Industrial music reviews

"Rebel Voices: An IWW Anthology" by Joyce Kornbluh. Excellent history of the Wobblies written in the 60s, still in print and available on Amazon.

This is an amazing collection of stories and songs, that gives a good sampling of the history of the working people. The songs call for solidarity among working people, that is as relevant today as it was when the songs were originally written. The music provides a feeling of being connected, and makes you want to sing along. No matter what your interest, but especially if it's the history of the labor movement, this is a wonderful and thought-provoking collection of music.

hellbent is an industrial "supergroup" of sorts, consisting of Bryan Black (haloblack), Eric Powell (16 Volt), Jared Louche (Chemlab), and Charles Levi (Thrill Kill Kult). Regurgitator is a compilation of all the tracks from their first two releases, 0.01 (1996) and Helium (1998). Also included is a brand new remix of "Forget You", a song from their most recent album, Hardcore Vanilla.

For those unfamiliar with the sound of hellbent, it is very close in style to haloblack, but the funky basslines that Levi adds makes a world of difference. All you 16 Volt fans out there, don't expect to hear a guitar-heavy album. In fact, legend has it that hellbent was created in order for these guys to get away from guitars for a while. This doesn't make it bad at all. Songs like "Blue Monochrome" and "3 Murders, 3 Nights" will remain industrial classics. Minimalistic, sexy, and extremely creative, it is worth giving this band a shot.

If you're already a fan of hellbent and own the first two albums, Regurgitator isn't really worth getting (unless you want the convenience of having all the songs in one place). Some people complained about the lack of new material on this release (other than the less-than-stellar "Forget You" remix). That isn't really a valid complaint, seeing as how the whole purpose of this album was to make it easier on the fans who were having trouble finding the original out-of-print albums. Buy this, it won't disappoint.

After hearing Laibach's later works, listening to this CD was shocking. It represents them in a much more raw, political state. If you are a fan of euro-industrial, you will enjoy this CD. Otherwise, you might want to stay away or acclimate yourself to the style of this CD by listening to some of Laibach's later albums.

A Few Interesting Tracks:

Sila (The Force) is dominated by a swift, mechanical beat. Perspektive (Perspectives) features a reading of the band's philosophy over an interesting backround beat. Vade Retro Satanas is among the darkest, most evil-sounding songs I have ever heard.

Bear in mind that the focus of Laibach in the making of this album was to state their politics and to make a statement, not to be entertaining and acessible. This means this album will only be enjoyable to you if you are already a fan of harsh euro-industrial music like Einst�rzende Neubauten. Giving this album to a fan of top 20 modern American fizzy-pop dreck would be like giving a bottle of vodka to a baby. If your tastes are refined/eclectic enough, you will come to consider this CD to be a classic.

If you love electronic music and you love female vocals you must have this disc. You can catch sounds from some of your favorite artists, or check out some new ones. Hightlights of this disc are tracks by Fiction 8, God Module, Magenta, and This Ascension.

Play Dead's "Resurrection" (1984) (the third re-issue of 'From The Promised Land') is their most eclectic and most underrated work. Unfortunately, the track "Weeping Blood (remix)" was not included in this re-release. Only 1,000 copies of the original "From The Promised Land" LP (released in early May 1984) were pressed before the band decided they were dissatisfied with the recordings. They re-recorded each song and mixed in alternate drum beats and some electronics along with a completely new vocal track. The second version of "From The Promised Land" (released in late May 1984) featured a sticker that read "Remix." This third edition released for CD in 1992 features eight extra tracks mixed in with the "From The Promised Land (remix)" tracks. This album is certainly a must-have and the best songs on this album, in my opinion, are "Pale Fire," "Sacrosanct," "Return To The East," "Break," "Torn On Desire," "Sin Of Sins (live)" and "Walk Away." The track "Sin Of Sins (live)" was originally recorded for the live LP "Into The Fire Live" by Play Dead back in 1984/1985. "Sin Of Sins (live)" is the only live track by Play Dead ever released on to CD.

