ThouShaltNot Reviews

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The Holiness of Now - ThouShaltNot: Self-Titled

Reviews of The Holiness of Now

"These two classically trained musicians, Alexx Reed and Aaron Fuleki, are a wonder to listen to. They combine classical music elements with Darkwave, somewhat in a dark Synthpop form, to create an interesting sound of their own. Dark but not brooding, Thou Shalt Not leaves you with the impression that they have a strength of spirit which offers a bit of hope for the future.

Their use of string instruments and electronics display the struggle of the human soul in a modern world attempting to make sense of all that is ancient and all that is now. I love the title of the album as well. I think this may reflect the spiritual perspective that the only thing that is real is now, not the past and not the future, but only the eternal now.

The vocals are very smooth, dark and inspiring. They could be singing about the most trivial thing in the world and they would still have a sound which would make it seem somehow important to your spirit. An excellent work of audio showmanship. These guys must have strong hearts and passions to sing like they do. 'Last Comfort' almost comes out like an anthem.

They seem to have created a sound that makes it seem as though every word has spiritual importance. Most of the songs are actually about skepticism and relationship issues, struggle for mental/emotional survival. Simply put it is mood inspiring album. They make great use of symbolism to portray situations of the heart. Although 'Embrace The Sun' does seem to have some spiritual substance to it. Great lyrics!

Thou Shalt Not have produced a wonderful record which is great for club play as well as personal enjoyment. They have combined elements of various forms of Darkwave, Synthpop, EBM, Noise and even Classical music to create something completely new to any listener. A great example of this is 'Without Faith' in which you hear various Noise elements combined with the heavy pounding dance beat known well to EBM listeners. It maintains an overall Darwave feel and combines interesting vocal elements from the anthem like vocals of the singers to what sounds like a boys choir in part of the chorus. It even ends with a vocoded voice as well. They make great use of both modern music elements and traditional combining both a very human sound with a very mechanical one. This may be a theme followed by many artists but it is uniquely done here in such a way that it carries and inspirational feel to it.

Thou Shalt Not will definitely influence and inspire new musicians to come. They will also build a fan base built from the alternative scenes of the Gothic, Ethereal, Darkwave, Industrial, EBM, Synthpop and maybe even Noise fans too. I think they are the best thing to come to ADSR Musikwerks so far! Musical comparisons would be in the vein of things like Dead Can Dance meets Attrition meets VNV Nation. Yet this does not even come close to describing their sound. "

-Im Rhythmus Bleiben


"With the first sound of The Holiness of Now and the track 'Soren Grey' there is no doubt that ThouShaltNot's music is gothic synthpop, and as reminiscent of Wolfsheim as it is, it is clear that ThouShaltNot is a major new force within the scene. They are unafraid of straying from the norm -- for instance 'Last Comfort' sings with real violins and 'Without Faith' features a gospel choir. Here and there is the strong influence of electro -industrial music, like in 'Credo'. It might be a bit of trek to get out and see this group live, but The Holiness of Now certainly suggests that ThouShaltNot would make it worth your while. Indeed, we have an excellent album here. As they develop their own sound further, ThouShaltNot could very well match the success of Wolfsheim and Apoptygma Berzerk."

-Gothic Art magazine


"Having been a fan and consumer to the ADSR Musicwerks label, one can contend that they have not put out a dud yet, nor is it ever anticipated that they ever will. Thankfully, ThouShaltNot is in their fold, and quite frankly the 11th Biblical commandment should read that Thou shalt NOT ignore ThouShaltNot!

This duo marries splendid vocal harmonies along with great pulse rhythms, angelic choirs and everything but the kitchen sink. After hearing the onslaught of tired NIN clones and non-imaginative electronic bands, this group is REFRESHING to the ears. ThatÕs right folks, they can SING as well as play. No phony compressed vocals here that sound like someone gargled with Drano for the tenth time. Also missing are the cheap casio tones with limited ranges.

Here, the singing style is beyond pleasing, to the point of being almost subliminally hypnotic. On a surround sound stereo, this CD cooks! You are enveloped in a wall of sound that bounces around the room while the vocals seem to go through you in some type of cosmic spiritual interplay.

Their style could be equated as a cross between GermanyÕs Behind The Scenes and Clan of Xymox with a lot of extra touches to avoid these same comparisons. The States have been long overdue for a band to rival some of the best Euro counterparts. ItÕs a tall order, but this band is heading in that direction.

