Dark Requiem Music Reviews

Reviews

Monday, June 25, 2007

KMFDM - Hau Ruck 3/5



KMFDM, the pioneers of Industrial Rock are back with their 15th album to date Hau Ruck(roughly translated in German as "Heave Ho"). After 21 years of pounding dance beats, shredding guitars and lyrics that rock the anti-establishment KMFDM have stuck to what they are and their experience shows in this self produced album.

Hau Ruck, begins with the fist pumping, boot stomping anthem "Free Your Hate", a rousing chant against fascism, urging you to break the chains that bind you and rise up against the state that wants you to be ruled by the status quo. The aggressive guitars and Lucia's angry vocals work well in building morale in this war against control. The title track "Hau Ruck" follows behind with air raid sirens and Sascha K's robotic vocals grinding away behind steady guitar riffs.

"Your No Good", to me is an interesting track that goes from down tempo Industrial Reggae to Thrash Punk. Lucia's vocals are showcased in well effect in this track. The synth solo in the breakdown is minimalistic and catchy, and KMFDM's guitarists show of their talents with a highly skilled guitar solo following that. This song has a wide range of styles that display each members talent in the band. The heavy synth ridden Industrial beats and crunchy riffs return in "New American Century", a warning against Big Brother and America's Surveillance Society. KMFDM as always shows their disdain for the lack of freedom given to Americans and urges you to fight against control.

"Real Thing", is a synth pop/rock song fronted by Lucia's beautiful vocals. Probably the least KMFDM-esque song this catchy Alternative song could easily be a single as any audience could enjoy it. A German monologue begins "Every Day's A Good Day", which leads into a steady yet thrashy Industrial Punk song. "Every Day's a Good Day to Die/Fucka, Fucka, Die, Mutha Fucka, Bye Bye" shouts Sascha in this angry revenge song. "Mini Mini Mini", is a rocking metal song sung in German, or French (or a combination of both). It is both heavy and catchy and one of the best tracks on the album.

"Professional Killer", is a traditional EBM song with a vintage drum machine beat and and filtered synths. Over this is the traditional brand of KMFDM style guitar riffs and Lucia's powerful vocals. This song obviously goes backs to KMFDM's roots and sounds reminiscent of older songs like "Godlike","Juke Joint Jezebel", and "Ultra". "Feed Our Fame" is a self mocking rocking song, that pokes fun at how no matter what a band does it only serves to make them more popular because nothing else matters in our consumerist society.

The Synth based "Ready to Blow" is a dark song, which describes the feelings of someone brought so low that they have made up their mind to end their life. "Static in my head/Lines blur red/Got my mind made up/And my trigger finger ready to blow/Finger on the trigger I'm the barrel of a gun" during the chorus, shows the desperation that show during the final moments of their life. "Auf Wiederseh'n" is a fitting name for the final track of Hau Ruck as it is the German expression for good bye. This German anthem is catchy and heavy, full of guitars, synths and even a synthetic horn section.

Hau Ruck is a well made Industrial Rock album, and while purists might not find it that extraordinary compared to KMFDM's wise catalog of albums available, it does show off their talents in good form. For the new listener however you will find a lot of solid and catchy songs full of pounding dance beats and heavy metal riffs

Review by Requiem

Official KMFDM website


¶ 5:09 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Tribal Machine - Soldiers In A War of The Mind 4/5



Always eager to support bands local and close enough, I received Tribal Machine, Soldiers In a War of the Mind, in the mail today and gave it a try. Not knowing what to expect I was surprised by this Industrial Rock outfit from Victoria, BC. Never before have I heard a blend of traditional Industrial edge with elements of Progressive Rock, Folk Music and even a little ethnicity. Many influences came to mind such as Pink Floyd, Nine Inch Nails, or Delirium but that soon proved futile by the originality of this album. Tribal Machine is the collaborative vision of Sever Bronny(Vocals/Programming), Brian "Meta" Hartlen(Guitars), and Brad Wutke(Bass). Soldiers In a War of the Mind, is Tribal Machines second album and was released in 2006.

