Artist: Various Artists (1997)
Label: 21st Circuitry Records
Style: Coldwave
Songs: 14

Reviewed by: Darklight

This is a fourteen song collection of some of the most brutal industrial music that I have ever heard before. The term "Coldwave" is given to guitar heavy thrash punk bands that incorporate industrial influences in them such as malfunctioning electronic sounds, keyboard melodies and sampling along with aggressive vocals that shout in a rage. It's a crossover musical style that does seem to appeal to the masses a lot more than pure electronic industrial music does. This album compiles some of the greater Coldwave acts out there today. It features songs by: WORMWOOD PROJECT, MPI, ACUMEN NATION, DISCIPLINE OF ANARCHY, RAMMSTEIN, CHAINSAWS AND CHILDREN, HATE DEPT., WAITING FOR GOD, LUXT, PURGE, ALIEN FAKTOR, 16 VOLT, SLAVE UNIT and BEAUTY. Every song delivered here is angst driven with power and energy that forces you against the wall. This is angry and pissed off aggression that violently assaults you with its insane madness. Once this album starts you better be in the mood to smash things because you can't listen to it without wanting to break everything in sight. It makes you want to release all of that pent up rage that you have bottled up inside. It's pure slam dance/mosh pit music. Shouting vocals, thrashy guitar riffs and heavy drums are dominant in all of these songs. Electronics and synths are used more as an afterthought to include a little more variety to everything. However, this is heavy thrash metal music for the most part. The industrial touches are very slight here. As with most compilations, some songs do stand out more than others. There are a couple of remixes and instrumentals here that sound a bit out of place, but the majority of tracks delivered here are good. The bottom line is that if you like heavy guitar driven industrial music, you can't go wrong with this album.