Soren Grey initially catches the listener off guard. We are introduced to an angelic choir and then a fluttering of electronic music layered over deep pounding drum sounds. Do not adjust your set, this is how it is supposed to sound. Fear not though, because after the intro, the fluttering coalesces into a Clan of Xymox style with a few baby cries tossed in to punctuate the lyrics about someone not being allowed to grow up and out of the shadow of the maternal clutches.

Last Comfort deals with finding the joy of regret and moving forward while 'we clutch today in disdain of tomorrow.'

Without Faith is intense in its simplicity. Lyrically, we are introduced to a dialogue between 2 people. One asks the other to prove themselves, somewhat demarcating that they themselves are not trustworthy, and are nothing more than mere blood and flesh without a soul. The vocal chorus on this track will send chills down the spine with the beauty and delivery.

In The Tower begins somewhat ambiently and then become a somewhat ominous electronic track Gregorian style choruses are infused between the white noise and pulsing rhythms.

The Sting has dialogue from radios and television sets layered between orchestrated violin music. In an instant, it erupts into a hip swinging beat that is highly addictive. This is not only a great cut for the dance clubs, but something to do the horizontal lambada by! If you donÕt sing along with the chorus by the second time you hear it, you are surely dead.

Credo has a similar rhythm line to the Halloween theme at the opening which then delivers elements of dark monastic chorus lines that are simply superb. The track takes us on an introspective journey that despite all that is good and bad in our lives, there remains the element of belief.

The Greater Good brings us a quirky electronic side of the band where they suffuse rather interesting sound elements in a macabre element similar to a funky Danny Elfman.

Embrace The Sun is segued from the preceding track. Violin echoes under the dance beat giving this a haunted feel. If this track hasn’t made it to the club DJÕs playlist in your area, REQUEST it!

A Trace takes us from the bouncy element of the last track and delves towards a sense of darkness with sotto voce spoken lyrics.

In Hope Of Flight provides a bit of a militaristic drum beat, backward masking and a message about hell. The lyrics are a plea and anticipation for overcoming mediocrity. Again, angelic choruses accompany this track making it hauntingly beautiful while fully danceable.

ThouShaltNot have outdone themselves with this release. Everything about the recording is tightly knit. The lyrics are intelligent and thought provoking. There is even a bit of irony where the positive songs have a doom like atmosphere and the gloomy lyrics have a more upbeat swing to them. The Holiness of Now has a pseudo religious element inherent within it without becoming preachy by any means. The utilization of angelic choruses really gives a great body of sound texture to the songs. Reed and Fuleki have such a great harmony together that it sounds as if they rehearsed for 20 years. Readers are encouraged to sample some of their available music online, but be sure to pick up a copy of this CD. It is timeless and will still be fresh 10 years from now."

-Legends Magazine


"This CD came as a pleasant surprise to me. It blends a multitude of styles and emotions to it's industrial pulse; dancability, dreariness, heaviness, anger and even violins for good measure to sweeten things up. The pulses and beats are so alive they'd make every heel-toe step of a zombie be rhythmic. Check out track two, "Last Comfort" and six, "Credo" if you need new grooves to get stuck in your head. "Credo" features a schizo keyboard line that would surely send any demon into a happy-dance. The dreariness of Alexx Reed's vocals is deep and is the driving point behind each tune. Not a bad song on here."

-MK Ultra Magazine


"Every once in a while, a release like this gets into my crabby little hands, and wakes up a sleeping part of me. Ok, so thats a little more poetic than I usually get, but thats just what happens when you listen to ThouShaltNot, the latest release out on ADSR. Words like thoughtful, interesting, moving, deep come to mind, as well as words like pulsing, strong, danceable also rise to the surface.

The music is an interesting mix of the gothic mood, themes, and movements, and EBM beats and rhythms, with little odd ball doses of DnB, and Classical mixed in to keep it very interesting. They don't limit themselves with one sound, and milk it for all its worth (ala Funker), mixing all sorts of elements together to create interesting textures, and great sounds.

Far and away the best track on the album is called 'Last Comfort' which features a great vocal track, and an amazing viola and violin line that really pushes this song into the amazing category.

This being my first exposure to ThouShaltNot, I am very impressed, and will expect good things from Alexx Reed, and Aaron Fuleki in the future."


-Industrial.org


Reviews of ThouShaltNot (self titled)


"TSN are a very hard band to do justice to with mere words.... They've thrown electro, EBM, techno, Goth and choral music into a large musical melting pot and produced an unpredictable mix of sounds and styles that bounces like a pinball between a variety of influences and manages to avoid sounding like anyone else.

