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What sets God Module apart from the rest of the darkwave electro acts currently haunting the shadows? No question: it's the way that Jasyn Bangert's vocals are processed. Rather than add a little reverb here or an interesting pitch shift there, Bangert uses effects to shred his voice to the point of unintelligibility. Otherwise, the band's repetitive beats and icy keyboards will be familiar to anyone who has ever so much as walked past a goth club. Unfortunately, vocal destruction isn't enough to carry an entire album. In fact, Viscera's standout track, "Section", succeeds primarily because the effects unit gets a rest -- Courtney Bangert's vocals are completely unprocessed. However, any goodwill that "Section" might have generated is destroyed by the band's abysmal version of the Cure's "A Night Like This". By increasing the tempo, replacing the original's delicate guitar-work with heavy-handed keyboards and processing every last bit of melody out of the vocals, the trio have ruined a classic song. For that move alone, Viscera is stomach-churning.
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