The album starts off with relentless synth and heavy guitar riffs in "When the Walls Start to Slide". When you expect it to continue on the mood changes completely to a haunting acoustic gypsy feel . The vocals tell a psychedelic tale, that destroy the barrier between what is and what isn't real. The production and synth work is very impressive on this track and feels like a trip from start to finish. "Oversold the World" is a satirical mockery of conformity in our culture, primarily in how we breed children to be another cog in the machine (perhaps "Another brick in the wall" is more appropriate). The Organ present throughout most of the song presents a happy tone, to the pounding beat that suggests that we all march along to the beat of the drum, ignorant in our bliss.

"Sand of History" brings back the rock and continues the march, all fists in the air. The lyrical content suggests one's frustration with conformity and the constant bombardment of information and advertisements that only serve to cause one to be nothing more than a consumer instead of adding to society. "Black Fly", one of my personal highlights, is a catchy dance rock song that has the sing a long quality of Classic Rock anthems.

"Down the Rabbit Hole", is a brief respite from the fury, with a powerful distorted piano ballad interlaced with the circuitry of a machine that is about to fall apart. The combination of beauty and and destruction is more than enough to even make Trent Reznor envious. The title track "Soldiers in a War of a Mind", is a Electro Rock hit that does the album justice. The crunchy guitar riffs over the distorted dance beats lead well into the synth bass and sequences that create a solid foundation. This melts into a psychedelic breakdown that just might cause acid flashbacks.

"If You Listen Hard" follows with a down tempo Post Punk/Alternative song that reminded me of some kind of dark Joy Division song. It's message is positive, basically urging people to find confidence in themselves by listening to that little voice in their head in order to enjoy life until it's very end. "Pheromone" is some kind of folky love song which to me describes the passion and intensity of certain relationships that can cause you do things you will always remember or regret. The song is full of skilled guitar work and melodies that leave a positive feeling despite the raw and aggressive lyrics. "Momma Come Bury Me", begins with a synthetic string section that leaps into a bouncy synth and guitar riff. The song is short and sweet, with only a few words to gather meaning.

"One More Time", is another bouncy organ song that brought back images of my childhood, listening to my parents play The Talking Heads over and over. The lyrics give life to the energy TV gives off and how it affects the society that has become slaves to it. I really enjoyed this song with it's catchy riffs and lyrics. This fades out into "Why", a dark song full of eerie chanting and tribal drums that answers Why? with "The Question is the Answer". The album ends with one final ballad called "A Moment", which is once again haunting and pretty at the same time. I believe this song is about stopping for a moment to see what message we are giving to those who will affect our future. If we don't focus on our actions for just a moment there is no telling just how many moments there will be left to focus on.

After listening to the 12 tracks of Tribal Machine, Soldiers in a War of the Mind, I was impressed by it's excellent production and musicianship and it's strong and poignant lyrics. Well aggressive at points the album left me with a good feeling due it's strong and positive message that urge everyone to break free of their chains and expand their mind before it's too late. I do recommend everyone to check this band out.

Review by Requiem

Official Tribal Machine Website

Tribal Machine Myspace








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Monday, June 18, 2007

The Last Dance - Once Beautiful 5/5




This Gothic trio from sunny California consists of: Vocalist: Jeff Diehm, Guitarist: Rick Joyce and bassist: Peter J. Gorritz. "Once beautiful" was released in late 2005 but this album is their latest full-length CD. The newest album which consists of remixes is called "Now and forever after" and which I have yet have to purchase was released in November of 2006. Managed by Dancing Ferret(one of my personal favorites), a dark music record label whose other artists include such bands as Angelspit and The Cruxshadows.