'Something Dire', for example, is like Depeche Mode with hard-hitting EBM break-beats and a stop-start rhythm. 'Adem' changes from a dark, heavy electro-Goth sound into a powerhouse vocal melody and then again into a funky industrial hip-hop number. 'Sand and Wax' is a funky, sample-laden, electro dance number with slices of classical music mixed in. 'The Child' takes similar classical music, rips it up and adds electro noises and a kickass industrial breakbeat. The same idea goes for all the other tracks -- disparate elements combined in an unpredictable way that keeps the album fresh and exciting from beginning to end."

-Sorted Magazine


"ThouShaltNot hail from the dark recesses of Ohio and are one of my favorite acts yet on ADSR Musicwerks. They play a dreamy brand of electro-synthpop, with melodic male vocals, clean synthlines and some quirky samples around the edges.

'Relief' kicks off with some nice vocoded vocals over an ambient backdrop, before the upbeat 'Something Dire' kicks in. Alexx's vocals are subdued but very effective, reminding me a bit of Tanner from Thine Eyes. 'Adem' is just as varied, with a very clean, harmonic chorus, along with some funkier beats and distorted vocals. 'Falling Sky' is tuned in more with the standard Euro synthpop sound, but has a nice dark edge to it as well. 'Sand and Wax' kicks the BPM up a bit and features one of my favorite samples I've heard in a while: a woman saying 'I know I can change you/Because I love you.' There is also an element that creeps into TSN's sound at times (check out 'Polarity') -- it's nicely done and I'd like to hear more along these lines in the future.

One of ThouShaltNot's main strengths is their ability to create mood. Their music has a melancholic atmosphere, but never becomes depressive. The long filter sweeps and heartfelt vocals work wonders and the band are good at making the songs flow -- good arrangements and well thought-out song order. The memorable vocal melodies ('Idol' is a great example) are also very impressive.

ThouShaltNot have created a solid sound with this album. There is a Depeche Mode influence, especially in the way they smoothly integrate non-melodic sounds in a highly melodic framework. They also hark back to Bigod 20 with their use of metallic percussion and distorted beats as the basis for their highly-rhythmic songs, but TSN definitely have their own style. A strong debut release that should definitely garner the band some international attention."

-The Plague e-zine


"ThouShaltNot ingeniously combines the chaos and complexity of IDM with the catchiness and danciness of modern electro-pop. Their self-titled debut is one of the most impressive and innovative albums to come out of the electronic scene this year. 'Something Dire' wastes no time building up to the intensity of the song. Instead, from 00:00, it is a powerful, complex, and catchy song. This song begins with distorted melodic vocals and a crunchy, Covenant-style beat. The bridge after the first verse chaotically leads up to the chorus, a percussion-driven segment with smooth and poppy vocals.

The much faster-paced 'Cracked' makes use of a vocoder for dreamily-distorted X-Marks the Pedwalk-style vocals over a drum 'n' bass style rhythm. The song ends with a piano segment and though the intensity of the instrument itself changes, the intensity that it is played never diminishes as the piano is played at a near-humanly impossible speed.

ThouShaltNot's music is one of the most unique mixes of style that I have heard. My two favorite genres, IDM and synthpop, have come together in this CD with an excellent outcome. If you enjoy either genre, ThouShaltNot should leave you wanting more."

-Grinding Into Emptiness


"This is a remarkable release, laden with synth-pop likenesses and progressively enchanting compositions. Tinges of trip-hop are slight but apparent and overall the mix is a steady and consistent attention-keeper. Relatively untreated vocals fall anywhere between Depeche Mode, VNV Nation, and Red Flag and attain some high moments in catchy melodies. The lyrics are well-written and have a bittersweet nature for the most part, but the whole album is not just sappy-synth-schtuff... there are plenty of interesting areas that get groovy, aggressive, and even incorporate some interesting sample-usage. Over all this is a very well-rounded release worthy of attention."

-In Faction Magazine


"'ThouShaltNot,' the new self-titled release from Wooster's first signed band, promises to be a hit with electronic music fans. ThouShaltNot, the brainchild of Alexx Reed, make their debut with a hard-hitting, synthpop mix of break beats and dark vocals. To classify this album would be as challenging as defining the range of emotions one has in a lifetime. Songs range from ambient techno to industrial dance, to synthpop.

