Being only twenty-four odd minutes long and comprised of sixteen short interludes and title-less tracks makes this record a difficult one to pick apart. The press release drops JS Bach somewhat pretentiously, or at least recommends this for “fans of” JS Bach (though I can’t really recall the last time I met a bona fide “fan”)*, but the classical, or classic feeling remains clear. Never has Norway witnessed a band so hellbent on pushing you between two worlds of the extreme, black shadowy roots of metal and the total crack-up of modernization via pure electronic mediation.

In that classical sense it certainly reads as a unified piece with progressive moments/movements rather than an experiment in cut-and-paste sampling. Whether or not the result is something like an epic journey through the castles of Dragon Quest, it is a sound that could be historically situated in Japan’s economic recession of the 90’s, upheavals in art and literature characterized by an influential eerie, apocalyptic, anonymous and apolitical quality– I’m thinking everything from noise-artist Merzbow, to writer Ryu Murakami, to director Takeshi Miike. It’s no wonder then, the record’s similarities to contemporary Japanese bands, the first time I saw Next Life’s Hai Nguyen Dinh perform at Spasibar it reminded me of a more serious version of the gameboy wizard DJ Scotch Egg, and the spastic/chaotic qualities of Melt Banana, as well as that sludgey, epic riffing we all love of Zeni Geva. And maybe that’s why the record sounds somehow current, like it’s something we all relate to- divine detachment in an over-sensory, technology-driven world.

The album kicks-off with a low-pounding plummet into their version of a lost age, which is hardly organic as it is industrial, quickly making its way through fantastical territory, fleeting moments of grandiose organ-like reprises over beats at Aphex Twin-speed and groovey rock moments akin to Amp Rep’s Hammerhead. Halfway through the record, and 3/4 the way again, we hear a krafty melodic keyboard interlude, like some reminder of the humane and naive… but each time follows a build-up of earnest, hard-hitting rock akin to Ministry, with an intense blast beat climax and head-nodding riffs. It almost seems possible to “begin” the record at any point, and loop it through until your original point of entry– so mechanical and crammed-packed the ebb and flow that you definitely feel you’re getting a whole lotta rosie for only twenty-four minutes.

And so rare a status Next Life have as originators of their own sound, that I would highly recommend grabbing this record at Tiger or from Fysisk Format before the next teenage simulacrum decides to repackage it as their own. ’Cos then you could do the whole “been there, done that” routine, and so on and so forth, right?

Det er sannelig lenge mellom hver gang man hører noe som er såpass genialt og småteit på en gang. Dette er bare Robocop og Kraftwerk og Alec Empire og Fantomas på en gang, og det er grenseløst moro. Det er så hyperaktivt og melodiøst at man ikke vet om man skal smile eller rygge unna. Helst ender det opp med at man gjør begge deler, og det kommer til å se like psycho ut som dette er.

På overflaten virker det hele usammenhengende og kaotisk, men under det som er svøpt i et øreblødende, men statisk start/stopp-støydekke, finner man en tilsynelatende ukontrollerbar og nærmest perfekt lekenhet som danner et herlig tvetydig og udefinerbart bilde.

Retrofaktoren er høy, og tempoet er enda høyere. Det går så kjapt at man knapt rekker å reagere, noe som definitivt gjør at dette er noe man enklere kan returnere til gang på gang.

Om det noen gang lages en remake av ”Killer Klowns From Outer Space” bør Next Life lage lydsporet. Dette bandet er egentlig grunn nok alene til å gjennomføre det.

Er det noe tøffere enn dataspill og hard musikk? Next Life, med nøttlendingen Hai Nguyen Dinh i spissen, kombinerer til det perfekte disse to gutteromssyslene og lager god musikalsk kunst av det. Dette er Next Lifes tredje skive og den er enda mer perfeksjonert i formen enn de foregående. Det er blitt mer rom for det melodiøse og mindre avantgarde-kynisme. Og det kler Next Lifes presise data-metal godt at kontrastene er større. Låtene blir viktigere og aggresjonen virker større når det går fra rolig til hardt.

