Numb is a coldwave and electro-industrial group that was based in Vancouver, Canada led by producer Don Gordon from 1988 up until 2000 when he disbanded the project and allegedly moved to Vietnam with his wife. They released several albums throughout the early 90's such as
Christmeister (1990),
Death on The Installment Plan (1993) and
Wasted Sky (1994) which saw them build and enjoy a cult fanbase in their short lifespan but still not gain quite as much recognition as those dominating the more popular industrial-metal scene at the time such as Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and KMFDM.
Numb weren't quite as aggressive as these acts, eschewing metal guitars in favor of harsh electronics which gave them less crossover appeal with the metal kids at the time but this is not to say their sound is any less potent. Though earlier albums were generally much more EBM influenced and coldwave in nature,
Blood Meridian opens with the harsh noise samples of
Blind. The track explodes in a wonderful concoction of psytrance style synths, electronic warbling at it's finest set to a pulsating rhythm which does not let up for its entire duration. It's an orgy of drum loops and textures which is ridiculously great and along with
Desire,
Critical Mass,
No Time, these represent some of the most energetic cuts on the album.
Dirt features a Ministry style harsh vocal performance, quite at odds with some of the wussier gothic tendencies I dislike about the group in a mid-paced belter of a song. The best aspect of this album however is first heard prominently on
Blood Meridian, with a focus on instrumental ambient textures that shows Gordon's skill as a producer. Every track is full of such moments of jaw dropping attention, but stuff like
Alien Hand and
Spasm are completely built around them which is kind of cool. Listening to the title track fade into
Stalker, the best song on the album is just great. Its concoction of club beats, distorted vocals and warbling synths is as infectious as industrial comes.
Numb is a bit of an under the radar band, and
Blood Meridian is certainly a gem that deserves more attention. I would consider it most definitely a good crossover into the more electronic based side of industrial music from those who are used to the metal guitars of Skinny Puppy or Ministry, as it remains harsh but still, very accessible and full of the rich, if gloomy textures that characterise the genre which are often the appeal to me.
Wasted Sky is worth a listen as well.
