Artist: X-Fusion
Album: Ultima Ratio
Label: Scanner
Genre: Industrial/Terror EBM
Reviewer: Zaanan Foreman
Rating: 3 out of 5

Industry originator in danger of becoming irrelevant.

There was a time in the not so distant past where Mister X, Jan Lehmkämper put all of his creative eggs in one basket, namely X-Fusion, and all the scraps that unintentionally fell to the floor were consigned to a little-known side project called Noisuf-X. Flash forward to 2009, and as the Terror-EBM ambience of new release Ultima Ratio emerges, it would appear that the previous X-formula has been reversed.

The requisite ominous instrumental gives way to the stomper “Leave No Seed,” a strong lead that showcases Lehmkämper in rare form, marching off to EBM hell kicking and screaming. The follow through doesn’t happen immediately, as 4 successive tracks try in vain to channel the true spirit of X-music, only to emerge as shadows of their former selves (“Psychopath” gives it a run, but that doesn’t become remotely interesting until the song’s halfway point). “Follow Your Leader” shows promise, but beneath that grimy industrial veneer lay a thinly veiled reworking of the opening hymnal. The singular achievement for this event turns out to be “Still Breathing”: broadcasting a mercurial elektro-punk pace, setting the stage for some enticing additions to the Lehmkämper arsenal, staccato guitars and a jarring piano coda, unleashing the type of infamous X-Fusion recording that fans want, that fans ultimately expect, occurring much too late in the proceedings to please anyone.

Energetic is the keyword here, it’s a creative force that saturated that other X-project on Voodoo Ritual, an ingredient that is astonishingly MIA on Ultima Ratio, along with the numerous dedicated religious denouncements that distinguished past releases. Perhaps it’s an artistic statement concerning the current X-oeuvre, where Lehmkämper is less of an angry person, more predisposed to have a good time and dance.

There was a time in the not so distant past where Mister X, Jan Lehmkämper put all of his creative eggs in one basket, namely X-Fusion, and all the scraps that unintentionally fell to the floor were consigned to a little-known side project called Noisuf-X. Flash forward to 2009, and as the Terror-EBM ambience of new release Ultima Ratio emerges, it would appear that the previous X-formula has been reversed.

The requisite ominous instrumental gives way to the stomper “Leave No Seed,” a strong lead that showcases Lehmkämper in rare form, marching off to EBM hell kicking and screaming. The follow through doesn’t happen immediately, as 4 successive tracks try in vain to channel the true spirit of X-music, only to emerge as shadows of their former selves (“Psychopath” gives it a run, but that doesn’t become remotely interesting until the song’s halfway point). “Follow Your Leader” shows promise, but beneath that grimy industrial veneer lay a thinly veiled reworking of the opening hymnal. The singular achievement for this event turns out to be “Still Breathing”: broadcasting a mercurial elektro-punk pace, setting the stage for some enticing additions to the Lehmkämper arsenal, staccato guitars and a jarring piano coda, unleashing the type of infamous X-Fusion recording that fans want, that fans ultimately expect, occurring much too late in the proceedings to please anyone.

Energetic is the keyword here, it’s a creative force that saturated that other X-project on Voodoo Ritual, an ingredient that is astonishingly MIA on Ultima Ratio, along with the numerous dedicated religious denouncements that distinguished past releases. Perhaps it’s an artistic statement concerning the current X-oeuvre, where Lehmkämper is less of an angry person, more predisposed to have a good time and dance.