The first two tracks, both completely fresh, would suggest ‘no’ as an answer. They do have that typical Promo sound, but it is used to such an extent that the songs lack innovation. Which is not to say that they are bad. The already released and rather more unique, but straightforward Battling Ignorance paves the way for one of the few collabs on this album. With Silence Surrounds Me, The Wishmaster joins Promo in an effort to create a mainstream dancefloor smasher with a twist. A drooping synth and mysterious vocals manage to make the melody sound a little disturbing instead of cheesy: mission accomplished.

Song number five is in accordance with another classic Promo theme: a melody that is overly happy in essence, but sounds strangely detuned in combination with the chords and kicks. You will not find this kind of music anywhere else. This Is How We Rock is followed by a number of previously released tracks, including modern classics such as The Tablet and the D-Passion remix of Running Against the Rules.

Those slightly older pieces of art are followed by one of the winners of this release: Fuck That Mashup. About as mainstream as Promo gets, its effective melody and rolling, heavy kicks will rip any dancefloor to shreds. Delving further into the ‘rolling kick’ domain, Refuse to Recognize ends the first CD with a by all means recognisably UK hardcore sound.

We are introduced to the second CD by an Asian Drum Lesson, a funny, yet well-produced gimmick track that would work perfectly as a set opener. My Beating Drum resembles the first song’s title, but is a more modest mainstream track with a wonderful melody and well-chosen samples. Another couple tracks from recent Promo releases that seem to have gone by largely unnoticed are interrupted by Rhythmics of a Badboy. Tough kicks and rough screeches make that one live up to its name.

Sebastian Hoff is no stranger to vanity and with Promo for President, he shows a tad of narcism again. However, as with all songs on the album, it possesses some undeniable quality, once again proving the bold title justified. Taking Your Life contrasts sharply. The tempo is whacked up by 25 BPM, thus creating a no-nonsense, bad-ass banger. Another modern classic, Back on the Map, brings the tempo down again, only to be followed by the massively impressive The Grower.

Released on the Demolition 10 sampler, The Grower is one of Promo’s greatest masterpieces. Most of the hardcore scene seems not to have picked it up though, maybe due to bad luck, maybe due to its high ‘difficulty level’. Hopefully, its being paired with another true masterpiece will raise its popularity somewhat. Because indeed, the Meccano Twins remix of Different Breed of Men is an outstanding effort at creating the hardest, heaviest kicks known to man. Adding the addictive vocals and wacky industrial screeches to the equation, not a single point of criticism remains.

Quality Control finally comes to an end with another collab with The DJ Producer. This one, however, is about a year and a half old, leading us to the first conclusion about this album: although it is filled to the brim with quality material, it is not so much a new album as it is an overview of Promo’s work since the release of The Revolutionist. Therefore, it sounds more like a random collection of tracks, whereas The Revolutionist was a brilliantly composed, fresh and innovative whole. Ironically, the large number of already released tracks can make it boring rather quickly for the avid Promo fan.

So all in all Quality Control does not live up to the massive expectations its predecessor created. Looking at the tracks individually, however, we still find more quality than on your average MOH compilation or Hardcore Yearmix. Especially for those who are into hardcore but do not know too much of Promo’s work, this album could be an eye-opener. Promo enthusiasts might find it contains a little too many ‘old’ tracks for their liking, but there is still enough new and potentially classic material to warrant a purchase.

Tracklist:

CD1:
01. Promo – My Future Destiny
02. Promo – Rising Out Of The Dark
03. Promo – Battling Ignorance
04. The Wishmaster & Promo – Silence Surrounds Me
05. Promo – This Is how We Rock
06. Promo – From Deep Within’
07. Promo – The Tablet
08. Promo – Follow My Movement
09. Promo – Weapons Of Divine Temper
10. Promo – The Grower
11. Promo – Fuck That Mashup
12. The DJ Producer & Promo – Mark Of High Renown

CD2:
01. Promo – Asian Drum Lesson
02. Promo – My Beating Drum
03. Promo – Always Futile
04. Promo – Your Love Is gone
05. Promo – Rhythmics Of a Badboy
06. Promo – Time To Shine
07. Promo – Promo For President
08. Promo – Taking Your Life (With A Song)
09. Promo – Back on The Map
10. Promo – Running Against The Rules (D-Passion Remix)
11. Promo – Different Breed Of Men (Meccano Twins Remix)
12. The DJ Producer & Promo – Refuse To Recognise

Verdict: 83/100

Note: In this review, the 3 hidden tracks the album contains are not discussed, but they are included in the verdict. It is probably more fun to find out what they are for yourself. Discuss on our forums.

Elevation is one of those vinyls that you have to start reviewing on the outside. Although the title of Amnesys’ previous record – Worldwide Crisis – might have been more appropriate now than at the time of its release, the artwork of Elevation meets the high standard set by that previous masterpiece. There are a great many labels, especially in hardstyle, who should take this as an example – I would probably buy this one just so I could frame it and stick it on my living room wall, that’s how pretty it is.

