A key member of industrial project History of Guns and also the experimental band Decommissioned Forests, Max Rael has been a strange enigma within the underground of the UK’s electronica and industrial scenes for a number of years. This solo debut finds him taking a few familiar past traits and twisting them into new shapes, creating something that preaches positivity but contrasts that with a cold, almost bleak backdrop for the world’s entertainment. It’s a contrast that really works.
‘Brighter Future’ opens with a pulsing tone and high pitched melody that hints at a pre-fame Human League, before twisting itself into a mid tempo, beat heavy workout that explores the darker spheres of synth pop. Rael’s chosen musical is approach certainly retro, to the point where the rhythms occasionally appear to want to slip into Visage’s classic ‘Fade To Grey’, but his lyrical palate draws from the present at the time of release, lamenting a dark world. His choice of delivering everything as a spoken word performance over the cold musical arrangement is brilliantly bold; his voice feels even more detached than the music itself. A love for old analogue sounds bleeds through everything; the marriage of an early 80s bleakness and a strong melodic core delivers something that’s absolutely fascinating – very cool without deliberately aiming to be so, if that makes sense.
‘The People Have Won (Persistence Is All)’ is a little more melodic since it adopts brighter keyboard tones and a busier rhythm as its musical core. There are fleeting moments here that draw vague parallels with Nine Inch Nails circa ‘Pretty Hate Machine’ (traces of tracks like ‘Down In It’ are part of its DNA), and slightly bigger nods to early 80s Kraftwerk, but in the main, the repetitive groove and almost aloof presence are pure Rael; the sound of a man bringing a synth past into the present and, again, adding a very arty slant via his bold vocal stance. Although the track’s rigid beats and an occasional leaning towards the atonal aim to be the most interesting elements here, a couple of busy synth pop riffs creeping between the vocal phrases actually provide the strongest hooks. For listeners who veer towards hard programmed beats and sounds that are almost robotic, it’ll definitely serve up another very curious listen.
These solo recordings occasionally share the feel of the more melodic material from History of Guns, but also apply Decommissioned Forest’s avant garde aspects to something far more accessible. Despite drawing from both, this actually feels like important new musical ground for Rael. This two track digital release isn’t overly commercial, but as a taster of things to come, it’s a great vehicle for Max’s electronic poetry, providing an interesting and arty excursion within a synth-based world.
April 2025