Industrial music reviews

I adore Voltaire and his overly genius sense of humor. I first got hooked when I bought Devil's Bris and from there I had to have more. When I got Boo Hoo my admiration slowed. He droned on incessantly with a alot songs almost slipping me into a coma. I do however love his cover of Bjork's "Bachelorette" and Tori's "Caught a Lite Sneeze". Overall this CD for me is only good on bleak days.

This album has a few highlights on it, but generally is not as strong as Devil's Bris or Almost Human. I think of it as more of a transition album, because it holds some satirical songs like DB and AH, but also some downright silly ones like "BRAINS!" and "Vampire Club". And don't forget the Tori Amos cover of "Caught a Lite Sneeze". It's a bit shorter than the original, but I like Voltaire's version better.

That being said, the worst of Voltaire's work easily makes a mockery of what passes for the best of today's music - processed talentless, thoughtless, crap. He's pure genius. Definitely check out his older work as well; it's the cream of his career, and you'll be addicted.

This is a pure classical industrial electronica, Diabolical soundscapes blended with fine elements of excellent melodies and bittersweet tunes. Rudy Ratzinger have prepared and delivered a festival of sonic sound sculptures and an emotional atmosphere based on technology and the sound of war and industrial machines.

Again, nothing can be said about this album that hasn't been said already. Hands down, this is the album that old and new wumpfans alike praise for all its glory! This will rip up the dancefloor and tear your mind in half. Enjoy!

This is such a great album! Rudy really does a captivating performance, in all tracks. I dont know what to say about this album that hasn't been said already, :wumpscut: is rated very high in my musical tastes.

Lycia has re-released their last album, Estrella. This album is breathtaking, to say the least. Called "Dark Wave" by Silber Records, this album recalls the glory days of the Cocteau Twins. Lycia released their final album at the end of the 1990s. Being made up Tara Vanflower and Mike VanPortfleet, Lycia creates dark, moody ambient pieces that are enigmatic and emotive.

"Clouds in the Southern Sky" begins the album and leads the listener into the world of Estrella. It is a slow tempo track with simple drums and wonderful layers upon layers of wistful keys that create a luscious soundscape. "El Diablo" also has a beautiful, haunting melody. Vanflower offers her vocals mixed in among the waves. The drum work and vocal work remind me of those Cocteau Twins moments when they were most haunting. This track is about a serpent, the Devil, who has a woman captive in his convincing grip. What is awesome is the ability, not only of the lyrics to convey darkness, but the lush, haunting darkness that is contained in the music to match them. "Tainted" is a slow, patient piece that creates a somber mood with VanPortfleet on vox. His vocals feel very gothic amidst the dramatic mood created by the music. The song is about the loss of innocence and hope.

"Tongues" starts with tribal-like drums. The spacey sounds come in and then Vanflower releases the power of her voice. It's gorgeous, especially when she really lets it go. In this track, her voice is used as an instrument among the floating keys. "Estrella" is a heavenly song that actually brings a bright spot in the album. The lyrics speak of love and, perhaps, being intertwined with another whole-heartedly. "Dome" is epic sounding, with what sounds like angelic voices floating through deep, low hums. This track really has a breathy feel to it that is beautiful. This is perhaps my favorite track on the disc. "Silver Silver" starts with a light feel. Perhaps, having found love, the bliss continues for Lycia. Again, this is a breathtaking take that floats along and is light and really counter-balances the dark parts of this album.

"The Canal" begins with some drum work and works into a more ambient, listful feel that is powerful and epic. There are even some eastern sounding chords and tones in this track. Vanflower really lets her voice soar on this track and it's amazing. "The Kite" flows back into the moody, somber tone that was prominent in the first part of the disc. VanPortfleet lends his dramatic voice to the track. The lyrics have a desperate feel, with a Kite as the central point of the imagery. "Orion" is spacey and Vanflower sings about love again and uses imagery of the stars to describe her moments. It's really an intricate, beautiful track that sets up the track that anchors this fabulous disc. "Distant Fading Star" is just a beautifully executed ambient track. It really ends the disc in a perfect way and finishes the feel of the whole disc in an epic style.

This is a completely coherent piece of art. It is a very dark album, but it has moments where the light peers through the cracks and crags of the mournful, sorrowful ambience. The landscapes are bleak at times, but they are oh so beautiful. Estrella is a brilliant piece of art.