This band has remained one of my favorites over the years because they have
always put so much passion and dedication into their words and music. The lyrics are heartbreaking and deeply poetic segments about love, despair and loss, either with yourself or with your significant other. Jeff Diehm has a highly versatile voice, from dark and gloomy to rocky and downright creepy, never failing to capture your attention.

Some of my favourite and most memorable tracks from this album include:

Distantly- a hauntingly beautiful song about loving someone from afar, an experience that we have all suffered through...
"When you see me standing far/When you think I don't believe/My eyes when I see you smile/As I love you always/Distantly/Romantically/Secretly"

Once Beautiful- mixed with some synth-pop and rock, this single is easier to dance to then the previous track, but just as emotional and well written...
"Make me beautiful again/and feel like i am special still/ and remind me how to smile/ and feel like diamonds/ whisper in my ear as I disappear/Once beautiful"

December- a slow and sad love song about the end of a beautiful relationship...
"And when your special/ And change the world/ Remember me and the day/I said
goodbye my love/Remember when you smiled/And became alive/For the first time, for the first time"

Wish me closer- featuring guest vocals by Tina Root(formerly of Switchblade
Symphony and now Tre Lux), this song is probably the most Gothiest of all and my favourite from the album. The lyrics are passionate words about wanting someone and all the routes you are willing to take to make that person yours. Tina's voice adds an almost creepy and witchy essence to the already powerful song...
"Break me/Hate me/Make me want you/Hurt me/Tease Me/Make me love
you/Wish me closer/Wish me to your end"

Special little Gift- one of the few darker and angrier songs, Jeff Diehm sings about being betrayed by the one person he loved for another man...
"Does he look like me/Does he seem familiar/Does he act like me/Or does he even know/The things I did to you/To win you over/Does he say the things/That make you feel a special little gift"

Become Forever- few songs have made me cry but this soaring ballad came pretty close...
"Everything I know/And I hate to know without you/With everything I am/With everything we were/Everything I've become/Everything I am/Everything I miss/It's you most of all"

The Last Dance sings about those things we feel but often fail to put into words. "Once Beautiful" gave me shivers, made me feel like sitting in a dark candle-lit room, and do the occasional cobweb dance in the corner. Most of all, it made me thankful that real artists like these still exist.

Review by Bellatrix

Official Last Dance Website

The Last Dance Myspace Site

¶ 8:46 PM 0 comments

Friday, June 15, 2007

The Cruxshadows - Dreamcypher 4/5




The Cruxshadows are back with their newest album "Dreamcypher", a melodic blend of dark electronics, gentle violin and poetic words that inspire both hope and sadness. While mainly unknown and independent in their native North America, The Cruxshadows are one of Europe's most popular Darkwave bands, with their singles knocking pop giants like Madonna and Christina Aguileria off the charts. Throughout this fame, The Cruxshadows never hesitate to meet and greet their fans and their interactive and powerful live shows.

Following a trend with their album "Pygmalion's Dream" serves as an introduction to the album, with pounding bass and drum build up and Rogue's deep and playful voice welcomes you to the musical journey you are about to embark upon. "Windbreaker" is Dreamcypher'sfirst dance song, with sweeping pads and rhythm guitar to back up the beat. Rogue's vocals are strong as always as he laments lost love in the coming storm.

"Sophia" is the first single off the album and is one of the most powerful. Bass and dark piano start off the song where a woman proclaims "The Human Animal is a beautiful and terrible creature, capable of limitless compassion and unfathomable cruelty" in a computer generated voice. Rogue picks up with his deep haunting voice that explodes into a heavy guitar driven verse accented by the violin. The song never never loses it's momentum and carries into "Defender". Another strong melodic dance track with an epic chorus. Rogue sings a story about hope and faith as he stands on guard to wait for his lost love despite others attempts to discourage him.

"Perfect" is a beautiful song that follows The Cruxshadows formula of Dark love songs, this one in particular is about how Rogue is still in love with a woman who does not love herself the same. "I don't think you know that I believe in you, I don't think you understand how much I love you still, I don't think you realize that you are perfect in my eyes, I don't think you know that I believe in you...." proclaims the chorus and his desperation sinks in deeply.

