Amazon.com

More like Van Nuys after 9 p.m., actually. Despite pretensions to goth greatness, Los Angeles's London After Midnight are probably best described as journeymanlike. On this reissue of an album that first bowed in 1996, LAM turn out about an hour or so of slickly produced death rock--nothing that will offend the ears, but nothing that pushes the envelope either. Still, ringleader Sean Brennan is a capable vocalist and songwriter and gets a decent groove going on the driving title track and the slower, anthem-like "Kiss." Psycho Magnet will no doubt find appeal among those who've kept a torch burning for Bauhaus and its spinoff projects. --Steve Landau ... Read more

Reviews (19)

A talented band with a great singer, rare for goth music
This one was recommended to me by a friend, after listening to one song I was hooked. Sean Brennan has an impressive voice that dishes out some great lyrics and is well backed by the instruments. This is not a typical whine about your life "goth" album. London After Midnight have their own unique style that sets them far apart from bands like Sisters of Mercy or My Dying Bride. Songs like Shatter and A Letter to God make this album the work of art it is. I couldn't really find a right classification for their sound. In a way it's kind of like classic Cure with a healthy dose of industrial. In any case, listen and judge for yourself.

The best new-school goth out there!!!!!!!!
London After Midnight are, in my opinion, the most creative, and beautiful goth band of the 90s era!!! Their music crosses between the guitar infested goth-rock of Bauhaus and the electronic dancefloor goth of Sisters of Mercy, and they glaze it over with an incredible 90s feel. I know this band hates to be limited to labels, but(to me) they sound more goth than anything else. Sean lyric's are so passionette and beautiful(Selected Scenes From...), sometimes sad, despairing, and vengeful(this album). They are just as dreamy, hypnotic, and ethereal as Switchblade Symphony, and (to me) they're even BETTER!!!!! Buy this!!!

Your best Nightmare...
Wolves howling, hearts beating, thunder crashing. The Story-teller opens the large book of fanciful cover. The pages sweep you inside the dark realm of vampires, werewolves, maidens, succubi & incubi...

Suffice it to say, these gentlemen are of the "Gothic" persuation. They know the value of psychodrama, as evidenced in their stage shows, which becomes a vitrual gallery of horrors. Gargoyles, tombstones, crypt edifices, autumnal leaves strewn about, skeletal trees, & their own personal costuming - like they crawled their way right up from those very graves. The vocalist appears morbidly emaciated, rather like Lestat of Anne Rice fame, after being submerged in the lake. The bassist looks like Lurch, & the others present their own ghoulish attire. They definitely preserve the Halloween spirit wherever they play.

The music is best appreciated by candle &/or moonlight. These nosferatu are brilliant musicians, perfectly timed, perfectly chosen. This is haunted music. In My opinion, LAM just may be the best Gothic Rock that has ever been. LAM is devoid of the annoying whining, but instead, the melancholy voice herein is more powerful, somewhat more robust, & definitely, much more talented. They will go far.

The songs are filled with theatric energy, deep feeling, & tragic romance. They bring the cemetary right into your room. The music tends to touch you on an emotional level. They stand out in the sea of Gothic bands. Thanatos & Dracula themselves seem to speak through the music. The Gothic-Horror myths come to life.

So come take a trip to London After Midnight, & unto Transylvania, where it is more than just a place, but a state of mind.

BUY THIS CD!
When I first baught this CD, I wasn't too into it. But it quickly grew on me, and now I can say that I love every single song on this album. You should also check out their other album, Selected Scenes From The End of The World. This "ROCK BAND" as they like to be known and not goth, are one of a kind.

Okay Cool
I have a friend in San Fran who recommended LAM to me, but they're wicked hard to find in Holland. But lo and b I just found this album -- and the songs are lots of fun, Sean has a voice like Marc Almond on acid. and these boys are all so cute you want to eat them up. People WON'T like this album if they don't like a bit of silly glam posturing as a Goth sidedish. These boys are not altogether serious. But I think they're double-plus cool anyway, and if you like the samples you will like the album, and you should get it -- especially if you live in America and it won't cost you your front teeth. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Not Quite Lustmørd
What people seem to be forgetting is that Brian Williams of Lustmørd, and Jason Jones also worked on this soundtrack; not just Paul Haslinger.
Hence the darker sound to it.

Either way, it is nicely orchestrated; it won't change the idea of how movie scores are composed, although it should.
It's refined, at times, over-refined, meaning it starts to sound synthetic, but that doesn't take much away from it.
Needless to say, it's much better than the "Soundtrack."
Maynard failed on that one...
This album is void of pop-metal rubbish, and it doesn't ruin any Bowie songs.
You should be happy for that.

Does not stand on its own!
I am a big fan of Paul's music. By this I mean his studio albums and also the score to "Blue Crush". This CD is very disappointing because the music does not stand on its own i.e. it can only coexist with the movie. For this reason I do not understand why it was even released, especially that the beautiful "Blue Crush" score, which is by far more "independent", was not officially released.

Good enough, worth the money and more!
I bought this CD before seeing the movie (as the vampire movies fan I am). It was a surprise to see that it was good enough by itself. The music tells a lot about the movie. Another "plus" is the addition of "Red Tape" by Agent Provocateur, which is the song we all heard in the trailer of the movie, eventhough that song does not belong to the soundtrack (weird!)... Anyway, the song is very good. I can't help to see the trailer images in my head when hear it... If you liked the movie buy this CD and forget about the other one (with just songs).

Four and a half is a better representation of my opinion
I chose to give this cd five stars instead of four, because it is possibily the best soundtrack I've heard with this style. I am not a huge fan of it, so I do not like it as much as I would have.

Still, I cannot say that I did not enjoy this cd, because of a few different tracks (especially Keep Watch Over the Night) that were excellent, even if it was not my favorite style.

I am also very pleased that this cd was not all about hard and loud beats. Far too many soundtracks are doing this now, and it does not allow the film to get much of its own feel. This one does a great job of being original, and fitting the film.

If you liked this movie, or enjoy darker, yet not as hard, music get this cd.

Alot better than the soundtrack!
I also bought the soundtrack and was very dissapointed. I have always been a fan of musical scores though and looked forward, after seeing the movie, to hearing the score. I was truly enjoyed the mix of goth-techno and classical effects. I was also surprised to hear "Red Tape" by Agent Provocateur as well as a wonderful bonus track called "Keep Watch Over The Night". Some of the music is a little too soft and quiet to completely hold my attention, but over all, the CD was very good. ... Read more

Album Description

With their debut EP release in 1997, Tristania broke through musical boundaries, combining symphonic metal with gothic and death metal influences.The three full-length albums that followed, Widow's Weeds (1997), Beyond The Veil (1999) and World of Glass (2001) continued to garner praise and critical acclaim worldwide.With the upcoming release of their new studio album Ashes to start off SPV's 2005 release schedule, the promise of yet another (r)evolutionary step shines brightly on the horizon.

With a three pronged vocal attack, Tristania have the ability to induce astmospheres ranging from the brutal (Kjetil Ingebrethsen) to beautiful (Vibeke Stene) and on to melodic (Østen Bergøy).Songwriting mastermind Einar Moen is backed by Kenneth Olsson on drums, Rune Østerhus on bass and Anders Høyvik Hidle on guitar. The combination that Tristania brings both to the studio and the stage is one as yet unmatched in both the gothic and metal genres. They have toured the globe through over 20 countries, including Europe, the United States, Mexico and South America, and are travelling to 11 European countries on tour with Therion to preview their upcoming release. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

A different direction
Y'know, I can completely understand why some people are bashing this album and why longtime Tristania fans might not appreciate it.I am a huge fan of this genre and worship Beyond the Veil as the absolute best Tristania and symphonic goth metal album of all time. Ashes is nothing like Beyond the Veil. It isn't even remotely similar to Widow's Weeds, and has very little in common with World of Glass. I have waited a long time for something new from this European band, and was quite surprised at how different this album is. No choirs, not a lot of acoustic and 12 string guitar. Not very much keyboard or orchestration.

That said, by the time I had spun this disc a half dozen times I was completely mesmerized. What Ashes lacks in substance and layering it more than makes up in atmosphere. I found the album to be a very stark and beautiful masterpiece, easily conveying mood, emotion and poise. It has a more raw and minimalist feel than previous Tristania albums, and comes across as a more personal album.

The more I listen to Ashes, the more aware I become of it's simple brilliance. It certainly is a welcome addition to my CD collection and features some very memorable tracks.

My personal faves: Shadowman, Equilibrium and Bird. The version I have features 9 tracks in total.
Complete tracklisting is:
Libre
Equilibrium
The Wretched
Cure
Circus
Shadowman
The Gate - (bonus track)
Endogenisis
Bird

be aware to tristania and to " ashes" - great album !
I wasn't aware to tristania before so i shouldn't have to compare " ashes " with their last 3 albums.
what i should tell youis that i was aware to therion , anathema, nightwish , within temptation , opeth , and even to " my dying bride"but "ashes " was a great surprise for me:
It has great sound - and i think that is hasa big different if you are listening to this music with expensive headphones,
believe me it has great quaility ! every band has something different and this album has something different even from the first 3 albums triatania has. ( so what????)
i saw this album in a store and i passed it few times.
i was never aware to tristania before . After i read the reviews i asked the store for the first time to listen to it . i tought to myself , after listening for this only once , that this was a must have album!!! , this is a very energetic music that sound great!!! if you want a symphonic metalyou can always listening to their last 3 albums , to therion or even rhapsody/
but you should not compare this fourth album to any of the others , you could just enjoy it and put it proudly in your collection because you got a great album here from the first track to the last.( my "ashes " has 8 tracks 47 min).
this is one of those albums you can put in your cd player from the first track till the end andfound it very enjoyable ( and not boring as said in the other reviews!!!
"three singers come together , rather than taking their own parts and showing us what they can do" . very powerful , great singers' great drumer -great band!

Jeez it's not that bad!!
This Tristania album is very different from the others, in fact I would say this a Goth album more so than a Metal album. The tempo has slowed down a lot, and does not vary too much throughout the CD - but once you get over the lack of fast guitar riffs etc. and get into the album, it is really beautiful and really sets a mood. The whole album has a very heavy, dreamlike quality. And the combination of vocals (female, Goth-sounding male, plus growling) is extraordinary. I was tempted to give this album 5 stars - because standing on it's own it is beautiful and original - but I give it 4 because despite how good this one is - still doesn't beat World of Glass (my favourite Tristania CD of all!) (Maybe 4 1/2 is what I would rate it, were it possible)

Great music...
Some people are disapointed by this album, I however am not. Ashes is slightly differnt from the old stuff, but it is still a great album, and for the record if anyone feels like asking I am not really into death metal. All the tracks on this album have melody to them, and Vibeke even gets to sing on her own on the track Cure. Bottom lime: If you've never listened to Tristania give this album a try.

