Industrial music reviews

Die Form's other CDs are all fascinating, moody, artistic, sexually charged -- but somewhat repetitious. Provided that both "Vicious Circles" and "Histories I/II" are "best of" compilations, it is to be expected that the themes from their individual albums would all mesh into cohesive wholes. But "Confessions" stands out -- not as eerie, just as charged, but with a danceablity and a rhythm that is missing from so many of their other discs. This isn't the music to seduce by -- it is the one to make you throw back your ragtop and cruise down the highway with the speakers cranked and the wind in your hair. The beat, the charge, the artistry...unbelievable! This is Die Form's most accessible, breathless work. Buy it -- then try to catch your breath!

Every now and then you will find a release that just blows you away, they are far and few between but this is one of those gems. This is on of my top ten favorite industrial releases ever made. Contagion has a somewhat Ministry Twitch era feel to them, but a bit harder without losing any of the electronics.

As a DJ there is no excuse if you don't own this CD!

Dance floor hits include:
Scratch (great video as well)
We Believe
Ingest (My personal favorite)
Turn of the Screw
Fight

Aggress

As both a industrial music fan and a DJ I highly recommend you own this CD!

After picking up an armada of sounds to listen to from Metropolis, I decided I needed more bands to dive into and more sounds to sample. Accordingly, I began tracking down the samplers that Metropolis puts out at least once a year (but normally twice a year, under one name or another) and listening to the things that they arranged on them. Something I discovered through this was that (1) I really like the place they've taken electronic/EBM/industrial/dancefloor music to and (2) that I really enjoy the way they construct their listening vices into such wondrous packages. A little of everything is always included in those portions of listening pleasure, from the heavier worlds of electronic disdain (although these are more noticeable on the Electropolis releases that on Critical Mass) to the more somber EBM ballads that make the mind dance, and this actually does what a sampler should do. it provides a person of an overview of the label and the types of sounds it carries.

On this release, I found myself actually fond of the Dos Ich release (not normally a band for me) and the Suicide Commando sounds (again, not normally in my EBM fields of play). Both are a tad on the side of rudimentary vocals, not really to my liking most of the time, but these two songs were actually pretty good this time around. Funker Vogt's Under Deck is good here, but I like the album song better because the remix rends the beat a little while playing with it. Still, a song about being aboard a vessel in the midst of warfare is fine, and better still when its set to sounds that capture the event in a strangely understandable way. Velvet Acid Christ's contribution was also really good, showcasing the band when it was still in the dark forms of drug-related recording and not yet outside of this box, giving the listener something to enjoy as well. Haujobb's Subsonic is less experimental than most of their normal work and more electronic, keeping a high BPM count and actually constructing a masterful combination of beats and lyrics, Informatik's Oblivion is one of the turns in the road that took the band away from the voxed lyrics it was so well known for in the past while keeping a more growling sound to their EBM sounds that are a bit more dancefloor oriented than before, and Icon of Coil's release is good, but their first album actually produced a more thought-provoking look at anger and all its many formations in the mind. Wolfsheim, sometimes compared to Peter Murphy in vocals but unjustly so, is always at the top of their game and anything they provide will have qualities in it that are commendable (although a bit slower paced for some people and the opera mixtures in some songs a bit too over the EBM top), Fictional is a Funker Vogt sideproject that lets them play a little more with sounds outside of warfare and is more electronic than harsh in this song Blue Lights, and Mesh's Because it Scares Me is one that is slowly paced but that is worthy of a listen as well.

In the realm of samplers, I'd have to give this Critical Mass release a hefty approval rating because it has some many songs that can be listened to over and over again. While not exactly introducing me to many bands I hadn't heard of, it worked as a preview at the time and still finds itself thrown into my player when I need to capture elements of some bands but don't want to bring 14 discs along for the ride. For people that enjoy Metropolis and their brand of entertainment, it is a worthy by and one I would recommend checking out.

Helios goes back to his "chrome" roots with this new release. It is actually a chrome album. One listen and you're hooked. Real spaced out.

