Industrial music reviews

This is an UK release. This box contains:

- CD "Remix & Repent" EP
- CD single "Long Hard Road Out of Hell"
- CD "Interview"
- Bio Book
- Black t-shirt
- Stickers

This item is deleted since 1997. Only 1000 boxes on the world...

For more info of this box set, you can go to my web site: marilynmansonve.freeservers.com and go to Box Set section.

Everything by Mr. Manson totally rocks... so does this. It's a must have for all big fans, willing to spend a little money

This is an excellent piece of work! I used to have the original Ras Dva release of this album (but stupidly sold it), so I was overjoyed to see that Metropolis decided to re-release it (the one thing I miss about the original release is that it included the lyrics in the liner notes, unlike this version). Regardless, the music remains a strong assortment of hard-to-find early KDC material from the early '90s. "Veal" and "The Long Walk" have appeared on compilations I've heard and are good examples of their punishing sound. "Send Me The Machine", "Spring Heel Jack", and "Biophobe" are all homages to the man who gave them their name, Jack "Dr. Death" Kevorkian. My personal favorite (my review title is taken from this song) is "The End". This album should appeal to fans of early Skinny Puppy and FLA.

At first i thought this was going to be an album like A+O [m], which wasnt really bad, it just didnt have the rage, and anger that i like in music. I bought it anyway, and all i can say is that if you liked Dark Skies, over A+O[m] then this will be your new favorite. If you didnt know, this is the remastered version of the album they did in 1996, before Dark Skies, and its much better. It has the noise, sinister lyrics, and gives you the urge to go out and hurt someone. Seriously, dont be disuaded if you didnt think A+O[m] was very good. Its not even worthy of comparison, this is without a doubt the best KDC ever!!!

This is a "best-of" cd, culling tracks from various compilations, most of which are out of print. Shy, gaseous weirdness abounds; echo and tape edits and fake third world percuss./chants are all pretty decrepit in a very inviting way.
Standout is "White Dusk", unlike anything they'd ever done--pure concrete technique, very startling, with lots of silent spaces for you to stick your head into. Sounds great at any speed.

If you've heard the pseudo-ambient works of DVOA, Rapoon, and Zoviet France, you might agree that much of it tends towards ambience, and even boredom. Collusion, while retaining the aesthetics that made those recordings so experimental and innovative, manages to become exciting and explorative. On Sprey, layers of rust-colored industrial noise create primitive rythyms that truly move. The following track creates a building clanking structure that ends as abruptly as it seems to have started. This album is probably Zoviet France's best, and is seriously representative of their body of work. I recommend it.

(suicide commando) great! heavy snyth lines almost like (VAC- fun with knives)but not really that teckno-E . they have some cool distorted beats and some great sounds that make other people look at you like your crazy.the vox are slaped with some traditional fx to make'm crusty and distorted but you cant beat dudes voice.any way i dont know how to spell everything i would like to say but Buy the cd all there cds now today

This is it, suicide commando shows us what dark wave music is all about. No matter what mood you are in you can listen to this one. Great rythem for dancing, and just melow enough to sit around and listen to at home. The lyrics are great, with the vocals at just the right volume so that they don't drown out the back ground music. If you want to feel the power of dark wave/gothic, industrial, pick this bad boy up.

Released originally in 1992, Contagion's release Contaminant PCB is the brilliant first release of this prolific group. However you can't tell how prolific by looking at their release listings, which currently (Mar. 2000) only includes this release and a few out-of-print singles. For classification, this group falls within the Industrial Dance genre, and it is one of the better albums in that genre, especially in the areas of orchestration, lyrics, message, and vocal styling. Fast-paced, deep, layered orchestrations combined with raspy (yet understandable), violent, poignant lyrics and vocals make this an easy favorite for hard core Industrial fans and clubbers alike. The album features 8 original songs and remixes of five of those songs.

The release starts off on a strong note with "We Believe" with driving beats and poignant, somewhat religious lyrics ("It's my life it's my religion / It's my right to my decision"). The God Mix isn't very different from the original. It has been dubbed and produced down, and it doesn't use the original elements as well, however there is some good guitar work.

"Ingest" is a strong follow-up, and has one of most effective uses of sampling I've heard as a conclusion ("Who told you to think! "). The Infectious Re-Mix of this song is somewhat dubbed down, but it does pull up that strong violent bass line some. However, it is missing the concluding sample I referenced, making the song end with a whimper, not a blast in the face like the original.

"Who Are You" uses sampling equally as well, combined with driving bass and rhythms that get you moving. The Intestant Mix sounds very similar in construction, however it features a rougher, less produced edge, more use of effective, violent samples in place of the vocals, and additional guitar and keyboard work. I actually prefer the mix over the original.

