Victory Pill - The Digital Divide Album Review

Victory Pill is the collective name of duo Jim Davies and Pete Crossman, the former a guitarist of Pitchshifter and the latter a master of beats and synths. This release comes three years after their self-titled debut, though in the interim period Davies also brought out his first solo effort.

Throughout listening to 'The Digital Divide' there is a running thought of how comparable the record is to the sound of The Prodigy. This is quickly quelled with the knowledge that Davies was part of the band during their 'Fat Of The Land' period, explaining the industrial rock riffs that power through the likes of 'Black & White' and 'Burnout' (featuring the vocals of Graeme Cornies of Triptaka). The work of Crossman is also consistently impressive, take 'Wavelength' for example, and this is particularly needed for 'Save Yourself' on which Lostprophets' 'A Town Called Hypocrisy' guitar parts seem to have been borrowed. Aside from this the duo generally provides an engaging soundscape, but where they fail to create a truly stunning album is in two areas. Their use of vocals is misplaced and adds little to the tracks, but more importantly the lack of hooks is surprisingly astounding. When the songs are in play they are enjoyable, yet even after multiple listens you come away without having anything stuck in your head. If they can bridge this gap then Davies' old cohorts could have serious competition.

Alex Lai