Terminates Here

Some of you might be wondering what I’ve been up to in recent months, since after uploading all the EOL-Audio reviews worth keeping here, I haven’t added anything else.

I’ve spent the last few months giving my CD collection a real ‘tour de force’, concentrating on bands (and indeed, entire styles) that I haven’t listened to much of late. I’ve also been trying to fill some gaps in my collection.  This’ll allow me to review some ‘complete’ backcatalogues, album by album, with nothing missed out, and with many more points of reference than before.

I’ll be ready to start reviewing again from the start of July.  I’d always set the mid-point of 2009 as the year to stop preparing and start doing.  Well, I’m pretty much on schedule.  Watch this space.

I’m hoping to get going with the DJing again soonish.  My return to the decks after more that 6 years off came at the Alternative Bring’n'Buy Sale at The Dome in Tufnell Park.  It wasn’t a dancefloor-oriented event, so I meant I could really stretch my wings and show that I’m not tied down to any one subgenre.    Even then, I only got to touch on some areas of the scene, but I’m quite pleased about how it turned out in the end.

11am to 12:15pm - ‘The Slow Moody Sunday Morning Set’

Laibach - Mama Leone
Rik Schaffer - Downtown Theme from ‘Vampire: Bloodlines’
Blood Axis - The Gospel Of Inhumanity
Die Form - Cantique 1
Leisem - Fundamentum
Helium Vola - Omnis Mundi Creatura
Dead Can Dance - Enigma Of The Absolute
Deine Lakaien - Love Me To The End
Chiasm - Isolated
Kirlian Camera - Eclipse
L’Âme Immortelle - Bitterkeit
Das Ich - Das Dunkle Land
Diary Of Dreams - Malice
Project Pitchfork - Merry-Go-Round To Hell
FAQ - We Come In Pieces (Duet Version)
Rotersand - The Gods Have Gone Insane
32 Crash - Slow Crash
DuPont - Planless Exhibition

1pm to 2pm - ‘The Gothic Rock’n'Metal Set’

Magazine - Shot By Both Sides
Bauhaus - Dark Entries
Zeraphine - Be My Rain
ASP - Welcome
Star Industry - Lost Generation
London After Midnight - Psychomagnet
Samsas Traum - Ein Foetus Wie Du
Sisters Of Mercy - Vision Thing
Lacuna Coil - Swamped
Paradise Lost - One Second
Type O Negative - Love You To Death
Rammstein - Ohne Dich
In Extremo - Vollmond
Tanzwut - Lügner

3pm to 4pm - ‘Darkwave to Industrial and Back Again’

Diary Of Dreams - The Plague
Solar Fake - Stigmata Rain
Covenant - Figurehead (Plain)
Mesh - Step By Step
Velvet Acid Christ - Futile (Nazi Bastard Mix)
Heimataerde - Deus Lo Vult
Gothminister - Angel
KMFDM - Anarchy
Jesus On Extasy - Assassinate Me
Unheilig - Herz Aus Eis
Nine Inch Nails - The Hand That Feeds
Killing Joke - Pandemonium (Cybersank Extended)
The Birthday Massacre - Video Kid
Girls Under Glass - Frozen

You are reading an early version of Terminates Here, Jonny EOL’s online collection of writings.  At the moment, it’s mainly comprised of old EOL-Audio material (mainly from 2005-2006), but fresh writing will appear here soon.

Rob Zombie - Educated Horses

Rob took a few years out after ‘The Sinister Urge’ to work on horror movies, but the arrival of ‘Educated Horses’ marks his return, and with it comes a significant switch in style. The industrial groove metal of recent years has been stripped down - for the first time in over a decade, Rob Zombie fronts an album that actually sounds like a band playing rather than an extravagantly-dressed studio production. I’m not saying one approach is better than the other, but it is something the more recent converts to Rob Zombie’s wicked world need should be aware of. The trashy horror-movie aesthetic is still there, of course, providing enough continuity between albums to leave the music recognisable for what it is.

