Run Level Zero hit the music scene running back in 2001 with their debut album, Symbol of Submission. By 2002, the band had been heralded as 'Best Newcomer of the Year' at the Scandinavian Alternative Music Awards. Four years after their last album, 2004's Walk The Psycho[Path], RLZ is back to give us Arctic Noise.

Those nostalgic for industrial music’s heyday are going to love Arctic Noise. This album could have stood shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Tactical Neural Implant and Front By Front. But those days are behind us, and Run Level Zero has created a new standard. Arctic Noise has set itself up to be the yardstick that all industrial/EBM to follow will have to measure itself against.

This is a tighter and more focused album than earlier efforts. Where RLZ may have once stood on uncertain ground, they now stand confidently. The opening track, “Black Cinder” takes a hold of you and gives you a good shake. By the third track “Hitting Ground”, it becomes apparent that the music isn’t going to loosen it’s grip on you anytime soon. It’s hard to sit still during this album. The energy seeps into you and seems to take control of your body, compelling you to move with the insistent beats. Contrasting that is “Lies Told,” which is slower than the previous tracks, but somehow more powerful because of it.

Too often it happens that the music is sacrificed to emphasize the lyrics, or the other way around. Neither is compromised here. And the expert use of samples highlight the album in just the right spots. Run Level Zero has hit the nail squarely on the head.

Beginning to end, Arctic Noise might be the industrial masterpiece of the year.

For more information, visit Run Level Zero's official website.