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Dark Tranquillity is able to find beauty -- as odd as that may sound -- in the extreme elements of death metal. Much more than mere noise artists, this Swedish sextet understands the importance of melody (usually minor key) and texture (occasionally ambient), and their hurtling aggression is imbued with a dark, neo-classical sense of composition, rather than the atonal chromaticism favored by similar (particularly American) acts. Damage Done should please metal fans who appreciate both death metal's extreme qualities and progressive metal's musicality, but it may not appeal to purists from either camp. ~ Andy Hinds, All Music Guide
Report: iPod plant probe done
But Apple tells MP3.com that the investigation into working conditions at a plant that assembles iPods is not yet complete.
The Chinese plant where iPods are assembled has reportedly admitted that its employees work more hours than the law allows, but said that allegations about its treatments of its workers amounted to a mixup over its complex salary structure.
Apple is investigating the allegations.
Foxconn, the owner of the iPod factory in Longhua, told China CSR that the company has paid its workers according to the minimum salary standards of the Shenzhen local government. The company also said that Apple has concluded its investigation of the factory and found no problems.
Apple spokesman Steve Dowling declined to comment on the report, but did tell MP3.com that Apple is still investigating the claims and has not yet signed off.
"It's a pretty thorough audit" that involves interviewing employees and management and reviewing time cards, he said. The length of the inquiry will depend on what it reveals, he said.
The factory has been in the spotlight since the Mail on Sunday published allegations about overworked and underpaid employees at the factory. The report claimed that Apple's iPods are built primary by female workers who labor 15-hour workdays for as little as $50 a month.
The China CSR report said that Foxconn admitted that its employees work about 80 overtime hours per month, much higher than the 36 overtime hours employees are allowed to work each month.
But Foxconn insisted that its workers are paid fairly for those hours and that claims about workers not being paid for overtime hours stemmed from a misunderstanding of its salary structure.
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