Album Description

With this album, you run the whole gamut of techno rock starting from the electronic pop of post-industrial music and including mood music and tribal incursions.SIN's music is like life, charged with emotion, moments of joy, moments of pain - nothing about it is straightforward or smooth. The trio seems to write and play its songs as if trying to escape from a bad dream, as if playing its final cards, mocking fate. Errare Digital Est, their new album, is redolent of this flight into the future, this never-say-die compulsion to pour it all out, without considering the consequences or what other people might think.

In Errare Digital Est, echoes of those to whom the trio has listened can be heard. In it we can detect melodic electronica of Depeche Mode, the intensity of Soundgarden, the devilish beauty of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson, and even the frustrations of isolationists, Godflesh.

The members of SIN have in their favor youth, willpower and spontaneity, their strength lies in their daring. If their choices are just as surprising as their musical orientation, that's what makes them stand out from the rest. That's why Errare Digital Est is so desperately seductive. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

It's pretty DAMN good
If you're into industrial music...then get this!
If you're into NIN...then get this!

This is nothing innovative but it's good for its genre.

The covers of Bjork's army of me and STP's Creep aren't bad either.

... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great single!
this is a great ep and i will give play by play on each track

01. Poisonous Friend (remix) 10/10
((best of the 4 remixes of it))
02. Poisonous Friend (iris remix) 8/10
03. Contact (fluke remix) 8/10
((starts slow.. but once it gets going its great))
04. Watching Over You (haujobb remix) 10/10
05. Without You 9/10
06. Transformer (stromkern remix) 10/10
07. Traitor 7/10
((kinda dull compared to the first b-side))
08. Poisonous Friend (club remix) 7/10
09. Poisonous Friend (severed heads remix) 7/10

all in all this is a must have if you liked Beyond Flatline. While the Poisonous Friend remixes get worse as the cd goes on.. the other remixes of songs and the bsides are great! seabound kicks ... Read more

Album Description

Experience Lords Of Acid anew! Due to overwhelmingrequests, the Lords Of Acid have given birth to a series of special instrumental editions of all your Lords favoriteslike 'Rough Sex', "I Must Increase My Bust', 'I Sit OnAcid' & more. (Antler-Subway) ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Pure acid music!
When I bought this CD I didn't know how it would sound when it said "instrumental" but what I found is that basically they just took out the lyrics! Which has it's advantages if you're not comfortable with the extremely graphic lyrics contained in the original version or if you just enjoy the music by itself. It's a nice thing for collectors to get but if you don't fall in the two categories above I'd just get the original version. It's a unique take on a classic album though, worth my money. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Ok!
The initial command is not a great cd; then again it is allot better then later bands that have tried vehemently to copy the sound of FLA. Unfortunately, Leeb decided or had to engineer this album by himself and that becomes apparent very fast.

Great early industrial music with two ethereal songs.
The Initial Command may not be Front Line Assembly's most well known album, or their most technologically advanced, but for me it clicks, with _Corroded Disorder,_ as their best. Tracks like "The State," "Casualties," and "Nine Times" show the band at the peak of its early output. However, the two real kickers are the first two "bonus" tracks, "Complexity" and "Intelligence Dream." These were not on the original album and were added as a bonus for the '97 version, but they are my favorite FLA songs. Brooding, dreamy, and meditative, they are a great set to have a musical "epiphany" and space out to. I would purchase the album just for the bonus tracks, although the original stuff is quite good too. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Hot on the heels of volume 2 comes the third in this remix series from Denmark's Claus Larsen, a.k.a. Leaether Strip. Unlike volume 2, it's not that the songs are bad this time around--indeed, over a two-disc set we're treated to some inventive takes on both early as well as more recent LS material--but the same question applies here as it did on volume 2: Do you really need this if you're not a die-hard fan? Probably not, especially if you've been keeping up with most of the original albums. But you could do worse than this collection if you're a dabbler in the industrial-dance genre. Disc 1--three songs taken exclusively from LS's 1997 album, Self-Inflicted, and remixed ad nauseam--features some great takes on "Coming Up for Air" (especially Ravenous's symphonic mix) and "Hate Me!" (particularly Birmingham 6's rhythmic tweaking). Other remixers include Funker Vogt and synth-poppers Dark Illumination. Disc 2 is a mixed bag of refurbished older material, live tracks, demos, and an unreleased song, "Murder." Most fascinating are a couple of primitive two-track demos Larsen did in the early '80s--they possess a charming, cheesy, early-Depeche Mode quality sure to bring a smile to your face. Claus, you've come a long way, baby. --Steve Landau ... Read more