PLAY DEAD have always been one of my favourite Goth bands and this CD, based around their second album, is their best work. Dense guitar washes, pounding drums and driving basslines abound with John Fryer's legendary production bringing it all together perfectly. My only criticism is that they have stuck non-album tracks in between the orignals which makes it a little annoying for me. If you like KILLING JOKE or THE SISTERS OF MERCY you should love this.

If you're nostalgic for the days when modern rock radio played terrific songs like Peter Murphy's Cut You Up, Siouxsie & the Banshees' Kiss Them for Me, and Kirsty McColl's Walking in Madison, this collection will satisfy your ears unlike today's modern rock which composes of bland, noisy (and utterly disposable) garbage...

This is one of the best Sevs albums but that is a hard call with Gigapus, the Laptop Pop Series and Haul Ass also excellent. Tom Ellard, who is Severed Heads, has developed a unique sound since he produced the late 70s early 80s set of casettes under the Terse Tapes moniker. The hightlight for me is the Bad Times Three track included on some versions of this release. It makes you wish there really was a volume 11 on your stereo. Big Car, Greater Reward, Triangle Tangle Tango (try saying that fast) are all wonderful. The first two are remixed on "Retread". Start here and then get all the rest. And don't forget to check out the weird and wonderful Coklacoma featuring Ellard and Fifth Way Militia from Utah. Truly unique and original music. An extraordinary "band" with an equally extraordinary catalogue of music. There are maybe a dozen bands in the whole world who sound like no-one else. This is one of them.

Easily Severed Heads most accessible work, this album actually sounds quite pop-ish, until you listen closer and note how twisted things still are at heart. Still probably the most listenable Severed Heads album :).

Like Can and the Stooges, this band was a true original. Long before "electronica," these three Ladbroke Grove lads had their mits on the very first Public Enemy album in 1987 and knew exactly where the future of music rested from then on. Look at the album title again--1987!! Now buy it, and listen to the menacing, pounding "Kray Twins." No other band has made this music sound so cinematic.

My first interest in Renegade Soundwave came in 1991 when I heard the track "Cocaine Sex", and due in part to my hobbies at that time, it instantly became a favorite song, and still is. Kind of a NIN vibe I'd say. The single for that track also has a few sweet mixes. Other nice inclusions here are "Kray Twins", "Lucky Luke", "Women Respond To Bass", and the hit "Biting My Nails". I believe this could have easily been a single disc collection myself, but no big deal. I often think of Renegade Soundwave as light industrial, but it's probably more techno-ish. Overall a great offering from a mostly unheard of band.

This is a very generous compilation. With most best-of retrospectives, there are usually one or two glaring omissions fans can point to, but this has a very well-chosen track selection that hits on all of RSW's strongest work. If this is the only Renegade Soundwave disc you ever buy, it's a solid investment.

Of course, if you do buy this, you may find yourself wanting to track down their albums and a few essential singles anyway just because the material is so good. RSW was always way ahead of their time and criminally underappreciated while they were active. Experimenting with a wide array of electronic styles -- and probably inventing more than a few -- they were noteworthy pioneers in the genre. Unpredictable, edgy, and usually very danceable, you might call them a darker, more daring version of the Chemical Brothers.

Anyway, if you're curious enough about RSW to have found your way to this webpage I encourage you to give yourself a treat and buy this immediately. "Cocaine Sex," "Biting My Nails," "Renegade Soundwave," "Brixton," and especially the darkly tripped-out dubby concoctions on Disc 2 are all amazing tracks that have aged very well (much better than the aforementioned Chemical Bro's, IMHO). Although the original albums are getting harder to find, it's good to see this compilation is still available to the discerning listener.

It is amazing that RSW put together all of their great songs in one amazing package! I wouldn't buy it if "Cocaine Sex" and "Kray Twins" weren't in there, but it also includes the other songs I had to buy 12" and 7"s for -- "Ozone Breakdown" and "The Phantom". If you loved "Biting My Nails", you'll love this collection!