Tristania drops Beauty, Mr D. drops Tristania
When Morton Veland, the founder and creative genius behind Norwegian B&B band Tristania left to form Sirenia, most pundits thought that signaled a death knell for Tristania. However I thought, yes, but they still have Vibeke Stene. Stene has an hauntingly, alluring, pure voice that is intoxicating to listen to and sure enough, their release of World of Glass on the retreating footfalls of Veland seemed to bare that out. World of Glass was a strong album with Vibeke prominently featured.

In the meantime Veland was rolling along with two and a half (one was an EP) wonderful new albums but he still didn't have Vibeke.

So what did Tristania do on their new album Ashes? They witheld their greatest asset, relegating her to few lead vocals and mostly background vocals. Blaaaah! You guys blew it. Tristania is now more Death Metal than Beauty and the Beast. Death Metal fans may and probably will enjoy this album but I didn't think of them in that light or I wouldn't have wrote about them.

If they're going to so under-utilize Vibeke, they may as well send her packing over to Sirenia so she can reunite with Veland and make their music even better.

Band Members

Vibeke Stenne Vocals
Osten Bergoy Vocals
Kjetil Ingebrethsen Vocals
Kenneth Olsson Drums
Einar Moen Synth and Programming
Rune Osterus Bass
Anders Hoyvik Hidle Guitars

For those not familiar with Tristania, Ashes is their fourth full length album. It was preceded by Widows Weeds (1998), Beyond The Veil (1999) and World of Glass (2001). I would describe their music as Dark, Romantic, Symphonic Gothic, sometimes referred to as Beauty and the Beast music, in reference to the use of "growling" male vocals to offset the sweet, smooth, melodic sound of the female vocals, choirs and symphonic music. This style of music commands more popularity in other parts of the world than stateside, though adherents can be found everywhere. I don't know why they did it (Maybe they had budget concerns concerns with the new label) but they have abandoned some of the main tenets, that the previous three successful albums were built upon, by drifting into an even darker more atmospheric, less symphonic sound. There is very little of the previous sound but I did think three of the eight songs were better than average.

I enjoyed "Equalibrium", "Cure" and "Endogenisis" the best, probably because they were the most similar to the style that I was familiar with. "Equalibrium" starts pleasantly in a medium tempo with Vibeke taking on vocal duties. She is joined shortly by Osten Bergoy who on this number sings with clean vocals. There is nothing special about the music but it is consistent and enhances the pretty vocals. Others may disagree but I think "Cure" is very good. It has an slower atmospheric sad texture and also features Vibeke singing solo. Again the music is not particularly compelling but the overall effect of the song is, especially the wonderful piano playing in the middle backing Vibeke's heavenly voice. At 7:37 "Endogenisis" is the longest of all the songs, which are all fairly long. It starts out with some heavy growling but evolves quickly into a pretty ballad style, ethereal number, featuring clean vocals by Vibeke and Osten with an occasional growl.

Conclusion

Not only did Tristania diminish Vibeke's role in favor of dueling snarling voxes but they got rid of the other factors of beauty like the choirs and violins. What a disappointment! After a four year wait and eagerly anticipating their next release to get this. Now I know how some feel about the new NIN release.

Surprisingly many reviewers think Ashes is a good album, which proves my point that those who enjoy Death Metal would probably think it's great, while those that don't won't. On the other hand there are those who agree with me too. While I don't necessarily agree with everything they go on to say, I do agree that this is not a good album overall. Final Rating 2.75 stars, rounded up.

Similar Bands

After Forever, Trail of Tears, Penumbra, Sirenia, Theatre of Tragedy (old), Azmodan, Haggard
... Read more

Album Description

A revved-up, all-new remix collection, DIAMONDS & DAGGERZ features new versions of the Kult's most notorious tracks.Assembled by the band from loops and samples of their own work into something familiar yet terrifyingly new! ... Read more

Album Description

1989 Beggars Banquet release of the influential goth band's'Swing The Heartache: The BBC Sessions', a collection of 18tracks from their five sessions for the BBC between 1980-1983. Out of print in the U.S., it includes 'Telegram Sam','In The Flat Field', ... Read more

Reviews (5)

undoubtedly a most exellently put together piece
This is a wonderful album that was played and recorded live in england (bauhaus' homebase). I would recommend it to anyone interested in modern/post-modern/post-punk/expressionistic/dark wave/new wave/ect. rock. I was genuinely tired of some of the versions of some of the versions of the songs on the other bauhaus albums like mask, burning from the inside, and the sky's gone out, so I went searching for live albums from this band in hopes of perhaps finding some fresher versions of these songs or maybe even some new material. I had already purchased an listened to bauhaus' press eject and give me the tape, loved it too much, and played it over and over again until I reached the point where I could not stand to listen again. And then I found this album. This album comes complete with some very haunting new versions of
A God in an Alcove, Double Dare, In Fear of Fear, and In the Flat Field, which I continue to enjoy undoubtedly. All of these songs come complete with rare chorus coming from the other band members . It also has some rare material at the end, which, if you can call them songs, are very interesting to say the least. I would go ahead with this one, you will not be disappointed. And for those of you who were wondering, yes, alot of bauhaus' songs are repeated in different recordings. But no, they are not all the same. They all seem to vary in terms of the atmosphere expediated from the band members' instruments and Peter Murphy's hollowing vocals.

modern music lovers must have
It's a must have - not just for Bauhaus\goth\punk\blah blah blah fans, but for anyone who is open to exploring & understanding contemporary music. It's a great collection of Bauhaus material, and the sound is so cool. I'm a huge fan of the BBC\John Peel sessions because the performaces are 'live' and the sound is raw. Thses recording let you hear what bands that are famous for their 'eletronic' sound actually sound like with minimal studio magic!

the real bauhaus
Those who can appreciate a harsher edge to their music can appreciate 'Swing the Heartache'. These sessions were recorded live (with minimal overdubs) for broadcast on BBC radio. Being a person who always enjoys a band more live than in the produced perfection of the studio (and always seeming to prefer the b-sides to singles), 'Swing' is by far my favorite Bauhaus CD. If you're not someone who appreciates the energy--and the lesser degree of polish--of live music and you want a Bauhaus sampler, try 'Crackle'; if, on the other hand, you want to know what these boys sound like live, this is a good choice.

Dissapointing
I was very dissapointed with this release. It was one of the first bauhaus cd's I bought, and thought it was really cool. I then realized most of these songs are on other albums, and the versions on those albums are much better. This is the one bauhaus CD I wouldn't recommend.

Five stars does little justice-but the top rank here is 5...
This is really a remarkable collection of their older songs, re recorded, and re released. Yes, these notes sound just like they did in their first presentations, but somehow, Bauhaus managed to perfect what was perfect already, by sharpening and blending so descretely in their work, that you don't even notice a change. Play it through, and again play it all. It's easy to become addicted to their music, as always.(call me silly, but hey) ... Read more

Album Description

CD single features 3 mixes by Adrian Sherwood & KeithLeBlanc - 1. 'Skin' 2. 'Shred' & 3. 'Singe'. TVT Records. ... Read more

Reviews (31)

The one that started it all...
Ah yes, Halo 1. Down In It was originally put out on vinyl in 1987. That's two full years before Pretty Hate Machine came out. So, why did the cd come out in 89? Simple, it's for the money. Trent didn't want this out, it was TVT who wanted it out. Two of the three songs on this cd are on the Head Like a Hole single, so Trent thought it would be pointless to re-release this on cd. TVT thought otherwise...
Anyway, I'm giving this 4 starts because it truely deserves it. This became a underground hit in the night clubs in the late 80's, and rightfully so. With personal lyrics, drum machines, and, at the time, great use of computer mechanics, no wonder this became a underground hit.
I'll be truthful, the firt two songs share many aspects, at first, one may think track two is just the "extended" version of track one. Though, after listening to it more closely, you'll notice that there's enough to make it a good(if not better) song.
Track 3 has some elements from the first two tracks...but that's it. There's hardly any singing on this track! With that said, this is the "different" track of the cd, and in a good way.
This is Trent's first effort of remxing and releasing. He did all three versions of this song by himself. That's even more of a reason why this gets a 4 stars.
All in all, check this out if you really like Down In It. If you don't like Head Like a Hole enough to buy that for the Down In It mixes, buy this. The only gripe I have is that the demo version is not included, but hey, with the other songs on the cd, we can't complain.

Just about too small to see
On its own merits, this is an okay single of a very good song, but nothing to write home about. If you simply want to hear these songs, you should know that the 10-track "Head Like a Hole" maxi-single contains the two "Down In It" remixes (shred and singe) from this disc -- plus the interesting demo version, not included here -- and the "skin" mix is the version on Pretty Hate Machine. Unless you're amassing a complete halo collection, buy HLH instead.

(For those of you out of the loop: Each official NIN release has a "halo" number, in order of publication. This is Halo 1, Pretty Hate Machine is Halo 2, HLH is Halo 3, and so on.)

And so it begins...
This being the first ever NIN single, it seems a bit legendary. The remixes themselves are pretty good, albeit long though. The Singe version is probably my favorite one, the added sounds and synth was a plus for me. The Skin version is basically the same as the album version and Shred is probably the most weak out of all the remixes even though Shred is the complete version without the song cutting off it's pretty neat. Worth getting for under 5 bucks.

Note, all of these appear on the Head like A hole single plus the demo version. This is only of avid collectors.

biggest rip off ever
if you like this song, listen to "Dig It" by Skinny Puppy, written in '86. "down in it" is a total coppy, and a poor one at that.

unnessary
i really like the song down in it, but all these remixes are pretty much all the same and not that good in the first place, AND are all on the american head like a hole single....since i do like the song down in it, i dont listen to this hardly at all, so the song doesnt get overplayed and annoying {i basically have this just for my NIN collection, because i am officially obsessed(in a nice way : D)} but if your not obsessed, such as me, dont get this thingie ... Read more

Album Description

Hit from their 1994 album 'The Downward Spiral'. Pt.1features 'Big Man With A Gun' from the album and three non-album tracks, 'March Of The Pigs' (Clean Version), 'All ThePigs, All Lined Up' and a remix of 'A Violent Fluid' bySkinny Puppy's David Ogilvie. Gatefold digipak with an extraCD tray for Pt.2. 1994 TVT/ Interscope release. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

It's a 2 c.d set
This is a great c.d. March of the Pigs(clean version) is the exact song on the downward spiral minus some bad words, you probabaly won't even notice the difference. All the pigs, all lined up is great, I think it's better than the original because there's a crowd yelling and it makes the song so much more powerful. Its one of my favorite nin songs of all time. A violet fluid is short and sweet, a great insturmental. The last song is big man with a gun. I never really enjoyed this one but it is still good. So why the 4 stars, it's because it's a 2 c.d. set and it should have been only 1. This import is better than the U.S version though because you get 2 extra tracks.

