You're in the future...smile.

The modern world can be a cold place. We may stay warm by the glare of the odd crystal screen but a lot of the time we must skate across the thick, grey sheets of post-industrial modernity. The breeze shall blow across the plain only to be captured by a turbine and the glare of the Sun God will end up drowning in plates of tinted glass.

Do not worry, these are not the beginnings of a technocratic rant; I am merely setting the scene. For many a band have chosen to tap the steel icicles of the contemporary mechanized landscape in search of inspiration for their sound. And ARCTIC VOID's first release "Entangled" does see the Swedish metallers dip their fingers into familiar digital alloys, but they seem to reach deeper than the average plug-in-baby, instead striving to serve up a binary picture of a human mind in the 21^st century.

The program starts with "On the Padded Wall", an epic, synth-charged number coloured by 80's pop schematics; which are further explored inside the "Labyrinth", where the party is powered by an infinite power supply.  Yes, the electronic presence is vast. "Entangled" bares its copper wires without shame and sprays the bystanders with galvanic currents, shocking their bodies into rocking.

The heavy stomp of the industrial boot is also traversing the circuit board. "State of War" defibrillates through your ribs with pure MARYLIN MANSON swagger, whilst "The Rising" commands your attention with the bone-tickling keyboard arpeggios and deep vocal solemnity of CREMATORY.

Yet above all, this record is packed with addictive, songwriting narcotics of tracks like "Sleeping Under Water", "Obsession" and "Sacriledge". The big choruses and fine-tuned instrumentals drag you into a virtual reality of Melodic Power/Synth Metal and bathe you in magnetic musical reactions. If you enjoy the dynamic, progressive inventions of AMARANTHE then these creations will most certainly please your genius.

Given the record's stylistic inclinations the production is obviously crisp and extremely digitised. However, even though the sound is continuously under the influence of a computer, it doesn't seem to fall victim to over-production, and the songs manage to avoid loosing their essence through over-layering. The performances of the band members too are fantastic.  The keyboard work is mesmerising and the melodic, invigorating guitar contributions of Per Stålfors and Peter Svensson splice strokes of colour into an otherwise 'gun-metal' hued journey.

Overall -"Entangled" portrays the troubled condition of a modern psyche; but it does so with optimism and determination. Amidst the flickering, luminous, boreal moments of modern existence ARCTIC VOID are looking at an even brighter future ahead.