Veteran industrial hip-hop group Dälek breaks a five-year silence with an album that fails to recapture the bite of their earlier work. At the turn of the century, the duo were pioneers within the underground experimental scene, as MC Dälek fought valiantly to be heard over a wall of abrasive, distorted beats. ‘Precipice’, however, is a stale copy of their best output. Like a coffee left on the counter, it offers little fresh and weakens what was old. The album drifts with a lack of challenging sonic and lyrical ideas, depending on formula and steady flow. Good news though: the old stuff still sounds great.
14/30
A favourite: ‘Boycott’
‘Precipice’ is out now via Ipecac Recordings.