Possibly the best Soilwork album to date, all thanks to the recording talent of Devin (Strapping Young Lad) Townsend. This Swedish band started out in 1995 under the name “Inferior Breed”, producing an album similar to the likes of Pantera and Machine Head. Currently, they have a new keyboardist, Sven Karlson, who is a little more diverse in his playing and effects, than the previous keyboard player. At the same time, the rest of
the band remains as technically proficient as ever. This album is only recommended to people who can deal with a high level of intensity. No wimps allowed. – Brooke Chaisson
Category: Album Reviews
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Soilwork – Natural Born Chaos
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The Cruxshadows – Tears
It took me about five seconds to fall in love with this CD.
Here’s the break down for you
Track One: Tears
I really enjoyed the synth work on this, and the voice of Rouge is very pleasant. As well, the chorus is very uplifting. You’ll love it right off the bat (if at all) and it will continue to grow on you with every listen. Very goth-electro, very cool
Track Two: Tears (Apoptygma Berzerk re-mix)
There are still vomit stains on my carpet from when I heard samples of APB’s Harmonizer. Lucky for The Cruxshadows, APB pulled off a decent remix of Tears. It has the typical progressive layered build up for the first two minutes and the super synthy overdose we have come to expect from APB, but I didn’t add any more stains to my
carpet, so it must have been good.Track Three: Within
My personal favorite. As with the original version of Tears,
the beat is catchy and Rouge’s voice is soft and follows the
synth in perfect sync. This is a fantastic choice for DJ’s –
easily danceable. By now on the CD I notice that the lyrics
on this CD are very spiritual and very metaphorical, more so
than most lyrics I pay attention to. The violins in this track are a nice touch, they follow you throughout the song but just under the level of being noticed, at least at firstTrack Four: Tears (Robbie Tronco/Knobhead remix)
This begins with violins, the violins stop and synth replaces it. Then the violins decide to play along, and somehow the total effect gives a very Egyptian feel. This is my favorite remix of Tears – I’ve always been a sucker
for a violin.Track Five: Jabberwocky
Jabberwocky, which means basically gibberish, starts out with some thunder and a narrative from our man Rouge, and some creepy gothy sounds. I didn’t enjoy this track a lot, but still enjoyed it, I suppose I am a bit partial to Tears on this CD, but that’s just me. If anything this track is creative, but also very short, just under three minutes.
Track Six: Tears (Fictional remix)
Rouges vocals are teched in this track, some will like it, some wont. The synth beat gives off the same aura that APB’s remix did – good, but generic.
Track Seven: Heaven’s Gaze (acoustic tears edit)
I am indifferent to this, it’s definitely different from all the
others, mainly for it’s lack of synth. It’s goth, its got
pianos, and hard to hate. Wait, I changed my mind, the
chorus just came on, I like it! Yes, because of the violins.
Bonus CD Video Track: Tears Recorded Live (Artifact
Tour 2001 , Philadelphia, PA)
This was fun to watch, Rouge’s vocals were pretty good, and he wears one of those head set deals, which allows him to roam about on stage, and even off stage, he actually walked into the audience during the song, I found that very cool. -
Lacuna Coil – Unleashed Memories
This is the fourth and latest release from this Italian
sextet, consisting of fifteen tracks, including five bonus
tracks from their Halflife EP.
Overall, this band is about as progressive as Nightwish
of Finland, but not as intense. At the same time, they’re
not as lame and boring as The Gathering either.
Lyrically, the album can range from being well put
together, to semi-intelligent, to exceptionally dull.
According to Century Media Record’s bio of the band,
they have an ability “To lure the listener into a
thunderously dark and passionate landscape of
soulfulness.” It’s a cheesy phrase, but I’ll actually admit
that a number of tracks, (i.e.: Tracks 1, 4, and 10) have
done so for me, while some others were just typical
boring goth-metal. – Brooke Chaisson -
Fracture – Killernet
My first introduction to Fracture was their single Terror Eyes
featured on Off Seat’s [CLASS IX] compilation. Now, Terror
Eyes took me somewhat by surprise. The track takes about
half the song to build up to full momentum and new and
modified layers are constantly being initiated. My surprise?
It worked beautifully. Despite its sluggishly progressive
timeline, there is nothing sluggish about the material and its
toothiness remains a constant throughout.
