My Enemy Complete

If you live anywhere from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, chances are you have heard of the bands 51 Peg and Chrysalis. Both bands had significant followings in this area in the industrial/alternative scene. These bands poured their hearts and souls into their music, but for whatever reason it did not work out. Out of the ashes comes a sort of regional super-group.

Bilaal Y (Chrysalis) and Brian Fasani (51 Peg)had been playing around with some ideas long before their bands went away, so it was a natural transition for them to come together to work together. They brought on fellow 51 Peg Alum, Carlo Pizarro to complete the trio.

If you think of the sound of a band as a food recipe, take hearty doses of either Tool or A Perfect Circle and mix it with the electronic work and brooding lyrics of Pretty Hate Machine era Nine Inch Nails. Throw in a pinch of The Cure and Depeche Mode and you will find My Enemy Complete. This band blends electronic music with actual instrumentation extremely well. The layers provide an extremely intense feel that must create one hell of an atmosphere live if translated well.

The opening track of the EP, “Resistor” immediately takes the listener on a trip down memory lane for a little NIN work. Drop in the pounding guitars, all while Fasani creates a tremendous backline on the drums. Bilaal’s vocals are similar to Maynard James Keenan. This song will be a fan favorite both live and on this EP.

“Stain the Same” follows a mellower flow in term’s of the vocals. There’s less intensity and more vulnerability both in his voice and his lyrics. Fasani may be at his best here though. The combination of ripping guitars and almost soft synth work, ties together pretty well.

“A Thousand Cuts” is another truly vulnerable song with Bilaal channeling his best Maynard here. The band pays homage Trent Reznor’s self-inflicting lyrical style is clearly evident here as well. “The Cord” gives us a small dose of The Cure guitar work as the creamy middle of an intensely crunchy song. This and “Resistor” are probably the two best on the album.

There really isn’t a weak song on this EP. It is pretty evident that a lot of time and hard work went into creating these songs and it has paid off. Each of the three is strong musically and the lyrics create the perfect brooding intensity to complement the music. The Mid-Atlantic coast may have mourned the loss of two loved bands, but they have been replaced by a stronger outfit that will sure turn heads.
- Indie Music Reviewer

If you live anywhere from Northern Virginia to Baltimore, chances are you have heard of the bands 51 Peg and Chrysalis. Both bands had significant followings in this area in the industrial/alternative scene. These bands poured their hearts and souls into their music, but for whatever reason it did not work out. Out of the ashes comes a sort of regional super-group.

Bilaal Y (Chrysalis) and Brian Fasani (51 Peg)had been playing around with some ideas long before their bands went away, so it was a natural transition for them to come together to work together. They brought on fellow 51 Peg Alum, Carlo Pizarro to complete the trio.

If you think of the sound of a band as a food recipe, take hearty doses of either Tool or A Perfect Circle and mix it with the electronic work and brooding lyrics of Pretty Hate Machine era Nine Inch Nails. Throw in a pinch of The Cure and Depeche Mode and you will find My Enemy Complete. This band blends electronic music with actual instrumentation extremely well. The layers provide an extremely intense feel that must create one hell of an atmosphere live if translated well.

The opening track of the EP, “Resistor” immediately takes the listener on a trip down memory lane for a little NIN work. Drop in the pounding guitars, all while Fasani creates a tremendous backline on the drums. Bilaal’s vocals are similar to Maynard James Keenan. This song will be a fan favorite both live and on this EP.

“Stain the Same” follows a mellower flow in term’s of the vocals. There’s less intensity and more vulnerability both in his voice and his lyrics. Fasani may be at his best here though. The combination of ripping guitars and almost soft synth work, ties together pretty well.

“A Thousand Cuts” is another truly vulnerable song with Bilaal channeling his best Maynard here. The band pays homage Trent Reznor’s self-inflicting lyrical style is clearly evident here as well. “The Cord” gives us a small dose of The Cure guitar work as the creamy middle of an intensely crunchy song. This and “Resistor” are probably the two best on the album.

There really isn’t a weak song on this EP. It is pretty evident that a lot of time and hard work went into creating these songs and it has paid off. Each of the three is strong musically and the lyrics create the perfect brooding intensity to complement the music. The Mid-Atlantic coast may have mourned the loss of two loved bands, but they have been replaced by a stronger outfit that will sure turn heads.
- Indie Music Reviewer

The self-titled EP from Washington DC area band My Enemy Complete is, in a word, magical. A genuinely genre-bending exercise in soul mining. Combining heavy electronics with the organic fire of live guitar and drums, vocals you can actually understand, and lyrics that are about your life and mine. MEC call to mind echoes of that moment in high school where you suddenly realized there was so much more out there than what you’d been listening to. Originally formed in 2004 as a side project, My Enemy Complete came to full fruition in 2008 when guitarist Carlo Pizarro joined founding members singer/guitarist Bilaal Y and drummer Brian Fasani. Their former projects dissolved, they endeavored to cut ties with the past and fully develop an original new band.