Reviews (3)

maybe the best leather album
I know most of the fans prefer 'Solitary Confinement', but for me, 'Rebirth of Agony' is perhaps the best album ever made by Claus Larsen. When i listened to this cd 4 years ago, I had already listened to 'Pleasure of Penetration', 'Solitary Confinement', 'Object V' and 'Legacy of hate and Lust'. 'The Rebirth...' seemed to me to be quite superior to all these. I was a huge Leather Strip fan then, so this cd became one of my 5 favourite cds. But then I started to read critics and fans saying this was the worst album by this band, and I couldn't believe it... and even though now I am not the fan i used to be (now i prefer Skinny Puppy, Neubauten, Dive...) I still think that, as a whole, this cd is the best Larsen has ever made. Mainly due to various reasons: 1- Larsen manages to control his agressiveness and achieves to compose a cd wider in range, not as repetitive as previous albums. 2- Larsen's voice sounds with more variety here: stmes distorted (Lies to Tell), stmes fragile (Anger is a part of Me, Edge of Anger)... 3- the electronics are more varied here. The cd begins with one of the best LS song's ever: 'You Know Where to put It': it serves as a guide of how Leather Strip had evolved. Good chorus, good voice, wonderful electronic sounds... Leather strip songs used to sound the same from beginning to end: the beat fell into repetitiveness stmes; this song breaks that defect. 'Life Is Painful' is similar though with a dirtier sound; 'Switch On-Switch Off' presents larsen's voice at its more natural and even beautiful. Good electronics as well. The fourth, 'Lies to Tell' is an example of how typical Leather songs sounded then and had evolved. Vocoder, more agressive chorus, quicker beat... all this makes a vetry good sound with an excellent chorus. 'My Mind is My Master' is slower, more controlled; it's not bad though sth makes it inferior to the previous. 'How Do I Know' is another typical song; much too typical I'd say... I suppose older fans love this... I don't like it, it's boring to me. 'Edge of Anger' is very skeletical, slow and melancholic... one of the best anyway. 'I Want You Hard' is very danceable and I enjoy this a lot; it's not as good as 'You Know...' or 'Switch On...' but good. 'Take care of Me' seems like a second part to 'I Want You Hard'... it's more typical and very danceable. 'Anger is a Part of Me' is the more gothic song here; it could be included in 'Legacy...' if it had had a darker atmosphere (and composed earlier, of course) 'Make My Blood Boil' begins with interesting drums, but gets too boring: very distorted voice, quite repetitive... typical Leather song. The cd ends with 'Fool', the shortest piece here and just decent. This cd has lost some charm since i was a hard Leather Strip fan, but I still consider it the best by this band in spite of many contrary opinions. Everyone has its favourites, anyway. But it seems this Danish man is lost nowadays and I don't really know what he will do in the future (if he does anything)

ex militant claus, in a depression
Theres a lot about this album I find intriguing. Yes, sure, maybe the lyrics arent as defined as some other Leae releases. Yeah, sure, maybe Its constructed from a simple pattern, and yeah, sure, maybe it isnt as aggro as most people have come to expect from claus. But if he did what we were expecting, wouldnt that be boring? I think this album has a very somber flowthrough, occasionally touching extremely gothic edges, which i normally dislike. Some was a tad to resemblant to crap rocker trendy razor, but it is what it is. The sequel to legacy, a continuous self expression project alering the emotions of what claus' life holds. It goes though a series of emotions...from angry to depressed, to let down to rememberance...It isnt as bad as people who have this pre conception on what it should be has made it sound.

this album rocks!!!!!
evrything I could imagine clause doing and he did on this album for sure.the songs are way inspirational on it and I can't really see anyone not enjoying this album in some way.don't ever stop. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Dance O Rama
This is mostly just a dance worthy single of Wired, such as with the Industrial Stomp Remix on here. The remix actually sounds better than the original version on the album. The only downfall is that there are no standout mixes, it all is pretty much the same remix just edited versions of it. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Definitely a mix
I think this CD has got some great things going for it. If I had to pick, though, I'd say that I enjoyed half of the tracks on here.

It starts out great with Lust, which is one of my favorites on the album.
Ballroom Blitz is a super-catchy song...and though I haven't heard the original, I can see what influences Astralasia has had, and I love it.
Mouth Organ makes me want to kill myself.

Now, Walking in L.A. is one of my favorite songs on this album. I never heard the original, and this song blew me away with it's trippiness! It was crazy, and KMFDM sort of fuzzes the lyrics (they're hard to understand) so that it sounds like they're singing "Pooping in a Bed" instead of "Walking in L.A." Just listen to it and you'll see what I mean.