I want to give five stars, but I can't.
The radio edit of march of the pigs is just that... maybe one word is skimmed over and the song continuity remains intact. It's a good song, but I've got the Downward Spiral, so... The remix, however (all the pigs, all lined up) is thoroughly awesome. It uses some great industrial and techno elements including various samples and breaks which only seem to ADD to the song continuity. Also, a violet fluid is truly a masterpiece in miniature (like 1:09 miniature). It is great for inspiring feelings of mechanistic conquest, a good soundtrack to march to. Lastly, big man with a gun is still cool, but does appear on the Downward Spiral. I am still looking to buy disc two. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Stabbing Westward have always had a mix of industrial overtones and crashing power chords at their disposal, but their self-titled fourth album focuses on their melodic side. Opting for less electronic coloring this time out, they lean in a modern-rock direction that's balanced against their signature dark, haunting style; here, songs that start off heavy and gloomy swell into catchy choruses. The hypnotic "So Far Away" has a psychedelic edge while "Perfect" serves up acoustic guitars and layered harmonies. "I Remember" and "Happy," while lyrically reflective, ultimately come across as airy, upbeat rockers. The compelling, downright disturbing closer, "Television," takes an ambient route. But elements of their earlier sound remain in the likes of "Wasted," "High," and "The Only Thing." Ultimately, Stabbing Westward is the kind of album that strikes a neat balance between keeping old fans happy while drawing in new partisans. --Gail Flug ... Read more

Reviews (135)

An Excellent Final Album From An Excellent Band.
I must confess that I get a bit angry when I read some of the reviews of this album written by some of the hardcore Stabbing Westward and industrial rock fans. This is an excellent album in every way: brilliant music, stirring lyrics, outstanding vocals by Christopher Hall; in short, everything Stabbing Westward's first three albums provided. BUT, as any fan of this wicked band knows, this album is (mostly) a departure from the original musical style that made them famous. Stabbing Westward's first three albums are made up of loud, cynical, haunting industrial rock music that is easily on par with Nine Inch Nails. On this self-titled fourth album, however, a lot of the venom has been traded for more optimistic hard rock ballads. In fact, of the ten total tracks, only "So Far Away", "Wasted", and "Television" sound like their earlier material. But this is not a bad thing!! Every song on this album is superior to the vast majority of the music on the charts these days! It confounds me that such an awesome, talented band like Stabbing Westward cannot sell half a million albums, and bands like Creed and Nickelback sell millions!! I've nothing against those bands, but why the huge difference in sales!? Anyways, this album's departure will always spark debate among fans, but I don't see why. Is Stabbing Westward's new sound better than their older sound? No. For better or for worse, Stabbing Westward's true talent lies in blistering industrial rock anthems, and this album certainly doesn't match their masterpiece "Darkest Days". BUT, is this album worth owning? Absolutely!! Stabbing Westward's true musical talent isn't diminished one bit by the lighter tone, and I would recommend this album to any fan of hard or alternative rock.

Excellent.
Pity me, pity, but as I was listening to Loveline on the radio a few nights ago, they brought in a band known as Stabbing Westward to provide some comments, and play a couple songs. A caller asked their lead singer, Christopher Hall, "Why are you guys playing more accoustic music and not as much electronics as before?", and Hall simply replied, "There is no emotion in electronics anymore, so we've decided to take on the more emotional route of accoustic music.

Mission accomplished, Chris. The self-titled fourth release of Stabbing Westward's is a masterpiece; it channels into the minds of people and actually causes emotion to flow through. Not as though their lyrics are distorted and alienated as they were on their previous releases, they relate to their listeners. This album is all about the outreach; electronic music does not relate to people sitting around in a garage, jamming. This does.

Definitely their most accessable album, this album is a definate turning point in the new millenium, giving everyone a sharp contrast of what the musical style of this era may soon be...

Buy this album. You won't regret it. I sure haven't.

My life is not without this CD
I just want to say that i listen to many types of music starting from dredg,tool,deftones,poison the well to stratovarius, sonata arctica, and to catch22 and rancid,,, but I haven't found a cd more beautifull than the Stabbing westward-self titled, I dont know why I love so much this cd but it's probably because I Listen to it before listen to the DarkestDays(but don't get me wrong,I Like DarkestDays too),Every song in the album has something that puts my skin as that of a hen,,,,... If you are new on Stabbing westward I suggest Listen to the self titled first.

filter out this whole sound
Industrial could have been such a good thing. Strong riffs, pulsating beats, but it did as Vonnegut once said, it crawled up its ass and died. From the cover through the insipid self-indulgent lyrics, this is a wholly inconsistent and silly effort. Industrial lost its identity. Filter died. This group just musically became a chicken with its head cut off. The lead singers and songwriters of this genre, I believe, killed industrial. They just whine. Their ridiculous "I"m just not right" goes nowhere musically or lyrically. No one is listening, dudes. Take off the make up and listen to some Dylan. I think there just wasn't enough quality musicians in industrial. NIN is The industrial giant and HE represents what was wrong with the whole genre--one song per album- bogus angst and noise on the rest.

Best album
First off.. Stabbing westward is one of my favorite bands. THis CD gets alot of crap, but let me tell you. It's a VERY good disc. Songs like "so far away", "Happy", and "wasted" are easily some of the bands best work. If you don't have this cd, you should be going out to get it right now! ... Read more

Album Description

The band's first "best of" since their formation in 1984. It includes an average of two songs from each C.O.X. album, and the final track list was in part chosen by fans via online voting. Five songs from the 4AD era were re-recorded to improve them, but without altering the initial atmosphere and sounds. Says band member Ronny Moorings, "Whilst listening to the final running order...I just got swept from period to period, remembering all kinds of people and situations. I am sure you too will have memories with certain tracks, so all I want to say to you now is: cherish your moments in life!" ... Read more

Amazon.com

Does a talent for writing catchy melodies have to come at the expense of "industrial cred"? Norway's Stephan Groth, a.k.a. Apoptygma Berzerk, has been challenging his core audience with that question over three albums and numerous singles. But the man behind such downright tuneful industrial-dance classics as "Non-Stop Violence," "Deep Red," and "Love Never Dies" makes it clear on Welcome to Earth that he's moving in a pop direction, expectations be damned. The album opens with the hard-driving "Starsign," but don't be fooled by its dark, arpeggio synths and Groth's snarled vocals--come the chorus, he goes all wistful on us, turning what would otherwise have been a straightforward rivethead stomp into something that wouldn't be out of place on a Pet Shop Boys album. Along with the nimble, propulsive "Paranoia," it turns out to be one of the disc's few truly electrifying moments, though guilty pleasures abound. "Kathy's Song" marries a light house rhythm to vocals straight out of a mid-'80s Depeche Mode anthem, and "Moment of Tranquility" steals the bass line from the Twin Peaks theme and pins it to a disappointingly bland ballad. But Welcome to Earth's oddest (and perhaps cleverest) choice has to be Groth's cover of Metallica's "Fade to Black," which takes the plodding, dirgelike original and remakes it into a bubbly dance-floor confection. AB fans will either be annoyed by the album or find themselves seduced by its better moments. --Steve Landau ... Read more

Reviews (44)

welcome to EBM
Having started with an EP called the Second Manifesto, and then putting out CD's like Soli Deo Gloria, 7, and Apopcalyptic Manifesto I was pleasantly surprised and happy to hear the singles of Paranoia, and then Eclipse. I knew that the coming CD was going to be as different from the first 4 releases as house is to goth.

I am not saying House is the genre of this CD but it is certainly the most friendly EBM CD that kids who enjoy progressive house will ever want to get a hold of.

Along with a couple tracks which are purely samples from Blair Witch Project, Twin Peaks, and X-Files with weird and eerie music floating in and out some of the most memorable tracks are: Starsign, Paranoia, Fade to Black (Metallica cover) Eclipse, Soultaker, (on the TATCD047 copy the extra remix of Eclipse). these are by far some of the best danceable tracks EBM has to offer for the year 2000. and Songs like Moment of Tranquility reminded me that artists can write good ballads!

And for any who enjoy Metallica, I suggest picking up the Single for Paranoia which has yet another metallica cover "Nothing Else Matters".

Being a DJ, I believe that this CD will be quite hot for the year to come. and anyone who wants to be introduced to this band, This CD is the best one for you. Especially if you have more of a leaning towards Progressive house than industrial. Those who liked "7" and "Soli Deo Gloria" all I can say is Stephen Groth has at least continued to progress instead of staying in one particular field of expertize. THere is a definite talent behind this CD and I urge you to order it and take to the stars!

A mixed bag
This is a different sound for Groth. "7" was pretty aggressive EBM, and "Welcome to Earth", while much better-produced, is more uneven as an album.

It has some truly stellar tracks, like "Starsign" , "Eclipse" and "Paranoia", all of which fall into that hazy land where EBM and synthpop collide. There's the exceptionally poppy yet intruiging "Come Lie Next to Me." The good stuff is really good.

And the mediocre stuff is really mediocre. One track is essentially a dead-ripoff of the theme from Twin Peaks, minus the creepy ambience of the original. "Help Me" overindulges in bizzare effects to the detriment of the song. "Soultaker" is an attempt at a thrashy industrial song that doesn't quite cut it.

If you liked Covenant's "USoM" and "Europa", you may want to pick this up just for the excellent tracks. If you're a synthpop fan loking for something more agressive, this'll be fine. If you're trying to find the next Skinny Puppy, you're looking in the wrong place.

Go Berzerk!
Three years ago, one of my closests friends who is Norwegian American invited me to see APB in concert. I told him that I could not go. However he kept on telling me that I have to listen to this group because they were amazing. Being a Depeche Mode fan I took his advice. He gave me three songs for my listening pleasure. Once I heard Suffer in Silence I was hooked. Stephan Groth (pronounced "Growth") is Norways Jewel of techno synthpop and industrial-goth. He also has a great sense of humor. He realeased a rare two-CD album of his European tour of 1998. During a German music festival, Groth had to stop APBs' performance because the police had raided the area. Groth kept on taping and mocked the raid. This is on the disc. All of his works are great, especially this one which has Kathy's Song. Kathy's Song is his best work, and has been made into a lot of remixes. Go Berzerk!

