Much has been made of the back story involving David Thrussell's new album, Full Spectrum Dominance. Thrussell is well known as the mind behind Snog but his Black Lung project has released quite a few albums in the past fifteen years, focusing on instrumental electronic with a critical eye on conspiracy theories and covert operations funded by our governing body. So it doesn't seem very feasible that one of the most secretive agencies in the US Government, DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) would commision Thrussell to "produce a recording that reflects the ideals and reality of Vision 2020, a futuristic military strategy program." The press release states that DARPA allowed him a sizable budget and granted him access to the defense installations and personnel in an effort to utilize field recordings and the sounds of sensitive hardware and technology in an effort to weave together a soundtrack reflecting the aims of an undercover Skynet-like organization. The word ludicrous springs to mind.

But the sounds on Full Spectrum Dominance are less oppressively Terminator-themed and more akin to the SciFi kitch of Doctor Who. There's a lot of distortion-heavy backdrop counterbalanced by tinny bleeps and melodious blurbs which add a spacey atmosphere straight out of Disney's The Black Hole. I don't think the legend behind this work was meant to be taken seriously as much of the music seems far too tongue-in-cheek to be granted a high degree of seriousness.

I'm not trying to dismiss the material outright as Dominance certainly has its moments. "The Regulator Plot" is a deep space pulse of clanging cybernetics and Future Sound Of London-inspired ambiance which lurches along with a coldness borne of the vacuous regions just beyond oxygenated air and the garble of transmitted messages from billions of miles away. Meanwhile, "The Wonderful Wizard Of Ounce" channels The Orb with a bouncy rhythm fading in and out along with an intriguing melody and bubbling electronics which remain vigilant as they are barraged by a digital windstorm. "The World Without Us" is all about bells, clocks and the unassuming rise of machines rendered in an anticlimactic, matter-of-fact staging. Much of the best material is contained within the latter half of the disc.

Many might be immediately put off by the opener which starts out well enough with acidic bass vibes and an Industrial rock facade but the over-repetitiveness of the theme undermines the strength of the track in spite of variances in the cadence. In addition, some of the more cloying noises are pushed too far to the forefront. The title number certainly doesn't dominate the track listing with a flaccid beat and wholly uninteresting theme. Some of the peripheral noises can be intriguing but overall it wasn't worth the expansion to six minutes. "The Territorial Imperative" never really goes anywhere and has neither an involving beat pattern nor any compelling sounds.

Full Spectrum Dominance is an uneven work that some will find moderately entertaining. It certainly makes for a challenging listen if your intent is to take it in from start to finish. What it will be remembered for is standing out among most all of Thrussell's other work. This was a bold statement that simply didn't fully measure up to its lofty ambitions. While it's not an album that will serve to galvanize those into styles of music represented here it isn't a complete wash and Thrussell fans are certainly going to want to own this distinctive recording.

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