It seems that these are the days of industrial supergroups; everybody is in everybody else's band. At one point, it was easy to believe that there were only about 20 people who even made industrial music, and the hundreds of bands out there were just side projects of other side projects.

C-tec is the darkwave electronic version of such an amalgamation. Originally named Cyber-tec Project, then Cyber-tec, and finally shortened to simply C-tec, the band's current line-up is considerably shorter than the flocks of individuals that make up either Revolting Cocks or Pigface, but certainly no less impressive. Headed by none other than Jean-Luc DeMeyer of Front 242 fame, the studio band also includes Ged Denton from Crisis NTI and Marc Heal of Cubanate.

Together, they've managed to create an angry electronic sound that brings a whole new meaning to the term "use the force." The easiest comparison to make is to Front 242, since DeMeyer has such a distinctive voice, but imagine a faster 242, with heavier distortion in the vocals, instruments that sound like they might actually be guitars (although are probably just cleverly disguised keyboards), and throw in a few generic rave-like synth sounds just to give the music enough of a catch that you can't help but want to dance to it.

Live, C-tec also includes Dave Bianchi of Cubanate and Julian Beaston of Nitzer Ebb, and the disc includes credits to Phil Barry, Rhys Fulber of Frontline Assembly, and Haujobb, completing the qualifications for industrial supergroup. Once complete, the band has every right to taut its ego, and does quite well in that respect on the track "Foetal," repeating the lyric "We're on our way to being gods."

But the disc isn't completely comprised of high- energy, egomaniacal attitudes. As any good darkwave album would, it also takes a plunge into the lonelier side of despair and isolation with "Silent Voices," a track that doesn't quite work, as DeMeyer's voice is a little difficult to take seriously. After another quick dose of human loathing, we come to what is easily the record's most likable track, "The Lost." It starts off with more than a minute's worth of droning and buzzing before a sour chorus of angels accompanies a lone keyboard over a drum line that could easily be the beat for any 1970s glam rock song. Slightly slower than the rest of the disc and much more sincere, this track comes across as Darker's anthem.

The rest of the disc continues in a similar brilliance, with the only complaint being Jean-Luc DeMeyer's lack of vocal dynamics. Certainly the band profits from the diversity of the group involved, and thankfully isn't weighted down by any singular influence.

-Skaht Hansen