Somewhere in the sulfur-stinking world of industrial dance, Hardknox resides, ripping up the cross-genre scene with an abandon far more delicious than the nose would suspect. Introducing Lindy Layton and Steve P., both alumnae of the English drum-n-bass and big beat scenes. They've released their own record and I'm a'gonna tell you all about it.

Hardknox have combined some of the most intense, abrasive and downright mean elements of hip-hop, dance and industrial into an edgy, nonstop flow of heavily distorted sounds that fall somewhere between Lords of Acid, Panacea, and Fever-- they deliver hard-edged dance with attitude to spare. Opening up with a drum-n-bass loop that becomes tangled in a cocoon of in-the-red vocals and almost mechanical beats, "Coz I Can" takes off with reckless abandon. And I admit to you now, as I sit here writing this review, listening, my legs twitch uncontrollably. I don't have Parkinson's-- it's the Hardknox.

This theme continues-- Lindy's vocals run the gamut from flashbacks of Lords of Acid's Darling Nikkie to spacy, open highs. It's a perfect complement to the torrent of samples and tempo changes. Steve lays down angry distortion-laden raps over several tracks, planting the album on solid ground that should please both hard-edge hip-hop fans and those into heavy dance and junkyard.

Hardknox is a solidly-produced, excellent debut album for Lindy and Steve P. It literally bursts at the seams with intriguing samples, both instrumental and vocal. Plus, as an added bonus, many snippets are said to have been taken from surreptitious MD recordings from the streets of NYC. Worth buying if it sounds like your bag. Or if your bag is filled with something warm, slippery and in need of disposal.

-James P. Wisdom