There are a couple of riff-heavy songs that echo of the more recent Zombie sound, such as ‘American Witch’ and ‘Let It All Bleed Out’, almost, but not quite as good as the Dragula’s of the world. Elsewhere we get tracks like ‘Foxy Foxy’, a slightly silly but vaguely catchy attempt at producing a Zombie-style pop single. There’s also slower, more vehement rock with ‘17 Year Locust’ (which incorporates a sitar solo, of all things) and ‘The Lords of Salem’, a more acoustic moment in ‘Death As It All’ and a rather confused song called ‘Ride’. As the whole, the album is an enjoyable enough romp, nothing really deep or meaningful going on and quite short with only nine full songs, but best enjoyed in it’s own rights, the rock equivalent of a trashy B-move, scarcely likely to attract a headline billing but nonetheless with it’s own charms.

XPQ-21 - Alive

XPQ-21 return after a lengthy break with a revised line-up and new label. The success of ‘White and Alive’ and ‘Beautiful’ in club earned the band a following amongst the ‘future pop’ contingent, a genre definition which cannot in any way contain the scope of Jeyênne’s creativity. Interestingly, the two aforementioned hits actually feature on this album in only very slightly reworked form, which presumably is more down to a desire to save them from the black hole of deletion than as an attempt to cling onto past works.

The increased use of guitars and live drums, meanwhile, sees a new lease of life for the XPQ-21 project.  Without, I might add, becoming a full blown rock band. The real standout tracks are the likes of ‘Rockin’ Silver Knight’ and ‘Jesus Was Gay’, breakbeat-driven tracks fleshed out with thick, squealing synthesisers and a heavily processed guitar sound, which, whilst not dominant in the mix, adds a layer of dischordance to the whole mix. ‘Dead Body’, meanwhile, is a electro-fuelled punk rocker with a Nitzer Ebb style vocal, a combination that I’m otherwise at a loss to truly describe. There are a few EBM-style tracks, like ‘Everything’ and the Spanish-language ‘Barcelona’, though on this occasion they don’t stand out as the albums best offerings. The best ‘pure electronic’ tracks are the psy-trancey ‘Sonne’ and the albums outro ‘Changes’, one of this project’s better ‘ambient’ tracks.

NOTE:The limited edition 2CD version of this album comes in a sizable A5 digipak. The second CD is the obligatory remix collection, though the conceptually diverse source material at least makes this collection more interesting than your average bonus remix CD. For instance, ‘Dead Body’ is taken in radically different directions by Dope Stars Inc. and Alice In Videoland, highlighting the songs punk rock and old-school EBM credentials respectively. Skinjob’s take on ‘Rockin’ Silver Knight’ might take the song back in an EBM direction, but it’ll fill floors in clubs that just can’t hack the original, so it’s still a worthwhile take. Obviously theres’ the usual ‘forced insertion of elitist form of obscure electronica’ style of mix to contend with, but on this occasion, it’s thankfully not the dominant style.

Wumpscut - Cannibal Anthem

Three studio albums in as many years seems to indicate a little desparation on Rudy’s part - he’s looking for a direction that suits him and doesn’t seem to be hitting the mark.  I may have enjoyed ‘Evoke’, but many others did not - ‘Bone Peeler’ hardly impressed anyone with a vaguely critcal mind.

This disc sees a slight move back from the ‘clean’ textures of the last album, though neither is it really a return to the apocalyptic industrial behemoth of earlier works. One other thing worth noting is that the albums vocals are predominantly in German - even more so than on ‘Boeses Junges Fleisch’ (the only other album to be based around Rudy’s native tongue). It simply isn’t clear whereabout in the :Wumpscut: sonic spectrum this thing is intended to lie.

For example, ‘Wir Warten’ is reminiscent of the :Wumspcut: of days past, pummelling kick drums and scything electronic the most intense thing Rudy’s produced this side of the millenium, even if the actual song is not a great one. Lead single ‘Jesus Antichristus’ is a reasonable dark dance number, despite the horribly cliche title, whilst the title track (sung in another mysterious language) features primitive synth bleeps and some delicate guitar parts. The latter half of the album is slightly weaker, thought the penultimate track ‘Hunger’ works well in a similar fashion to the female-vocal tracks from ‘Evoke’. At the end of the day, ‘Cannibal Anthem’ is just another :W: album - not the best one by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly enough to keep the fans happy. It’s just a pity that the ‘Wow’ factor is somewhat absent.

