Well, the cat's out of the bag! Trevor Jackson has reached back into history and pulled out some of the gems of the EBM scene. Granted he's been repping this material pretty hard since the turn of the century, back when electroclash was all the rage. So it's fitting that the seasoned veteran would be tapped by Strut to compile some of the more choice cuts from the genre. These days the kids are turning towards the sounds of early 80s electronic, post punk and industrial music as they follow the path to the past laid out by labels like Minimal Wave. Fortunately, Jackson is more than well versed in the sounds of that time and Metal Dance is filled with quality cuts that have their sights set firmly on the dance floor. While some of the material, like the comp's namesake (SPK's "Metal Dance") and the Cabaret Voltaire & Nitzer Ebb joints might be familiar, there are plenty of lesser known cuts and alternate mixes to keep even the most jaded minimal synth nerd happy. If you have even a passing interest in the early industrial side of electronic dance music don't hesitate - get your hands on Metal Dance, it is well worth the price of admission. Recommended.

• music label: Strut 2012

reviewed by The Voice 03/2012