Good singles, but lots of filler
This album marked a change in sound for this Norwegian band. The harder and darker elements of their earlier work are largely gone, replaced instead by punchy, techno-influenced beats and more current synth work. As with most Apop albums, there are a handful of very strong tracks (Eclipse, the Icon of Coil-penned Starsign, Kathy's Song, and a cover of Metallica's "Fade to Black" which inadvertantly nicks the piano line from U2's "New Year's Day"), and a lot of unremarkable filler tracks. Would've made a brilliant EP, but instead makes a merely decent album. Still, probably one of their strongest.

A Few Good Songs
Apop are a bunch of arrogant, primadonna, popgoths and I hate 'em. Still, they make half-way decent music and this is probably their best album. Kathy's song is lovely (although VNV Nation kicked this song's [rear-end] on the single), Starsign and Eclipse are good to dance to, and Fade to Black is a difficult song to cover, but Apop pulled it off. This album should be in any Goth's collection purely for the sake of completion, but I don't think it will turn many heads. ... Read more

Album Description

The highly anticipated, revolutionary 2003 studio albumfrom under ground industrial icons Razed In Black! Features the singles 'Share This Poison', 'Vision' (featuring AthanMaroulis of Spahn Ranch) and 'Blush'. Includes 8 remixesand 2 bonus live videos 'Master' (performed at The KeyClub-Los Angeles) & 'Overflow' (fan clips from 50 States).Deluxe digipak. Cleopatra. ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Industrial Grist for Your Mind Mill
My latest indulgence of Razed In Black "Damaged" has proven to be a spectacular sequel to "Sacrificed" If you know IN you know what I mean. Toss Reznor, Metallica, VNV, and even a little Zombie and the best heart crushing industrial beat you can find in a rip blender and you have Romell Reglacion and the Black entourage. And to think this dude is from creating this incredible industrial sound in Hawaii. I bet a cover of Tiny Bubbles" by RIB would be better than the rush of monster tubes on the North Shore.

These discs haven't left my changer since they arrived and I'm investigating a bigger amp to pound out my favs- "Blush-V2 & Blush Neikka RPM Mix", I'll damage you", "Misunderstood", "Nevermeant-v2". And the rest of the second cd remixes are outrageous.

"Come back to me" is the most fluid of the tracks with a slower BPM but one cannot live at 120+ all the time.

I can't wait for my "Oh My Goth" special remix buy to get here.

A "must buy" if your into Industrial, messing with your neighbors and raging until dawn.

Melodically Malignant And Magically Delicious
"Damaged" is the VERY best, industrial, or other wise, CD I own! If you like f***able music, then make "Damaged" your new lover. It's so magnetic that when I listen to it, I feel as though I'm cheating on my significant other. "Damaged" fuses sweet remorse with undertones of deep desire in a way that is immaculate. It is audio heartbreak, lust and omnipotance all in the best sixty-two minuets and ten seconds since falling in love for the first time. Razed IN Black captures the essence of industrial in this CD and if you need a reason to wake up, "Damaged" will give you it to you!!!!

oh my goth
...damaged, is by far rommel regulation's best RiB work. each song is composed brilliantly using darkwave and industrial elements. each song tells a story of love and lies, at least thats how i took it. "visions" will make the price of this cd worth. best tracks are by far "visions", "ill damage you" and "blush". "come back to me" is the song most people would skip ( i know i do at time ). it lacks the RiB power that keeps me coming back for more. this abum is definitly a must-have for RiB fans or fans of darkwave all together.

Melodically Malignant and Magically Delicious!
"damaged" is the VERY best, industrial, or other wise CD I own! If you like f***able music, then make "Damaged" your new lover. It's so magnetic that when I listen to it, I feel as though I'm cheating on my significant other. "Damaged" fuses sweet remorse and undertones of deep desire in a way that is immaculate. It is audio heartbreak, lust and omnipotance all in the best sixty-two minuets and ten seconds since falling in love for the first time. Razed IN Black captures the essence of industrial in this CD and if you need a reason to wake up "Damaged" will give you it to you!!!!

I've been Damaged
This is Rommels descent into more of a trance/hypnotic style which I think comes at the right time. I know I preferred Apoptygma Berzerks later work over the older work for the same reason. There is still some decent industrial like sounds coming off of Damaged but it is more alluring then rib's past work. 'Come Back to Me' and 'Share This Poison' would be the more subtle pieces. 'Why' and a few others still have some aggression. So unlike past releases when all of the tracks sounded like one.. damaged flows like a mood swing.. pissed.. calm.. depressed.. pissed again.. Disc 2 on the other hand is more club oriented. I don't really have anything positive or negative to say about disc 2. But disc 1 does show growth and change. This is progression and heres hoping Rommel continues in this direction. I'm actually going to check them out next week when they do their live show. I never had an interest in seeing them up until Damaged. Damaged is not recommended to those purists who can only enjoy one style however. Gotta have an open mind. ... Read more

Amazon.com

KMFDM's previous album, Xtort, was a corrosive industrial metalfest that burned as deeply as most anything by Ministry or Nine Inch Nails. But fans expecting more gut-pounding, head-smashing euphoria are in for a surprise. The band's self-titled successor is light on the metal, heavy on the electronic--which isn't to say KMFDM are hopping on some Chemical Brothers/Prodigy bandwagon. They were futzing around with samplers and keyboards over a decade ago. It's just that diehard metalheads might find KMFDM's skittering beats and blipping keyboards a little too left-field. But for open-minded souls who like to dance and destroy, KMFDM should prove to be a hedonistic cauldron of carnal delight.--Jon Wiederhorn ... Read more

Reviews (58)

Their best
When we compare KMFDM's Symbols to earlier works such as 1986's What do You Know Deutschland or 1988's Don't Blow Your Top, the band's sound now is unrecognizable from what they once were. And true experimentalists they are, leaping from genre to genre, refusing to be pidgeonholed. In fact, the one constant about KMFDM is their trademark ultra heavy beat. No matter what genre they choose to tackle, the ever present disco beat can be found, flirting with their new sound. Symbols presents a compelling twist for the band, merging both new and old as it combines the 70's disco beat with 90's techno music. And what a sound it is. Having come full cycle, finally meshing early and modern dance music, this is without a doubt the band's finest hour.

The first song, Megalomaniac, sets the tone nicely for the rest of the album. Unlike previous hard rock/metal efforts Nihil and Xtort, The guitars are ever present, but pushed back into the mix as the electronics dominate. Within the first three of minutes, we've heard En Esch growling in German, Abby Travis' sultry female vocals, Sascha's unrelenting mechanical voice, Gunter's guitar work, name checking, and goofy yet tongue-in-cheek lyrics that will tempt you to sing along - all to a techno sound. Megalomaniac will raise a question mark above the heads of those who are experiencing KMFDM's work for the first time. But for those who have heard Angst, Nihil, and Xtort prior to Symbols, it will generate a smile as you bounce along happily to the rest of the song. Megalomaniac is almost an inside joke intended for the fans - in these six minutes, KMFDM tells their audience that they're still the KMFDM you know and love, but they've pursued a new direction and they've hit the nail right on the head.

The second track, the mellow and slow paced Stray Bullet, is quite possibly the best song on the album. The music here is simply beautiful, and despite the lyrics, this song brings imagery of the Grand Canyon to my mind. Speaking of the lyrics, they are another reason Stray Bullet is notable. An attack on religion, this is as good as KMFDM's lyrics get. Perhaps the reason that the lyrics are so compelling is because Sascha's vocals have never sounded better. At the end of the song, his singing is unexpectedly joined and contrasted by Abby, resulting in one of the strongest closes to a KMFDM song.

The third track is Leid und Elend. By viewing the track name alone, you know you're in for a treat - in all probability, it's going to be En Esch singing solo in German. Leid und Elend doesn't dissapoint, though it does surprise. Instead of hearing something angry, pulsing, agressive and Liebesleid-style, your ears are assaulted instead with the most beautiful programming ever to come out of Sascha. It's a melancholic and sad tune, yet it seems too soft for an En Esch track. That problem is solved as Gunter's guitars come in, backing the melody and adding an agressive edge to create a stunning effect. The real surprise however, is as En Esch's vocals enter the picture. The man can actually sing! After all these years of hearing En Esch growl, he has revealed a hidden and unexpected talent. It's only unfortunate that En Esch has not to date re-attempted this style of song. Regardless, for a band known for its powerful music, Leid Und Elend is the band's only succesful attempt at a ballad.

Tracks four and five, Mercy and Torture respectively, are both excellent tracks in their own right, though not particularly notable. Torture, which features Ogre guesting on vocals, is recommended to Skinny Puppy fans.

Ogre is not the only guest on the album, however. After taking a break from from collaborating with KMFDM in Xtort, Mr. Raymond Watts is back for an impressive guest preformance on tracks 6 and 9, Spit Sperm and Unfit. Raymond, to this day, with his rough yet strangely sultry vocals, is perhaps my favorite vocalist. I'll be damned if Spit Sperm and Unfit dissapoint, because they're some of the best tracks on the album. The former is slow, sleazy, yet guitar heavy as it builds up to an awesome guitar solo. Unfit is similar - slow, sleazy, and electronics heavy as it builds up and then unexpectedly changes musical genres in typical Pig fashion. Though this change may puzzle KMFDM fans, it is sure to please Pig fans.

The third and final guest of the album is Tim Skold, lending his vocals on the almost fully electronic "Anarchy." A power ballad without substance, Anarchy is the only stinker of the album.

Track eight is Down & Out, similiar to Megalomaniac in the sense that it seems to be a bit of an inside joke made for the enjoyment of long term fans. And like Megalomaniac, this song is likely to generate a question mark from casual listeners. Down & Out has a marching band theme, complete with war samples in the middle of the song. The song however, is not about war. Not even close - it's about KMFDM. Almost a threeway dialogue between En, Sascha and Abby, there are no microphone hogs. The contrast between En's growling, Sascha's mechanical voice and Abby's beautiful female vocals is excellent, resulting in some of the finest vocal preformances of this album.

The last song, Waste, is the album's only real go-getter. Though the rest tracks on the album range from slow to speedy, they're all rather mellow. Fast and furious, noisy with heavy guitars, Waste wouldn't have been out of place on Xtort. A mosh pit inducing closing track for a near perfect electronic masterpiece.

Tied with Pig's Wrecked, KMFDM's Symbols is one of the two finest industrial-rock/electro-rock albums ever released. It's a pleasure to award it a score of 9.5/10.

Symbols is an amazing album, blending guitars and synths.
A truly amazing, and well put-together album. Real hard at some parts, while others are either dark or dancy. A great mix from a great band. KMFDM's follow up to Xtort is truly one of their best to date. Similar to Adios, but more guitars and more structure.