The album begins with 'Relief,' a song filled with distorted vocals and a dark ambient aura. This sets the mood for the entire album, and gives the audience a taste of what's to come. The second track is a personal favorite, 'Something Dire.' As the song begins, the exquisite vocals of Reed are complemented by an array of layered synthesizers. I found myself comparing it to the work Depeche Mode did on 'Music for the Masses.' Another favorite was 'Falling Sky,' a track that seems to capture the essence of synthpop and again is layered with thick trance-like synth riffs.

The power of 'ThouShaltNot' is in the complexity of the music as well as the integration of vocals into the array of instruments used. 'Polarity,' which is indicative of this complexity, is probably one of the strangest and most intense pieces of electronic music I have heard. The song begins with a heavy pulsing beat, moving on to a more ambient feel, only to return to the industrial-like sound it begins with. Finally, the song resolves into a light beat with breathy female vocals, not before being interjected with a sampling from what seems to be a JFK speech.

As I mentioned before, 'ThouShaltNot' must be heard to be believed. It shows a mastery of synthesizers rivaled only by such established artists as Nine Inch Nails, The Chemical Brothers and Underworld. The varied array of songs and the massive amount of instruments integrated, including piano, organ, violin, cello and choruses makes 'ThouShaltNot' a symphony in itself. The final song on the album, 'Crash,' is a fitting conclusion. Its simple composure is a refreshing break from the intensity of the tracks before it.

I highly recommend picking up 'ThouShaltNot.' It promises not to disappoint. The only regret I had listening to it was that it was not longer. Approximately 44 minutes of the darkest synthpop on the market today made me yearn for the teenage angst I never had."

-Wooster Voice


"Staying apart their contemporaries, ThouShaltNot is ingeniously mixing modern synthpop with the complexity of IDM along a certain early EBM approach. The music found on their self-titled debut album remains unique and impressive as it's one of the greatest surprises of the year.

At first listen, ThouShaltNot may seem chaotic, mostly free of a stable structure, but slowly their songs build their own architecture around an array of technoid beats, complex rhythm and thick electronics -- 'Something Dire' being the prime example. It moves with a drum n'bass oriented techno beat, dark electronics and melodic synth lines all enveloped in a catchy and solid synthpop composition. Here, Alexx Reed's vocals are smooth and breathy with a few vocoder effects adhering perfectly to the complexity of the track. 'Falling Sky' brings the melodies and frictionless vocals up front to create a gloomy ballad with its pounding trippy rhythm, interfered by shy break-beats. With 'Cracked', the act is expertly playing with early EBM, using a fast-paced drum pattern, incorporating classical piano melodies along the furious electronics. Following is the complex 'Polarity' which is built around a trippy rhythm and an array of crunchy beats and thick electronics where Reed's energetic vocals are creating an outstanding effect to the music. As the technofied 'The Child' delivers a powerful club smasher; the closing track 'Crash' brings a gloomy ballad with beautiful violin parts along watered piano where Reed's voice takes a computerized treatment, providing a pleasurable static effect.

Even if ThouShaltNot remains unique, the comparison to Snog is unavoidable mostly due to its collage and amalgamation of different genre and influences. There is a bright future ahead for ThouShaltNot, but will the band get more recognition in the synthpop scene or the electro realm? It's a total mystery, but either way their success remains promising. Impressive."

-ElectroAge


"This disk, packaging and all is perfect. It really communicates what it is trying to get across. I even like the fact that it has no title. Let them start fresh here, and allow the song titles to speak for themselves. Let the lyrics, which might not be some poets idea of pure, speak for themselves, while being sung with the right articulation. I am more than willing to give this band and its leading persona, more than 15 minutes of fame, as long as they continue to make a product this good, I am certain they will be able to move into a space to perform it with a more accurate reflection.

Other moments include the opener 'Relief', and 'Something Dire' , both in true electro-goth musings -- a great way to get into this release. Samples; 'Sand and Wax' "I know I can change you, because I love you!" and many great sounding clips including the radio voices in 'Polarity'. Keyboard abilities really shine in 'Cracked' and an Ogeresque rant (think Ritalin not Puppy) meets meter with a dual between a fugue and a Drum N Bass rhythm. Thou Shalt make more songs like that in the future! Find it, listen to it."

-Starvox Magazine


"New and fresh from ADSR, masters of the EBM/electro realm from their towers of sound in Seattle, WA, ThouShaltNot's self-titled is a mixture of ambient grooves and synth-laden rhythms. Not as hard or bouncing as ADSR staples Noxious Emotion, TSN are instead smoother, more flowing and attempt to hybridize trance with the more well-known EBM/synth-pop styles. Alexx Reed and Aaron Fuleki are the forces behind TSN. Recording with the help of Ohio's Robot God Labs (http://www.robotgodlabs.com), TSN's self-titled debut is an excellent release.

