Refused

Refused is the debut compilation from Devil’s Mind, showcasing dark underground sounds with a cheeky nod toward black metal, horror, and all things macabre. There is a non-profit ideal at work here; every song has been donated by the artist. There is naturally a bias toward new and amateur artists at work here, as they would tend to be more keen on the concept. The cover has incited a lot of controversy across the international trance community for one reason or another. Whether this trend is good or bad is up to the individual. I see the humour in it but also understand why people feel it is sending a bad message.

Atrocious Berserker opens the release with Murderer’s Suicide Wish, featuring a lengthly goofball sample that rambles on about strange stuff, evidently from a children’s cartoon. While the beat starts hard, it spends most of the track on the sidelines, as wild arrays of sloppy noises frantically spiral amidst more oddball samples. It sounds far too amateur and brash to really hold much of an appeal.

Baphomet Engine and Electrypnose deliver Remote Control for the second showing, immediately raising the quality standard. It is no secret that Le Barde is one of the best producers on the dark psychedelic circuit these days, and this collaboration is simply wicked. Deeply psychedelic, richly cinematic, and composed with good production value—this is just about everything I am looking for in dark trance. The atmosphere is set just right, and the drums have a very original industrial sound texture. Excellent work from these two projects.

Metallaxis provides Dark Light next, showing off a deranged spirit that toys with the listener like a cat with a mouse. The metal influence shines through at times, while the raw beats create an oppressive atmosphere. The arrangement is messy and all over the place—if you enjoy being ambushed by noise, perhaps it will appeal. I tend to prefer my trance to be at least a little more musical, but this has its time and place. The guitar stabs sure give it a suitable character for this compilation.

Silent Horror’s Placid on Acid is a rip-roaring track loaded down by a throbbing bass line and scattershot effects. The artist’s production style has certainly improved since the early promos, but the approach remains harshly digital. At times it seems only marginally frightening, as the track follows a noisy and boisterous path. The hard and gritty style works well with the theme, but the song itself is somewhat monotonous.

Savage Scream’s exclusive remix to his own track X-Mash is insanely hard and brutal. The bass almost never drops as this relentless blaster churns through a world gone black. The atmospherics are nicely accomplished in this one, with echoing alien tones that spiral off into the void. Strange sequences are initiated halfway through, leading into increasingly disturbed sequences that continue on through to the end. Nasty stuff, that’s for sure… more cohesive than some of the others here, while still retaining that unmistakable underground flavour.

Crying Orc’s Empty Head, Crying Soul is a questionable effort, doused in noise as it is. The focus is on a stump of a kick, thunking along alongside an obnoxious throbbing bass. Layer on some random screwy noises and you have what sounds like a rather directionless and poorly produced clone of Ocelot. No thank you.

Phobium’s contribution is Transfiguration: a pounding journey laced with healthy amounts of forest flavour. The focus is mainly on the static drive and acidic sound effects until a dark melody emerges around five minutes in. This liquid lead instantly provides a hook to this stormy number, and I can easily see it working well on the dance floor. Good stuff if you appreciate the Schlab’ and Stone Age sound.

Peacespect begins Monochrome Night with a truly industrial introduction, taking care to develop a dark atmosphere before catapulting the listener into the beat-laden frenzy. Instantly this track becomes set apart from the crowd, and becomes a lucrative selection for DJs seeking a distinct opener. Once the beat formally kicks off at full speed the artist doesn’t fail to maintain the quality standard, preferring to use more subtle psychoactive techniques over the more brutal and abrasive style heard across the rest of this release. The faint piano break is a nice touch, and then a rather lengthly Rage Against The Machine quote from Memory of the Dead is thrown in. The return only offers about 30 more seconds of beats before it’s all gone, leading me to wonder what the deal is here. It was great up until the break! I wouldn’t complain about the sample had there been another two or three minutes of development, but no—that’s it. Disappointing, unless you feel like mixing out before the break.

Paranoize remixes Claw’s Symetry for the final offering, and this style will be known to you if you’ve heard Azax Syndrom. Wicked drops, deeper psychedelic atmospheres, plenty of crowd-pleasing filter fuckery. These guys have the dance floor rocking techniques down cold. Alas, there are much better songs from these two artists.

Refused is not a great compilation but it might appeal to those seeking raw aggression and untamed energy. This truly is the thrash metal of psychedelic trance, relying more on aggression than art. Didn’t you catch a clue from the cover? Parts of the compilation are almost unlistenable, but I can’t say my expectations were that high. That being said, there are some good tunes in amidst the dross. Baphomet Engine and Electrypnose steal the show with a psychedelic masterpiece, but Savage Scream is no slacker either. Refused turns out to be a fairly average compilation for the style, but it’s only the first from Devil’s Mind. If you have an interest in supporting the underground, picking this one up is certainly one way to do it. General psytrance listeners would be safe to steer clear of this demonic offering, but fans of the darkpsy style and anyone with a metal background should give it a listen.