1. Megalomaniac - Excellent way to start of the album. Although a bit distorted, a very dancy, guitar and synth driven tune. 9/10
2. Stray Bullet - Amazing guitars and some pretty cool synths. Instant classic. 8/10
3. Leid Und Elend - An alright song. Probably one of those you need to listen to for a while until you start liking it, but has some pretty neat synths. 7/10
4. Mercy - This song is amazing. Every part is cool, and mixes being hard and mellow at the same time. 9/10
5. Torture - A pretty good song, featuring OhGr on vocals. Cool synths. 7/10
6. Spit Sperm - Whoa. Amazing synths and great guitars. One of the albums best. 9/10
7. Anarchy - A pretty good song, although it's repetitive. Good guitars. 7/10
8. Down and Out - Some pretty amaing synths, but nothing really else besides that. 7/10
9. Unfit - Great synths, and good hard driven guitars. 8/10
10. Waste - Real powerful, though not a great way to end such a good album. 8/10

Symbols is real amazing and has a unique sound. Lots of techno mixed with hard guitars and killer vocals. Deffinatley pick this one up.

"Nihilistic Mystics, Apostolic Alchoholics"
How can so much originality be fitted onto one disk, thats the first thing i thought on my first listen of this cd. KMFDM are back with their sophomore classic Symbols proving once again to be enjoyable and experimental. On this album KMFDM have shocked us once again by releasing a totally different album to their previous as always by making this album somewhat extremely different to their previous album Xtort which had a very noticeable metal edge to it, however KMFDM decided to release a more electronic album crossing over the borders on being more on the techno side, however the thing you have to give KMFDM credit for is that they are always trying new things out and seem to get the approval of many of their fans no matter what they try out, and one of the best things about KMFDM is that they are extremely unpredictable hovering all over many genres and styles.

This album is very good with its electronic 70's disco beats, distorted guitar sounds as the background done by industrials best guitarist Gunter Schulz, and you can't go wrong with the vocalists such as Sascha's mechanical vocals and En Esch rasping in german is always nice to hear, and Raymond Watts hellbent, rough vocals are great on the two tracks he sings on giving this album a touch of evil, and as for Tim Skold i couldn't care for him with his annoying what i call fake-goth-whine which should remind you of Marilyn Manson or Orgy's singer.

While most(emphasises on most) of the tracks are good on this album their are some better than others, and like that i don't high light almost all the tracks i'll just tell you about three of the best tracks on this album. The three tracks worth taking note of include "Megalomaniac" with its catchy fun-to-sing-along-to lyrics(see title as example) done over a looped beat with a fun synth and guitar druven tune, "Stray Bullet" starts off with a pleasing slide guitar intro and not long after starts off with a fun(emphasise on fun) chorus to sing along to, its just a well done guitar driven track with most of the elements yuo would find in a KMFDM song. "Spit Sperm" is a unique and dare i say creepy song with Raymond Watts on vocals. Nice synths and guitar riffs in this song.

Why not five stars? Well while i really hate to give this album four stars and wish to give this album five stars, the main problem i have with this album is the Tim Skold influence which most certainly doesn't make things better for them and i also find the album to be a little incosistent seeming it starts off with the all mighty classic "Megalomaniac" and that the rest of the songs on the album just don't seem to live up that song 10/10 song. Otherwise this is a very good album that i would recomend you get if any shop your at sells it. All in all this is a great album, which will be remembered for its beauty, and great impact on music.

The best KMFDM CD for a DJ
DJing 3 nights a week this is a must CD for me! Both Anarchy and Megalomaniac are two of my top ten requested songs! I also play "Torture" a lot, can't go wrong with Ogre from Skinny Puppy fame singing!

Beautiful
Symbols, or 'Explosionskullbombspiralfist' as I call it (more fun to say), is a good balance of electronic beats and heavy metal guitar riffs. Some songs get very electronic, but usually have some guitar in there to complement.

If you aren't familiar with KMFDM, you may want to try out some of their older stuff as this album is KMFDM at its techno extreme (there is a metal extreme KMFDM goes through as well, if you are interested). Metal fans will still love Symbols however, I know I do.

Highlights from this album include of course 'Megalomaniac', 'Anarchy', and Stray Bullet'. As always, KMFDM has incredible lyrics.

Beautiful, this album may be KMFDM's best. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Not a bad song on the album.
This album is just too beautiful to describe properly. Excluding the preludium and postludium i would have to say that angellore is the weakest song on this album. But that's not saying much considering that its still a 9/10 song. It just seems slightly out of place and would have fit in better on beyond the veil than it does on this album. I can't really say i have a favorite song although i would have to say that veland has his 2 finest points in My lost lenore and Pale Enchantress. "Tearful I walk with thee through dusk through winds of loss. her beauty and her flood..." that whole verse is probably morten's standout point. he is just so damn godly sounding there. And then the chorus for my lost lenore is again 1 of morten's best growling parts. Although he is amazing throughout the whole album the way the songs work with his voice on those 2 parts are amazing beyond words. Great lyrics here as there were in beyond the veil. much better than worlds of glass constant depression and suggestive suicidal intents which gets very boring and meaningless 2 listen 2. O well back to this album. The violins on this cd are just amazing they fit in perfectly and are so damned beautiful and haunting. The strongest point for this album is its ability to stir your emotions and make you feel what they want you to in each and every song which is something world of glass lacks.

EXCELLENT BLEND OF VOICES
This is possibly THE best TRISTANIA album ever! It's written on this website that it came out in 2000 but the one I have is from 1998. Anyways, they have the same songs. When I first saw it, I thought it wouldn't be worth buying because there are only 7 tracks with an intro and an outro. Boy was I surprised when I put it in my CD player! It's a pretty long album. Vibeke's voice is one of the most beautiful in this category of music. Plus, Morten has awesome power in his voice also. The final result is outstanding! This will always be my favorite. ( If you like this, check out NIGHTWISH )

A lack of diversity
Although this is the debut album from Tristania, I was introduced to them through World of Glass, and worked my way backwards. I believe they improved every album, although this isn't a bad album, just seems a bit repetitive(growl, sing, growl, keyboard).

The cd starts strong with Evenfall(Preludium isn't a song really), and then follows with 6 songs that lack any element that sets them apart from each other. Closes with Postludium, an eerie chant.

A decent album, way too much growling for my taste.

You want something outsider of your usual metal?, this is it
Ok, i decided that to hardly anyone has really sumed up this cd properly. So i am going to write a review for what i consider to be 3 of my favorite cds because of their original sound:
1. Tritania's Beyond The Veil
2. Tristania's Widow's Weeds
3. Theatre of Tragedy's self titles cd
These are 3 of my favorite cds amoung my extremely large metal collection, because i believe that these bands (on these cds) show their talent & original sound. This style may not sound orignial to everyone, im not saying that, but to your average metal listener, it offers that little bit more.
Buy them, thats all i can say.
Ok, so now for the track by track rundowns:

1. Preludium...: Just an introduction to the cd. Its a good lead in, but not a track as such.
-/10

2. Evenfall: A great track. An opener for the cd that hints at what is to come, without blowing it & handing you the greatest track first off, giving no real incentive to keep listening, because usually when you are handed the best track first, the rest pale in comparison, which certainly doesnt happen here. 9/10

3. Pale Enchantress: From start to finish of this is a mammoth of a track. This is where the cd really begins, one would think that this has to be the highest point of the cd, with the godlike vocals mixed with the female vocals & the sweeping music, but this is only one of the amazing moments of a perfect cd.
10/10

4. December Elegy: Right on the heals of the awsomely powerful track 3 is December Elegy, a song that even surpasses track 3 in its amazing ability to immerse you into the world of Tristania's music. When it seems to just start getting repetitve, along comes the change to one of the most amazing endings ive ever heard. From the violin to the female wispering vocals to the heavy vocals or Morten Veland, its a perfect ending to a perfect song.
10/10

5. Midwintertears: They do it again, yet another perfect track. This is maybe not quite as good as the previous 2, but that cant be expected. Still, this is a very good song.
9/10

6. Angellore: Alright, now the BIG problem, which do i love more?, track 6 or track 7. This song begins & you know that you are listening to something special. More clean male vocals here, but they are very good. Although, dont think your missing out on the heavy vocals, oh, they are there, at around 3:00. Just a masterpiece.
10/10

7. My Lost Lenore: Ok, heres the best Tristania song ever...possibly. It just commands attention from the opening second, which is possibly what may put some people off Tristania, because apart from this song, the other songs need time & patience to appreciate their full beauty. But this is just a perfect song, thats all i need to say, all i can say without actually experiencing it.
10/10

8. Wasteland's Caress: Another masterpiece. Just a massivly strong track like all the others. No more to say, just a great final track.
10/10

9. ....Postludium: the closing track. Not really a song, just a wind out by a choir chanting.
-/10

You may say i was possibly being to generous there with the ratings, but im not. This was their debut cd, which means that they had all the time they wanted to put together such great songs, so its totally understandable that it was more or less perfect.
Buy it along with the aforementioned 3 others.

"Midwinternight inside"
I first purchased "Beyond the Veil" but found "Widow's Weeds" on so many Listmania lists here as a Gothic Metal masterpiece that I had to get this, as well. Well, I do believe I owe a debt of gratitude to all who placed this album on their list, because it really is an amazing piece of work. "Widow's Weeds" is more fluid sounding than "Beyond the Veil," with supremely sad passages and classy sound samples. Some of the samples include a rainy train station, a little girl giggling(apparently running and playing, as if in remembrance of lost youth), and near the end a thunderclap of cannon fire. The production here is not as sharp as "Beyond the Veil," but the songwriting is arguably stronger. The music here is more emotional and haunting, and I find myself drawn to this album more and more. Vibeke Stene's vocals are sometimes stunningly beautiful, while Morten Veland's growling vocals are guttural but at no times comical. There is so much ambition on this album, a "debut" album I might add, that I simply cannot give it less than 5 stars. Amidst the sorrowful songwriting there is a chanting choir, elegant piano, powerful guitar, gorgeously arranged string sections and solo violin, chimes, and even a wooden flute floating on the wind in the song "December Elegy." All in all, I can find no flaws with this excellent presentation of all that is good about Gothic Metal. Thank you. ... Read more

Reviews (20)

Sheer Brilliance!
This album is my favorite to come out of the 1990s! Every track on this album is a work of art! Cascade is definitely the most solid of Peter Murphy's works. I think this album is far superior to Deep (what many consider the Murphy masterpiece). Although Cascade does not have a stand-out song like "Cuts You Up," it does sport 11 brilliant, imaginative tracks that make this album an experience of almost divine nature. "The Scarlet Thing In You" was the single, which may have turned some casual fans off. Although it's a wonderful track, taken alone, it is not the best this album has to offer. Hearing it within the context of this album, one realizes "Scarlet" is but a few strokes in an artistic musical masterpiece! Listen to the audio clips and I think you'll be impressed right away. The first four tracks are the most powerful and best representation of what this album has to offer!

