Being one of the lesser known acts that Side Line magazine have often singled out and acknowledged their talents alongside fellow established Belgian bands such as Front 242, Dive, Klinik and Grumh, I had become quite keen to check them out for myself. Fortunately for me that chance has now arisen, and I am rather gob smacked with the results.

After the previous album releases Nezeru Enti Sebauem Neterxertet and Em Sauf Haa-Heru we are now presented with Taiu which is seen as the closing chapter in the “Hegira” trilogy.

It’s one heck of a long player, 11 tracks spanning over a whopping 73 minutes and though the albums theme remains the same throughout, the tracks greatly differ in appearance, cleverly arranged to flow from one melodious gem onto the next with not a single pause, overlaying prominent soundscapes and effects to keep the listener glued and hungry for more.

With the opening track Ah-Menti you are succumb by a swirling airiness that carries you into The Penultimate Truth where the tribal sounds now begin to kick in, and a simple formation of synthetic notes are repeated throughout alongside spoken samples. Once you enter into Vassago De Nunez the beats become rampant and the industrial influences show in the form of manic clanking, shrilling effects and sharp electronic keys, this track even adopts a harsh Bill Leeb style of vocal…very Noise Unit indeed!!

Further into this release we stumble upon other worthy pieces like Totemism (Ancient) which displays a more traditional Egyptian style of ambience, or the soothing mellow appeal of Either/Or, and if it’s more power you’re after then there’s the forcible hardness of The Weeping Eye or the progressively upbeat catchiness to the closing electro track Terran which is nicely complimented by its female vocal.

So I have to agree with the critics, this is a band that can certainly compete with the best of them out there, and if I’m honest Taiu does a damn site more for me than the last Delerium album did.

While Mika Goedrijk is currently focusing his efforts on promoting the EBM project Nebula-H and their successful debut album, I am left hoping it won’t be too long before he devises a new theme for TMO to begin working on again.

This release is limited to only 500 copies on the Czech Republic label HORUS CyclicDaemon, it is a must have for lovers of dark electronic and atmospherical music. Grab it while you can….

Rich Hobbs 3.5/4