Well structured and nicely arranged music from a rather overlooked duo. Although Lycia may very well be defunct, look for Mike's first solo album soon. Thank You.

Great album, overall. This one allows the mind to drift away into the unknown. The guitar treatments are similar to that of the cure's "disintegration", for a lack of a better definition. The vocals are meloncholic and very comforting, much like their previous releases. This album is a great starter for those showing interest in the ethereal-darkwave sound. Recommended!

About the Band:
The Los Angeles based darkwave band was founded in 1993 by poet / musician Monica Richards (`the muse') and William Faith who had performed with various deathrock bands including Christian Death and Mephisto Waltz. Both Monica and William are accomplished musicians, with many fans adoring Monica and William's vocals and William's guitar work.

About the Album:
Though many fans will point you to some of Faith and the Muse's earlier works, such as Elyria or Annywn, Beneath the Waves, there are a large number tracks on Evidence of Heaven that actually make this album one of my favorites. Aptly named, at times the album has an ethereal and medieval feel, that points to a quality beyond the earthly world. Other tracks, such as Plague Dance, are much more aggressive and should appeal to deathrock / gothic rock fans.

Some people might find chilling tracks (such as The Chorus of the Furies and the three part "The Haunted Palace": Porphyrogene, Through the Pale Door, and And Laugh - But Smile No More) mysterious and dark, but I find myself imagining what it would be like to waltz alone in an empty dancehall to these tracks. Sadly (for me), my wish to dance alone to these tracks has yet to be realized, and these and many more tracks from this album can be counted upon to pack a dancefloor!

My favorite tracks include:
-Through the Pale Door (which features haunting vox by William)
-Shattered in Aspect
-Porphyrogene (instrumental - i.e. no lyrics but backing vox)
-Dead Leaf Echo
-The Chorus of the Furies (lyrics are not in English and not provided in notes)

For those of you interested in the lyrics (and with a band like Faith and the Muse, whose lyrics are an extremely important part of their music), the CD liner notes not only include the lyrics for most of the English voiced tracks, but are laid out amongst numerous lovely sketches of devices and art one might expect to see decorating the walls of a fancy medieval ballroom.

Similar Artists:
If you like Faith and the Muse, you might also like the Los Angeles band Collide, many of German musician Ernst Horn's projects (including Deine Lakaien, Helium Vola, and early Qntal), the Netherland's Clan of Xymox, or France's ensemble act Collection D'Arnell Andrea.

Faith and the Muse has never let us down. Each album takes you on a whirlwind of history, magic, and mystical passages.

This is a great addition to my collection. And, if you ever get the chance, see them in concert! I have many times, but this last tour for this album, was incredible.

Monica's voice is so.. I can't explain it.. It's indescribable. It's incredible.

This album is the best album Fate & the Muse ever!Created like previous but much,much great and hard worked is thier genial album.Please buy and u'll have all!:)

This is about as distant from music as anything could possibly get. If you want to capture the feel of this musicless noise without having to get the album, I suggest throwing spoons down the garbage disposal. Meanwhile, bang a few pots and pans together. If you like what you hear, then this album is definitely for you. Otherwise I suggest you spend your money elsewhere.

Foetus is so crazy. Shamelessly avant-garde. The first song feels to me like it sounds how he thinks people who buy his albums want to hear in Foetus, to throw them off guard. Guitars & sampled Ministry drumming. The second song is different. It's almost like a 60's or 70's jingle in a Foetusy way. Because Foetus is not the industrial rock band people might think it is. In fact, as far as I know, Jim Thirlwell calls industrial the "I" word. So then the third song is one of the most amazing songs of my life. Thickly layered, textured, heavy percussion for 8 minutes with heart-wrenching vocals, a violin solo, & more. The fourth song is toe-tappin finger-snappin fun jazz, like. The pulsing strings in the fifth song are great. So's the grit. Then there's some tormented, twisted, disaffected, apathetic blues/jazz/swing in the thickly composed strange non-blues/jazz/swing way only Foetus could pull off like this. & the last two songs are very noisy, thick with guitars, (one of the songs with a bossa nova beat!) until the last few minutes of the last one are weird spacey electronics & a lullaby. This cd is a wonderful evolution of Foetus. & I he made it as a 2-cd project with Blow. They're cd's you buy separately, but I think it's important to hear the remixes on Blow next to Flow.