"Scratch" slows down in BPM, but not in intensity. The vocals and beat will get you thrashing and yelling along. The Twitch Re-Mix has been produced further, pushing back the vocals, but it features some additional orchestration that make it more club and body-slammin' friendly, reminiscent of Prayer Tower. [This song was released as a single, and contained a bonus 12" Extended Edit of the song.]

"Fight!" seems to be an Industrial answer to Depeche Mode's "People Are People." The orchestration is shallower than the other songs, and it just doesn't grab you and suck you in as much as the other songs. However, the "Fight" samples from the movie The Abyss are really interesting. There is no remix of this song.

"Aggress" is driving, fast-faced, and is great for head banging. However, the refrain "[4-letter-explicative] you" is not creative or inspired, unless you're just in a REALLY bad mood. I found little difference between the Suicide Mix and the original.

"Turn of the Screw" is my favorite song, and I was disappointed that it did not get a remix version when it was so crying out for one (though it was released as a rare DJ's only remix 12"). The refrain, "It's not your fault no more that I can't get along," is poignant and really great to yell along to. The lyrics and religious symbolism are handled in a thought-provoking manner.

The final song, "Contagion Seven," is an airy, ephemeral instrumental piece with a hard edge (thanks to manipulated samples). While interesting, it doesn't seem to fit with the rest of the release. Since this was new to the CD (the original 1992 tape doesn't have it), it was perhaps added as a personal statement by Keith Arem.

For those interested in Contagion, it's important to realize that the group has had a wider influence than simply this one CD. They have appeared on several movie soundtracks (such as The Living End which featured many of these songs, and Skinner, which had many unreleased songs) as well as produced many songs and sound bites for video games. Also, watch for a new full length Contagion CD (Infectant) to appear in late April 2000.

If you need something to pop in after a hard day at work or school, or if traffic is just lousy, this is the CD you need to put in. Let the music take control, move you, get you yelling along, and allow you to "release the pressure that builds within." A classic and must have for Industrial fans. While a strong 4 on its own, my associations with band member Keith Arem via e-mail as well as personal experiences with this CD earn it a 5 star rating.

Classic Industrial, these guys were ahead of the times

Ever play video games? Shut off the sound and put this on. This music is intense! I work to it often and my roommate keeps on stealing it from me to listen to in class. If you like Delerium or Front Line Assembly it is a must.

This album is a piece of electronic perfection! It's also a great album to introduce electronica/industrial/drum+bass/ambient music to uninitiated ears! Also, for any FLA fans, this is also a good introduction to the various side projects of Leeb, Fulber and Peterson. Pretty much every single track on this album is very good, but "The Flood" by Synaesthesia is just incredible; I would by the album just for that track! So, all in all, this CD is an excellent (and permanent) addition to my music collection!

This compilation has it all. From the better known bands such as Fear Factory all the way down to some of the very obscure guys like Headcrash. And of course Die Krupps' industrial tribute to Heavy Metal Icons Metallica with their brilliant cover of "One". This CD has everything the Industrial fan of today demands. This is the new wave of Industrial Music.

I first searched months for this album until finally coming across it. Since then, everyone I know who loves true gritty industrial has bought it. There is a remake of the Metallica cover "one" that is incredible. Another great track is "Reanimate" by The Bleeding Stone, one of the best industrial dance songs I've ever heard. Also, Xorcist does one track on the album that will have you singing the chorus...but not in public (you'll know what I mean later). The music on the album is diverse, ranging from hard industrial to the more underground dance industrial that is played in some of the best goth/industrial clubs nationwide, especially at the Catwalk in Seattle,WA. I am thoroughly convinced that anyone that has a little bit of hard core in them will love this compilation. Please contact me if you have other good industrial bands/compilations that you can turn me on to. I have many to suggest for you! - Michael

Oh god I'm so depressed, oh I'm sooooo alone... This is the winiest drivel I've ever heard and also one of the funniest albums ever made. The vocals are so overwrought with "grief" and "pain" and the lyrics are so unbelievably melodramatic that on first listen I burst out laughing, it still kills me. Remember the Saturday Night Live skit where Chris Kattan and Molly Shannon played goth highschool kids holding their "prom of darkness" in the janitors utility room? This is the soundtrack. Should appeal to people still living with their parents or those who need a good laugh.

This second installment of the Dead Lovers Sarabande series is by far the most complex and intriguing to date. It seems to have taken the best features of all former Sopor Aeternus releases and woven them into one dark, orchestral tale. The Dead Lovers Sarabande recordings are less "albums" and more "mini-operettas". Cello, violin, oboe, flute, horns....all performed by a full orchestra and most backed by Anna-Varney's ever lamenting voice. It is musically more aggressive and "masculine" than Face One, and unlike most SOPOR recordings this one doesn't have any songs would be considered "darkwave" or club friendly, such as "Hades Pluton" from Face One or "Memories Are Haunted Places" from The Inexperienced Spiral Traveller. I am fortunate enough to own most Sopor Aeternus recordings, and this is definately my favourite!