"Elissa", is yet another dancy love song and by now you begin to sense a pattern to Dreamcypher, I'm not complaining however as this song feature female vocals which harmonizes perfectly with Rogues own. "Eye of the Storm" is a Gothic ballad which showcases Rachel McDonnell's brilliant Violin work. "Ariadne", is a catchy electro & guitar based song with a hint of EBM, with it's hard synth bass. That changes into another epic chorus which The Cruxshadows are typically known for.

Acoustic bass, piano and violin create a brooding feeling with "Sleepwalking", which is peppered with DJ scratching and effects. This overall effect gives the track a strong presence as it builds up to an anti climatic end. "Solus" once again features The Cruxshadows' dancers on background vocals which make a normally unremarkable track noticeable.

"Dido's Reply" offers a brief intermission with a heartbeat and a female speaking in a sea of echo and delay. A beautiful synth and piano ballad continues on from this with the strong and heavy heartbeat driving this sorrow filled song. "Memorare", sings Rogue with pain and regret as time ticks on like a heart beating until it's inevitable end.

"Birthday", is a hopefull song that captures the essence of Carpe Diem, as the lyrics urge you to live everyday like it's your last as each birthday is just one more year until you die. The final dance track of the album is probably one of the most memorable as it leaves you inspired to be and do whatever is necessary to fulfill your purpose in life. The final track, titled "Kisses 3" is a final piano ballad which serves as a backdrop for Rogue's poetry.

Dreamcypher is an excellent followup to 2003's Ethernaut and while it tends to be somewhat formulaic, it is what The Cruxshadows do best and why change what your good at? No other band can channel such emotions as pain, love, hope, regret and faith over a strong dance beat as well and I will always be eager for more

Review by Requiem

The Cruxshadows Home Page

Cruxhadows Myspace

¶ 7:07 PM 0 comments

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Dir En Grey, The Marrow of a Bone 3/5



I love you Dir En Grey, I love you a lot but you've been hanging around with the wrong crowd. Sure the Deftones might seem popular but they are a bad influence, and it's starting to show in your music. Even your fans in Japan are starting to notice. Yes I know there's a lot of pressure to fit in now that your in high school, but you can't give up what you do best.

Dir En Grey's newest release "The Marrow of a Bone" is a follow up of their excellent album "Withering to Death" and signifies their breakthrough into the American Hardcore scene. Dir En Grey has evolved drastically from their dark jrock songs and flamboyant costumes from "Gauze" and their bloody shock rock albums "Macabre", "Kisou" & "Vulgar". During the height of that Period Dir En Grey's lead singer was heralded as Japan's own Marilyn Manson, though he denied any resemblance to the fact. Now Dir en Grey return as an aggressive hardcore band ready to take on the world.

"Marrow of a Bone" opens with a dark, creepy and piano laden song named "Conceived Sorrow" which serves to show you their excellent musicianship. Kyo's haunting vocals give you the essence of his sorrow and the emotion wailing from his dark heart. The metal riffage ensues with "Lie Buried with a Vengeance", a thrashing example of the band's harsh aggression. One thing Dir En Grey can accomplish is how to make heavy music that rivals any American band.

"The Fatal Believer" is another heavy track, however Kyo shows off his ability to croon with pitch perfect precision and spout throat damaging screams. Toshiya shows off his mastery of the bass during this song which makes me sad since he hardly gets to show it off anymore compared to earlier albums. "Agitated Screams of Maggots" might cause confusion since maggots don't scream, but if they did they'd probably sound like Kyo. This song is chaotic and would probably cause headaches to even the most diligent listener.

