Rawzilk is an electronic musician based out of Dallas, Texas. Born in San Salvador, Rawzilk’s early life was surrounded by images of crime and religious cults, so naturally he was drawn to the gothic tendencies of artists like Joy Division and The Cure. On his newest album, Joys and Horrors of Broken Souls, the music is reminiscent of the stretched out gothic ballads from The Cure’s Disintegration, and the revolving door of singers gives the album the feeling of something by This Mortal Coil, from the sinister child-like vocals of “It,” to the dramatic Giorgio Moroder pulsations of “Feral.”
There is clearly an influence of classic electronic music as well. Songs such as “Lunacy” seem to be a clever perversion of dance floor staples Daft Punk. The inclusion of a couple of ambient, industrial tracks including “I’m Sorry,” while adding to the sense of unease suffusing the album, they at times stunt the growing momentum from the other comparatively traditional songs. Nevertheless, it is clear that Rawzilk is extremely adept at either genre, and Joys and Horrors is the natural and perfect continuation of the themes and moods first put forth by Joy Division in the late ’70s.
