“Surround Sound Offensive is a strong album and an object of a hearing curiosity that will please to audacious ears”
1 S.S.O.-I 4:58
2 S.S.O.-II 5:29
3 S.S.O.-III 3:47
4 S.S.O.-IV 5:20
5 S.S.O.-V 4:44
6 S.S.O.-VI 5:58
7 S.S.O.-VII 6:34
8 S.S.O.-VIII 4:19
9 S.S.O.-IX 4:05
10 S.S.O.-X 5:28
11 S.S.O.-XI 7:28
(CD 58:10) (V.F.)
(Electronic Rock)
A pioneer of contemporary, progressive and electronic German music, Stephan Kaske never does things by halves. SURROUND SOUND OFFENSIVE is the first of a series of opuses in which this excellent composer and synthesist explores the sonic dynamism of Dolby Pro Logic 8 multitrack surround sound. A work that takes on its full dimension on a more than adequate sound system.
From the first rolls of SSO I we can grasp the sound dimension of this 19th opus by the German synthesist. Symphonic percussions on a synth which chatters with a vocoder in a sound fauna of a thousand and one orchestral richness, SSO I opens the door to the sometimes complex, but surprisingly accessible, harmony of SURROUND SOUND OFFENSIVE. Eleven tracks which combine ambient subtleties with sequences crammed with unpredictable rhythms. SSO is a surprise box that surprises more and more as our ears cross each track. The melodious side of Mythos is still there, but each sweetness is flavored of variegated tones where the orchestrations are molded to the sonic strangeness like on SSO II; a soft electronic ballad which progresses on orchestrations with whistling which are not without recalling the legendary Tomita. A catchy ballad rich in sound effects which deviates on a more accentuated rhythm, like SSO IV, SSO VIII, the splendid and rich SSO V and SSO X. Beyond ballads which catch daydreams, Mythos always likes to amaze by compositions complex with unexpected unfolding as on the heavy and atmospheric SSO III, SSO VI and its strange amphibious rhythm on a superb sequencer, SSO VII, the technoid SSO IX and the unpredictable SSO XI.
The strength of Mythos is to develop a daring electronic music, shaped in an avant-garde sound universe, while maintaining there an approach just melodious enough to maintain and capture an auditory interest which grows with each listening. SURROUND SOUND OFFENSIVE is a CD filled with sound effects and tones as rich as they are unexpected in a strangely harmonious context. This is for those who love more than the conventional…
Sylvain Lupari (December 4th, 2012) ***¾**