I've been a synth-pop fan for over a decade now, ever since I first set foot on a dance floor to the tune of the Flock's I Ran. And if I was a passive fan of EBM for years, the amazing releases of another ADSR outfit, Noxious Emotion, has converted me into a true listener of the genre. And now, recently, I've been raving again - swaying weirdly to the ambient keys of AFX, Schpongle, and European DJs that have had the courtesy to show up and spread their aural natures over the underground of NYC. ThouShaltNot takes all three of these and combines them into a palatable hybrid. Subdued vocals and subdued but still-pumping rhythms, electronic flair and all that come together in TSN's self-titled release.

Highlight tracks of this album include 'Adem' on track 3. I adore the vocal harmonies during the chorus. The rap-like 'Take A Breath' section is superb. Track 5, 'Sand and Wax', opens with a female vocal sample. 'I know I can change you. Because I love you.' It repeats itself over and over, then starts to get cut up, until the same sample ends sounding like 'Love chains you love chains you...' Excellent further samples throughout the song include 'Love is a disease that is always fatal. No one has been cured.' Great rhythm and a machine-gun like beat track.

Other songs I enjoy here are 'Cracked', a faster, more upbeat tune with speedy vocals and a moving rhythm. The lyrics end on a definite downer - 'Pull more and more till winter comes and I have been erased. And so am I - so here am I.' All the lyrics are similar in tone, but the instrumentals of the song aren't as dark and brooding - instead they almost convey a warped, bent sound of frustration with no end. The sped up classical piano score in the end of 'Cracked' closes on a note of weirdness. 'Pesticide' on track 8, opposites 'Cracked'. The rhythm, bass and low-squeal keyboard backgrounds do provide the morose background you would expect against the lyrics. Choral melodies converge on top creating a subliminal morbidity in the listener's mind. This is an instrumental break in the album.

Only one more track discussion. 'The Child' is an interesting rhythmic piece of vocal samples, whistling keys and deep bass. It breaks into a fast-paced rhythm against choir-like samples. You can clearly see the trance-inducing style of ThouShaltNot showing through on this track. The goa rhythm and floating keyboards, vocal whisperings and subdued bass creates an excellent instrumental piece. Vocals aren't needed here - nor are they used.

I'm going to stop here, as it is my style to always leave a good portion of the album in obscurity. Rhythms and ambient-style synthetic sounds throughout the entire CD are well-laid out and wonderfully arranged. ThouShaltNot open their recording days with a nice piece. Is it trance? Goa? EBM? Synth-pop? It's all of these, combined in an almost warped yet classical home. Like attending a church underwater. What's next for these two is hard to say - but clearly there is more than one avenue upon which Alexx and Aaron can travel from here."

-Marcus Pan, Legends Magazine


"Though ThouShaltNot is an unknown band, their music sounds very familiar for the fans of Red Flag who used to be immensely popular (and who were once confused with Depeche Mode on one of the more obscure bootlegs in my collection...).

The music sounds very professional! And I'm not fibbing, synth and electro pop alternate perfectly on this promo. Twelve very good compositions alternating with robots, vocoder effects, beautiful melodies, a good vocalist, additional vocals like those of Timo from Static Icon and breathtakingly programmed drum samples which should cause serious jealousy in the average synthpop band.

Incidentally, have you ever heard a synthpop band experiment with a rhythm guitar? If not, listen to the amazingly varied 'Sand and Wax' which is astounding. An incredible amount of sampling went on there I can tell you. A master piece, though one without dancefloor potential because of the profusion of breaks.

All in all, I reckon ADSR has finally found its direction by contracting this band, and with the right promotion, this lot could be big in Europe. "

-Electronic Diseases


"It was a dark and stormy night. Just kidding. But it was Halloween. If you are not familiar with Ariock Vandervoorde, he is the proprietor of Mansfield's only occult super store, Kulture. Anyway, Ariock and his minions decided to hold a get together featuring the scarier of the local bands. Among the lot was a band that we had not seen yet. ThouShaltNot.

I had always assumed that there were no goth bands in the area, and that there was not a big draw for the genre. But then again, I did not know about RobotGod Laboratories.