A Wonderful Journey
I have been a Peter Murphy fan for a long time and have always considered him to be my favorite artist of all time. "Deep" was at the top of my list till I acquired "Cascade". It further solidified why I enjoy this man's music so much. The CD opens with two of strongest tracks in "Mirror to my woman's mind" and the infectious "Subway". "I fall with your knife" may be Peter Murphy's best song to date as it stirs your insides with his strong vocals. The CD closes with the hauntingly powerful "Cascade" which whisks you away to another place. I am in total agreement with a previous reviewer...play it loud!! If your new to Peter Murphy, get Cascade. You won't be sorry.

sigh...
Cascade is in the same vein as Holy Smoke in that Peter sounds all warm and fuzzy and content here. However, unlike Holy Smoke, this album sounds more like the real, uncomprimising Peter. Not to put down Holy Smoke, but it was a more commercial sounding album than this. This has more of an Enigma/Dead Can Dance, as well as a Portishead/Massive Attack vibe to it (Peter's a big trip hop fan, y'know). "Subway" and "Disappearing" are some of Peter's best work, and "Cascade", in my opinion, is Peter' best song. It really captures everything there is to love about Peter's music. It's strong and confident and warm and exotic and intoxicating and theatrical and gorgeous and sensual...It's a bit like, well...Bauhaus, matured. Everything you love about Bauhaus, the poetry, the theatricality, the dark, sweet, rich oppulence...it's all here (well, the insane, bisexual vampire-on-payote sexuality's not here, but that's about the only ingrediant missing, really). I'd say after Deep, this is the one.
...Although if you're reading this, that probably means you're already a fan and need no convinving. If you're not already a fan, well, you showed enough interest to check this album out, and I'm telling you to buy it. There's not a bad track in the bunch. Go for it; you'll thank me later when you suddenly start checking out skinny guys with prominent cheekbones and become fascinated with anything Turkish.....
:)

a nice dreamscape
a lovely album that showcases Murphy's unique baritone voice in gradually evolving tunes (some rockers, some ballads). Though I do not consider this album to be in the same league as Dust, it is an accomplished transition from the days of Holy Smoke and a nice prelude to the work he ended up returning to with Bauhaus' Resurrection.

A nice album to revisit from time to time to enhance your visions and dreams.

Life after the band.
Cascade was Murphy's first album after dissolving his live band, the Hundred Men. He did, however, keep songwriting collaborator Paul Statham around to create yet another unique collection of unforgettable songs. My favourites include Huuvola and I'll Cut With Your Knife the latter of which served as the end-credit music for a horrible teen movie called the Trojan War. For what it's worth I have had this album for a year and it can still bring tears to my eyes. Now that's powerful music. ... Read more

Album Description

Unleash your darkest nightmares as you enter the world of the Vampyre.Echoing from ancient crypts, these haunting symphonies call forth the horror, mystery, and passion of the night that awaits you... ... Read more

Reviews (27)

The Perfect October Soundtrack...
Midnight Syndicate has become a Halloween tradition for me. Light some candles, turn the lights down, prop up your feet and let the haunting melodies set the mood. "Vampyres" is yet another great CD from the Syndicate. I found this release to be even better than some of their earlier CD's. Tracks 2,6,8 and 11 are my stand out tunes. If you haven't heard these guys before and enjoy instrumental music with a Halloween flavor then this CD (or any of their other ones) is a must.

Midnight Syndicate at their symphonic best!
Wow. Awesome CD! Midnight Syndicate really pushes the complexity and fullness of it's sound on this one. Lush arrangements with beautiful dark choirs abound. From the subtly creepy harpsichord of "Blackest Rose" to the bombast of "Winged Fury" and "Undead Hunters" this disc has it all. More of a concentration on the music with less sound effects than "Gates" I noticed. Similiar to "Realm of Shadows" and "Born of the Night" only with a slightly fuller sound. I really enjoy it -they've done it again!

Feeding time...
"Unleash your darkest nightmares as you enter the world of the Vampyre. Echoing from ancient crypts, those haunting symphonies call forth the horror, mystery, and passion of the night that awaits you..." - Booklet Literation.

Romantic and inspirational sonic necromancy by which to feed by the light of the moon, fireplace, or candlelight. This opus gives honor to the vampire legend, marvellously illustrated by the cover art enchantingly conjured by Keith Parkinson, which actually looks painted, for a change. Depicts a vampiric spechtre peering through the tombstones awakening at dusk.

This is this Edward Douglas and Gavin Goszga's, the gruesome twosome's latest unleashing, but be sure to possess the previous three opuses to keep the night gaunts floating

Again, this musick is ideal for your rituals, ceremonies, meditations, and haunted Halloween interests, or just to play for whatever occasion, but it certainly will give the herd a fright. Much more than 'un-holiday musick, 'Vampyre' will liven up the atmosphere with undead cantibles worthy of any Satanic Chambre.

Listen 2 ma creep!
i like this Cd......beacuase am a big fan of horror music.....

Midnight Syndicate: Master Thespians of the Mind's Theatre
Again, Midnight Syndicate succeeds in delivering another compilation of haunting compositions to stimulate listeners' imaginations. "Graveyard," the second brooding track of this album, is reason enough to buy "Vampyre." While there are fewer sound effects and ambient noises on this album, the music is no less atmospheric. The dynamic duo of Midnight Syndicate is brilliant and worthy of being enlisted to produce film scores for famed horror directors like John Carpenter. Whether or not this ever happens, Midnight Syndicate will remain the masters of gothic horror soundtracks. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ministry's early career is either a dirty secret or a case of abandoned potential, depending on how you see things--that is, depending on whether you're a dirtbag or a wimp. As a wimp with dirtbag tendencies, I can see both sides of the question. On one hand, while Ministry's early new wave radio hits were never quite as convincing as, say, Depeche Mode's or Blancmange's, or Men Without Hats', or whosever, Ministry were the only serious entries America had in the poof-wave sweepstakes (save the one-hit Combo Audio)--and they had great hooks besides. On the other hand, later Ministry rocked, which this stuff resolutely does not. Key tracks are missing, like "Work for Love" and "I Wanted to Tell Her"--so try the album, In Sympathy. --Gavin McNett ... Read more

Reviews (15)

It's the Same,It's the same in the whole wide world.MILK
YES IT IS MR JOURGENSEN,Thats a line from the song on this album,"Everyday is Halloween" an angst ridden song about how he was harrassed for dressing differently ,and I've seen how he use to dressed then, I think it was pretty cool,but most people did'nt think so.Sad,well any way on to this compilation of the Wax Trax years.You see that Al Jourgensen was heading in the direction of what would become "Twitch",the songs are considered alternative dance with an Industrial edge.Like"The Nature of Love" which has electronic Viola samples and guest vocals from Al's then wife Patty J."ALL DAY" is pretty good but the remix is better."Cold Life" is Gothic Synth pop with a harder edge.The Remixes on here offer a druggy feel to the songs(like you had listen to the previous songs on drugs,except for the"All Day Remix b).All in all this is a good compilation with Angst ridden lyrics,like "cold life"which is about manklnds dire situation.Great to Dance to,Milk,BABYLAND FOREVER,YAY MILK

Cool Oddity to Own
This is just a remix of 4 early Ministry songs and not a full album so don't expect too much. If you don't know this, industrial metal pioneers Ministry started out making wussed out new wave synth pop complete with fake Brit accents. Looking back, this has to be the most dramatic transformation any band has gone through in history - if Celine Dion came out with hardcore gansta rap it would be less of a switch.

On to the content... "Everyday Is Halloween" is an underground dance classic that appealed to outcasts everywhere. It specifically reached out to dressed-up Goths with its mock derision "To me everyday is Halloween, oh you look so absurd, you look so obscene". This is the reason to get this single. "All Day" is also nice. We could live without "Cold Life".

For Ministry historians it's a must. For synth new wave fans, you need it just for "Halloween". For fans of their metal sound who have never heard this, beware - though it is fun to have as a comical artifact.

If you like this then you need to get the full disc 'With Sympathy' that has sveeral other very good dance tracks. I actually prefer "Revenge" to any others from this period of theirs. "Say You're Sorry" and "I Wanted to Tell Her" are solid too.

Let's be honest it's not exactly brilliant
The only problem is here is the songs ( or lack of ). We get 4 songs and their remixes which is hardly value for money but if you have a listen it's actually quite good. Alright the lyrics are a bit naff ( Cold Life has the line " You are such an awful race I'd rather live in outer space ) but if you can get past that the music is not too bad. The Halloween remix is actually pretty good and in some instances you get a flavour of proto-techno in the making.

But again the tracks are going to come into question. Only 4 tracks and their remixes - it's not great. All Day comes up twice and both are not a patch on the version on Twitch ( it's similar yes, but the version on Twitch is slightly more aggressive, here it just sounds like a pansy of a prototype )

Oh yes and for all those who are metalheads still reading this, yes Al does sound as if he's trying to be English. He's pretty good at it but it still makes you laugh.

Well this is a very hard CD to recommend. It's likely that the diehards are the only ones who'll get this or those that will only buy Ministry's records " when they were those nice young men singing good ol' pop tunes!" If you are not a diehard or you're a fan of Ministry's later career, these are the two words which you should live by - forget it!

4 Stars for their Wax Trax! Singles, 3 stars for this CD
This is a great collection of goth synth-pop. They talk about everything depressed people can relate to, yet almost every new wave fan will appreciate at least some of the songs on this CD. Songs like "Everyday Is Halloween", "The Nature of Love", and "All Day" (Remix B) are definitely some of the high points in their Wax Trax! years. However, Ministry did have their flaws as well. The synth-intro on "Halloween Remix" is just too long (it takes 3:30 minutes for the song to kick in) "The Nature of Love (cruelty mix)" just gets repetitive without all the lyrics sung, and "Cold Life Dub" has got to be the worst old era Ministry song ever written! This compilation is also missing 3 other songs that Ministry wrote for Wax Trax! "I'm Falling" (a punk new wave song that sounds kind of like latter era speed metal Ministry, only with the crunchy guitar replaced with a new wave guitar, and the shouting replaced with fake british accent singing), "Nature of Outtakes" (another remix of "The Nature of Love" which again sounds like latter-era Ministry only stripped from all crunchy guitars, but they actually shout and bark this time), and "Primental" (a voxless unfinished version of "I Wanted to Tell Her" from their "With Sympathy" album). But this is still a good buy since you still get some of their best work ever as a synth-pop band. In my humble opinion, a few of their goth synth pop songs are even better then Depeche Mode's best work. So cop this if your a Ministry fan or not and witness some of the best new wave music the top 40 charts have been hiding from you. As well as some underground oddities that will probably grow on you also.

