CRYSTAL Castles do not break their own mould on this third album but then the Canadian electro-punk duo never exactly blended in to the mass market. On the imaginatively titled III – the follow up to 2010’s equally as inventive II – cyber-banshee Alice Glass continues to deliver her trademark violent vocals while producer Ethan Kath tortures his array of electronic instruments like some sort of synth terrorist. But while this disturbing mix of New York new-wave and Nintendo themes sounds vile on paper, it is oddly addictive to the ear.
In spite of Glass’s frantic yelping and Kath’s dirty beats and thrash guitar, tracks such as Plague and Wrath Of God are compelling and worm their way into the mind like an exhilarating pop-drug.
Jamie Grierson
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