Dirt Factory – Systems Deleted

Following the release of their sophomore album “Factory Evolution”, the electro-industrial duo Dirt Factory did not halt production of new music. While it took a few months for new music to come from them, when they returned they came back with the maxi-single ‘Crash Landing’. Featuring the original mix and seven different remixes from the likes of NyteShayde, Exo-Kult, HOSTILE ARCHITECT, and RAZRWHIP. This teased the duo’s forthcoming album as did the follow-up single ‘Microscopic’ which contained the B-side track ‘Driod Army’. Thus, in December of 2021 were we given their brand new eleven track album “Systems Deleted”. 

I would say that the album starts off with the weakest track titled ‘Delete The System’. The steady and rapid bassline is not the problem nor is any of the cybernetic samples that are allocated to the song. Rather, it’s the extremely repetitious vocals. At points in the song the line, “Delete the system, delete the system, delete the system, fuck your command,” repeats three or four times in a row. This becomes very obnoxious and annoying relatively quickly. A guttural cry and rapid drums kicks off the following track ‘Microscopic’. A brutal industrial rock track follows suit complete with distorted whisper screams and robotic, hive-mind like vocals. The song breaks open during the chorus when harsh screams are blasted with further guitar work and epic synths. As expected on a Dirt Factory track, there’s plenty of science-fiction based atmosphere. 

Doom and gloom spells out ‘Factory Assimilation’. A heavy industrial beat is laid down as further samples play along with it. Too slow to be considered a stompy song fitted for clubs, this is a sinister and cinematic track coursing cyberpunk themes through its veins. It’s truly a wonderous work. Throughout the course of the six-and-a-half minute ‘Hammer’ did I find that the bassline hardly ever changed. While that’s a bold move to make for such a long song, I feel as if Dirt Factory placed in enough electronic effects and ambiance throughout the track to keep it refreshing and moving. 

Blasts of static noise fitting for a song titled ‘Crash Landing’ kick off the song. I feel as if the vocal sample that accompanies the song in the beginning lasted a little too long as well; it stretched for around a minute long. While vocal samples are alright in short doses, making it last for that long just makes me wish I was listening to Dirt Factory rather than this anonymous speaker. The samples are also spread throughout the track. These vocal samples don’t really fit with the beat of the song either, as good as the instrumental is. 

Without wanting to sound too wordy, I feel as if ‘Suck It Up’, ‘Dive’, and ‘Digital Media’ maintain a Dirt Factory feel without warranting further description. Their electro-industrial foundation holds solid as these masters of sample manipulation regulate their dark sci-fi universe across the songs’ durations. ‘Flesh’ soaks in heavy bass beats and whispered, spoken word delivery alongside some glitchy effects while ‘Extream’ goes back to a lighter, less bass filled industrial ballad. The final track on the album, ‘Ghosts’, is about as close to a club track as Dirt Factory possibly gets. A rapid bassline featuring a four-on-the-floor beat is what they have in store for you. But it’s not a typical dance track; it’s fucked up and cybernetic. 

Much like their previous effort, “Systems Deleted” sits at the cusp of greatness. While Dirt Factory is able to nail an electro-industrial beat and keep their songs fresh with multi-layered samples, some choices hold the album back. Such menaces are shown in the repetitious lyrics on ‘Delete The System’ and on the overuse of voiceover on ‘Crash Landing’. Nonetheless, Dirt Factory kicks ass in other places such as the industrial rock influenced ‘Microscopic’ and ‘Factory Assimilation’. If those kinks can be ironed out, then Dirt Factory is bound for greatness. Seven out of ten.