State of Being – Haywire

Though the cover of this album made me think that I could expect a space ambient album, “Haywire” from State of Being actually contains a typical American crossover industrial sound. This group from Cleveland, Ohio, mixes heavy rock/metal guitar riffs with keyboard layers and occassional electronic beats and the mildy angry vocals of Christopher Földi. Names like Stabbing Westward, Thrill Kill Kult of Machines of Loving Grace come to mind. It’s probably no coincidence that producer Andy Kubiszewski worked with the likes of Stabbing Westward and Prick in the past.

State of Being sounds professional and solid, and rather commercial at times, perhaps due to the slick production. The mix of various styles keep the album interesting, though also perhaps a bit too eclectic. The heavy rock songs are alternated with a midtempo poppy piece like ‘Whitespace’, a catchy track like ‘Take me Away’, with uptempo beats and female backing vocals, or the ethereal gothic-inspired ‘Wondering’ with female lead vocals. Certainly not all songs are equally interesting though. Nevertheless this band, which is active for more than a decade, could achieve quite some popularity amongst fans of accessible dark rock with electronic elements.

State of Being has also released a limited edition CD-EP titled “Haywire Remixes 1:2.” The disc contains remixed versions of songs from the “Haywire” album, with a largely electronic sound with most guitars filtered out. Don’t expect much subtleties here: heavy straightforward EBM beats up to 140 BPM, distorted vocals and club-friendly synth melodies are clearly aimed at the cybergothic dancefloors.

artist: State of Being
label: Reverse Image
details: 13 tracks, 2004