bands don't acquire until they've been around a few years, and we're talking about a minority in the first place - a lot of groups never develop a taste for diversity.

Wolf Age has an eclectic collection of songs that successfully span dark atmospheres with whispering vocals, upbeat techno, angry electronica-fueled metal, and even calm acoustic sections. And Oceans and Funker Vogt are only similar to some of the songs on Wolf Age, but you'd be hard pressed to find any comparison that fully worked. There are bouncy rhythms, synth arrangements, and clean vocals in "Songs of Glory"; acoustic guitars and a neo-folk feel on "Wolf in the Sky"; heavy riffing on "Black Forest", and nice acoustic guitars on "White Mountains." The songs stand out individually, and work together quite well when listening through the whole CD.


For an entertaining and diverse electronica/metal CD, I do recommend Wolf Age. I think that the rather flat production keeps Asmodeus X from making the impact that they're clearly capable of musically. I would really like to see these guys get signed, perhaps to a label like Metropolis, where they can get a proper budget and make their mark on the world of music. As it stands, the production is clear, but a little plain, and the music is neat and pleasant, but a little less powerful than I think it can be. In any case, it'd do no harm to give Asmodeus X a listen on www.mp3.com/Asmodeus_X . Their brand of electronica/metal/etc. is worthy of a listen.


Review from Rock-E-Zine, January 2003

Now this is a weird band; in the biography Asmodeus X present themselves as influenced by acts as diverse as Joy Division, Immortal and Laibach. Their music has also been described as industrial, electronic black metal and even neo-classical. Now, I don't know much about the music-scene in the States, but in Europe we call this E-B-M. Electronic-Body-Music. Aggressive EBM, though. And indeed, after a couple of spins it's possible to spot leaks of a later Ministry, NIN ("Mandatory Sacrifice") or some Kraftwerk in their songs. Leaves me with the question of where to place Immortal? This album, "Wolf Age", is the result of a near-death of the band members when travelling home after touring the West Coast. According to their own words, their emotions were distilled in the recording session of "Wolf Age". And these ten songs aren't bad at all; regarding this is the first album of Asmodeus X. The music, a modern performance of danceable EBM with aggressive vocals and a good attempt to sound desperate and even a bit `evil`, is catchy and offers a bit more than the Covenants of this world. So, if you're into Kraftwerk or Joy Division and wonder what American EBM sounds like, Asmodeus X is a good starting point.
(Eelco)


Review from Dark Realms Magazine #9,

The debut CD from this trio of Texans offers an energetic assortment of crunching metal and darkwave tracks. The disc kicks off with "Melting," a high energy techno dance track. The German lyrics and heavy metal chorus of "M.u.Z." capture a Rammstein feel. Crashing guitars blend with the electronic rhythm of "Mandatory Sacrifice" to create a powerful industrial mosh. The Instrumental "Black Forest" is a sinister heavy metal epic...
-- Maxx

Review from The Original Sin (e-zine) 11-02

ASMODEUS X Wolf age (CD) (Black Pepper Records)

When you hear the term electronic black metal what will you think? Well, it surely must be something of a shock as it's a subscription that's been rarely used but that's just the thing about this American band as Asmodeus X make music like you haven't heard before. Okay, all the influences are clear from Ministry till Skinny Puppy till DAF but what this band are doing with it is a sort of new mixture that rarely has reached my ears as on one track it sounds like you are hearing some traditional EBM-band (think of the Nettwerk-releases like Front Line Assembly was one) but a bit later you are confronted with some darkwavestyle in Goethes Erben-style.... Believe me, it might sound like there is no structure in it but this band who has shared stages with well known acts such as Diva Destruction or Attrition know what they're doing as this is top EBM but it only drives away its listeners from the classic structures which even lead them into purging some black metal-influences and yet is it more than just some brutal electronic attack as this dancemusic that will give the opportunity to goths to freak out is even a sort of atmospheric melancholic musical interlude in where electronic equipments go awol....very different from what we know but great nontheless...something that must be discovered.... (http://www.geocities.com/levitmong/Asmodeus_X.html) (E-mail : Reich9@aol.com)

--Didier

Review from Funeral Procession (E-Zine) 11-02

Earlier this year I already reviewed a demo by this act from Houston, which showed quite some potential. They now managed to release a proper full-lenght album. And again they display a highly varied combination of musical styles, which they acknowledge themselves by naming diverse influences such as Joy Division, Laibach, Kraftwerk, Death in June and KLF. The image of Asmodeus X is rather tough, even militant perhaps. Most of the music though is rather clean and poppy, at times approaching synthpop. On some tracks the band shows a louder sound, in a more industrial crossover style... Asmodeus X certainly has the ability to write a catchy tune. There are some tracks on this 'Wolf Age" album which could do quite well at (cyber)gothic inclined dancefloors, especially 'Songs of Glory', which reminds me of some Swedish synth acts. Other listening tips: 'Melting', 'Mandatory Sacrifice' and 'White Mountains', a nice instrumental folky song. The album is closed by a weird cover version of The Partridge Family (!), 'Point me in the direction of Albuquerque'.

