Review Summary: In the beginning, there was only darkness.
Talking about the debut album of one of the most important Power Electronics groups of all time is definitely one of the finer joys in life.
Birthdeath Experience was produced by William Bennett after his falling out with Essential Logic. William wanted to make music that would "Bludgeon the listener into submission." The result was
Birthdeath Experience.
The whole record starts off with
On Top, one of my favorite songs on the record. At six minutes and six seconds,
On Top utilizes this curdling noise throughout the beginning as William Bennett's vocals slowly coming into play with a troubled moan.
On Top takes a more slow turn when compared to most Whitehouse songs, but
Birthdeath Experience was one of the more mellow albums in their catalog.
On Top is followed by
Mindphaser, which takes a much more rough sound with less echoes. Turning the frequency up high and mixing it with Bennett's uncompromisingly creepy tone as he slowly tells you "Rest Your Head, Rest Your Head, Rest Your Head" is incredibly haunting.
Going even further, we continue with one of Whitehouse's more popular pieces
Rock And Roll. It starts with a gyrating synth while small "bleeps", as I like to call them, consistently trot along the background. William Bennett is surprisingly less noticeable in this piece, relying more on the creepy synths to carry the tone. I will admit that
The Second Coming is not one of my favorites. The synths tend to mimic the sound of
On Top without any of the substance and the whirling echo tends to distract heavily from William's vocals. It is remarkably creepy, however.
Coitus is where the album takes a much different turn. The song starts off with heavy static as subtle conversation can be heard in the background, this lasts for almost the entire piece until near the last forty-five seconds and leaves a much more impactful impression than
The Second Coming, but largely feels a bit too simple.
Birthdeath Experience is largely reminiscent of 4'33" but shorter, mostly silence requiring your now worn out ear drums to piece themselves back together after this cavalcade of chaos.
Birthdeath Experience is not a record many Whitehouse fans talk fondly of and I never knew why. It basically innovated the Power Electronics genre and its tracks, though mellow, are just as creepy and terrifying as other albums, even more so.
Birthdeath Experience is exactly what it said it was. The birth of a new experience, and the death of all experiences you've ever felt before.