Well, to start off, whoever typed the track listings above goofed, so ignore them. There are actually 8 tracks on the first disc, and 9 on the second. The track lists are as follows:(song>Artist) DISC 1: 1.paradise> Noise Unit 2.biosphere> Noise Unit 3.amnesia> Delerium 4.eros> Pro-tech 5.phenomena> Equinox 6.otherside> Synaesthesia 7.the drain> Noise Unit 8.amorphous> Front Line Assembly. DISC 2: 1.miracle> Noise Unit 2.inner chaos> Noise Unit 3.ambience> Delerium 4.electronic dream> Equinox 5.re-thread> Pro-tech 6.floatation> Synaesthesia 7.alle gegan alle> Noise Unit 8.penance> Front Line Assembly 9.turmoil>(leeb/balch) There you have it! As for the music, it's what you'd usually expect from the musical prodigy known as Bill Leeb. In other words, it kicks ass. All the songs are the originals, no remixes. Some are new, some are old- but they're all good. If you're a fan of any of Bill Leeb's work, this album is a must-have. I recommend it to all industrial music fans.

The liner notes to this cd (by group member Alex Turnbull) state that this album `...is undoubtedly Skidoo's most unorthodox and misunderstood release to date...' It was recorded at three separate live performances in 1982, and released originally in February 1982 (the final cut on the cd, `Move back - bite harder' is previously unreleased). Alex's statement is true, no doubt, concerning reactions in the media, and perhaps those audience members who had (a) never heard the band before, or (b) were expecting Skidoo to replicate the sound of their amazing SEVEN SONGS release. The material has been rearranged for this release, placing the three sections (`A winter ritual' [side two of the original lp], `A summer rite' [side one of the lp] and `An autumn journey' [the unreleased track]) into order to match the flow of the seasons. A minor detail, you say? With a group like 23 Skidoo, to whom ritual (in all of its aspects) is the very heartbeat of their creativity, it's a huge detail. I'm actually surprised that the original lp release was `reversed' as it was.

This is dark and `difficult' music - it doesn't fit into any nice, neat little box. As such, wide acceptance of it - commercial or otherwise - was a doubtful prospect from the start, and one to which I would guess the band was completely prepared. They weren't making this music to become stars - they were making music from their souls, music that moved them and those in their audience who weren't afraid of going along on the journey.

`A winter ritual' was recorded 23 October 1982 at Dartington Music College, and is performed by the brothers Turnbull (Johnny and Alex) using traditional Balinese gamelan instruments - gamelan, kendang drum, gongs, and flutes. The 5 pieces in this section flow gently, one into another - in his notes, Alex calls this `...the other, meditative side of Skidoo.' The pieces are improvised - possibly around pre-conceived ideas, but not necessarily - but the effect could hardly be classified as `noise'.

`A summer rite' was recorded at another live performance - this one, the first WOMAD festival, in July 1982. The crowd gathered there had come anticipating multi-faceted ethnic musics from around the world (other participants included The Burundi Drummers and Les Musiciens du Nile) - when Skidoo (the Turnbulls along with Fritz Catlin) hit the stage, they appeared with shaven heads and camouflage-painted faces, and performed using metal percussion, tape loops and flares. Alex says `The bleary-eyed festival crowd, expecting a trendy funk band, are greeted by a wall of noise. Some flee, but those that remain witness Skidoo at their most confrontational. Expectations are shattered.' Their use of tape loops at this performance was a seminal effort in the genre - actual physical loops of tape with recorded sound, as opposed to the more technically up-to-date methods utilized today by many artists. Alex goes on to say that `The ritual of banishing, invocation and healing mirrored the changes that had occurred within the group. Indeed, this cycle of renewal is something very basic to the concept of 23 Skidoo.' This part of the recording also features Current 93's David Tibet on Tibetan trumpet. It's a jarring turnabout from the first section of the recording - but vital, moving music nonetheless, and essential for a complete understanding (if that's even possible) of what this band is about.

`An autumn journey' was recorded at a performance in Belgium on 8 October 1982 - another `extreme' piece, created mostly with tape loops. This show was part of a tour organized by the experimental label/organization Crepescule. The addition of this unreleased track gives the listener a further understanding of the wide range of sounds of which Skidoo was capable.

This is not `easy listening music' - it's starkly and jarringly vital, burning with a raw creative spirit. It's moving and emotional - but not for the squeamish or unadventurous. If these guys are your cup of tea - or if you feel like broadening your horizons exponentially - I suggest picking up this historic, extended document while it's available.