Wumpscut - Evoke

‘Evoke’ sees :Wumpscut: move even further towards a softer, slower sound, something previously hinted at on ‘Bone Peeler’. This may disappoint those wishing a return to the hard industrial days of hold, but luckily this is also an improvement on the previous album. This time, Rudy actually seems comfortable with the stipped-down, less confrontational style he has seemingly adopted.  The clean-cut artwork, featuring only a mysterious creature known as ‘Blondi’, reflects the musical differences as well as anything else.

A number of the songs, including Maiden, Hold and Don’t Go, feature lead or joint-lead female vocals - sung rather than the more traditional spoken-word approach, which is heard once on the closing tracks ‘Obsessio’. ‘Don’t Go’ also sees Rudy ease of the vocal distortion a bit - a welcome diversion from his usual electronically-hardened gravel.

There are a couple of relatively forceful dance tracks, with ‘Churist Churist’ the best, sung in a synthetic language bearing some resemblance to Hewbrew/Eastern European tongues, with a few ‘Protect and Survive Samples’ thrown in for good measure. As the other uptempo tracks are noticeable weaker (’Rush’ is just OK, the instrumental ‘Breathe’ unnecessary), it’s left to the slower songs to truly define this album - the exquisite ‘Hold’ might well be the most un-Wumpscut thing on any album with the :W: to actually be worth a listen, whilst album opener ‘Maiden’ is one of the few tracks I’ve ever reviewed set in waltz time (it works, too - if you ignore the slightly naff lyrics).

NOTE:: The 2CD version of this album comes with a additional remix disc, which for once is well worth having. Most of the mixes are at least reasonable, with a female-vocal version of ‘Churist Churist’ by Recently Deceased (which is also included on the Metropolis Records version as a bonus track). Another mix to use an alternate vocal take is Kirlian Camera’s version of ‘Hold’, which feels more like a cover version than a remix - combining heartfelt vocals, pulsating electronics and orchestral bombast at the very close, it’s probably the best KC remix of anything I’ve heard to date.

The first ‘proper’ :Wumpscut: album in four years (a long wait by Rudy standards) was eagerly awaited - Rudy has the kind of fanatical following that simply isn’t used to waiting more than a year or two for new studio output. It’s better that ‘Boeses Junges Fleisch’ in some respects, as it offers a more detailed level of production and less of a ’sprawling’ feel.

Unfortunately, it’s also boring. Having overplayed his hand several times in the past, Rudy has thrown the balance  too far the other way. The songs on this album simply don’t have any impact - and ‘impact’ is something all good :Wumpscut: tracks have to have. Take, for instance, the opening track ‘Crown of Thorns’ - the delicate synth chime giving way to the distorted beat and visceral vocals would traditionally make a fine :Wumpscut: track, but somehow it never really takes off.

And the album really just continues along those lines. Whilst Rudy steers clear of those pointless experimental indulgences of past, neither can he assemble a industrial-grade anthem along the lines of ‘Soylent Green’, ‘Christfuck’ or ‘Black Death’. A couple of tracks offer vaguely memorable moments - ‘Rise Again’ and ‘Our Fatal Longing’ (with it’s German childs voice and counting motif) demand at least a little attention, but they’re nowhere near strong enough to pull the collection forward on their own. It’s a pity, really - the sonic texture and morbid atmosphere are all here, something many preset-laden copists struggle with. But the end of the day, this album is gutless.