This is the best album so far that Jim Thirwell (aka Foetus) has released thusfar, in my opinion. The album holds my attention captive from beginning until the haunting music landscape heard in the last song.
How can I classify this music? It is impossible to do so, it is not metal, not punk, not industrial, not acid Jazz, not a 1940 Big Band gone mad, it's just the creative spirit of Jim, who seems to be getting better and better. He takes you with him on a mad drive through the insane roller coaster of 'The Need Machine', draws you into his own virtual movie where an orchestra paints the story of 'Suspect', he pulls you into his time machine, introducing you to one of the darkest clubs where an insane big band accompanies him to 'Heuldoch 7B', and in the end you find yourself in a the desolate landscape of 'Kreibabe'.
The music is intelligent, challenging, very inspired, it grabs you and will not let go of you until you heard the last whisperings of the last song. Foetus is not some industrial trash band attempting to be intellectual without the necessary equipment to reach that level; foetus is the composer Jim Thirwell, rising to newer, greater heights than before.

GET THIS ONE!

I actually bought this CD after getting the Nativity in Black tribute and being blown away by the sheer intensity of Supernaut. What makes the song really heavy is not so much the guitar as the drums. They're so fast and so layered it sounds almost like there's more than one drummer going it it at the same time. The second track, a long sketch featuring a disgruntled cop, is amusing the first few times one hears it, but quickly loses its interest after that. The other two tracks, Apathy and Better Days, are complete throw-aways. They're not TERRIBLE songs, but there's not much to be desired. They're flat, boring, monotone (dare I say "melancholy") ventures in industrial experimentation. My advice: If you're into Black Sabbath, just get Nativity in Black. It's got this track along with lot of really great metal bands covering classic Sabbath songs. If you're into Ministry, just get one of their albums. This little album is only necessary if you really like the Supernaut cover, but don't want the other Sabbath stuff.

By the way, contrary to popular belief, it is not Al Jourgensen on vocals, but Trent Reznor. Trent originally recorded the vocals for the song. There was some kind of problem with his record company, however, and he wasn't allowed to appear on the record. They agreed that Al would redo the vocals for the track, but in reality, they just distorted Trent's vocals so it would sound more like Al. I actually have the original, undistorted recording of the song, which I found online, to prove it. Besides, I've personally never heard Al Jourgensen sing that well. Have you?

Decent songs. The Nativity in Black and Apathy release are definitely Als vocals, except for wordless screams which belong to the orginal reznor version. You know in the end where he's screaming ow or oh or doh over and over. The blackbox version features the original Reznor version on vocals. So there

Great cd. And actually, Supernaut IS sung by Trent Reznor. When they were about to release the cd, TVT didn't allow the track to be released with Reznor on it, so Jorgensen went back into the studio and fiddled with the audio a little bit and lied to the record companies, saying he re-sang it.

Industrial has come a long, long way in terms of modernizing. You'd hardly think that "moldavia" by front 242 and "Chrome" by VNV nation are connected by anything. However, there was true creativity and honest feeling in the late 80s/early 90s industrial scene, and this cd exemplefies that spirit (if containing a few faults).

Characteristic of the new wave era is an interesting drum pattern that is apparent in pop music especially. We all know the sound, but its hard to describe- kind of like hitting a shallow box, but with a nice rhythm. For me, that drum pattern is the musical personification of the 80s. Early industrial took this drum pattern and used it for a more sinister style of music than, say, ABC. "Tyranny (for you)" utilizes this drum pattern with some interesting samples, sparse melodies and a continuous and often changing pattern, which is where the genius truly lies. The vocals are muffled and lack the crips, clear production of current industrial. This occasionally muddy production is the only drawback of this otherwise great album.

Front 242 had very different tools than the modern industrial artist, and the drum patterns of the day are interestingly connected to 80s pop (unlike the vastly different areas of industrial and dance pop of today). That said, the lyrics have all the anger and passion of today's bands, giving the album its dark feel. All in all, a catchy and enjoyable tunnel to the past of this genre (though a tunnel not meant for everyone. Try it, you may like it).

I can honestly say that this is one of those albums that I would require if I were to be stuck on a space station for a year.
I will never get tired of it.

Do yourself a favor: buy this cd.

Great music with a lasting impact. A big hand for Front 242! Few musicians could afford to play such a variety of sounds and noises with so splendid effect. This is vintage recording, which aims at the audiance by far bigger than "industrial" fans. A must have.