When it comes down to it, there's some fun songs on here, but there's also a lot of repetetive techno which gets on the nerves a little. I liked it, I'd buy it again. I'm not a fan of continuous mixes (listening at home, anyway) so I can't fairly judge the second disc.

Overall, it's worth the good songs on it.

craziness!
gotta buy it! its trippy, psychodelic, and out of this world! works best when on something ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Krackhead!!
This album rocks! If you have any interest for vintage industrial flavor , then this has got to be one of the first you pick up. This is s.m.g's 2nd album and is arguably the masterpeice album in the bands library.It has a very Bleak, creepy, hellish feeling to it. And with songs like "krackhead" "wired" "brother bomb" and "The Torture Technique" they make you wanna get up and a rob a bank. (Not that im trying to influence anybody lol) but the music is some of the best ive heard of all classic cyber-metal. Not to mention the spooky distorted samples that chris randall placed inbetween each song, check out the psycho sounds at the end of "negative" i bet you never heard anything like that before, (sounds kinda like an evil cyborg getting possessed and going haywire, or some kind of alien being mutilated or something?!) so all in all a must for industrial rock fans! Buy this cd, stay home one night, wait till about midnight or so, chill out in your room , put the album on and be tripped out all night!

Great sophomore album.
This album is decidedly better than Sins Of The Flesh, in my opinion. On this record, Chris started using slower, less dance-y beats, and concentrated on loud, industrial grooves.

Standout tracks: Salvation, Sacrifice, Negative, Wired (which is very reminiscent of some Front Line Assembly stuff I've heard), and Nothing.

Experimental Industrial at it's best!
In his second album, Chris Randall (frontman for Sister Machine Gun), shows us what he can do with his many electronic toys. In The Torture Technique he explores new sounds to add to the jazzed up industrial sound he created with the first album, Sins of the Flesh. And despite the other-worldness of the layers of feedback and distortion, Mr. Randall manages to weave them together with grinding guitars, angry vocals and powerful beats to make an uncommon thing: a catchy experimental album. Songs like Wired, Crackhead, Salvation and Sacrafice, which explore the subjects of deprevity, drug addiction and desperation, will be running through your head for weeks. This album is among my all time favorites and I definately recommend it to anyone who has a taste for the industrial side of music.

funky classic WaxTrax-style industrial at it's best
produced by the folks at Warzone, this album shares its sound and feel with Die Warzau's "Engine" (an excellent album itself). although this album isn't your typical SMG, it still stands strong as an excellent foray into more experimental and classic industrial styles. TTT features the accesible singles Wired (for which a video was made) and Nothing, in addition to danceable tracks like Krackhead and experimental noise pieces like Heaven. overall, an excellent album and one of my personal favorites. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Harboring the Need for Newness
Quite opposed to the marketing of singles for anything other than hyping utensils, I normally leave their consumption to other needy souls. Still, when I saw that VNV Nation would have a new album coming within a month of these releases and that the two Genesis singles had new tracks on them, I found myself unable to resist their pull. For a time it was a good thing on both fronts, too, because Genesis is a great VNV nation song and some of the mixes provided (on this on, there is a c92 version by VNV and the ivory frequency version), and now this one is still good because it has something extra entitled Left Behind.

Within FuturePerfect, there were quite a few songs that went beyond the typical VNV Nation sounds and approached some of the works with somber, more saddening, sounds. This was readily evident when one listened to Left Behind because of its lack of the EBM flow that normally accompanied VNV's works as it addressed the feelings of being left behind by everyone. Honestly, I find it to be haunting in its own right, though, sad to a point and very reflectant of the pull that Futureperfect has on at least one member of their audience; that of teary comprehension.

So, if you are a VNV Nation consumer already and are looking for something more to take into your homes, this works out well. Although it only has the four tracks herein, it still has something original and, above that, worthy of listening to.

Not their best effort to date
VNV writes some interesting lyrics, as always... but a terribly annoying sample otherwise mars this song and its remixes (which are surprisingly weak). Own if you must (fans), but listen and wait for the Futureperfect album to get the better songs from this release (Epicentre, Beloved, Electronaut). ... Read more

Amazon.com

Berzerker deal in a pestilent and unsubtle brand of sonic violence. Larynx-liquidating vocals disgorge lyrical gouts of graphic ghastliness with titles such as "Chronological Order of Putrefaction" and "Massacre." Their frenzied fretwork, tortured samples, and impossible tempos conspire to accelerate heart rates to the bursting point. With an insanely accentuated, ultraheavy brand of grindcore that's similar to the most savage works of Napalm Death and Carcass, Berzerker operate at the very limit of sonic brutality. --Ian Fortnam ... Read more

Reviews (10)

crazy industrial band
just to tell you ahead of time, not too many people are going to be able to handle this. especially if they're into that nu-metal [stuff] like slipknot, staind, etc..... this band is not comparable to slipknot as in this band is actually heavy. this album has a very misanthropical view which i think is awesome. the sampled drums are fierce and pounding. my favorites are "cannibal rights" and "chronological order of putrefaction". this is a rare gem to get your hands on, so if you do, don't let the opportunity to buy it pass you up.

