Universe217

S/T

Duplicate! Records 2007

Exotic and sensuous yet dark and maddening.  These are the first impressions I get when hearing Greece's Universe217.  Dramatic vocals soar and collapse above a tapestry of wandering rhythms and laid-back drumming.  During periods this lends the music an effect of being two separate songs being played over the top of each other.  For some reason this reminds of me the late Dawn Crosby's Fear of God project.  Opener In Your Head is a slow paced and somewhat dreamy song that indicates that the nightmarish landscape of your subconscious has been invaded.  Though the true magic of Universe217 is unleashed on the following track Inferno with vocals creeping in from different angles as clean guitars and a driving rock beat hurtle this song onwards into madness.  My favorite song, 66, has an amazing and soothing break in the middle where Tania's vocals become so fragile before shooting up through the ceiling with an imposing verbal majesty!  Tribal beats and a gypsy atmosphere provide the foundation for I Don't Give a Damn as Tania's vocals shatter walls with their commanding power.  Obviously and probably purposefully the highlight of Universe217 are the vocal gymnastics of singer Tania.  She covers the spectrum from scathing frailty to intense insanity!  Universe217's experimental and doomy sound are an epic journey into a formless and turbulent void.  Creating distorted art through both visual and aural avenues these Greeks are summoners of a mystifying and magical headtrip that burrows into your skull and corrupts all your visions with the seed of insanity.  "Rise, rise up and Shine!!!!"