Execution Tracks
War and death are preoccupations of many industrial bands, but few are quite so engrossed by the topics as Germany's Funker Vogt.Execution Tracks, their third full-length, thus fits in nicely with past titles such as 1997'sWe Came to Killand the double-EP collectionKilling Time Again. Song titles like "The Voices of the Dead" and "Fortunes of War" indicate the kind of lyrical content FV traffic in, and the pictures of tanks and warplanes on the CD jacket should clean up any lingering confusion. As for the music, this time around the band goes for a cleaner, even more techno-influenced aggression--as if one were present at a rave held in a World War I trench following a mustard-gas attack. The rhythm patterns aren't quite as aggressive as they've been in the past (battle fatigue, perhaps?), but Jens Kästel's growled, processed Vocals of Doom pack enough of a wallop to scare the combat boots off you. A competent, solid effort.--Steve Landau