Earache does it again!
In the spirit of extreme music, The Berzerker delivers. This album is so heavy, so nuts, so crazy awsome hard and heavy oh I love it poopie!

It is sort of an Industrial/Death Metal mix. They make making a bunch of noise sound good! The lyrics are great and the way they are sang is even better. The music is crazy and extremely heavey.

I bet when you buy this (because I know your going to) you will listen to it so much and sooooo loud you will make your ears bleed.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE ALBUM! THIS IS THE BEST ALBUM! EVERY SONG RULES! I RULE FOR BUYING IT! YOUR DUMB IF YOU DON'T!

Pretty killer Gabba-Techno/Grind/Death Metal band
I've been knowing about The Berzerker for a while now, and I can only judge there music on a few, but very enjoyable Mp3's. The Berzerker is a combo of gabba-style Techno drum beats, grinding old-school Death metal chords, Carcass-style vocals, and a big theatrical prescene. I refuse to compare this band to such other masked bands these days, simply for the fact that people will judge soley on that aspect. People...who really gives a flying ... about what kind of masks they wear? If the music is good, then you cannot complain. Of course I will say the masks give a much more darker, horrifying, misanthropic outlook on their music making it much more agressive and theatrical. One thing that struck me was the drumming. It's basically all programmed with techno beats. Roughly gabba (a more agressive form of Techno, for those who don't know), which adss a more cold, inhuman feeling. Not to mention it makes a much more cooler sounding sonic "thud" instead of the regular "boom". This band may not be considered the cream of the crop, but it's very enjoyable if you are looking for more agressive music. Overall, this a very good album. I would reccommend it to anybody who is looking for new refreshing agressive, extreme music.

Total hate against human being
The Berzerker take the misanthropical feelings in you to the extreme. Their low bass, fast guitars, industrial samples, intense drumming and heart-raping vocals create an atmosphere of rage and power. They use a drum machine that reminds me some of Mortician's best work, like in hacked up...
The Berzerker's lyrics have a straight misanthropical message that really makes listeners to think about many circumstances of human life that could be changed.
The fact that they wear masks does not mean they try to be like a slipknot-mushroomhead-mudvayne-etc-band, but it has a special meaning (in order to understand more, check their webpage); also, in my opinion they play a heavier, more violent music.
Buy it if you like extreme music and have enough intelligence to see more than what others see.

this has been seriously overhyped
it's not nearly as fast or as heavy as these reviews have implied. it's about average speed for a death/black/whatever metal band. cephalic carnage, meshuggah, SYL, and all them are heavier. faster bands would be some stuff by slayer, pig destroyer, etc... not that berzerker isn't heavy nor fast, they are. just not like what you'd expect judging from these reviews.

anyway... this band is really cool cuz i've been looking around for a good industrial/thrash/black metal hybrid sound with an emphasis on industrial. ultimately i'd like to find a really dynamic and epic black metal sound comprised wholly of industrial instruments and sounds. i imagine the resulting sound would be chaotic and really really noisy. so far, this is as close as i've come(though bomb20, mr. bungle, and merzbow somewhat satiate my need to hear fierce grating noise).

if you took fear factory, added shrieking and growling vocals, replaced the drummer with a drum machine, lots of well-placed samples, sped it up a bit, and added other 'industrial' machine noise, you'd get berzerker. the only problem i have with this album is that i think the lyrics could've been better, the guitars could've sounded more 'hectic'(think cephalic carnage, or cradle of filth's midian) and the constant double-bassing and grinding of the drum machine can sound a little stale. these are minor setbacks however, since the overall sound is pretty 'fresh', or at least it is to me. an interesting buy, but download first(try 'burnt') to be safe and make sure it's your thing. ... Read more

Album Description

Experience Lords of Acid anew! Due to overwhelmingrequests, the Lords Of Acid are proud to give birth to aseries of special instrumental editions of all your Lordsfavorites. Like hearing the music for the first time allover again!(Antler Subway) ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Fortunately, some bands get BETTER with subsequent releases.
This is actually the second release. The first is Jezabel Thirteen Three.