Alle som har hatt Commodore 64 eller Amiga kommer til å hoppe seg gal til denne plata. Og får du sjansen, se bandet live! Det er en enda mektigere opplevelse. Advarsel! Gravide, folk med hjerteproblemer og mennesker med et trygt liv, bør holde seg unna dette infernoet av en skive fra et av Norges aller mest særegne band.

http://www.cuemix-magazine.com/cuemix/php/gallery_left.php?image=186

This record leaves you with your mouth open so don't forget to close it again. So be prepared for something you never heard before when you switch on Next Life. This is the fulfilment of my wildest dreams. Metal meets Electronica.... but not in the way it was performed in the early nineties with just sampling a guitar and layer it with some boring beats. Next Life from Norway is a duo which performs with a guitar, keyboard and a "beat throwing" laptop, flavoured with weird game sounds. But this is just one half of the story, it would be to simple just describe the "Beast", there's also the "Beauty". Expect the unexpected, when a Next Life begins to destroy your sound system, suddenly someone shouts "Stop" and jazzy keyboard parts mixed up with 70's electronica caress your ears. But don't feel save the next metal thunderstorm waits to be released. Even if you aren't a friend of metal and disturbing sounds Next Life's album never starts to yank your nerves. I guess this is the real genius behind this mixture, unbelievable, homogeneus and wallshaking. Nearly no words left just: the border between genius and madness is small!

Michael Mueck

Electric Violence is Next Life’s first release and reveals and revels in an amazing new sound that broadens Cock Rock Disco’s roster and serves as a hint where the label might go in the future if the market permits (i.e. all over the place!). I can hear you wondering out loud, “Amazing new sound? And how does it really sound, this new sound?” Well, it sounds like sparkling manic thrash-metal guitar stabs and simple but ultra-effective Casio beat programming sewn together by Nintendo hallucinogenic riffery and spiced by screeching and screaming in Japanese (apparently all lyrics are taken from videogames). Sounds crazy? It is. It is also ADD friendly, energetic, and highly addictive. Next Life was founded in 1999 by Hai Nguyen Dinh (concept, video, guitar), and these days is a two-three member affair, with Tormod Christensen (Casio) and Katrine Bølstad (singing, screaming, choreography), joining Hai live. Electric Violence is simply one of the best hybrids of electronic and hard metal music I’ve ever laid my hands on.

*Two tracks here, Under Water and Storm, are delightful arpeggiated oases of peaceful beauty that made me think of (yes) Ray Lynch’s album Deep Breakfast. *Personal note: when I listen to this I think of people spontaneously combusting in the middle of a packed Shibuya Crossing.

http://www.xlr8r.com/reviews.php?uid=009A196974632BDCB72F6E5798A52D83

Norway's Next Life reminds me of a time when videogame music all of a sudden went metal. We heard the group's frantic, coin-operated sound a decade ago thanks to spazz-core, one-off Shakuhachi Surprise, and a few of Mr. Bungle's ADD-addled moments. Does Next Life add anything new? Yes. Their edits are quicker and they probably use better software as they jump between speed-metal blurts, hardcore-techno jackhammering, and "boss music" (as heard in countless Nintendo games). "Circle and Star" faithfully captures the 8-bit melodrama while "The Way Out" opens with odd modem screeches before the usual violence kicks in. Essentially, Electric Violence is like a game cartridge that needs to be blown into several times before playing.

To pussige Tønsberginger; førstemann utstyrt med en Amiga 500 samt store doser relatert nostalgia, andremann i besittelse av en forvrengt gitar og aggresjon så det holder.

Først: det er gitt ingen indikasjon på hva som er side A eller B på denne singelen, så hva jeg skal kalle låtene får forbli et lite mysterium. Men det er en bagatell. Dette er temmelig kjekke greier.

Industrielle blastbeats med liflige dataspilltoner fra det glade 80-tall/tidlige 90-tall dekket av knallhissige og tekniske grindcoreriff. Ingen vokal i det hele tatt, kun noen sporadiske samplinger av stønning etc.

Jeg har iallefall ikke vært borti noe lignende før.

Jeg satt og hørte igjennom plata med en kompis. Vi var begge ivrige Amiga-tilhengere i vår ungdom og hadde en særdeles hyggelig seanse sammen. Om en annen hørte vi hint av små toner som minte om et eller annet spill vi planket oss igjennom for nærmere 10 år siden. Var det der Turrican-melodien? Næææhhh...Men det der hørtes ut som Forbidden Forest på Commodore 64... Og som sjutommere bør være, er skiva kort og presis.

På baksida står det "First Attack" og jeg gleder meg allerede til neste angrep. Gutta er for øvrig særdeles fornøyelige live også. Jeg så dem som oppvarming for trashjazzfaenskap-ensemblet Flying Luttenbachers. I forgrunnen var gitaristen, frenetisk som få, sparkende på amper og med riff fra Hælvete. I skyggene satt Mr. Amiga bøyd over tastaturet, helt rolig, og med en glassflaske cola ved siden av seg. Yeah! Snart kommer dessuten en splitt 7" med Next Life og de andre tønsbergingene i NoPlaceToHide. Amiga 500-core og knallmetall!