The EP opens with “Resistor� and one minute in you already know this is an effort years in the making. A lyrical testament to ripping yourself from the past with the good bits intact, I found myself hooked by the attention to detail. A catchy synth riff to catch your ear, followed almost immediately by the full band in spectacular balance. No heavy distortion here, you can hear every layer of the song structure. “Like a doll inside a plastic cage waiting for the chains to break…�

The energy continues to flow through the next 5 tracks, building an impressive range of dynamics from the haunting “defend my right to wake up and stare inside my soul� from the chorus of “Rite of Passage�; to the opening sample over melodic synth and rhythm that is the intro and outro of “The Cord�. This is not a dance floor driven release, this is the CD you put in your car stereo and listen to for weeks, singing along!

And yes, the live show amps it up even more! Visit www.myenemycomplete.com for links to the latest news on releases, forthcoming shows, and where to snap up a copy of this impressive debut release!

Tracklisting:

1 Resistor 4:32
2 Rite Of Passage 4:15
3 Stain the Same 4:45
4 A Thousand Cuts 4:21
5 The Cord 5:27
6 The Way Out 5:20
- COMA Magazine

The self-titled EP from Washington DC area band My Enemy Complete is, in a word, magical. A genuinely genre-bending exercise in soul mining. Combining heavy electronics with the organic fire of live guitar and drums, vocals you can actually understand, and lyrics that are about your life and mine. MEC call to mind echoes of that moment in high school where you suddenly realized there was so much more out there than what you’d been listening to. Originally formed in 2004 as a side project, My Enemy Complete came to full fruition in 2008 when guitarist Carlo Pizarro joined founding members singer/guitarist Bilaal Y and drummer Brian Fasani. Their former projects dissolved, they endeavored to cut ties with the past and fully develop an original new band.

The EP opens with “Resistor� and one minute in you already know this is an effort years in the making. A lyrical testament to ripping yourself from the past with the good bits intact, I found myself hooked by the attention to detail. A catchy synth riff to catch your ear, followed almost immediately by the full band in spectacular balance. No heavy distortion here, you can hear every layer of the song structure. “Like a doll inside a plastic cage waiting for the chains to break…�

The energy continues to flow through the next 5 tracks, building an impressive range of dynamics from the haunting “defend my right to wake up and stare inside my soul� from the chorus of “Rite of Passage�; to the opening sample over melodic synth and rhythm that is the intro and outro of “The Cord�. This is not a dance floor driven release, this is the CD you put in your car stereo and listen to for weeks, singing along!

And yes, the live show amps it up even more! Visit www.myenemycomplete.com for links to the latest news on releases, forthcoming shows, and where to snap up a copy of this impressive debut release!

Tracklisting:

1 Resistor 4:32
2 Rite Of Passage 4:15
3 Stain the Same 4:45
4 A Thousand Cuts 4:21
5 The Cord 5:27
6 The Way Out 5:20
- COMA Magazine

My Enemy Complete
Category: Industrial / Alternative
Album: My Enemy Complete
Stars: 3.5
Blurb: Industrialized alternative metal with enough soulful melodies and powerful emotions to break out of the underground into mass appeal.