Jez 13:3 is out of print, but Disrepair can still be obtained from the band or the label for $12.00 or so if you can't find it on here.

Pretty cool sound overall, but they do much better work in later releases.

First LUXT CD, stellar debut for a fantastic band!!
Although their latest CD's are much better ('Chromasex Monkeydrive' and 'American Beast', this first recording is a must have for the LUXT fan. And believe me, if you like rock and you listen to LUXT, you will become a fan. They are like Kidneythieves meet Static-X; combining Anna Christine's original strong vocal talent with Erie's rough edged roar into a mix that no one else has been able to pull off successfully. They call their music "Cyber Voodoo Rock", which is accurate because they manage to fit into many molds. Rock,Metal,Thrash,Techno,Rob Zombie with female vocals; there just isn't a classification that they don't fit into. Quick summary of this CD:

1-THIS UGLY - Great beat on this one

2-MEGAPLEX - Good strong beat, more techno than This Ugly with a great display of Erie's vocals.

3-WORLD OF HURT - techno, heavy beat, Erie & Anna combining and showing just how well their talents blend.

4-HATE SONG - Slower, deeper, not one of my favorites.

5-NOT OF MY KIND - heavy bass, awesome dance beat, Anna gets rough, one of my favorites.

6-DEVIL'S ADVOCATE - Good bass and drums with a creepy undertone, great!

7-INTENT - My personal favorite on this CD. This one you will definately want to listen to the lyrics. "The world spins on till the twinges are gone. Unattached are the heart strings that held back my life so long. I'll apologize for the pain in your life, but you've got to get over it, Life goes on."

8-TURBULENCE - Decent, not one of their best. Keeps the beat up and lets Anna do a little screaming herself.

9-NOXXUL - One of my favorites! Fast heavy beat, wonderfully degenerate lyrics.

10-DARKER TIMES - Another of my favs, starts our slow and dark, then the chrous comes up with this anxiety infused, faster electronic rifts. Anna and Erie both sing solo vocals in this great tune with stunning lyrics. "Once these bloodless veins held life, words a thousand months. Now the wet light speaks to me, window glazing dark. The skeletons of faith, I draped with strips of guessing meat once. Clatter now and scratch the closet door as sleep drifts into spark." ...Cool!

11-LOCUST - Not one of the best tune wise, but interesting lyrics and of course great vocals.

12-TROLL - Fast, club-like beat, good one to dance to.

13-WINTER KILLS - Slow and creepy start, developing into a more movement orientated chorus, but could have been more. Not one of my favs.

14-DEVIL'S ADVOCATE [LO CORPS REMIX] - Devil's Advocate with stronger heavier drums, loosing the creepy undertone. Nice alternate version of this cool song.

Over all - FANTASTIC CD. There isn't a song on here I don't like, though I do have favorites.

Chromasex Monkeydrive is WAY better
Disrepair is allright, I mean its okay................ Its better than Razing Eden........... But i really recommend LUXT's Chromasex Monkeydrive....

oh yeah: like every Luxt song, Luxt's lyrics TOTALY RULE in this cd. Buy Disrepair if your a REAL Luxt fan.

a one line summary.......this is the best!!!!
I had just recently seen a live show with luxt i fell in love with the music right away and it isnt my "kinda" music, the sounds and mixing is extrordinary. i recommend buying this cd. ... Read more

Album Details

Long Awaited New Full Length from Kurt Harland & Information Society. Features Production Work from Steven Siebold of Hate Dept. ... Read more

Reviews (40)

More! More! Encore! Encore!
I've always been a fan of the synth-pop INSOC albums and major hit we all know, but when I heard this album for the first time a week ago (yeah, I know...it's been a while, but I've rediscovered much of my fave 80's/90's music), I was blown away! Radically different than his/their earlier works, I can't stop listening to it! Probably my first foray into dark/goth (sorry, but that's the truth), it blends together real well and stands on it's own as a major achievement for Kurt, whether he would agree or not. As another reviewer writes, if he would only release more, perhaps some of this stuff would be big! I'm left wanting MORE of this version of INSOC. Kurt, PLEEZE consider giving us more of your creativeness, INSOC or solo, it doesn't matter. Get yourself a website and/or get the INSOC.org site back up and give us an update as to what your current projects are! GREAT STUFF, dude! I'm definitely a fan regardless of what you release.

