We Are Dust - Xilent

This is the album that flipped melodic dubstep on its head. And it still has killer robots. We are never getting rid of this stereotype, are we?

Jokes aside, Xilent does actually brings something new to the table when it comes to robotic dubstep, in that "We Are Dust" feels like it's a rogue machine itself. It's mechanical, it's destructive, it completely trashes the modern perception of melodic bass, and it carries itself with the narrative swagger most well-done dystopian concept albums can boast of. With great sweeping offdrops and relentlessly stabby drops, Xilent paints a world where robots rule over a desolate landscape, prowling a lifeless world. The glitch-infused synths and sound design he uses are appealing, and provide a neat twist to the typical expectations and ideas in dubstep, working well with the backstory to bring a cohesive concept to the table—whilst the clunky, riddim-leaning sections that permeate the drops are stomping and mechanical, crashing down heavily to mirror the roguelike nature of the robots Xilent conveys. And the final touches to the worldbuilding are clean as well, as Xilent sneaks in some  smooth transitions between tracks, and lore-ridden vocal samples throughout the album that, although can be a little on-the-nose in places, reinforce the whole sci-fi gag very nicely. On the other side of the coin—the production—Xilent still delivers. Mainly tackling dubstep and occasionally electro, Xilent fuses the heavier elements of brostep with the more melodic flipside of the same genre, each in different proportions in each track, pulling out from his sleeve ideas that seem oh so simple yet escape the norms of the genre in a rather creative fashion, ranging from the more melodic "The Darkness" to the crushing "Human Error" and even to the chillstep "To Dust". Ultimately, "We Are Dust" seamlessly melds production with narrative in a beautifully violent manner—beautifully violent, as dubstep should be.

To be frank, "We Are Dust" is not a flawless album. Sometimes the production choices can feel half-baked, the heavier sections can feel a little poor—particularly in the more mechanical riddim tracks—and the mixdowns can feel, at times, unpolished. But that doesn't change the fact that this is a generational project, and I'm very intruiged as to where Xilent takes his talents next.