Note to music fans who AREN'T into industrial metal: DON'T BUY ANYTHING AFTER TWITCH!!!!

Brilliant, (kind of).
This is a compilation of Ministry's early yet brilliant singles.
"Halloween Remix" is way too long at 11 minutes, and "Cold Life Dub" is inane, but the other 6 tracks are worth the price. "I'm Falling" (an amazing new wave / punk track from the original "Cold Life 12 Inch") and "Nature Of Outtakes" would have been better in place of the two awful aforementioned tracks but still, to have these tracks on cd is priceless. This is where you start to see the attitude that would later give birth to tracks like "Burning Inside" and "N.W.O.". And to think that tracks like "Nature..." and "Everyday..." were recorded in / around 1984 is interesting too when you think of what else was coming at out the time on the dance music scene. Priceless Ministry stuff. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Awesome Group
Wolfsheim is very much in line with groups like VNV Nation, Covenant and Icon of Coil. If you like any of those, I see you liking this. The pace of the music leans towards the softer side, as opposed to simply being a fast BPM dance-floor group. But whatever it lacks on the dance floor it makes up for in just being a pleasure to listen to.

The vocals are clear and the lyrics are good and the music is clear-toned "electronic music" (as opposed to the "random noise" that a lot of other synth-based groups favor).

Every now and then you'll get a song sung in German from this group, but I love those as much as the ones in English. On this CD you'll get "Wondervoll" in German but it's one of my favorite tracks. (If you're really curious about what he's saying you can find the lyrics online, right click on the page with IE and click "translate" to get the gist of it.) But the music and the clear style of vocals just make it enjoyable to listen to even if I'm not quite sure what he's saying :)

Anyway, quality synth group, wish I could find more like this.

Dreamy popmusic
When I heard first the voice of singer Peter Heppner in a duet with another german vocalist Witt in the radio I coudn't forget this voice (this was beside the single "Dream of you" with dance-masters Schiller one of his single projects without bandpartner Markus Reinhardt). This soft deep voice made my heart open and there are many with me having this opinion. On this new album now Wolfsheim completed themselves. There music varies from soft chilling melancholic beauftifully arranged songs like Everyone Who Casts A Shadow, Care For You, Kein Zurück and And I... to midtempi songs with a very interesting individual sound like I Won't Believe and Underneath The Vail to danceable tracks like Wundervoll, Find You're Gone and Approaching Lightspeed. It's a CD that warms up your heart and rotates at my home instandly. I also can recommand every other CD from Wolfsheim esp. Spectators and Dreaming Apes. Give yourself time to listen to this music, let the feelings flow into you. It helps to clean up your mind to find your truth. It's just the best therapy against sadness. Even if you're not know german language it doesn't matter. But here I will give you a short translation for "Kein Zurück": There is no way back, take your steps forward, live your dreams even if you sometimes want to turn back the time, there is no way back, what you did you did, there is always a new way. To the song Wundervoll: "Imagine yourself in a club, you're dancing but you're not sure if you really enjoy it, dancing by yourself with no connection to others, lonely. It's a ironic song that you might think that something is wonderful but in fact it isn't. That's a very brief translation and everybody can make there own impression of their songs anyway. With regards from Germany

Stunning, Beautiful and Unique
Do you ever get the feeling that most artists have lost all ability to do anything original or interesting? That they try to grab attention by employing gimmicks or creating some image backed up by no substance? Worse, do you also feel that most people don't even care anymore? Well check Wolfsheim out - they are the antithesis of all these disgusting things. With simple melodies and disarmingly wondrous lyrics they manage to create amazing music unlike any you've heard.

Having been a synth fan since the age of Kraftwerk and the electronic new wave of the early/mid 80's, to the various sub-genres of today, I've heard hundreds of groups traversing this niche. Few have ever honed the craft this well. There are a number of strong electronic artists today: the electroclash of Ladytron and Fischerspooner - the indie electropop of Postal Service - the new nu wave of Ganymede, Iris or Freezepop - to the electro industrial of VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, Assemblage 23 or newcomers like Seabound. All excellent.

Still, of all of the great modern synth bands, there are only 2 (IMO) that are truly transcendent with life-affirming power and splendor: VNV Nation and Wolfsheim. VNV fills your mind with grand visions, bigger than life concepts and the idea that you too can be majestic. Wolfsheim is equally powerful, but approaches it from an entirely different direction. Wolfsheim will make you feel that the real beauty and pleasure of life may rest in the smallest of things, that possibly the wonder lies in the subtlety and nuance.

Let's talk about the specific high points here. "Kein Zuruck" (No Return), the first of the German-sung tracks, features Peter Heppner's voice and lyrics woven together at their most hypnotic. As others have said, it really won't matter whether you 'sprechen sie Deutsch' or not - you'll be hooked. Peter really is incomparable; I've never encountered a singer remotely similar in vocal timbre or delivery. "And I...", like most of their stuff, leans toward the softer side with its gentle rolling bassline, warm vocals, and toned down brush beat - a marvel. "Underneath the Veil" picks up the intensity with a heavier beat and a sense of urgency. "Find You're Gone" is a mid-tempo dance song with a rock beat and synths that snake through the mix rather than taking it over. "Wundervoll" is absolutely lovely. The melody is simple as are the lyrics, yet the impact is stunning. Over the past 2 months this has become my favorite I think. "Approaching Lightspeed" is an obvious choice as a single. This embodies the Wolfsheim approach to the music as well as any. The rhythms are infectious yet understated while the percussion is fresh and danceable but never distracts from the vocals. Perfect.

There is only one thing that I find slightly awkward about this album. "Everyone Who casts a Shadow" is the leadoff song and the de facto title track, yet this is the only song on the whole CD that doesn't really strike me. Anyway that's just me being picky.

To put it very simply, this is a band at the top of their game and in prime form. If you thought that they couldn't top "Spectators", well I think they did. And if you've lost faith in the music of today... try Wolfsheim.

A Wait I Won't Take Back
The moment I discovered Wolfsheim would be releasing a new CD, the moment I knew the date, I pre-ordered my copy and began selling old CDs to the store to get the money for it. The day of its arrival, I drove early to the store with my car jury-rigged to play CDs through the tape player and I parked with bated breath, trying to anticipate just what this CD would sound like.

My trouble was well worth it.

The first track blew me away. I circled town three times to be sure I heard the entire CD before I reached home.

Peter Heppner's voice touches deeply into the soul with every note he sings, and has ever sung - this album is no different. In fact, it emphasises the emotion even more; the tracks are slower, more melodic, and more expressive than the more dance-oriented albums Wolfsheim has released in the past. I could relate each song to a moment in my life and, best of all, even with the passage of time, none of the tracks lose their poignancy. Wolfsheim's Casting Shadows, though a deviation from their accepted norm, is well worth the investment.

Got Synth?
I recently went to Germany and I saw this CD in every store. I decided to give it a listen, a lot of stores over there have listening stations, and I was amazed. I don't normally listen to this style, (usually Tool, System of a Down, etc.) but I had to buy it. I think other reviewers make comments to the voice, but until you actually hear it, you can't fully understand. There seems to be so much emotion in his voice. He seems to bring out the feelings of each word as he sings. If you are into synth, buy this! Or if you are just looking to expand your music, this is a must have. My favorite tracks: "Everyone Who Casts a Shadow", "Kein Zuruck", and "Underneath the Veil". But the rest are great too. ... Read more

Album Description

The third album from one of the premier bands in the electro pop genre. Pummeling beats, sympathetic vocals, anathematic melodies, and sweeping synths are just a few reasons why no speaker is safe from Icon Of Coil's bombastic onslaught. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Dancefloor Hits Abound But Little New Ground
IOC has always bneen adept at churning out formulaic, hammering dance anthems. However the lyrics have always been, well, pretty lame and the music usually linear and predictable. Needless to say, fans have been looking for some development... well keep looking. Don't get me wrong these are good songs and certain to be favorites in the DJ booth. The issue is the lack of originality with a couple of exceptions.

As always Icon tries to pummel the listener into a fine paste with crushing beats. They also craft some razor sharp hooks that will stick in your head. The first exception to the originality issue is "Shelter", filled with infectious melodies, a killer beat and some unexpectedly decent lyrics. Actually this song isn't new ground in the scene, but at least it sounds a whole lot like a Covenant song - and that's not a bad thing. "Existence in Progress" is the next in line of the IOC anthem collection so get those boots pumping. "Faith: Not Important" is clearly an effort by Andrew to carve out new territory and you have to applaud the effort. However you can just see that he isn't good at writing songs outside of his box as this falls flat. Where groups like VNV, Covenant and APB can slow down, turn down the machines and give you some of their best, IOC just can't achieve that yet. Still I like the try.

"Transfer: Complete" jumps right back into the formula and it works as well as it always does - no better & no worse. Uh oh, "Dead Enough for Life"... pretty dumb title, could it be? Yes, it is - another IOC floor slammer with slick Teutonic synths, beats turned up to 11 and super dumbo lyrics. "Android" feels like an FLA song from 10 years ago (think 'Tactical Neural Implant'). "Sleep:Less" may be the best song on the album; it's certainly the only time I've ever heard IOC slow down without failing. This is pretty good stuff and shows the most growth on the CD. Still it won't be able to shake the obvious comparison to (yeah, I know your getting tired of it) Covenant. OK - back on the floor robots. "Pursuit" cranks it up again at hyper speed. The vocals are repetitive and rage-filled making this sound like a Cubanate or Inertia song.

I know that I (and many others) have complained at the lack of new ground or originality. Still I think this is well worth owning if you like electro or forceful dance in general. Few can churn out drum machine punishment and unbearably catchy hooks like IOC. And while the lyrics are often less than genius, the choruses have a knack for burrowing their way into your skull. Besides there are 1 or 2 signs of growth on this album. Go ahead and get it.

Not since Nitzer Ebb...
Has an album sounded so good to my ears. Icon Of Coil just passed all the people in their league (VNV, APB, Covenant, Pride & Fall, Seabound, etc..)by a longshot.

Honestly, I cannot remember flipping over a "first listen" since I heard APB's Welcome To Earth in 2000.