The greatest album ever made?
I eat,sleep,drink InSoc.I have had the great fortune of chatting with Kurt Harland on ICQ and his thoughts and philosophies really come through on this cd.Yeah it's darker than the others but hey notice how the previous three (four if you count the white & black album) had dark lyrics but upbeat music?Now there are dark lyrics and dark music but hey this is the real world cowboy.This cd pulls no punches in it's view of a world gone dysfunctional my fave tracks are "Closing In" the kick butt song of all kick butt songs,"Empty" we've all felt this way sometimes,"On The Outside" a good view of our society and "White Roses" whihc i posted the lyrics to on Excite forums when asked what song really got onto our emotions (after that i had people asking for copies).Good job Kurt you never fail to impress.

Why sap the soul of InSoc for this?
I was a big fan of the first 3 InSoc albums. They all showed a great creative progression and insight, and managed to incorporate fun, thought and skill into masterpieces. Kurt has been quoted that Don't Be Afraid was how he originally intended InSoc to sound. Why after establishing InSoc as everyone's favorite danceable synth show would he choose to abandon that reputation for this depressing collection? Why not just release it under his own name?

A nice change, but no follow-up???
So Information Society ended up after their third Tommy Boy album in the early 1990s with the same personality problems and record company blues that most New Wave bands found themselves dealing with. After a hiatus of five years, Kurt resurrected the Insoc name with a new album, 1997's darkwave "Don't Be Afraid". On this album are a few very, very strong songs rounded out by some that seem, well, a bit like filler.

The first track, "Empty", is a great introduction to the new InSoc sound. Within a perfect meld of 1990s darkwave and InSoc's very recognizable synth sequences, Kurt's voice sounds familiar but with much more intensity and emotion than we had last heard on "Peace And Love, Inc".

In my opinion, the 2nd track, "Closing In", is the best InSoc song that I have heard. The epic song has a *gulp* nearly 3-minute intro that morphs itself into one of the best "Metropolis Records"-style goth-industrial-dance tunes that I've ever heard. The darkness of the industrial atmosphere combined with an eerily-catchy minor-chord variation on InSoc's successful late-80s formula make this the stand-out track. This, especially in combination with "Empty", make the album worth the price.

The following 4 songs are a bit of filler, as well as the ending tracks, though "Ending World" has a great vocal line.

Remaining is Kurt's rendition of Gary Numan's "Are Friends Electric?", which I think blows away any other cover that I've heard of the same song. It's interesting to note that I hear inferior covers of this song on Numan tribute albums and have never seen the InSoc version on any of them. If InSoc had still been on a big label, this would've most assuredly been a successful single.

My biggest criticism of InSoc in the "Don't Be Afraid" world is that this, in a sense, is Kurt's debut solo album, and it was never followed up. At least, not yet, and it has been well over 6 years since this was released. I can understand throwing the towel in after not receiving much commercial success, but it seems like this work was a great step in the right direction. A fifth InSoc album would've assuredly been even better.

Despite what people may say...
Kurt Harland decided to be a little different with this album. These days, with people starting to get sick of the same old same old routine, Kurt decides to darken up a little bit. While this album does have its share of sour apples, there are a lot of excellent tracks on here. The stand out track on here, while it seems a little trippy, is Ozar Midrashim. For those that might not recognize the name, the theme is that for The Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver series. After his speech, just listen. The deep drum beats are almost tribal, and its flavor is a mix of new age, orchestra, and techno. Don't let other reviews discourage you from buying this album, because it IS a gem. Give it a shot. I'm sure you'd like this. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

hella good
This album has a few of my favorite tracks (3- Release, 7- Torn Within, 2- Out From In Me). I highly reccomend it for the generic-industrial fan.

excellent intelligent industrial - very polished
I listened to the entire Metropolis records roster of bands on their web site, and bought this, Gridlock, and halog_gen, as they seemed the most promising acts (I already own all the famous acts on Metropolis' roster)

Most industrial music is amateurish - mediocre production, annoying gargling vocals, and uninspired music. Pulse Legion is none of those things. The best comparison I can give is to Frontline Assembly's recent albums: varied music, melodies, GREAT GREAT vocoder effect on the singing (loved it, please do more vocoded singing), interesting arrangements.

The music is quite varied: some dark, slow, others more uptempo. But, this is definitely *intelligent* industrial -- it's not made for mindless dance floors, but for listening (there's a lot of texture in there). And unlike the genre, the music never gets purely noisy -- the occasional screeching Bathory-like vocals go along with the melody (though I prefer the more melodic singing, with the harsh, complex music).

Very nice analog synths, lots of filter sweep effects, and funky drumbeats.