Although I bought this album in about 2003, it didnt stand up my liking and to where music has evolved to. Yes, it has the classic hit, headhunter on it; if you like the song, download it because buying the album wasnt worth one song. I tried and tried to enjoy the cd through and through but it was lacking and I am let down. For BPM music, its real good but is nothing more than late 80's synth music. It may have been revolutionay, it may have been ground breaking, it may have been influential-- but it is a "has been" and will stay that way in my eyes. Save your money, buying this is like buying a Lords of Acid cd; its just dated aerobic music.

Being a fan of industrial/EBM, I hadn't actually gotten to buying a Front album until this, "Front by Front", which is backed with the "Never Stop!" EP and the original "Headhunter" version, found in its single (all on the Epic reissue). I had actually heard some of their songs before, but didn't actually buy until I found it for a rather good price. That being said, it turned out to be really good.

The beginning just confirms that, "Until Death (Us Do Part)". A rather catchy track and one that you'll find yourself listening to the most, it gives the album a sort of appeal.

There are also tracks which are mostly instrumental, like the religious samples of "Welcome to Paradise" or mostly on "Work 01" (great intro sample) and on most of "Blend the Strengths".

Sometimes it is the samples that make it, and sometimes it's the song itself. I'm sure if you're looking here at all that you know the song "Headhunter". The synth line is addictive and so is its chorus. It doesn't need to be explained by EBM fans why this is considered a classic, and the bridge is brilliant. Nearly five minutes of fun, I'm glad they have two versions of it on this album. That should be a reason enough to convince someone to buy this that's just a casual fan.

Honestly, there are sometimes when I don't feel like listening to this. But, in spite that, I think it's very good. I can't decide whether I prefer this or "Tyranny", as they've both got their moments in spite the fact that I wouldn't call either one of my "favorites". Still, I might look more into the Front 242 catalog, as I enjoy listening to lots from them.

The album assualts all previously conceived notions of how an indlustrial album should play, and it did so sucessfully. Catapulting itself into the limelight of industrial megahits, "Headhunter", the unarguable stand-out track of the album, will undoubtedly become etched permenantly onto your subconscious. Every other song is equally powerful and memorable, as well, and the several generous remixes tacked onto the end of this EBM masterpiece are quite respectable in their own rights, especially when compared to some of the atrocious remixes that have originated from such over-played bands as Nine Inch Nails. To sum it all up, this is unequivically one of the best techno-dance/ industrial albums you'll ever likely come across, and the price is hard to beat. NOTE: They're presenting a political/religious satire on track 10, correct?

This is one of KMFDM's best singles out there, it also has my favorite remix, track 5; Anarchy remix by Tim Skold. It should be one of the first singles you should get from KMFDM.

I bought this CD back in 1998, and I figure it's about time to give it a review. This CD is absolutley incredible. If nothing else, buy it for the anarchy mixes. They are incredibly origional, and I tell ya... I misplaced this CD about four years ago and just found it... popped it in, and it sounds better every second. It's the best few bucks you could spend

I love all the remixes on this CD. If you love Symbols by KMFDM then you will definitely love these remixes. This CD is hard to find, I never see it anywhere else but here at Amazon.com.

Offensive to some, but the fun thing about this cd as well as the other RevCo stuff is that it's presented as a tossed off jokey affair. While the discs do contain humor, in title and lyrics, sonically and atmospherically, there is much attention to detail, musically. The musicianship on this disc is superb, especially the grating, distorted guitar work. As an aside, the front cover art features the track listing and running times of the songs, much like a promotional release would. Nice touch. Until this gets the proper rerelease treatment (w/ bonus tracks) seek out the Crackin' Up cd single as well, as it features Gila Copter 2 as an additional track, with a completely different stream-of-consciousness lyric by Dr. Timothy Leary. Out there...way, way out there. Recommended!!

On separate occasions, I killed a set of speakers with this CD, and managed to clear out a party of "normals" in under 5 minutes.

There really are only two kinds of people: those who live to do that sort of thing (so buy this one), others would never ever (your search continues).

Hardcore industrial as good as it gets. Guest star acid guru Timothy Leary hiself on one track, a band theme song, always good, "Linger Fickin' Good." A cover, of course way better than the original..."Do Ya Think I'm Sexy." Much like Revco more than Ministry, it's a bit looser and a bit more fun. If anyone has any info. on the Grandpa Jourgenson side project "Buck Satan & the 666 Shooters give me a holler!