I am an avid afficionado of the Industrial Metal from the nineties. Think NIN, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, Fear Factory, Peace Love & Pitbulls and such. Now, some thirty years later, I bump into WARM GADGET, an Indiustrial duo from Oregon in the USA. They have been making noise since 2009 and have produced trhe following albums; "Brides" (2014), "Hollowmas III" (2015), "Rituals" (2021) and now “Sorrows” (2024). they only found the sound they are using today whilst they were working on their second album "Hollowmas III". After that it took them six years to make the third album "Rituals", as during that time they have been focussing on film music and productions. This lasted for three years. But like they say, now they are back with “Sorrows”.

As usual with Industrial bands, you have a part of the album that is original (some 26 minuites), but also a part that is home to some remixes. The original seven songs are exactly what I was hoping for. As for the remixed three (“Annoyed”, “Debutante” and “The Masses”), I personally wouldn't have put them on one disc, as I feel that detracts from the songs as they were first intended. Not all remixes are improvements. Some are just as impressive as ther original versions, but often they are just not up to scratch. Just think of the difference between the Nine Inch Nails EPs “Broken” and “Fixed”, and you'll understand why I would have preferred WARM GADGET to release them as a separate EP.

As for the music, it is exactly I would expect from an Industrial band that has their feet firmly in the nineties like WARM GADGET. No new found experimantation, no Extreme Metal sidelines, Simple and effective, with hard beating drums, good heavy bass playing, piercing guitar riffs and a very disturbing voice. All this put together gives me a warm feeling again, and even though “Sorrows” can't touch the quality of their peers from the nineties, they are having a whale of a time trying to emulate them as close as they can. And they are succeeding so far as possible, which is giving me a Back To The Future feeling. I am transported back some thirty years, and enjoying the trip immensely. Even though I am not hearing anything new, it is all quite well done. If you are like me, you will like WARM GADGET and “Sorrows”, but I would like to hear some more progress and variety on the next one.