Moving on to the musical aspect, the first thing that occurs is how amazing the mastering and sound design are. All three tracks have the same typical sound Amnesys displayed in Worldwide Crisis as well, but the mastering is a tad better still. Sound quality is taken to such a level that, given you have good speakers or headphones, you will want to listen to these babies just to indulge in that tantalizingly fresh and crisp Amnesian audiophilia.

As said above, all songs on Elevation are instantly recognisable as Amnesys’ work. This is not a problem, however, as that particular sound is a long way from getting old; in fact, whereas most mainstream nowadays is just more of the same boring uptempo trance, his raw style is refreshing and makes one crave for more still.

Looking at the tracks individually, a proper balance is found between the general tone of the tracks. Elevation is a melodic song with an essentially peaceful melody. An interesting contrast to that is formed by the heavily distorted kicks and mean, harsh lead.

The first track on the B-side takes the tempo up a notch and leaps at you with an intro full of baffling, atmospheric screeches. Its break features a somewhat whiny melody and a sampled man shouting “this one is for the future!”. That, of course, explains the title – go ahead and pronounce the phrase. Regardless of that cleverly transcribed sample, the break bursts into a climax filled with more delicious screeches. Funnily enough, after another break, the outro continues with that whiny melody we heard before – a wise choice, since it is already to late for it to actually annoy the listener.

Raw Generation, the final track, attemps to mimic Worldwide Crisis, consisting of not much more than just kicks and a sliced-up vocal sample. It suffices to say that though miles from bad, Raw Generation is easily beaten by its predessecor. No surprise here, keeping in mind Worldwide Crisis was #1 of the Masters of Hardcore 2008 top100 for a reason.

This comparison takes us to the final question of this review: does Elevation beat the smash-hit masterpiece that Worldwide Crisis was? No, it does not – but it is certainly a damn good shot. With the production quality this high, things basically cannot go wrong anymore, and Amnesys once more proves his worth not only as a producer technically, but musically too. Adding things up, Elevation is certainly the best mainstream release of 2009 so far, so be sure to check it out.

Tracklist:

• A. Elevation
• B1. 4D Future
• B2. Raw Generation

Verdict: 87/100

After several Korsakoff releases, this is the first time Bart Kok releases on MOH as Catscan. It appears his own label, Cr8tiv Response, was short-lived, sporting only one release. But enough about the logistics, let’s get started.

The title track is also the first one on the record. After an intro that sets quite a scary atmosphere, Future is Now blasts off with some sluggish, heavy kicks and a couple clever industrial background sounds. A short break divides the track in two, followed by the climax, which is basically a harder variation on the intro. That may sound boring, but it certainly is not – it’s featured on MOH XXVI for a reason. Future is Now is a solid track that will fit in any set, be it mainstream or industrial – not a floorfiller, but a well-balanced ear filler.

50 Seconds of Fame is the second A-side track and picks up a lot of momentum with its rolling kicks and twisted mids. Interrupted only by some short breaks with samples, this track is beautifully progressive. The screeches start out quiet and sparse and build up very subtly into a powerful, yet slighty reserved climax. Again, not a hitmix party track, but a very solid production.

A more accessible, mainstream sound is heard on the B-side of the record. B1, Bad Beat, has already been featured on the MOH XXV compilation. It starts out simply deliciously with stuttering kicks interrupted by high-pitched screeches. The first vocal sample quickly makes clear that this is the party stomper that the A-side doesn’t deliver. A simple but effective melody and deep, round kicks finish the picture. Catscan also applies the clever double climax trick; the first climax ends and seems to be followed by an outro, only to come back again at double strength. Even though it’s not the most interesting track on the release, Bad Beat is very effective and will make you move.

Even though the first 3 tracks may be good, Catscan only really gets On Fire with that last track. An intro similar to Future is Now quickly bursts into an intro of pumping bass goodness backed by the familiar screeches. Less than 1 minute into the track, the melody already comes up. It’s a typical, oldschool Catscan melody – at first it will sound odd, off even, but allow it to sink in and you will never get enough of it anymore. Halfway through we land in a break and a few notes are removed from the melody to make it sound more ‘open’ and less busy. After a transaction from melody to outro that can only be described as genius, some more screechy goodness rounds up the song.

Future is Now is a solid release, but it’s not going to deliver any huge hits. The A-side is simply too calm, filler or home listening material rather than floorfillers. Bad Beat may be an effective party song, but it simply doesn’t have that X-factor that makes the big hits. On Fire, the best track of the release, is just going to be too ‘difficult’ for the hardcore masses. Our verdict, however, is quite positive: a well-produced, good release that brings back some oldschool memories.

Tracklist:

• A1. Future is Now
• A2. 50 Seconds of Fame
• B1. Bad Beat
• B2. On Fire

Verdict: 80/100