From its origin, black metal has always been associated with the occult, myths and Satanism. Control Human Delete places black metal in a whole other perspective, what resulted in the thematically, stylistically and musically boundary pushing effort Terminal World Perspective.

 

Musically the sound of Control Human Delete has much in common with bands like Thorns and the early Satyricon, especially the razor sharp production has a lot in common with the former. However, Control Human Delete’s sound is far more modern, because they draw their inspiration from the history of the entire earth, from which they describe their sinister vision on the future, rather than from the traditional black metal themes such as old myths and history of a single nation. Control Human Delete’s lyrics encompass earth’s evolution and the destructive nature of its inhabitants and the cover of the record shows futuristic machines near a waterfall wherein toxic waste is dumped.

 

Naturally this stylistic refreshing approach has a major impact on their sound. Although the roots and basics of the music definitely lie with older black metal bands such as Satyricon, they developed a unique sound by making use of drum programming, samples and synthesizers. That’s right, these guys don’t have a real drummer and that’s one of the reasons the music sounds ultra tight. It also gives them the opportunity to strike the bass drums at inhuman, ultra high speed. At first I had get used to this and thought it was too artificial, but it really fits well with the entire futuristic feel of the band and creates a furious mayhem. I really wonder how this would be like live.       

 

There are a lot of surprising elements on this record. The fifth track, ‘Transpherium’ is a long ambient soundscape with a shivering, dark feeling. This track embodies ‘the present’ and therefore draws the line between the first songs about the past and the second part of the record which deals with the future. Throughout the record we hear attractive samples, some violins and the synthesizer adds a sinister vibe, but there are also less welcome surprises such as a lame nu-metalish guitar riff with the familiar pinches in ‘Protocol of Systematic Belief’ and bass drums which sound like a bouncing ball in ‘Operation: Genesis Reprise’. One could also say that the drum programming makes the record sound too one-sided. These downsides are, however, taken for granted because of the refreshing style and approach of the band.    

 

This record needs a real open mind towards musical and stylistic changes in the black metal scene. Those who have, should really try this one out, because the more you get into their material and lyrics, the more you will appreciate the great correspondence between the music and the entire theme and feeling of this band.