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Review Summary: Solid electro-industrial. According to the band’s press release, Wumpscut is a one-man project that has been steadily releasing quality industrial music since 1991. I make mention of the press release only because I was totally unfamiliar with this band’s music before I acquired their latest album. In an effort to find out a little more I read through their bio which contained such descriptive gems as ‘aggro-industrial’, ‘dark EBM’, and my personal favorite, ‘dark omniscient electro’. Based on those descriptions I only knew that I was in for some dark and aggressive electronic music; music that was apparently all-knowing. I’m making fun of the artist description only because it turns out that there’s a lot more to this album than the bio would have you believe.
While Fuckit does supply a dark vibe and subtle bits of aggression, it turns out that there’s a more prominent feature: finesse. Amidst the driving beats, shrill techno-synth and dissonance are actual songs that make excellent use of melodies and hooks. It’s a precarious balancing act, but one that is achieved time and time again. The first way this is achieved is within the songs themselves. Every song takes a strong dance beat as its foundation and layers synths, samples and distorted vocals over the top, as would be expected. Where they stand apart is in their ability to interweave melody through the noise without it clashing. They do this in a number of ways including a looping violin melody on “The Boo” to blended synth rhythms on “Broken”. The way the band is able to integrate melodies without destroying the dark atmosphere is a great asset to this album, but another quality is the subtle transformation that takes place as the album progresses.
This album seems to have a natural flow that begins at its most discordant and slowly evolves into something much more restrained. The contrast between the opening song “The Boo” and the closer “Gulag” is pronounced. “The Boo” takes a piercing synth as its main melody and a four-on-the-floor dance beat to drive it home, while “Gulag” utilizes a subtle beat and piano melodies to finish things out. Between these two extremes is a slow, but deliberate, progression from dissonance to delicacy. That’s not to imply that the dissonance is ever fully abandoned; only that it begins to take a backseat to more ambient sounds, most noticeable in “Leichenteilchen”. This measured transition allows the album to flow from one extreme to another without jarring the listener from the atmosphere the music creates.
I had never heard this band before listening to their current album - I can’t tell you what advancements have been made or how this compares to any past output - I can tell you that this is a worthy addition to any industrial fan’s collection. Their use of contrasting sounds and subtle progressions goes a long way towards setting them apart from the typical electro-industrial band, with only their use of distorted vocals holding them back from anything truly special. However, this minor inconvenience can be overlooked when the focus is placed on the music which brings something slightly different to the oversaturated industrial genre.
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Album Rating: 3.5
Not my favorite review. Have you ever written a review and when you try to make changes to make it better you just seem to keep making it worse... that was me.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
I meant to check these guys out a few years ago but I never did. I might acquire this if my p.c allows me too.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
If you like Combichrist you should like this too, although it's not "fun" like Combichrist.
| | | Album Rating: 4.0
Still need to get that KMFDM Blitz album. I will do that first, now because it has chick vocals.
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I like Dried Blood Of Gommorrha, Embryodead, Deadmaker, and especially the Wreath Of Barbs single from this dude. Dont have this one yet though...
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Asteriks, asteriks, asteriks.
Also, pos. Solid review.
Edit: Haha, staff review -- no pos. This Message Edited On 04.07.09
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I saw electro in the summary and thought this was Alex, then I saw the industrial part and I figured this was your doing haha. Slighty interested in this but I'm a bit wary of an album called Fuckit...
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Meh i dont really like techno so... gonna have to pass, decent review though.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Not too big on electro music, more into heavy industrial, but this........was actually really good. I doubt that I'll have the time to aquire the album right now since i have a really busy schedule at the moment, but some songs are really nice, easy to listen to. I really like the dark vibe in this band's music.
Btw Willie, if you haven't already, then you really should check out Crosbreed's "New Slave Nation" if you like your industrial metal. That Ep fucking slays!
OH yeah good review too.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Asteriks, asteriks, asteriks. The album title showed up on the main page when I first posted the review. Someone did a little tweeking behind the scenes.I saw electro in the summary and thought this was Alex, then I saw the industrial part and I figured this was your doing haha. Slighty interested in this but I'm a bit wary of an album called Fuckit... So, I'm the industrial guy and Alex is the electro guy. We're building niches for ourselves already ;) As for the album title, as it may already give away, the lyrics aren't exactly moving or rocket science but they're not raunchy (mostly anyway) or overly stupid. They're more just kind of 'there'. Not too big on electro music, more into heavy industrial, but this........was actually really good. Glad you enjoyed. I'll look into that Crosbreed album, but hopefully it's really industrial metal and not Fear Factory stuff.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
that New Slave Nation Ep really is industrial. Have you heard the debut by them? If so then don't launch your opinion based on that since Crossbreed became industrial after that album. Their debut was kind of a mix of nu metal and electronic effects, but New Slave Nation is pretty full out industrial.
Also I'll get this album at some-point, hopefully in the weekend when i have time.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Maybe that's why I'm hesitant about Crossbreed, because I do remember some nu metal crap. I'll look into it.
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Well, it's clear enough in the album artwork what the album is called.
Review piqued my curiosity. I may have to check this out.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
electro-industrial is a hard genre to break into because the abundance of electronics turn some people off (the ones thinking they're going to hear another Ministry or Nine Inch Nails). Also, the distorted vocals are a slight negative even for people that enjoy this kind of music (not everyone has a problem with them, obviously). Basically, good luck ;)
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I actually am really liking what I'm hearing, very much to my surprise.
And I'm pretty sure it's a positive thing that I can't make out the lyrics?
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
yeah, they're not exactly profound.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
So this is going to rock my world Willie? I've been on an industrial kick lately.
I must say, your brutal honesty in the review is well praised from me (your first experience with this band I mean). You don't want to disrupt your elitist image or anything hahaha.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I don't think it will rock your world, but it will definitely pass an hour in an enjoyable manner ;)
My elitist image? Ha ha. Is that because I have "staff" under my name?
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Wow, Rudy Ratzinger is still making music, eh? I stopped listening to :Wumpscut: like 7 or 8 years ago. Got kind of old. If you want to get into the band, I'd recommend Bunkertor 7 or Embryodead, they are both quality albums.
I wouldn't call :Wumpscut: electro or techno. They are definitely industrial, or more precisely hard ebm.
Also, it's funny that Rudy is still using the Weyland Yutani logo for his band. I'm surprised whoever owns the Alien license doesn't sue.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
Yeah, if you look at his discography it's freakin huge. I plan on looking into more of his stuff eventually, so I might as well start with those two.
As for the genre this falls into. I hate the really specific genres people try to throw out (it's the same thing for various metal sub-genres). You say that Wumpscut isn't electro, but it is hard EBM. Even though the first letter of EBM stands for 'electronic' it still can't be 'electro'. Believe me, I understand the subtle differences between all of these sub-genres, I just think they go too far sometimes.
I wouldn't be surprised if no one has even noticed that they use the logo (as far as copyright holders go).
This Message Edited On 04.08.09
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