Reel Modus Operandi Noord Hollands Dagblad 17-03-06
In 1993 begon REEL. Een trio uit Alkmaar, Diemen en Zandvoort; het ontwikkelde zich tot een Nederversie van Rammstein. Vette gitaren, zware stemmen, strakke beats en zwervende synthesizers,strak gearrangeerd via de computer. In 2003 won REEL de NHD Poprijs en sindsdien is het een beetje stil geworden rond het trio. De grote doorbraak bleef uit. Het album "Resurrect"deed niet veel, kreeg wel waardering, maar daar bleef het bij. Nu is waardering niet het eerste waar REEL op zit te wachten, maar wel op een groter publiek. Wellicht dat met het zesde album "Modus Operandi"de lang gekoesterde wens in vervulling gaat. Zelf geloven ze er nog steeds heilig in, getuige de krachtige kreet op hun website, 'het beste tot nu toe", beweert REEL.
Dat zou best kunnen. Hun hypnotische industrial dance metal heeft zich ontwikkeld tot een minimalistische geluidsmuur, waarin het ritme de enige constante is. Aan melodie doet REEL niet. Het is slepende, verslavende muziek die het op de dansvloer goed zal doen. Met "Modus Operandi"doe REEL niet veel nieuws, maar het heeft zich in de stijl verdiept, alle overbodige bagage overboord gegooid. De diepe dreigende stem van Alkmaarder Richard Groot bromt het zaakje aan elkaar, soms fluisterend, soms pratend.
Sombere diepe tonen, een contrast met de door Peter Degen geprogrammeerde lichte ritmes, soms met een piano eronder, alsof het einde der tijden is aangebroken. Sombere Satie-Akkorden versterken het gevoel van onheil. Daarom past "Modus Operandi"wel in de geest van 2006. Dansen door de bleke dreiging van het geweld dat sinds de terreuraanslagen van 2001 het Westen bedreigt. Wat moet je anders doen. "Step in the Eye of the Storm", brom/zingt Groot in het slotakkoord van "Modus Operandi". Zachtjes op de achtergrond, nauwelijks hoorbaar. In de gitaren van Fred Lont is het geluid van Rammstein en Nine Inch Nails te horen.Met "Modus OPerandi"heeft REEL het inmiddels hoge niveau weten te behouden, maar is de toon somberder geworden.
Andre Hoogenboom
Lords Of Metal April 2006
Reel - Modus Operandi
Frank:
It isn't the average metal heads cup of tea: industrial. And yet, there is a huge subgenre right there on the edge of metal. Sometimes a band breaks through to the mainstream. Take Rammstein for example, although the real purist industrialist will claim that Rammstein has little to do with true industrial (and they're right to some extent). Belgium and Germany have a bigger reputation when it comes to being a matrix for great acts, but the Netherlands can hold its own too. Just listen to this new disc of Reel: 'Modus Operandi'.
Reel was founded in 1993 and has shows with greats like The Young Gods under their belt. The sound on the latest release shows clear influences by bands in the veins of KMFDM. So we're dealing with an explosive mix of metal, electro and goth. With opener 'We' the band delivers the first blow. Other must-hears are the atmospheric 'Blue' and the heavy 'The Now'. Negative point is that the band tends to just go on, due to which the album as whole works somewhat monotonous. More ambient en tranquil intermissions like 'Alive Ambient' in between the first eleven tracks would have given the album just that little extra tension. But having said that, this doesn't mean that 'Modus Operandi' is disappointing. Far from it, Reel may be proud of this silver disc.
To rap things up: Richard Groot (vocals), Fred Lont (guitar and bleeps) and Peter Degen (keys and bleeps) deliver an solid album on which some tracks will probably turn out to be hits on dance floors across Europe. Now we just have to wait and see what record company has the balls to sign these guys.