Ok enough foaming - seriously, every song on this album is excellent. A perfect blend of danceable beats and aggressive intent. Paints a bleak picture of the world, even WITH what some consider less than stellar lyrics. I for one love the simple (are they THAT simple?) lyrics because the incredible music behind it just make them stand out like anthems.

Ok, so I mentioned Nitzer Ebb ....So how many of you old school fans remember hearing Murderous on the dance floor for the first time? Join In The Chant? It was a cool sound that took the genre to new heights. At least the people I know feel that... And Machines Are Us does the exact same thing. Takes the best of the rest and mixes it all up with a nice, dark, moody, aggressive package.
No, this is not Funker Vogt or Suicide Commando, but it is dark in it's own way.

IOC have a distinct style in this "genre" and I cannot put my finger on what makes them stand out, but this album propels them up with the "classic" bands I grew up to love.

If you like the first 2 IOC albums, then this one will blow you completely away.

Machines are us
I wasn't really sure if I wanted to get the new Icon of Coil cd for some time. I wasn't impressed with "Soul is in the Software" (my introduction to IoC) but I loved "Serenity is the Devil". Eventually over time I decided that I wanted "Machines Are Us". I finally got around to buying "Machines Are Us" (after I couldn't find the new Imperative Reaction cd). I think I rushed to judgement when I first listened to "Machines Are Us" and then wrote a review of the cd for Amazon. I have been listening to "Machines Are Us" non-stop for the past week. IoC may not be VNV Nation or Apoptygma Berzerk, my two favorite futurepop bands, but they sure as heck has a ear for good dance beats and "Machines Are Us" is a superb example of their ear for melodies and aggressive yet danceable beats. The more I listened to "Machines Are Us", the more I grew to love the album. I think it has even outdid "Serenity is the Devil". One of the best tracks on the cd is "Shelter". I just love the lyrics to this song, especially this line "I can't find shelter in this world, I'm searching for an other world, where I'll feel safe". That really spoke to me. Then there is "Dead Enough For Life". I just love how big and epic the beats are to this song. It completely envelopes the listener and put him or her into a trance like it does with me. I wish a lot of artists nowadays wrote lyrics that were as intelligent as IoC's music is. IoC's strength really lies in the lyrics which almost borders on existentialism if you think about it. They aren't your atypical 'life sucks' songs which I find absolutely annoying. If "Machines Are Us" is an indication to what to expect from IoC, then I can hardly wait to hear more music from this excellent futurepop band. I definitely rank them as one of my favorite EBM/futurepop bands next to Apop and VNV Nation.

Not bad (although more like 3& 3/4 Stars)
IOC's Machines are us has many good points. The first of these is that the music is incredibly good at conveying the atmosphere (that of a cyberpunk Gibsonesque techno-hell) and the sound is slightly harsher in tone than their first album, Serenity Is The Devil.

However, their music can get too repetitive and simplistic, and I would hope that LaPlegula and entourage can fix that up before their next album.

Furthermore, there are only a few standout tracks, although these are spectacular. Remove/Replace, Existence In Progress and Transfer: Complete are all excellent floor-packing stompfests.

Overall, this Album is quite good, but nothing spectacular.

Excellent, well polished, energetic and fun, intelligent
So I listen to a lot of industrial and recently picked this up. I've been amazed, and this has spun in my cd player constantly. I really like their intelligent lyrics, well polished sounds, catchy synth lines, and high energy. I have not heard previous IoC albums so I can't compare.. but I'm now considering picking up an earlier album.

A lot of industrial music does NOT have intelligent lyrics (which is fine sometimes), or when it does, you often can't understand them. So one of the major things I enjoy about MAU is that I hear and agree with the lyrics, and relate to them. This is the kind of stuff that you share with uninformed folks to get them into industrial music.. its so well-polished, catchy, full of life. I recently watched the final Matrix DVD, turned down the volume during the battle scene, and "Pursuit" make a fantastic soundtrack. (yeh i know that's corny, screw you.)

I don't know if its you're thing, but its most definitely mine, so I give it 5 stars.

Shoutout to TommyT @ www.cyberage.cx/www.dsbp.cx who got me turned onto this particular release!

BUY THE CD, DON'T STEAL THEIR MP3s. this music deserves much better than 128kbit/sec compression or whatever you can find from hoarders who don't even listen to their music collection. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Your Heart Beats!
The opening title track, "Dein Herz Schlägt" ("your heart beats"), is a perfect statement concerning the circumstances surrounding the release of this album.This is the 5th official full-length release for MEGAHERZ and the 1st with their new singer/lyric writer, Mathias Elsholz.Weathering the departure of their singer and key founding member of MEGAHERZ, Alexx, in late 2002; the band has come storming back with an amazing release.Mathias does not simply attempt to fill the void left by Alexx, he creates his own space within the band's dynamics.

The album contains the classic MEGAHERZ elements of hard, strong crossover-rock and German text. MEGAHERZ also continues the formula of weaving masterfully into the fabric of the songs, the brilliant melodic bits (sounds and samples) that they are known for."Gott Sein '05" is an updated, polished, more menacing version of their original '97 WER BIST DU track."Ja Genau" harkens back to the sprech-gesang style from KOPFSCHUSS, with a lot of tongue-in-cheek humour in the Text. "Wann wirst du gehen?" and "Augenblick" are both elegant ballads, with the latter showing an amazing reach into the depth of X-tian's composing capabilities by coming up with a 100% synth/electronic backdrop to the spectacular vocal spectrum of Mathias.

MEGAHERZ are back, without missing a "beat".
... Read more

Reviews (23)

Very, very nice
When I first listened to Wreath of Barbs by :wumpscut:, I didn't like it. It didn't seem to grab me the way the earlier releases did. However, the more I listen to the album, the more it grows on me. The tracks are very repetitive, and this was what first detracted from my enjoyment. Now I see the repetitiveness is actually a strength. The repetition creates an eerie trance-like reaction, and the music leaks into my mind like thin blood spreads into surrounding muscle.

Okay, now that I'm through with the cheesy doom and gloom metaphors, I can get down into the technicalities of the songs. Wreath of Barbs is a slower-paced album than earlier releases. There are no stompy club hits like Soylent Green. However, the downbeat tracks make up for the loss of tempo with sheer chord power.

:wumpscut: makes use of anachronistic sounds, mixing orchestral strings and antique-sounding harpsichord settings with very electronic chord patterns and digital drums. The title track and "Deliverance" both make use of vocoders. Augmented vocals used to be de rigueur in industrial music until they became cliche. Now they've apparently come around full circle, because the vox manipulation works very nicely.

The result is a down but danceable album that will remain in my CD player for a long time to come.

Setting Fire to the World
With this album it seems that you are either going to love it or hate it. Obviously by giving it a 5 star rating I am of the former and think it is the most complete album Rudy has yet released. Although there are higher highs on albums such as Eevil Young Flesh and Embryodead, on Wreath of Barbs every track is great. For me the best tracks are those in which the music is at it darkest in tracks such as, Opening the Gates of Hell, Deliverance and Line of Corpses. In addition, I also very much admire the tracks that Aleta Welling contributed to, including Dr Thodt, which maybe a bit over the top, but appealing none the less, especially to those with a morbid outlook on the world. But then again, I don't know many shiny, happy people that listen to :wumpscut: anyway. Another jewel on this album is Welling's version of Eclipse, in which she provides hauntingly beautiful vocals that are a nice contrast to the rest of this albums chilling intensity.
Besides the standard :Wumpscut" fare, that we have all come to love, this album also has several very catchy and dancy songs, such as Christf*ck and the title song Wreath of Barbs, that compliments nicely the more sinister and brooding atmosphere created by the rest of the album. If you like the :W: of Soylent Green and Eternal then by all means you will enjoy Wreath of Barbs, which for my money is one of the best industrial albums to come out in the last few years. And as one of the songs ominously proclaims, it seems that Rudy really is opening the gates of hell with this one. Enjoy!

Has Its Moments and Shortfalls
I really give this about 3.5 stars but since that isn't an option...

WoB has its great moments to be sure. Unfortunately there aren't enough of them. The standouts have to be the dancefloor crusher "Deliverance" and the angry, sacreligious "Christf*ck". "Delieverance" is a bit of a hybrid between the old grinding, rage-ridden :Wumpscut: style and the new cleaner Futurepop style that is prevalent in much of the scene. The vox are not nearly as harsh and the beat in crisper and less distorted than his earlier work.

"Christf*ck" is more of a throwback to his aggressive industrial assault. The most creative element is the way the sampled single word "Christ" is repeated along with the hammer strike to form its own sort of beat through spots of the song.

Outside of the standouts is where this release falls short. Compared to previous releases there is just more filler here and a couple of songs that are quite lackluster. Rudy certainly needs to do something to revamp the interest in :W: and get back near the top of the scene, and trying female vocals was no doubt a good idea. The issue is that the songs featuring Aleta Welling simply are not well written songs. These sound more like rehash than a new direction to me.

Given that I have interviewed Rudy several times and listened to :W: for over a decade I consider myself an expert here. This is not one of his best albums and despite what you may have read elsewhere, this is a very poor starting point. Try 'Embryodead', 'Bunker Gate 7' or 'Dried Blood of Gomorrha' first.

Good in its own right
I've grown accustomed to Wumpscut's albums that punch you to the floor, spit in your face - only to offer a hand to help you up again and then slap you on the cheek. However, this is a quality album with attention to detail.

I could have done without Opening the Gates of Hell as the first track. It's not a terrible song, but I don't think it sets the mood of the album. The tracks here are amazing, mostly slow-paced, but danceable and melodic. I notice many people hate Dr. Thodt, but I'm actually quite fond of its music, but the bloody words and singing are awful.

The thing that sometimes ruins the album for me in general is Welling's voice. It actually prevents me from listening to some songs. Line of Corpses, for example, is a beautiful, haunting songs, but her voice is just plain annoying, especially at the pointed where she says "corpses". The moment I hear her say "eclipse", I shudder and turn the song off, which is a pity when I actually sit down to listen to the song.

Overall, it's a good album with a few weak points. If you are more into the hammering stuff, I would suggest Eevil Young Flesh and Embryodead.

Aleta Welling costs Rudy a star here.
My first exposure to Wumpscut came in a form of homemade EverQuest raid video, set to 'Torn Skin', and got me hooked instantly. Like Bunkergate 7, 'Wreath of Barbs' is by all means an excelent album. But I have to say, any song that has 'Aleta Welling' in the credits is markedly less appealing than songs stamped with Rudy Ratzinger name alone. Dr. Thodt is especially bad.
Still, despite Aleta, this CD definitely delivers. Just skip Dr. Thodt and listen and 'Wreath of Barbs' twice. :) ... Read more