Rating: ***
Sound Strider isn't the 2nd sequel to the popular arcade and Sega Genesis game, Strider. Let that disappointment sink in before I tell you that it is an electronic group from France with a preoccupation with the occult. Yep. That also sounds pretty cool.
I've listened to and reviewed my fair share of EDM on this site to varying degrees of enjoyment. This is the first time I've ever listened to something that describes itself as "post-rave". I never got into raves. I'm pretty stoked that we are past that and Sound Strider is celebrating it in their selected genre.
I'm going to take a bunch of molly and let you know what's up. I'm kidding. I don't do molly. I'm going to drink some tea and have a nice listen on my porch. Drugs are bad.
Listen to "Occult Electric" on Bandcamp here:
"Helpless Cogs" doesn't really sound like anything else. I'll give them that. Understated backbeats with all sorts of fuzzed out sounds and muffled voice are at the forefront. Once it settles in, it gets less chaotic and gains a little more purpose. "Hail Eris" is a little more poppy and structured. This one will appeal to a broader range but I think I liked the first track better. "Plague of Wizards" sounds like a D&D campaign but it's not. It's the third track on this EP. This one is trippy and hypnotic and I really dig it. Also, if I ever start playing D&D, I'm naming my campaign after this song. The EP ends with "Embracing Chaos" and it's a dandy. The thing about Sound Strider is that there is always an underlying message. I dig that.
Sound Strider is solid electronic music that has a psychedelic vibe and a message. It's not gonna be for everybody but I think they like it that way. I do. I give it a solid recommendation for fans of the genre.