The project had been long in the making. Alexx began his career unassumingly. Enchanted by the likes of The Cure, Ministry, Depeche Mode, and NIN, Alexx plopped down his life savings for some gear to make his own music. Along his travels, he extensively studied classical music, gaining a keen appreciation for Prokofiev and Shostakovich. He began to blend the sounds, and develop a style.

Fate stepped in, and moved him from his New Hampshire home to The College of Wooster. At the same time, Aaron moved in across the hall. Aaron's influences were more hard rock, funk, and jazz. He had never played in a goth or industrial band, but he did have an appreciation for it, and he was a quick study. He had worked collaboratively in the past, to great extent, and brought this collaborative spirit to Alexx.

Together, they put together a massive tangle of wires and cables, studio gear and mics, and dubbed it RobotGod Laboratories. There, they wrote, performed, recorded, produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered their album.

The album is quite a stray from the norm. Yes, it is goth. Yes, it is industrial. But, it is not afraid to be melodic. It is not afraid to be beautiful. It does not serve as a caricature of itself, nor does it try to scare the listener. It engulfs the listener. The album will be available to the rest of the civilized world on February 1st. The band has resigned itself to the fact that in order to progress as a goth/industrial band, they will have to stick to the bigger cities, where scenes already exist, and will soon be heading out on the road through Texas, and California, and up the west coast. Meanwhile, they have been signed with ADSR Musicwerks, and are excited about working with their new label."

-The Village Buzz Feb. 2000

"It was obvious that the group was excited and more confident this time around. They seemed to have taken some hints from their fellow label-mates Noxious Emotion. Not only was the drummer standing up this time, but there was a bit of custom percussion action going on.......I noted a cymbal over a garbage can lid among the percussive arsenal. And let me tell you, Aaron used it like an arsenal too......very energetic. Much more aggressive than I remember. The added drums for Sarah were a nice touch too, giving her more to do musically and on stage (not that energy onstage is a problem for this bouncy, powerpuff girl emulating musician)

Alexx traded his acoustic guitar for an electric one that looked very acoustic. His voice was nicely tuned, as always. It's good to hear a vocalist who really knows how to sing, instead of having to rely on vocal filters to cover up faults. The return of the live cello was something I was very happy to see. After all, there's always room for cello. One thing that I must stress about this group is how truly musical they are. You can be a band, but not really be musicians. Just look at the crap that pop culture fawns over, and you won't have to even question what I'm talking about. You have four people, who use their talent to really play together and show to us that they are interested in the music, not just their image. What's very apparent at the live shows is that ThouShaltNot is very much into what they do, that the musical expression is first and foremost to them, and they enjoy every minute of it.

The set opened up with a newer song which was not on the first CD release..... From there, they slipped into 'Falling Sky' -- my personal favorite, an extra-angstful cover of 'Shout' (Tears for Fears), 'Adem', 'Sand and Wax'....and a peculiar cover that took me a few minutes to recognize. I believe it's called something like 'Bad Moon Rising', by Credence Clearwater Revival? I can pick out the original version in two seconds, the happy, bouncy thing that it is, but this slower, brooding version was so Gothed out that it took me entirely by surprise. In the end, it made more sense that it should be played that way. Singing "Don't come around tonight, 'cause I'm bound to take your life" in a perky manner just doesn't cut it anymore. The set was finished with the song that is worth the price of admission alone.... 'If I only were a Goth'. Always a hit with me.

Overall, the performance was very fleshed out and much more spirited than before. The band has made some nice additions to their work, which was already well on its way to begin with. ThouShaltNot continues to walk the Goth/Electronic/Industrial line with such ease. The combination of intelligent songwriting, talented performing, and an original sound is what sets this group apart from the rest of the local acts in this scene. Distinctiveness is important these days, when so many bands are vying for attention. The classical elements and eclecticism that enter into ThouShaltNot's style is what makes them so unique. We spoke to Alexx on the night before they played, and he told us how much of what he's working on goes in so many different directions, but he's trying to make it all a cohesive package. Well, so far he's made us believe that it can work. It takes talented artists to meld together such eclectic things such as melody, noise, poetry, feeling, and energy. More power to them for that.

ThouShaltNot got most of the floor twitching their feet happily. The band was well received and well respected, as it should be. It's not a surprise that ASDR Musicworks signed these guys as fast as they did. I hope that in the not so far future, people will make more of an effort to see these guys. ThouShaltNot is a fun group, that is sure to please with its catchy, danceable style and artistic leanings."

-BouncySkull
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