Gothtronic March 2006
Review by: TekNoir
Founded in 1993, these guys from Alkmaar quickly gathered some fame and raving reviews with their Young Gods, Kong, Swamp Terrorists and Nerve inspired industrial dance metal. A dark atmosphere breathes through the vocals of Richard Groot and the musical setting of Fred Lont (guitars and programming) and Peter Degen (keys and programming). The band plays as support for a.o. Front Line Assembly, Nerve and Godflesh and is the best kept secret insider industrial recommendation in The Netherlands itself for some time, but in the international European scene press it is received well with praiseful reviews in Belgium France and Germany. Reel has made remixes for bands like Hajobb and Noxious Emotion and Tom Holkenberg was involved with the band for some time as well.
Reel released five cd’s since 1995 entitled ‘Lock’, ‘Stock’, ‘Barrel’, the remix album ‘Re-Barrel(ed)’ and ‘Resurrect’. The first two albums were released by the german label Ausfahrt. There was not much promotion though and no performances in Germany whatsoever. After two albums the recorddeal was ended. Reel did support for Rammstein and Einsturzende Neubauten in The Netherlands in those days. Reel got an offer for a support slot of Das Ich for their European tour but they refused this as they had to pay all costs themselves. The band has never really developed any further and this means bad luck for them since the well known ebm driven metal style some years later resulted in quite soms fame for this other band named Rammstein. Reel however keeps trying, performed in 2004 at the Eurosonic festival in Groningen and the Neurobeats festival in Antwerp and slowly works on the new cd which is finished at the end of 2005 and released early 2006: Modus Operandi.
This cd starts out fast paced with the catchy guitardriven and beat oriented EBM-metal track ‘We’. A further cool song is ‘Second Hand’ that lies close to KMFDM and Nerve. ‘Blue’ is a more quiet ballad like song, which is sung pretty depressively. It is not yet Swans but it also isnt far away either. ‘One Step Back’ has tight rhythms and reminds of Rammstein. This is the best track on this cd. Reel uses nice samples and sounds professional, but also very much outdated. Actually there are only two tracks that stand outcompared to the others on this album, and these are the previously mentioned ‘One Step Back’ en ‘Eye of the Storm (Chillburn remix)’ which is an introspective ambient track with piano. Also the reprise version of the last track is pretty OK. Unfortunately this is all there is. I am afraid that Reel has had the bad luck to have missed some real chances, and they wont come back anymore, as it appears as if there is not much growth in this anymore while listening to this.
Artist: REEL
Album: Modus Operandi
What is it with industrial and The Netherlands? Bands like Samael, Deathstars and The Kovenant have some huge fanbase over here, but the local industrial acts are hardly known. And that is not because there is no talent at all: have a look at bands like Next Waste Dimension (fortunately they are getting known nowadays finally), Destination Zero, Mes In Je Rib and Sons of the Rain to name a few! From the capital of Holland comes another band that can be added within that specific group. Reel already exists since 1993 and got nothing but good critics on their albums and live shows (they have supported Rammstein and Einstürzende Neubauten to name a few) they did not really managed to break through. There was even a one-year sabbatical, but nowadays this trio is back with their new album 'Modus Operandi' and they say to be ready to conquer The Netherlands with their catchy mix of metal and dance!
To describe this band's music is not a difficult job. The base of this band is clearly their sound maker, who provides about 80% of each song with some (from time to time brilliant) sampling and programming. The guitarwork is metal-based, but don't expect some complex stuff. Mix it with not too high, clean vocals and you might get the idea. It is true that every song is built upon the same concept, but Reel has the exceptional talent to bring variation into this package. 'We' is an excellent opener (catchy, little experimental) while a song like 'Box of Wood' is more drum 'n' bass-based and 'The Now' even has taken a big travel into EBM country. I think there will be no doubt about this band's musical qualities, but I think their lyrical work could be a point of approval. I quote: 'For you I wrote this song, so we can go along'. In my ears, these sound more like boyband lyrics than lyrics for a band like Reel. On the other hand, these lyrics do give the whole package a more catchy vibe. Bands like Unk!, MXD and Raism (ex-Diabolos Rising) already managed to get some credits all over the world with their 'dance-metal', and I think Reel is ready to follow them. Fans of the latest work(s) of MortIIs might also appreciate this!
