Die Form

InHuman (Metropolis)
by Wa

InHuman is the most recent in a long line of albums that dates back to the 1979 origins of the French electro-fetishist duo, Die Form. Die Form are perhaps best known for their creative use of bondage and sadomasochistic imagery which peppers each of their previous albums. On InHuman, the operatic voice and lyrics of Eliane P. are present, but are bound to the instrumentation of Philippe Fichot which doesn’t quite measure up to her vocal skills. Fichot’s string arrangements do offer a nice harmony and counterpoint to Eliane’s siren.

InHuman, the first of a diptych which will be completed with the release of ExHuman, is a sophisticated concept that doesn’t quite come to fruition. The disjointed sound doesn’t effectively express the dynamism of love and death/man and machine that is central to the overall story, and the songs are bogged down by a banal EBM rhythm structure that leaves each song without a unique personality. While it should make a wonderful addition to the collection of the true diehard Die Form fan, this album doesn’t offer much sonic diversity for serious Goth and industrial fans.
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