Note: The European first editions of this album are laden with a heavy form of copy protection - even if you only use CD players, you are advised to steer clear of these discs. The ‘Limited Second Edition’ is the one to go for if you can get hold of it - not only is it copy-protection free (a minor victory there!) but it’s also got a ‘Bonus Disciple’ remix disc. It’s no more exciting than the album, but you know you’ll want it regardless (I know what :Wumpscut: fans are like with limited editions). The mixes are good enough, but fail to bring any additional spark to the source material. The Suicide Commando version of ‘Crown of Thorns’ is OK, the Das Ich version of ‘Your Last Salute’ surprisingly restrained, but only a version of ‘Rise Again’ by Haus Arafna really takes any song into unknown and unexpected territory.

Wumpscut - Preferential Tribe

This release (typically referred to as ‘Preferential Tribe’) consists of the ‘Preferential Legacy’ and ‘Music For A German Tribe’ 12″ (formerly part of limited box sets) plus a number of new and unreleased tracks. Or in simpler terms, it’s another :Wumpscut: miscellany. The kind of compilation only devoted fans will by. Just as well there’s plenty of them. The ‘Music For A German Tribe’ tracks are essentially versions of well-known :Wumpscut: tracks with German vocals. Some of these work well (The teutonic tongue gives ‘Soylent Grün’ a little extra ‘bite’), others less so (thanks to the slightly higher syllable count, ‘Schwarzer Tod” is fractionally less powerful that it’s English equivalent ‘Black Death’).

The ‘Preferential Tribe’ section, meanwhile, features a number of early demo tracks from the project, many of which were issued on the original version of ‘Blutkind’ (subsequent versions remove tracks that also appear here). The liner notes are at least honest in that these tracks are intended as a ‘aural biography’, symptomns of Rudy’s early musical development. The relatively underdeveloped nature of these tracks mean this section is at most worthy of curiosity interest, although some of the slower tracks (’Batavion’ and ‘Lamandier’) at least generate a suitably mournful atmosphere that would characterise the quieter moments on the early studio albums, whilst ‘Total War’ is the best of the ‘hard EBM’ tracks. Also worth a listen is ‘The Hellion’, possibly the only :Wumpscut: track to incorporate a guitar solo.

As for the unreleased material, there’s the usual collection of eardrum-crushing drums machines and sonic experimention that’s really a polite way of referring to filler (instrumental of ‘Hang Him Higher’, anyone?). There are a few gems worth digging out - a decent remix of Das Ich’s ‘Aura’ and a cover of Alison Moyet’s ‘All Cried Out’ spring to mind. The latter is actually the first :Wumpscut: cover version to see the light of day and Rudy’s interpretation is at least faithful even if it’s appeal relies partially on the novelty factor. I guess the disc just needed a selling point for those that already had the rare vinyl CDified here, and a industriallised 80s cover was the obvious answer.

Wumpscut - Liquid Soylent

This is simply a compilation of the CD’s ‘Deliverance’, ‘Ich Will Dich’, ‘Totmacher’ and ‘The Remix Wars’. The first CD is the more interesting of the two, containing everything except the ‘Totmacher’ mixes. There’s some reasonable versions of ‘Deliverance’ (including a slow, symphonic-style cut) and the ‘Slut Remix’ of ‘Ich Will Dich’, that cuts out many (but not all) of the porn-movie soundbites from the orignal, although the other remixes are noticeably weaker. The ‘Remix Wars’ features three :W: songs remixed by Haujobb and three Haujobb song given the Rudy treatment, which will be of interest to those into both acts, as the remixes are reasonable enough, but as we all know, Haujobb remixes are ten-a-penny in this scene.

The second disc contains 10 mixes of ‘Totmacher’ from the now-deleted double EP (including contributions from Suicide Commando, VNV Nation and Covenant) plus the ‘Grave Digger Party Mega Mix’ from the ‘Boeses Junges Fleisch’ limited box. It’s a pity the couldn’t have picked a better song to remix. Some of the remixing artists have some interesting ideas on how to rework the guitar sample of the original, but few seem to have any desire to keep the original song intact, which is just as well given how tedious I find the thing. Perhaps the biggest surprise is a power-noise style remix from VNV Nation, which was probably self-conciously assembled by Ronan to prove he has versatility, safe in the knowledge that he couldn’t be accused of spoiling a great song.