Best in small doses
Pulse Legion is one of the finest of the "nameless" goth/industrial dance groups - meaning that, upon hearing them, you'll know you've heard them before on the dance floor, but you won't remember a single lyric or synth riff. The problem is that every song sounds very nearly the same - when you're first introduced to the throbbing, irresistable rhythm of this music, you'll want for it to succeed - and it does, if you listen to a single song. But as an entire work, it soon becomes extremely repetitive (one reason why they're a dance floor staple but the favorite group of almost no one). The one saving grace here is the beautiful reworking of Torn Within, featuring the beautiful vox of Amanda Jones. Their finest moment! Perhaps even enough to justify purchasing this otherwise lackluster-plus CD.

Far from novel, further from bad
I've had the pleasure of seeing Pulse Legion live on several occasions, and at a show (in fact) is where I obtained my copy of this album. It's good stuff. Altogether, good music. Not ground-breaking, not earth-shattering, but enjoyable. My appreciation is probably genre specific, I would guess you'd have to like highly distorted vocals on top of compelling music in straight 4. Good rhythmic and harmonic complexity, good lyrical content, good music. Though I am slightly dissappointed at the watered down album version of "Torn Within" but... for anybody who's hearing that track the first time, the album version is still strong, compelling, and enjoyable. BUY IT ... Read more

Reviews (2)

not bad selection of early material
This is not a bad selection of early material; If you like 'Pleasure of Penetration' and 'Solitary Confinement', then you'll probably like this compilation.
It begins with 'Antius' and 'Black Gold', two songs from the 'Object EP'; they sound as if they were songs from 'Solitary Confinement', and maybe better than the average, so you know what they sound like... quick beats, distorted and agressive vocals, apocalyptic lyrics, monotonous verses... there're quite good samples, mostly in 'Antius'

The third song sounds older, similar to some songs of 'Pleasure of Penetration'
'Steal' is a very quick-tempo song included in their 'Material EP', not bad but unoriginal. 'The Nature of God' is a 1-minute instrumental song which is interesting but obviously too short.There're some songs from 'Pleasure...' which are not bad, especially Khomeini, catchy and ironic.
'Nosecandy' is again from 'Object EP', and it's a song I like, one of the first songs i listened to from Leaether Strip.
All in all, it's a decent compilation of early material, even though it does not add anything new or interesting, so I'd advise you to buy the albums instead, because the albums are quite homogeneous, so if you like these songs you'll like the rest of the albums... in fact, some of the best songs of these early albums ('Body Machine Body', 'Leather Strip Part 2', 'Adrenalin Rush'...) are missing here...

harsh leætherstrip
fit for flogging is an excellant album, assuming you like leætherstrip. and assuming you dont, i sincerely doubt you will like this album, being its not as melodic as some of the others. regardless, i liked it, and thatsall that matters. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

A collection of the dance floor hits
This is a great release if your looking for a good collection of Skinny Puppy dance floor hits, it doesn't have all of them but its a great start if your new to Skinny Puppy.

If you are a goth/industrial dj and you don't own this then your club patrons are missing out! This is by no means the best Skinny Puppy cd out there but it is packed with tracks that will pack your floor. Not a bad song on this entire disc!

I highly recommend if you are new to Skinny Puppy and you enjoy this release to check them all out, these guys are one of the best industrial related bands out there, then and now!

A Mixed Bag
Once upon a time, I too was a huge fan of Skinny Puppy: I owned everything the group had recorded, up to and including the "Spasmolytic" 12-inch single on glorious blue vinyl. After "Spasmolytic," however, I began to lose interest, and eventually disposed of my entire collection. Today, when I saw the Singles Collect and B-Sides Collect CDs, I thought this would be a good opportunity to re-introduce myself to the dark genius of Cevin Key, Nivek Ogre, and D. Rudolph Goettel (RIP).

I wanted to like this CD, but to be honest, I found it a bit disappointing. Like Skinny Puppy's Twelve-Inch Anthology, the Singles Collect suffers from poor song selection. Its value to the listener will depend on whether you're a new fan or an old fan.

If you're a new Skinny Puppy fan, then this CD will probably rate five stars. Almost all of the group's best songs are included on this disc, from 1984's "Smothered Hope" to 1991's "Inquisition." Although this CD advertises itself as a singles collection, most of the tracks are taken right from the albums, which will allow you to choose which albums you want to buy and which ones to leave for later. If you like this disc, I would advise you to run, don't walk, to the record store and pick up the B-Sides Collect, which has an equally good selection of songs, most of which don't appear on any album.

