T.H.C.

Death By Design (Fifth Column)
by J. Lianna Ness

Featuring former members of the L.A. band Stereotaxic Device (who toured with Skinny Puppy on their Too Dark Park tour), T.H.C. combine hard techno rhythms with electronic hip-hop beats. The first track on Death By Design, “Somebody Has To Die” is full of unnatural synthetic sounds layered over an unencumbered mix. “Gun Control” is over 140 bpm and contains samples of police and ambulance sirens with resounding synth splatter effects. “T.H.C.” is a fast-moving track with fragments of screams and cylindrical “hiccup” effects. The title track, “Death By Design,” has a simple, dull pounding beat – if migraines were music, they’d throb like this. The song starts out slow but becomes bass-heavy, building up tension and volume and ends with as many as 6 or 7 different samples all connecting at the same time. “Directly From Angels” offers a pleasant aural landscape that billows like a soft, cool breeze while a loop of little girl’s voice repeats the phrase “Give me your immortal kiss.” A nice mixture of slow-moving and frenetic songs keeps this disc from becoming redundant. The group are big supporters of animal rights; the inside cover contains some solid, factual information about the horrors of animal testing and explains some alternative methods that can be used so that little innocent creatures don’t have to suffer.