The fusion of alternative rock with industrial has existed virtually since the styles were first formulated, but for a band to effectively utilize this mix in a manner that appeals to both the mainstream and underground is a rare thing indeed. Along comes Washington, DC’s My Enemy Complete with a six-track EP full of dark electronic textures, passionate songwriting, and blazing rock structures that makes for a delectable helping of musical potency. Featuring former members of two of the local scene’s more revered acts, namely Carlo Pizarro and Brian Fasani of 51 Peg and Bilaal Y of Chrysalis, the sound of My Enemy Complete is at once familiar and forward-thinking as these six tracks resonate with all the power and professionalism of experience merged with the hunger and drive of a fledgling act beckoning for attention from the masses. Beginning with a haunting mechanical soundscape that brings us to layers of squealing guitar melodies and thunderous percussion, “Resistor” begins the EP with a bang. The chorus carries the listener into a powerful emotional height as Bilaal’s voice – reminiscent of Maynard James Keenan – soars with simultaneous despair and rage, while his and Pizarro’s chunky guitars growl with guttural intensity that permeates throughout the band’s music. Hearing this song, one could immediately mistake My Enemy Complete for a late ‘90s alternative metal act, albeit without the rap element so prevalent of that era and with a healthy dose of gritty electronic backdrops for added depth. Also adding to the dynamic mix is Fasani’s drumming, combining quintessential industrial loops with the fury of his live percussive assaults, which in tandem with the grungy guitars makes for a very devastating sound. “Rite of Passage” continues this trend with atonal verses atop an almost psychedelic wall of guitars and ambience that will remind listeners of The Tea Party if filtered through the caustic mechanisms of Chemlab, while “A Thousand Cuts” brings in a melancholy piano that in tandem with crystalline guitars and Bilaal’s soulful voice give the song a lush aura not dissimilar to the bleakest dark pop songs of the ‘80s. Marching drums, stark atmospheres, and samples on mental states of loneliness begin “The Cord,” already starting the song on an epic note, aided by some of the most soul-penetrating melodies present on the album and the occasional dropouts into pure shimmering guitar and synthesized ambience. If anything negative can be said about the band, it is perhaps in the simplicity of the song structures as each track treads along similar progressions of verses and choruses, all even beginning with appropriately decrepit intros that serve to enhance the ambience and leading into the dense production of guitars, drums, vocals, and synthesis; it all bears just a smidgen of the formulaic but thankfully flows without too much tedium. With production by Dennis Kapayos and released on local label Radio.Active.Music, My Enemy Complete’s music possesses all the elements to break out of the confines of the DC-based underground and achieve mass appeal.

Track list:
1.Resistor
2.Rite of Passage
3.Stain the Same
4.A Thousand Cuts
5.The Cord
6.The Way Out
- ReGen Magazine

My Enemy Complete
Category: Industrial / Alternative
Album: My Enemy Complete
Stars: 3.5
Blurb: Industrialized alternative metal with enough soulful melodies and powerful emotions to break out of the underground into mass appeal.



The fusion of alternative rock with industrial has existed virtually since the styles were first formulated, but for a band to effectively utilize this mix in a manner that appeals to both the mainstream and underground is a rare thing indeed. Along comes Washington, DC’s My Enemy Complete with a six-track EP full of dark electronic textures, passionate songwriting, and blazing rock structures that makes for a delectable helping of musical potency. Featuring former members of two of the local scene’s more revered acts, namely Carlo Pizarro and Brian Fasani of 51 Peg and Bilaal Y of Chrysalis, the sound of My Enemy Complete is at once familiar and forward-thinking as these six tracks resonate with all the power and professionalism of experience merged with the hunger and drive of a fledgling act beckoning for attention from the masses. Beginning with a haunting mechanical soundscape that brings us to layers of squealing guitar melodies and thunderous percussion, “Resistor” begins the EP with a bang. The chorus carries the listener into a powerful emotional height as Bilaal’s voice – reminiscent of Maynard James Keenan – soars with simultaneous despair and rage, while his and Pizarro’s chunky guitars growl with guttural intensity that permeates throughout the band’s music. Hearing this song, one could immediately mistake My Enemy Complete for a late ‘90s alternative metal act, albeit without the rap element so prevalent of that era and with a healthy dose of gritty electronic backdrops for added depth. Also adding to the dynamic mix is Fasani’s drumming, combining quintessential industrial loops with the fury of his live percussive assaults, which in tandem with the grungy guitars makes for a very devastating sound. “Rite of Passage” continues this trend with atonal verses atop an almost psychedelic wall of guitars and ambience that will remind listeners of The Tea Party if filtered through the caustic mechanisms of Chemlab, while “A Thousand Cuts” brings in a melancholy piano that in tandem with crystalline guitars and Bilaal’s soulful voice give the song a lush aura not dissimilar to the bleakest dark pop songs of the ‘80s. Marching drums, stark atmospheres, and samples on mental states of loneliness begin “The Cord,” already starting the song on an epic note, aided by some of the most soul-penetrating melodies present on the album and the occasional dropouts into pure shimmering guitar and synthesized ambience. If anything negative can be said about the band, it is perhaps in the simplicity of the song structures as each track treads along similar progressions of verses and choruses, all even beginning with appropriately decrepit intros that serve to enhance the ambience and leading into the dense production of guitars, drums, vocals, and synthesis; it all bears just a smidgen of the formulaic but thankfully flows without too much tedium. With production by Dennis Kapayos and released on local label Radio.Active.Music, My Enemy Complete’s music possesses all the elements to break out of the confines of the DC-based underground and achieve mass appeal.

Track list:
1.Resistor
2.Rite of Passage
3.Stain the Same
4.A Thousand Cuts
5.The Cord
6.The Way Out
- ReGen Magazine