The first thing that can be noticed about "Dextronaut" is the buzzy guitar tone. This isn't bad at all in itself; in fact it works quite well. It is even reminiscent at times of acts such as 1349. However, the guitars – unlike on the band's only public release, "Genevieve" – are anything but enveloping. This is because they are rather thin, and are layered down underneath the drum machine and vocals. What made "Genevieve" such an astonishing success was the way it wrapped the listener in its flowing guitar ambience. No such ambience exists here. The melodies are excellent and of high quality, but they are detracted from by the up-front drums and vocals. Although many of the guitar parts are ingenious, it becomes hard to listen to them – such is the annoying quality of the digital percussion and the vocals. The problem with the drum machine is not the programming, but the fact that it is too obviously synthetic to be convincing in any way. On "Genevieve", the drums were used to create a dark pulse that was in many ways like a heartbeat, which was very effective. On "Dextronaut", they are annoying and tasteless digital reminders of the lack of a real drummer. If perhaps they were lowered significantly in the mix and given a fair dose of reverb they would be tolerable, but in their current form they are merely bothersome.

The other element that proves to be lacking is the vocal work. SKV's vocals on "Dextronaut" are not bad in and of themselves. However, they suffer from a similar problem as the drum programming: they are simply too high in the mix. On "Genevieve", the vocals were a layer just underneath the guitars. On "Dextronaut", they are one layer above the guitars – just enough to disturb any ambience that might have settled in. This is unfortunate, because they have the same sickening, reptilian quality as on "Genevieve", and would work quite well if only they were submerged more in the mix.

The only completely positive aspect about "Dextronaut" is the two intro and outro tracks, "Bloodletting" and "World Untouched By Mankind" – both of them short ambient keyboard pieces. They are very well composed and executed, and remain unmarred by the drumming and vocals. These by themselves are worthy of being released on an album, though unfortunately they are quite brief.

Overall, "Dextronaut" contains some pieces of good music, but unfortunately most of them are presented in a relatively poor form. It is understandable why Velvet Cacoon never officially released this album, and thus it should be viewed in its respective light. This album was not intended for public consumption, and should be looked upon as a marker of the band's origins and progress more than anything else. This should be sought out only by the very curious and the die-hard Velvet Cacoon fans.

written by Derek Schultz

Playing time: 38.39