Various Artists
Karmanik Collection
[Cold Meat Industries]
This is in my opinion the weakest of the CMI samplers out there today - both "In The
Butchers Backyard" and the "And Even Wolves Hid Their Teeth" compilations would be
better introduction into the world of CMI. However, this isn't to say that it's a
bad compilation, just that it's the weakest of the 3 (I'm not including the latest sampler
put out by CMI, "The Absolute Supper", as I haven't picked it up yet)...
This CD can be loosely broken up into 3 categories - the uninteresting, the passable, and the brilliant. Here we go :
In the "uninteresting" category, we find XXX Atomic Toejam, En Halvkokt I Folie, and Systema - the 1st three tracks on the CD itself (right away, this is a bad start). XXX Atomic Toejam play "industrial dance" (yawn), En Halvkokt I Folie also have a dance edge, but throw in some really cheesy synths on top (once again, yawn) and Systema, surprise surprise, play dance industrial as well (no comment needed).
Next up is the "passable" section, and in here we find Deutsch Nepal, Mental Destruction, Raison D'Etre, ConSono, and Atomine Electrine - the best of the lot would be Raison D'Etre & Atomine Electrine (which are, funnily enough, a Raison D'Etre offshoot, although they sound nothing alike - RDE being the more traditional "ambient" of the two, and AE being the outlet for more varied themes and sounds). Deutsch Nepal are firmly planted in the middle of the lot (a solid effort by a band I have no interest in), and Mental Destruction along with ConSono are the dregs of the section (although, in all fairness, I must point out that my evaluation of the music was strongly tainted by the fact that the 2 bands are christians - those who can overlook their ideological stance will probably not be as harsh on them as I am)...
Finally, the "brilliant", which is made up of the following :
Brighter Death Now : bites everything
Ordo Equilibrio : sic transit gloria mundi...in extremis
Memorandum : pura dalem (temple of the dead)
In Slaughter Natives : clean cathedral of deliverance
Archon Satani : Dies Irae pt. 2
Morthond : shrivatsa
With the exception of the Morthond track (who regardless of what they do, always churn out brilliant music full of texture), all of these tracks rise above the rest because of one simple fact - they are darker than the very depths of hell itself. Recently, more and more of the acts found on CMI are content to just be "ambient", and that's all fine and dandy (most of them do it very very well), but in my books, the cream of the crop have always been those who strove to create the darkest, bleakest, most horrific soundscapes know to man. The five tracks above (not counting Morthond) are of that variety - the very soundtrack to the apocalypse itself...and THESE are what make this CD worth picking up...if you can't find a copy of "In The Butchers Backyard" that is...
© 1997 chorazaim
This CD can be loosely broken up into 3 categories - the uninteresting, the passable, and the brilliant. Here we go :
In the "uninteresting" category, we find XXX Atomic Toejam, En Halvkokt I Folie, and Systema - the 1st three tracks on the CD itself (right away, this is a bad start). XXX Atomic Toejam play "industrial dance" (yawn), En Halvkokt I Folie also have a dance edge, but throw in some really cheesy synths on top (once again, yawn) and Systema, surprise surprise, play dance industrial as well (no comment needed).
Next up is the "passable" section, and in here we find Deutsch Nepal, Mental Destruction, Raison D'Etre, ConSono, and Atomine Electrine - the best of the lot would be Raison D'Etre & Atomine Electrine (which are, funnily enough, a Raison D'Etre offshoot, although they sound nothing alike - RDE being the more traditional "ambient" of the two, and AE being the outlet for more varied themes and sounds). Deutsch Nepal are firmly planted in the middle of the lot (a solid effort by a band I have no interest in), and Mental Destruction along with ConSono are the dregs of the section (although, in all fairness, I must point out that my evaluation of the music was strongly tainted by the fact that the 2 bands are christians - those who can overlook their ideological stance will probably not be as harsh on them as I am)...
Finally, the "brilliant", which is made up of the following :
Brighter Death Now : bites everything
Ordo Equilibrio : sic transit gloria mundi...in extremis
Memorandum : pura dalem (temple of the dead)
In Slaughter Natives : clean cathedral of deliverance
Archon Satani : Dies Irae pt. 2
Morthond : shrivatsa
With the exception of the Morthond track (who regardless of what they do, always churn out brilliant music full of texture), all of these tracks rise above the rest because of one simple fact - they are darker than the very depths of hell itself. Recently, more and more of the acts found on CMI are content to just be "ambient", and that's all fine and dandy (most of them do it very very well), but in my books, the cream of the crop have always been those who strove to create the darkest, bleakest, most horrific soundscapes know to man. The five tracks above (not counting Morthond) are of that variety - the very soundtrack to the apocalypse itself...and THESE are what make this CD worth picking up...if you can't find a copy of "In The Butchers Backyard" that is...
© 1997 chorazaim