"Grief" is yet another thrashy screamo song which is a shame since Dir En Grey is capable of much more. But it's nice to know that Kyo learned how to say "Fuck you" which he proudly proclaims a number of time during this song. His vocal insanity jumps around madly and his shrieks would even make Cradle of Filth Jealous. "Ryojuku No Ame", brings the album right back on track however with a very Dir en Grey like song, of rock, metal and funk. Kyo is a much better vocalist when he actually sings Japanese rather than screaming a language he barely understands.

"Disabled Complexes", is one of my favorite songs on the album, which is a psychedelic funk rock song. The band shows that they are capable of blending jazz chords and syncopated rhythms with Power chords and growling. Kyo sounds like a psychopath with moments of whispers, childish voices, crooning and screaming. The outro kind of makes you chuckle when Kyo shouts Psycho Killer over and over like an 80s metal band.

"Rotting Root" brings back the heavy with a RATM inspired riff based metal song. It is repetitive but like most Dir En Grey songs, it showcases Kyos chaotic vocal range. "Namamekashiki Ansoku, Tomadoi ni Hohoem" is a softer song reminiscent of Withering to Death's "The Final" which like every Dir En Grey ballad, sours with epic scope and talent. It takes awhile to get used to Japanese singing but once you get over that you can begin to appreciate how beautiful and emotional the language can be.

"The Pledge" continues that style with another slow song full of reverbed and wahed guitars. Yet another epic song, showing just what Dir En Grey is made of. "Repition of Hatred" is just that, another repetitive metal song overcome with drop tuned riffs and screams. It is however another good example of Dir En Grey's creepiness and anger. "The Deeper Vileness" carries on the trend with another powerful hit, but not much different than any of the other harder songs on this album.

The album finishes off with the single "Clever Sleazoid" which is probably my favorite song on the disc. The lyrics are clever and make no sense at the same time. "...I'm gunna spill my guts on you""The dark Sunday the blood stains" and my favorite lyric"One will fuck you parents" Yes it makes no sense but its a threat no less. "The Marrow of a Bone" is a pretty good album if you like hardcore music but it doesn't surpass anything the band has done before. I recommend you listen to their previous albums before buying this album in order to have a better idea of what they are capable of.

Review by Requiem

¶ 9:24 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

:Wumpscut: Body Census 2/5



Wumpscut, known for such dance floor classics such as "Soylent Green", "War", "Christfuck", "Wreath of Barbs", etc. has just released "Body Census" marking 16 years of the finest endzeit electro from Germany. Well Wumpscut does in fact make some fine songs their albums however could use some work. Only a couple of songs on this effort live up to any of their previous singles.

Body Census, opens up with "The Beast Sleeps Within You" which is kind of an epic build up to nowhere. The Gregorian chanting is a nice touch but the synths will lull you into a trance that you will cease to notice them. After 4 minutes you have become bored with the endless verse and chorus. "Remember One Thing" is an improvement with its catchy synth line that is almost pretty if it wasn't for the distorted vocals that fail to contrast well with the melodies.

The next song picks up the pace with a distorted synth melody over a stomping beat. The vocals work in this song and possess some strong points by backing up the main melody while chanting the titles song "We Believe, We Believe" during the chorus. As most Wumpscut songs this soon becomes repetitive after hearing We Believe for the 800th time in a row.

The bass line kicks in to herald "Ain't That Hungry Yet". Yet Again we are met by distorted vocals over harsh 4/4 beats, choirs and sequenced synth lines, however there is no momentum to carry this further than to fill space before the first good song on the album. "You Are A Goth(ELCom2)" is a witty anthem for the Goths. Whether you are or not by the end of this song you will know that you and I are goth.

"My Dear Ghoul" is a dark & Gothic song with distorted harpsichord arpeggios over fast dance beats. This song could be fun to dance with but it too suffers from being too repetitive. The crazy zombie screeching during the interlude is a nice touch however because by then I wish I was having my brains devoured.