So, on to hazarding the originating album. Killernet does not
seem to disappoint. It is a curiously diverse album in that
Fracture did not attempt to duplicate the sound of Terror
Eyes in any other track. I could rant for hours regarding the
hideous redundancy that occurs in so many projects –
sometimes it works, sometimes not. The absence of
redundancy in this project, however, has proven to be a
brilliant stroke. The unvarying quality throughout is welcome
as a constant and I am pleased to find that each track did
offer a comparable level of sophistication and layered
exploration.
Let me explain a little by what I mean when I refer to this
album as being ‘diverse’. Fortunately enough, the vocals
(male) also go in stride with each track’s mood – usually
under a consistent distortion: not too hot, not too cold – just
right.
Soak this album up. Their only other release, Hell is a real
pain to get a hold of. Hell is actually a concoction derived
from Killernet so don’t be too disappointed if it is nowhere to
be found. As for new upcoming material, who knows. But if
this is the only real album Fracture releases, better leave it
at that rather than with a follow up that may never exceed
the expectations put fourth by Killernet – Sarah Cassady -
Econocon – Business Solutions For The Active Terrorist
Straight from the boys of MZ.412 comes Econocon.
Don’t expect the MZ.412 flavour in its purest form, no,
no. Expect harsh electric power noise and harsh vocals
to match. Some interesting material here … not all of it
portrayed with the greatest of tact but definitely some
high points (thank you Old Europa Cafe!). The lack of
tact comes in when the noise element actually becomes
unbearable according to your eardrums and not
necessarily to your taste. Other than that, the material is
arranged in a most reasonable manner and almost
comes across as ‘coordinated experimental’ at times.
There is some variation in tempo, sound, and even style.
And I don’t lie when I say that the vocals are well-suited-very in-your-face with lyrics that give the bird by
themselves. Honestly, I cannot think of another noise
project that melds the vocals so well! If you want to take
a chance, and feel kind of angsty, Econocon seems to
be a good direction to head in. – Sarah Cassady -
Collide – Beneath the Skin
Release Date: 1996
Genre: Gothic Electronic
Similar Artist(s): Diva Destruction
Band Members: kaRIN, Statik
Instruments Used: Synth, Vocals (female)The album begins with a powerful, knock you off your ass, wanna play this while drag racing song called Violet’s Dance. I conjure up indescribable images of power and electricity when this song plays upon my ears. “Violet’s Dance is the feeling of my own perspective of life,” says kaRIN, singer/songwriter of Collide. “I have always been able to see my life from the inside as well as objectively from the outside as an observer, so that I am both passenger and driver…ride…restless violet’s dancing.”
This is Collide’s first album, released back in 1996 with an already formed personality, where most bands don’t really find themselves till their second or third album, this California-based dynamic duo come across as if they have been playing for decades.
The most memorable tracks besides Violet’s Dance are Pandora’s Box which kaRIN says “conveys the emotion of knowing something is bad or harmful to you, but wanting it anyway.” and Dreams and Illusions was the first song kaRIN and Statik (who does all the wonderful “noise”) did together “. . . before there was a Collide, or even the thought of starting a band together.” kaRIN explains. “It’s the feeling of wanting something that you can’t attain.”
Beneath the Skin is a nearly flawless album which is a phenomenal achievement for a first release. The song speaks of sorrow, need, passion, enchantment and power. it will pluck at the strings in your heart and will keep your mind scanning images of your own past. “The basic theme of anything I do artistically is a subconscious flow of what’s going on in my life.” kaRIN tells me. “I like to channel through vocals and words… a diary of sorts, pin pointing my thoughts and emotions. A lot of what I was actually going though at the time was the sickness of someone really close to me.”
Be sure and check out Collide’s Official Website and the all new Club Collide now with over 60 members, chat will other fans of Collide and the band members themselves! – Azriel J. Knight
Review Originally Published in 2001
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Tapping the Vein – Undone
Release Date: 2000
Genre: Goth Rock
Similar Artist(s): Garbage, Stabbing Westward
Members: Heather Thompson, Eric Fisher, Joe Rolland, Mark Burkett
Instruments Used: Female Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Drums, SynthesizerHorror Online Magazine stated Vocalist Heather Thompson combines the intensity of The Sugarcubes, Bjork with the discipline of The Cocteau Twins’ Elizabeth Frazier. Thompson’s voice also has a quality which neither Bjork nor Frazier can claim: the capacity to fly from one emotional and auricular extreme to another in one second flat – believably and without strain.
I couldn’t have put it better myself. Tapping the Vein’s “Undone” combines a near perfect mixture of the classic euphony, basic instruments (guitar, bass, drums) with just the right dosage of programming and sampling from Drummer Eric Fisher who was also the man who decided to come up with the band name “Tapping the Vein” because of his appreciation for Clive Barker.