As a final note, I'll mention that I've actually achieved some very interesting dreams and sleep patters by falling asleep to this disc. Images, images.

This CD has managed to haunt me for some 10 years. the amazon.com description of this release is off... this album was actually made in 93. Phallus Dei has one album before this entitled "Pontifex Maximus" and is entirely diffrent genre of music being almost entirely experimental soundscapes and a cover of Break the Black Ice by "Death in June". There are so many kinds of music finding their way into this CD. My first description would have to be dark and then for generalization purpose I'd say experimental Metal/industrial crossover. Then well, thier is a cover of Clock DVA's awsome "Tortured Heroine" Phallus Dei have also and after this album used Charles Manson's poetry in a few songs here and there.

Anyhow this CD is absolutely dynamic, from steady Metal with slightly industrial beats, into almost a renaisance classical guitar riffing on "Existence" to one of the most personal songs I've ever listened called "Live To Tell" a georgeous song with a slow driving beat then enlightend by 2 acoustic guitars, a layering elegant keyboard flow and later a reverent flute chiming away softly. Truely this album is an unsung and now 10 years discontinued essential album for fans of industrial/metal with a devinely personal preception. the singer Oliver st. Lingam is never short of enigmatic with his lyrics. If you know the bands Current 93 or Death In June or Coil, you will have a clue as to who helped give Lingam his start and Phallus Dei the chance to make this gem

How do I describe Die Form? Lords of Acid meets Einsturzende Neubauten? Wumpscut meets My Life With the TKK? If that doesn't help, I'll just say that this album is deliciously dark and strangely erotic. It can be good for dancing or just gothing it up. A band with a long and successful history. Check them out. This album is one of their best.

This has been one of my favorite Die Form albums for years. Silent Order and Secret Light stand out. If you are a fan of theirs, Confessions is a must for your CD collection.

Bile, The Copy Machine (Underground Inc., 2001)

I guess it was inevitable that Bile would release an "[x] Sings the Music of Your Life" collection (soon to be heard on oldies stations everywhere!). There have been so many tribute albums running around recently that almost any band could fill one of these. Bile keep it short (nine tracks) and surprisingly faithful to the originals, if run through the Bile filter; even a song that begs for desecration like "Do Ya Wanna Touch Me" is treated with kid gloves. The Go-Gos' "We Got the Beat" is converted over to keyboards, for the part, but it still recognizable. You'd never have thought Krzstoff had it in him. (The exception to the rule is "My Generation," which is completely made over into industrial metal, much to the betterment of the song itself.)

Special mention should be made of their version of Faith No More's "Midlife Crisis," during which I wondered more than once if Patton had joined them in the studio to record the track.

A worthy addition to the Bile canon. Fans and non-fans alike will find much here to enjoy. ****

My first Bile album and I'm sure I'll be buying others soon.. I'm not going to waste our time trying to describe Bile other than to say they're loud, heavy, noisy industrial metal. Good solid rhythms, driving noisy guitars, etc. So if that sounds like your thing, you'll probably dig this.

This is a pretty good industrial album that you've never heard of. You've probably never heard of Course Of Empire. If you're a fan of Stabbing Westward and such, you should try to find this album. I finally got my hands on it.

This CD loses a star, because it's nothing like Fear Factory, which I expected, but this is the perfect alternative album to go into your "unsung artists" category. My favorite tracks are "God's Jig", "Copious", "Thrust" and "Coming Of The Century". A classic. Just be lucky enough to get your hands on it, though. It's out of print.

This album was a well produced and written album, for the time it was released I have very found memories of seeing this band before they made it to the big Record Labels. This band had so much potential but fell after the 2nd album. But this album is great and has almost no distinction to the later following albums. It's kinda of sad because the band had thier own style. But this album is very good, original. It's haunting, and beautiful on so many levels, with just the right Drums and Guitar to give it punch. It's not industrial, it's not 80's, nor is it sapy, it's just Course of Empire at their best.

This band really never got the credit they deserved. This band never broke from obscurity. Maybe it's for the best. I have had the privilage of seeing these guys live on 2 occasions and however great the album is their live performance is even better. I am not going to pigeon hole this band by likening them to other bands or certain music genres. I will simply say that it is a music experiment gone terribly right.