It seems like, with the album title being what it is, with song titles like "Downside," "Burning," "Deceived," and "Disease" and with an album cover that looks like a promo poster for a very intense science fiction film, Klank wants to scare the pants off of you. Klank, which is in essence Darin Diolosa, is no stranger to this gothic/industrial/techno/metallic approach. Diolosa's long association with premiere Christian industrial band Circle of Dust has no doubt prepared him to take a legitimate and well-qualified swing at this extremely personal and often frightening music. On a strictly sensory level, Klank pretty much succeeds in his task. Although not as aggressive as Circle of Dust, Klank instantly grabs the listener with insistent beats, grinding guitars and engaging vocals. However, Diolosa eschews the typical industrial approach to delivering his provocative lyrics. Rather than bury the words under layers of distortion--a fairly standard practice for industrial music--Diolosa actually sings, in a very intelligible growl which splits the difference between industrial and metal. Consequently, you can understand the harrowing lyrics, actually magnifying the impact of the music. In "Deceived," Diolosa's gruff voice carries a great deal of empathy when he sings a line as simple as "You don't know what it is to be me/I was lied to and flat out deceived;" Diolosa doesn't disguise his disgust for the world in "Animosity," as he shouts "I hate this world and all it has to offer/If I had a choice, I'd rather be dead," while the closing "Woodensoul" sees the singer begging God for release in his spirit ("My Savior bleeds/Calloused hands, with fury's need to break my wooden soul"). Although often not as scary as you'd wish, Still Suffering is still a most impressive disc.
Other coverage for this album
Garlic Press #6Reviewed by carsonIt seemed like the highest echelon of Christian industrial died when Circle of Dust and Argyle Park disappeared. But then along comes Klank. Some will complain that this CD is rather derivative of the heavier Circle material (it is after all, Scott Albert doing the programming), but it's certainly strong enough to stand on its own. In fact, this is easily the best CD I've heard in the past year!…Similar sounding releases
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