80 / 100
Festivalinfo.nl
It has been a while since I wrote a review of the album Resurrect by REEL. Although I thought it was very good, the disk never actually had come out of my CD-cupboard since then. Reel reminded me a lot of Rammstein and why listen to a Rammstein-fake when you also got the real work? Possibly they did asked themselves the same thing, because they changed directions on this new album “Modus Operandi”
On 22 November 2005 the Swiss cyber/electro formation The Young Gods played in Paradiso Amsterdam. To warm up the public, Reel was asked and if I should compare them with an another band, it certainly would be TYG. Although Richard (Reel) has really got a more fine and more beautiful voice.
The length of the numbers on Modus Operandi are remarkably different. The twelve titles vary between 1:31 till 5:39. My favorite number between these is “Alive” which goes a little bit further then the other tracks. Much more chaotic and almost Prodigy-like. An ambient remix of this track is unfortunately somewhat disappointing.
This is the fifth release by Reel. Hopefully this album wíll reach the right people in the business this time. According to REEL, 2006 will be their year and I have absolutly no difficulities with that!!
10/04/2006 - Marcel Kamphuis
Metalrage May 2006
Dance-rock, trance-rock, techno-metal, whatever you want to call it, I have a slight interest for it. Potentially even participating in such an act, but not too familiar with the scene’s products. Reel has been around in Holland since 1993, but never brought to my attention.
They have opened up for acts like Rammstein and The Young Gods, and now they bring us their fifth effort. Dance-rock with electronic beats spiced up with a hint of industrial and metal about sums up what these dudes deliver to your sound system. And the music is pretty nice to listen to. It has a slight Marilyn Manson undertone in it if you ask me, and I’ve always liked the more effect based tracks he did. But then there are the vocals. I plainly just don’t like them. Infantile rhymes with a very present Dutch accent that are spewed out in a sometimes very boring way. Not always, can’t say that.
Nevertheless, the average darkwave fanatic is a potential worshipper for this band is my guess. To me it gets irritating after a while, and that’s caused by the vocal efforts. Such a shame, because the music would suit me excellent when I’m drunk and bouncing in a bar or something.
Reel - Modus Operandi Eigen beheer, 2006
Reel is een industrial-gezelschap uit Amsterdam. Ze timmeren al vanaf 1993 aan de weg en hebben in die tijd vijf albums gemaakt. Modus Operandi is alweer nummer zes. Het bevat een dansbare mix van elektronische beats, samples en metal-gitaren, vergezeld van donkere, dreigende zangpartijen. Denk aan Nerve, The Young Gods, Front 242.
De muziek van Reel is behoorlijk rechttoe, rechtaan en wijkt niet veel af van de paden die bovengenoemde bands gebaand hebben. Maar waarschijnlijk wil Reel helemaal geen progressieve muziek maken, maar gewoon lekkere harde, opzwepende, doordreunende industrial. En daar slagen ze erg goed in.
De volgende uitdaging voor Reel is om de aandacht gedurende het hele nummer vast te houden. Vaak komt voortijdig de klad erin. Dit komt met name door de vocalen; de zanglijnen zijn simpel en de stem klinkt eentonig. Ook hoor ik af en toe een hinderlijk Nederlands accent.
Het geluid en de mix zijn beide goed verzorgd. Je kan horen dat het ervaren producers zijn, die weten hoe je aan de knoppen moet draaien. Leuke samples, geluidsmanipulaties, effecten, bliepjes en piepjes verrassen de luisteraar.
Niet baanbrekend, wel opzwepend.
Zwaremetalen - Reel - Modus Operandi 18-07-06