Legendary ghastly creature Anna Varney deliveres another dark masterpiece from the darkest cave of her psyche. The sound of The Dead Lover's Sarabande, Face I and Face II is a bit more refined and lacks the landmark sickly feel to the songs. Some old fans might get upset over it, while others might see it as a progression. It's just very sad, hopeless, desperate and desolate music. As before, the sound varies from apocalyptic folk to medieval dance to darkwave. The artwork alone makes this an absolute delight for a Sopor fan. If Dead Lover's Sarabande 2 parts are not the best Sopor Aeternus releases, they are definitely the saddest. Listen to this music in remebrance of your deceased lovers, may they rest in peace...

This cd is amazing, I pretty much liked all the songs except jerk and the jerk mix. The teknowhore demo is very good the only problem is that it sounds like he's singing with water in his mouth. The songs celebrity and demons have some laugh outloud moments. This cd sounds like a mixture of suckpump and sex reflex. Also the cd case is tinted green. Look you need to buy this album right now it's just that good.

Seeing Bile live got me interested - they opened for pigface and totally blew them away - its like a death-rave with lots of smoke and strobe lights - a totally disorienting aural experience with thick, riffing guitars and fast, hard-hitting industrial beats. sometimes noise, sometimes well-crafted songs - always loud, distorted and disturbing. Demonic Electronic is marked with finer recording & quality sound which is sure to give your system a workout - lots of bass, fuzz, beats and songs about satan - can't go wrong there

This was the first BILE cd I ever heard starting at track 1. The first few tracks are really good to me especially Legion but when I first heard them I wasn't as interested in them. I begun to really like the cd once I heard Celebrity, Bad Karma, The Hatred Acid, Demons, and Jerk. MUST buy if you Love BILE and a great cd to add to your collection!!!

some stats: Aurora- 'The Dimension Gate'(1994) 14 tracks TT=72:06

In conjuction with the other reviews' below I'll take a slightly different take on this unique cd....the concept behind it.

Remember the 'Heaven's Gate' cult suicides in Southern California? Well, along with the bizarre costumes (ala Star Trek)of the victims, police found a whole mythology of supporting literature espousing Cosmic Theology of Human Origins; space colonization; celestial star beings;etc,et al.
There exits a large New Age market covering all aspects of belief in this otherworldly Mythos, where dubious authorship includes alot of strange characters...human and allegedly non-human.

If 'Heaven's Gate' ever decided to cut an album this would be it. Within 'The Dimension Gate', male and female vocals (with funky accents;french? german?) speak and sing about the creation of the Universe by celestials who eons ago implanted in the collective consciousness of humanity (via an otherworldly organic brain called "Assumada"), an intrinsic understanding of our Immortaliy. Earth is the testing ground for us to evolve into Star beings. At least this is my take on it (to be brief here).

Farfetched? You bet. Sci-fi? Yup. Space rock? Of a sorts. Fun to hear? Yes. Serious? Wellllll, that's for the listener to decide.
The lyrics (alot) are printed within (almost as a text) so's you can sing right along with all the other "celestials".

The music is primarily vox, synthesizer, electronica and sample driven pulses, with back-up harmony vocals that are quite beautiful actually (ie heavenly and uplifting, nothing dark).

Tracks 1-10 is the album proper, 11-14 are instrumental bonus tracks comprising about 22 minutes of the overall 72:06. These bonus tracks are (I believe) what I think is refered to as the 'Sutras' which is printed ever-so-lightly on the cd cover. It is not the title of this cd per se.

Very little info from the liner notes on who these performers are (though I suspect european with Terra origins), and what they are actually utilizing for the music is unlisted. But the lyrics are here to read along in all their Cosmic glory...you'll detect bits & pieces of just about everything New Age found under this Sun of ours...or "theirs". And it all works.

"This planet might be on the right course after all. Beam me up Scotty, we're going home."

If you like the entrancing enigma that surrounds many of todays spiritual music like Dead can Dance or ERA, this CD is a must. Some of the songs are so beutifully orchestrated and 'designed' you cannot help but feel numb. Your mind sores through days ahead and days gone by, waltzing through the bitter sad and slowly ageing face of this evergreen creation. I higly recommend this CD to anyone who loves the intense qualities found in some of todays spiritual music.

Mixing the best of music with a bit of pagan spirituality and Science Fiction. This album is a true great. Great mood music and Insearch of the Unity is a wonderful dance song. Very powerful and moving music. I'm so glad I found this album when I did!!