Blackcell

Starting off with the big beat of “Phase 5,” Blackcell’s In the Key of Black is a hybrid of modern and classic EBM, but there’s a darkness and density of sound here that seem to have eluded most modern purveyors of the genre. “Creatures of Habit” has a subtle and well-executed counter-melody that gives the song an urgent, internal dynamism, not unlike a Gary Numan tune. The obvious lead track from this album, though, is “Moon Musiq,” which creeps along with playful menace at first, then kicks into interweaving rhythms like a mid-career Skinny Puppy composition. On “Waiting Room,” Blackcell experiments with soundscaping, while “Clockwork Counterstrike” harnesses breakbeats to create a broken yet driving tempo. On Key of Black, the band reconciles past and present as it pushes the envelope of modern industrial music.