Industrial music reviews

Amsterdam man Ronny Moorings reformed old band Clan Of Xymox in 1997 and released this, the first Moorings album to go out under the COX banner since 'Medusa' (1987). Here Moorings goes back to his roots, picking up where 'Medusa' left off yet updating the sound for a new era. Does this album make up for lost time? I think so, yes. 'HF' spawned two hit singles, the crushing 'Out Of The Rain' and the poignant 'This World'. This album was such a return to form for Moorings that it inspired old label 4AD to re-release their classic debut album, 'Clan Of Xymox'. This album should satiate anybody into Depeche Mode, The Sisters Of Mercy or even The Cure. Besides the two big songs, 'HF' features the class guitar-blast 'Sing A Song' as well as the Dead Can Dance-ish 'November' and seven other strong efforts like 'Wailing Wall' All in all `Hidden Faces' was a brilliant return to form for the Clan.

It begins with a fanfare bigger than Spinal Tap's collective hair. And as is usual with Ronny Mooring's outfit (his "band", and probably his chosen attire as well) much of this comeback debut comes off as a bit contrived and melodramatic - - not to say overwrought; there is no "Agonized By Love" this time around. But it probably depends on how seriously you take it. All minor keys and synthblasts, when it's good ("Going Round '97"; "Out Of The Rain"; "Special Friends") it's exhilarating; when it's bad ("This World"; the egregiously phony "Wailing Wall") it's just plain bad. In between are atmospheric instrumentals like "November", which punctuates its lead from your favorite funeral dirge with fake oboe, and the self-descriptive "Piano Piece" which should more correctly be titled "My Favorite Synth Piano-Patch Piece". Some songs pound ("Sing A Song"; "It's All A Lie" - -hey, Ronny fesses up!!) while others ("Your Vice") sort of float along in synthetic serenity aiming, I suppose, at detached irony. One of the best tracks, though, isn't even on this CD: the instrumental "Flatlands", included as a bonus track on the "Out Of The Rain/Going Round '97" single. Okay then, not a total miss. But personally I miss Anka Wolbert. Oh, and Peter Wooten. Guess I take it a little too seriously, eh.

This exploration of a doomed and destructive relationship owes much to both the Marquise de Sade and Baron von Masoch as Dali narrates the tale of his two main characters' descent into the darkest recesses of emotional dependancy and desire. Many of the elements that inspired Dali's art are here and so this book is a must for any fans of surrealism in general and Dali in particular.

Put this CD if you got bored on the Earth and you want to lose hold on reality. Tracks 1,2,5,6,10 sound absolutely fantastic. Papua New Guinea takes you to the another dimension. There is no gravity - it is another world. Then you find yourself somewhere on the East of future (Outland, Agrippa). The groove spells you, so you can't resist. You are flying along with the music. It's a magic fly and you feel like on another planet, in another time. Simply buy this CD and let the High Priests take you to the 22 century. Some tracks don't let you roof to tear off, so skip them (3,4,8,11). Still the CD is a must for your collection. Buy it (or get it) immediately!

Put this CD if you got bored on the Earth and you want to lose hold on reality. Tracks 1,2,5,6,10 sound absolutely fantastic. Papua New Guinea takes you to the another dimension. There is no gravity - it is another world. Then you find yourself somewhere on the East of future (Outland, Agrippa). The groove spells you, so you can't resist. You are flying along with the music. It's a magic fly and you feel like on another planet, in another time. Simply buy this CD and let the High Priests take you to the 22 century. Some tracks don't let you roof to tear off, so skip them (3,4,8,11). Still the CD is a must for your collection. Buy it (or get it) immediately!

Should Marilyn Manson continue with his work or should he stop?? The answer is yes!! With the great work of Antichrist Superstar and the following of Mechanical Animals from a gothic style of playing to glam rock now comes a new era, a new concept of music by adding the both elements of gothic and glam rock that gives you Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death).You are not going to expect what you are going to discover in this cd

Highlights from the disc are, "GodEatGod", "The Love Song", the current single "Disposable Teens", "Target Audiance", "Cruci-Fiction In Space", "Burning Flag", "Coma Black", "Valentines" Day, and "King Kill 33�". This UK version cd comes with the Nobodies (Acoustic Version) which sounds as good as the original version or maybe better ..you just for yourself + a two postcard set of collectable gamepieces which is a must for every Manson fan.

Definitely recommended, give it a listen and if some of the lyrics push you off...realize that you need to read the lyrics in context to the storyline rather than literally.

This is a brilliant album from a brilliant band.....Stop thinking about it and buy it NOW!!!

Manson at his very best. Excelent song writing and lyrics sure to offend the Christian majority. To me, the songs sound like a blend of the heavier stuff from "Antichrist" and the catchy more presentable "Mechanical Animals," to form a perfectly blended album! There is aggression all over this one, but here and there are some softer songs that show off his excelent vocal abilities.Plus you get the bonus tracks only available on this release.The quiet acousitc version of "The Nobodies," which focuses on his vocals more than music, and the live version of "Mechanical Animals" are a treat. In my opinion, it will be quite a challenge for Marilyn Manson to top this one.I would personally recomend this album over his previous efforts. A salute to you Marilyn!

First, if you want the names of the tracks, they are 1. Diana 2. The Death Of The Corn 3. Tree 4. Broken Birds Fly I (Maldoror Waits) 5. Horsey 6. Broken Birds Fly II (Maldoror Wails)

I called this their "Middle Ground" CD because it's not as laid back as most of their newer stuff, but not as noisy and violent as their early stuff. This album is an excellent combination of the two eras. The songs may be a little repetitive to some, but they pay off. Very interesting CD.

Hate Dept finally did all its fans a huge favor by releasing a double disc set with hard to find material on it. Since almost all of their albums are now out of print and extremely rare, this definitely leads me to salvation. Normally, I hate live industrial, but the live tracks are really good on this cd. Seibold asks the fans in a live song: "Are you guys tired?...ugh, SHUT UP." The reason why I like HD is that they kind of have this whole act of hating their fans. They really don't though...they're really nice guys in fact.
The whole thing with electronic music for me is that it is accompanied by guitars and this is exactly what I was looking for. This album has really tight and concise riffs and really deep beats. It's just damn good. It's rare to still find electronic/industrial music fused so well with guitars. I find that a lot of today's electronic music is really watered down...do yourself a favor and get this cd.

This is amazing. The songs on this have DEPTH. And the music is AMAZING, it's sort of gothic, it is unique, the girls voice is AMAZING, it touches my soul. It beats all the stupid pop-bands (Westlife for example) by far. So just go out and buy it (if you can find it anywere!)

This was the album that got me into xmtpw.This album is cool because it's structured so smooth. I think that if you don't own it to start looking in hack shops just incase,you might get lucky.

This single is terrific i love RAMMSTEIN
RAMMSTEIN its my life

I love the sound that heard on this record. First I heard about this record in Zero mag from San Jose and then went and got a copy. Spacewalkers has some great house tracks, with great production, radio friendly as hell! Then Cynyc wow, dark and "electro-dramatic", moves me back and forth! Get it if you enjoy quality.