The alternative News

June 2002

REVIEWS

Asmodeus X:

Spacey Music from Space City

Not too many musicians or music fans are familiar with the Theremin, an electronic instrument invented in 1919 by Russian physicist Lev Termen, who later changed his name to Leon Theremin and went on to work for the KGB designing "bugs." Most models look like an old-fashioned radio box with a large u-shaped metal tube coming out one end, and most people have heard the instrument, only they didn't realize what they were hearing. If you have ever seen The Day the Earth Stood Still or listened to the Portishead song, Humming, then you have heard this unusual instrument, the sound of which has been described as "music from the ether."

Another place you can hear the Theremin is on a CD by Houston, TX group Asmodeus X, or at one of their live shows. Asmodeus X cofounder Paul Fredric, formerly of GothMetal band, Morphine Angel, uses the Theremin in an unusual and more technically proficient style than most, actually creating tunes with it instead of just making spooky sound effects. His cohorts, technoelectronicameister Marshal, also formerly of Morphine Angel, and "guitar specialist" Frank Faust add to this haunting sound a driving beat and melodic compositions, creating a wonderfully cohesive whole.

The band's self-titled three-song demo gives us a diverse range of sounds, from funereal to danceable. The vocals and some of the music stylings are reminiscent of '80s techno-pop, with obvious influences by bauhaus and, dare I say, New Order? Don't peg them yet--I detected a bit of Pink Floyd on track 3 of the demo, called Wolf in the Sky, which opens with a sort of foghornish conch-shellish sound that fades into wonderfully melodious acoustic guitar and piano, augmented with subtle electric guitars, thankfully sans any sign of an overblown rock-god solo. Nightstalking, the first track on the CD, has a slow tempo with a driving beat. The fadeouts at the beginning of the song are mildly annoying, but the rest of the piece is melodic and catchy, as is track 2, Songs of Glory. This one is my favorite of the three, as it has a faster tempo, a good rhythm, and complex but not overwhelming electronica. In fact, all three tracks are musically balanced, with no single element overshadowing any other--very listenable.

Asmodeus X has developed a smooth synthesis of sound and style, taking the sounds of bands that they admire, such as Laibach, Skinny Puppy, and Ministry, and making them uniquely their own. The band's look is something like the Blues Brothers meet Nazi SS men. I don't quite understand this, as Asmodeus X sounds neither like the Blues Brothers nor like some of the hardcore EuroIndustrial bands that utilize the Nazi look, but hey, if they like it, more power to them. I didn't see a copyright date on the demo, so I have no idea when it was produced, but according to both the website and the "New Blood Groove" propaganda that was included with the CD, it seems to be a recent recording. If you want to hear Asmodeus X, you can attend one of their shows or visit http://www.geocities.com/levitmong/Asmodeus_X.html and download some MP3s.

-- audra brick


Wolf Age Personel

Paul Fredric: Programs, Vocals, Theremin
Marshal: Keyboards, Midi, Vocals
Frank Faust: Guitars

The unofficial 'Black Corps' of the industrial underground, ASMODEUS X comes forth to burn with fire. New alchemy for blood youth. A new blood groove for serpentine consciousness.

Sythesizing electro, dark wave, neo-folk, expressionist, Goetic, Objectivist and Left-Hand Path elements, ASMODEUS X is creating a unique hybrid for a visionary future. The sound has been described as Electronic Black Metal, Electronic Black Magic, Folktronica, Neo-Classical, and many others.

With influences as diverse as Joy Division, Laibach, Krafwerk, Rammstein, Ministry, Death in June, and the KLF -- Asmodeus X asks no quarter, and offers no apologies. ASMODEUS X will burn your cities down. With disdain for temporal music forms and trends, Asmodeus X seeks only to tap the essence of the dark side of man's psyche.

Voted Critics Choice for best Industrial/Noise Act by the 2000 Houston Press Music Awards, ASMODEUS X continues sharpening long knives on the pavement. Asmodeus X has shared stages with such notables as Sex Gang Children, Attrition, Diva Destruction, Provision, Bamboo Crisis, Bozo Porno Circus, Vesperian Sorrow, Exceed 6 Doses, and Nocturne, to name only a few.

In March, ASMODEUS X began recording sessions at Houston's Fjardeson Studios for the release of their first full-length CD - WOLF AGE, to be released in October of 2002. Utilizing state of the art technology and drawing upon the sort of inspiration that comes only from the struggle, WOLF AGE aims for apocalyptic Re manifestation. Stop by the ASMODEUS X area of MP3.com to hear some previews of this work.

WOLF AGE's central track: Wolf in the Sky was recently chosen for inclusion in the Covert Creative Group film production of SHUT EYE, sculpting a soundtrack with such comrades as In Strict Confidence, Morphine Angel, and Stromkern. Look for the forth coming DVD release of SHUT EYE, featuring the video for WOLF IN THE SKY, directed by Houston's own David J.

Check out the artist's website:
http://www.myspace.com/asmodeusx

Track List:
1. Melting
2. What Is Strong?
3. Songs of Glory
4. Mandatory Sacrifice
5. Muz
6. Nightstalking
7. Wolf in the Sky
8. Black Forest
9. White Mountains
10. Point Me in the Direction of Albuquerque

Suggested CDs:

• Barak Moffitt
• Zenen
• Sector19 compilation

Other Genres:

• ELECTRONIC: Industrial
• METAL: Industrial Metal
• MOOD: BROODING