Review written by Stijn "Metal Shredder" Daneels.

A year ago October Changes’ vocalist Wendy Van Craen introduced me to her newly formed band October Changes along with links to demo versions of songs like “Silent Screams,” “Haven” and “The Puppet Factory.” Earlier this year I played a few of those demos on the BMS ON AIR show and later on I jammed the band’s official debut single, “Decay of Sleeping Beauty” (thanks to Dutch promoter Hard Life Promotion for sending that on us) and now, the band has brought out a completed version of “The Puppet Factory” as their second single. Let’s shred it out!

As I mentioned earlier, “The Puppet Factory” is the second single from the Belgian gothic/industrial metal act October Changes, who formed in 2018. Like their debut single, “Decay Of Sleeping Beauty,” “The Puppet Factory” single is released independently.

The single begins with a menacing techno beat that soon gets backed by roaring guitars and pounding drums and eventually Wendy’s soft-spoken words kick in. The song then progresses into a harmony of electronic tunes and heavy riffs and echoing singing. Those vocal echoes are quite effective, especially during the chorus as it gives the song a huge sense of duality. A façade of happiness in the main vocals that gets uncovered by the growling backings. Eventually the song’s soft and heavy sides get more and more intertwined until the finale burns everything down.

Overall, “The Puppet Factory” is a twofaced song. Part peaceful and melodic, part aggressive and harsh, part metal and part electronic, part happy and part tragic. And that same sense of duality continues in the song’s lyrics and visual presentation.

While the beats on “The Puppet Factory” are rather joyful and easy to dance to, the lyrics are much darker. The song tells the story of a circus wherein the seemingly joyful feel of the show is put into comparison with the hostile atmosphere behind the scenes with the circus owner (or puppet master) holding all the strings. The lyrics suggest such grisly crimes like murder and rape committed by the circus director on his performers (or rather puppets).

The single cover art features said circus (with October Changes’ logo shining above in blood-red neon light) and the narrating performer wearing black and white makeup with the eyeshadow looking like tears and the lipstick looking like stiches. I also love the small details in this artwork, like the faintly glowing eyes above the performer’s crown. Not to mention the artwork is colorful without sacrificing any of its purposeful darkness.

8,5 puppets out of 10. An excellent tune that balances techno & metal elements with a atmosphere that hides a grim darkness underneath the energetic beats. So take a seat, let the show begin! Enjoy the single!