This 6 song EP is more than enough to attract to attention. A hard rock feel that has also attracted some attention to the goth scene for it’s tragic theme. Each song has it’s own creative life to it, with a song like crushing, it begins with an acoustic guitar and her voice, it seems to come from a distant radio, and suddenly the static and distance clears and the other instruments kick in with a pinch of Spanish flavor which may have been done on purpose, no idea, but great none the less. The album starts off with some synth guitar sounding deal that is difficult to describe and almost immediately after the drums come into play but this “sound” always remains and it sticks in your head. Song after song, a steady beat with a catchy chorus.
This is Tapping the vein’s second EP release and a full length album under the Nuclear Blast record label on the way, this alone is indication enough of the talent of the band. Being under the same label as bands like Theatre of Tragedy, Dimmu Borgir, and Children of Bodom should give them the recognition they need and deserve – Azriel J. Knight
Review Originally Published in 2001
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Goliath – Land of Nod
Release Date: 2000
Genere: Dark Metal
Similar Artist(s): Danzig
Members: Mick aka “Goliath”
Instruments Used: Synthesizer, Male Vocals, Keyboard, GuitarIf you’re looking for a CD where every song sounds exactly like the last this is the one for you. I really hate giving bad reviews but I was not impressed with this album. When I interviewed Mick a few months ago I had only heard 2 tracks off of Land of Nod and I was really impressed with his work, what I was unaware of was that after track 2 it all goes downhill, like someone set up the CD in such a way so the music got progressively worse as you listened.
The sound is flat, reminds me of listening to someone play it for me over the phone and nearly no time was spent in the lyrics. Mick himself stated, “I just write and not really think too much about the concept…it does have to be dark…. I am more into the music giving someone a vibe…lyrics are just filler for me…I write about God, Satan, demons, death, vampires etc…. But usually only spend about an hour working on them” This defiantly shows up in his work, and it’s unfortunate for those of us who listen to the words to help in meaning for the music.
Recently Mick has gone back to the name Midnight Orchestra, which is what he previously called his group when he was a christian band, hopping back and forth from one name to another doesn’t say much either.
If you’re into buying CD’s just for one or two tracks this may be perfect for you, otherwise I wouldn’t bother.I do however see potential, but that’s all I see. – Azriel J. Knight
Review originally published in 2001
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Silent Watcher of Dark Matter: Installation
Release Date: 2000
Genre: Dark Ambient/Ambient/Dark Post-Industrial
Similar Artist(s): Raison D’etre, Lustmord, Rapoon.
Band Members: myt
Instruments Used: synthesizers, bass, flute, bells, gongs.Absolutely Haunting. Myt, the creator of this music has managed to find a way to take thoughts, emotions and transfer them into sound. The music will force you to conjure up images, smells, thoughts, nightmares, and whatever else you brain will find conceivable. Never have I heard Synths used in such a manner. The first track, Bipolar Outflow(1) plays out like the beginning of a story, the chimes sound as a warning to the listener it seems.
There is a definite sign of experimental highlights in the form and sound produced by myt. Not the kind of music to play at a dance club party, but defiantly the perfect choice for meditation, relaxing alone, or for a candle lit night with a loved one. track three, Sandstorm begins with a slow rhythmic heartbeat and what sounds like a moaning of spirits but turns out to be the distant blowing of a sandstorm. bells slowly come into play and the moaning of the storm continues.
The CD ends with a track called Surface, 21 minutes, which begins with a low hum of synth and what sounds like droplets of water echoing off the walls of a large chasm
This is a 6 track D.A.M. CD which is available threw mp3.com and defiantly well worth it if your looking for something to relax you, memorize your mind and set you into a comatose meditative state. – Azriel J. KnightReview Originally Published in 2001
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Dark Throne – Plaguewielder
The thing I love about this band is that you always pretty
much know what you’re getting into, brutally raw in your
face black metal. Their latest release, Plaguewielder, is no
exception to this rule, delivering exactly what you’d
expect. The production is a little better than usual, with the
drumming a lot clearer and technically executed. These
guys really know how to deliver a down and dirty black n’
roll groove. You could almost say this is beer drinking
music. My favorite song has got to be “Sin Origin”,
sounding a lot like Bathory in a beer swilling stupor with
the lyric, “entertaining Satan on an wet electric stage”.
Yah man, cheers to that. This stuff is great! So break out
a six pack and throw on Plagueweilder. – Greg Manz
