Pummeling, fractured jungle. Major props to Remarc for putting this compilation together the way he has - most of the compilations I've heard (not just from jungle, but from any dance genre, particularly the UK ones) suffer from tunnel vision, but Remarc is happy to embrace diversity and allow plenty of different elements of his music and his personality right through the album. Sometimes, it even happens within one track - "Meridian" is the best example of that. Yet elsewhere there's little jokes thrown around, like the melody from "If I Were A Rich Man" on "Sound Murderer", or there's nods to other genres like the pop vocals on the absolutely massive "Thunderclap" or the G-funk synth line on "Menace". As an album it plays out about as well as it possibly could. It's hard to picture how any fan of drum'n'bass, in any of its forms, wouldn't like this, if not outright love it. On any level that the genre might appeal, be it cerebral or physical, Sound Murderer brings the goods - it's heavy, complex, and unprententious, smart enough for the critics and relentless enough for the raves. It's not quite as unhinged as the jungle I like the most, but that's the only bad word I have to say on this album. In every other respect, it's excellent.
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