Referencing the dark ambiance of '80s industrial group Front Line Assembly, and tinged with the avant-melodramatic aggression of Skinny Puppy, the music of Kill Memory Crash has stapled its imprint onto the EBM (electronic body music) backbone. The combination of vocoder choruses alongside the sinister sounds of industrial music and alternating high-pitched tones adds warmth to an often cold and sterile genre.
Going deeper into the industrial hole than others have dared to go, these drugged-out ex-Detroiters forge the first real statement in industrial electronics in years. A record about our dark American era; technological dependence, media corruption and social-ill abound.
"Portentous and doom-laden, American Automatic is Industrial music of the most perfect kind, a daunting yet beautiful sound and a marvel to behold." -Textura
"While there lies a reminiscent touch to American Automatic thanks to the familiar processed vocals, Kill Memory Crash succeed in putting together an album that unabashedly showcases and updates their influences." -Outburn
Steeped in the shadows of Chicago, Kill Memory Crash follow 2003’s When the Blood Turns Black with their first full-length, American Automatic, ushering in a new era of industrial music with a calculated assault on the post-Warp electronic scene. Each song on American Automatic develops the band’s exploration of the prickly outer edges of human psychology and neurosis, building a formidable musical arsenal.
“Riyout” sets the album’s pace with a blaze of serrated rhythms and a darkly cinematic push. “Never Forget” (the first single) epitomizes the duo's sound with a storming fusion of programmed and live drums that underscores razor-edged synthesizers and an echoed vocal mantra. At the core of the band’s electronic impetus is “Crash V8” (the second single), an unexpectedly poignant reflection on contemporary social anxiety that could easily rise to become an anthem for the disenfranchised. “Battery” bears the brunt of the group’s rock aesthetic, thick with the schizophrenic twitch of a wracked mind, set to flanging klaxons and fuzzed guitars. Through all this, Kill Memory Crash maintain a versatility within their well-established means, becoming all the more enticing.
The air of mystery about American Automatic is nearly tangible, underpinning the album’s highly relevant focus on the darkness of the modern era. As such an affecting and rejuvenating fusion of rock, electro, and industrial styles, American Automatic will leave an indelible mark not only on the psyche and the dancefloor, but also on the scene from which it was born.