If you're an old Skinny Puppy fan, on the other hand, this disc probably only rates one star. This is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a singles collection: as I mentioned above, it's more of a greatest hits package, with the songs taken from the albums, all of which you probably own; the only exceptions are "Testure," "Worlock," "Dig It," and "Inquisition." To make matters worse, "Dig It" appears, not in its LP/cassette version, which would have been OK, but in a mutilated "edited" version of the single: two thumbs down for whoever was responsible. Where are the "singles" that this disc is supposed to have? Where are the twelve-inch remixes of "Censor" and "Spasmolytic"? Where is "Chainsaw"? If you already know and love Skinny Puppy, then spend your money on the B-Sides Collect instead, which may fill some gaps in your collection.

And me? Well, I split the difference and give this three stars. If you want to rediscover Skinny Puppy, like I did, then you'll find a lot of your old friends here. Just be sure to pick up the B-Sides Collect and the Twelve-Inch Anthology, too.

Best of the Best
Ok look this CD is great for starting to get into SKinny Puppy It not not only some of the best songs they did but also you can see how the band progressed through the years and sort though and find the time that you can get other CD's from that era I personally like the rabbies album. But this is all around the best CD you can find for a broad spectrum of Skinny Puppy

Here's the skinny....
Who cares what's missing. This is a great collection of 15 remastered singles. If your looking for your first SP disc, this would be a good one. Skinny Puppy is more kin to Front 242 or early Thrill Kill Kult, than say NIN or Ministry. Yet different from them all. If you already have some SP, it's still cool to have this. I've had a few of their albums through the years, but if I only kept one, it would be this singles collection.

If you liked this, then buy the rest, DANGIT!!
alright...the tracks are all great...i don't know if i can agree with anyone who calls a song on here fillers, because the truth is this: they make their stuff and under the right *influences* you can see where their minds were when they made their music....some good songs that i wish were on here but weren't were nature's revenge, chainsaw, convulsion, mortar, death, tormentor...though i understand you can only put so much on a cd...

to get a decent grasp on what skinny puppy is, you have to listen to it a couple times, develop an opinion, then get *under the influence*, listen to it again...keep it on repeat, lol, and then change your opinion, because by then, you will say wow, and cry...they are a beautiful band....

one more thing...if you like killing game the most, then you are in the wrong genre...skinny puppy is happy, sad, funny, and frightening all at the same time....killing game is at most two of those and so i encourage everyone to seek what true beauty is...

take care ... Read more

Reviews (6)

classic leather strip, but a bit overestimated
I first listened to this album after enjoying the 'vegger' version of 'Adrenalin Rush': I loved that version.
Then the album kinda disappointed me. I already had 'Legacy...' and 'Rebirth', and loved them (more than I do today), and the songs in 'Solitary confinement' seemed to me a bit repetitive and stmes even boring. Its production is much better than in 'Pleasure of Penetration', but I prefer the latter: even it's poorly made, it has more variety and inspiration. I know many fans consider 'Solitary...' leather's masterpiece; now that I'm not the fan I used to be, I respect it. But it gets me on my nerves the lack of inspiration and variety this album displays; ok, many people always expects from a band to be the same: the same beats, the same vocal distortions, ... but, come on, don't you think that 'Rebirth of Agony' and 'Legacy of Love & Hate' displays much more "art"? My ideal albums are those which contain moments of noise and moments of silence, express feelings of agressiveness and also sweetness or melancholy... But with some exceptions, all the songs here express the same feelings and contains beats much too alike.
My favourite songs are 'Adrenalin rush', 'Nothing seen nothing done' or 'Evil speaks', but definitely, there're other bands such as Skinny Puppy or Mentallo & the Fixer or FLA which have evolved in a better way, without stagnation.

By far my most favorite cd by Leaether Strip
I Have a lot of leaether strip cd's I like all of them very much but this one by far takes the cake, and unlike one of the earlyer reviews i think that the sound clips were one of the best parts, they add a lot to the mistery of the music, Leaether Strip is one of the most tallented bands I have ever had the pleasue of falling in love with

clause will never let me down
this album is so incredible just enough rage to make you really feel what he is trying to get through.he will always he'll always be one of my fav's.

A great CD
Claus has managed to produce yet another great album, which should come as no surprise to most of his fans. His realism helps wake up ideas and decensitizes society. Maybe that is something that needs to be done. The music is dark and extremely danceable.

what Nine inch nails could've been.....
Claus Larsen is the best thing out there in a world overpopulated with bands that think that all they need is a guitar and a synthesizer in order to do right. He is a true artist with a voice that ranges from lush and velvety to the very necessary yelling snarl that signifies frustration and rage. His love of classical music is evident throughtout the album. One of the best purchases that you can make if you are even mildly into the dark/heavy music bit... ... Read more