"Hide and Seek" is a trancey slower instrumental, and to test to see if it wasn't repetitive I fast forwarded every 20 seconds or so and it still sounded the same but maybe with some more spooky effects. Some movie samples at the end of the song woke me up from my slumber just in time for "Homo Gotikus Industrialis". I looked this up in the dictionary and saw my friend Steve (He's got big buckle boots and a Skinny Puppy shirt). This song has potential to be almost as good as "You Are A Goth" but it isn't.

The title track "Body Census" isn't that bad. The vocals flow well over the minimalistic beat and dark textures. The song however is not strong enough to carry the album, however "Adonai, My Lord" turns out to be a catchy dance floor song. The main melody reminds me of one of the theme songs for Art Bell's radio show, I forget what it's called but whatever. Anyways you will find yourself chanting for your lord Adonai (which happens to be Hebrew for "My Lord") by the end of this song.

The song ends with "The Fall" which surprised me by actually being really awesome. After the harsh distorted repetition present throughout this album, you will find a breath of fresh air with the female vocals offering a nihilistic view of nothingness and oblivion. Overall this album is quite repetitive and boring and it's only selling point is the tongue in cheek look on goth culture and the final track on the album.

Review by Requiem

Official Wumpscut Site

Wumpscut Wiki

¶ 7:32 PM 0 comments

Thursday, June 7, 2007

Nine Inch Nails - Year Zero 4/5




It is the future. Everyone is made docile by drugs in the water. You either worship the right god or you are off to jail. The Department of Morality tells you what to do and what never to do. This is the United States.

And you let this happen.

That is the message in Nine Inch Nails’ latest album, Year Zero, where ‘Art is Resistance’ and elections have been done away with for ‘The Greater Good.’

One thing long time NIN fans know is that no two albums sound the same. Thus, controversies regarding the quality of Trent Reznor’s work abound. Which is the better album? The Fragile or Downward Spiral? Is Broken’s hard rock a better direction than Pretty Hate Machine’s synthpop? Is With Teeth any good at all?

This makes reviewing a Nine Inch Nails album very difficult, as what fans consider to be good in NIN varies from person to person, and what strikes a chord with one reviewer offends another. With that in mind…

…If you are one of those fanatics that thinks that The Fragile is horrible and that after Downward Spiral everything was crap and that he should just release another album like Downward Spiral… Year Zero is not for you. (and, in fact, neither is any of their other albums… before or after DS.)

The albums have all told a single story of a man, who has gone and hit rock bottom and has crawled his way out, finally finding hope, and if not redemption, at least… some clarity. This story is continued in Year Zero as the protagonist of NIN’s narrative has sobered up… and is finally noticing the world around him. He’s seeing where the world is going, and so, in the same vein as science fiction writers, he tells us where he thinks we are headed. Each song on Year Zero represents a different point of view to this bleak future, and each explores the future in its own ways. As with most of his works, heavy distortion and various sonic noise pervade, and while delivering cacophony, bring forth the musical depth and soundscapes that he has shown time and time again he is capable of.

This album seems heavily influenced by 80’s hip hop, with many songs featuring catchy hooks, and juicy funky grinds that draw the listener in between sessions of pure sonic chaos. This is not an album for the casual listener however. Many fans will be alienated by the strange sounds and mellower melodies this album provides. Some might mistake it for losing NIN’s edge, when in reality, it has been turned outward. This album isn’t an emotional roller coaster like previous works. It’s a satire on our society as well as warning of what may come.

Many of the songs are quite radio friendly, and I am certain we’re going to be hearing quite a few of them on some pop stations… some will take this as a slight against the album. Personally, I think this is what punk should have been doing—subversive lyrics hidden within a catchy poppy core. Trent Reznor might not be as self hating as he once was… but unlike the entire genre of punk, he hasn’t sold out. If anything… he’s buying his soul back. And maybe that’s the real message in Year Zero.

Review by Drake

Official NIN website

NiN Wiki

NiN Myspace


¶ 11:33 PM 0 comments

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June 2007