C93's first, and one of the scariest!
T. Allen | Pasadena, CA USA | 09/05/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is Current 93's first full length album re-issued on CD with some live tracks, 2 bonuses from a give-away that came with the first 1000 of the original and 2 songs from their first single. This one's a whopper. Intense, atomospheric, noisy, apocalyptic. Think chanting, loops slowing down and speeding up, demented opera samples, eschatology, Hell. There's still a little bit of Crowley on this one. If you know C93 from their folky, later material, this one may surprise you. Definitely my favorite from their early, noisy soundscape years. If you're looking for the end of the world, here's your soundtrack."
No title
swamprat | zagreb, croatia | 01/24/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"first of all, i have to say i think it would be "incorrect" to say that this record, and all of the early current's "soundscape" records, as people often refer to them, are better OR worse than current's recent material. they are just aesthetically different. substantially they are NOT different, if you ask me, maybe just simpler. so, i do not agree on this with the previous two reviewers. substantially, this record is mostly about apocalypse, the big ending itself, with all the small endings and deaths that we encounter every day held within. the state of the things that surround us DEMAND apocalypse, in a way. i think this is the main thought behind early current's records. all these thoughts are integral parts of more recent current's material, but the substance of current's newer material is MUCH more complex, so these feelings and thoughts are not so much in the front and isolated, but rather mixed,with love primarily. not love for this or that being, but love itself. i see no real substantial difference between early current's work and their later work, it is a steady, HONEST growth of spirituality. so, this record in particular does not WANT to be dark (ooooooh, spoooky!!), it is just an honest display of one's spiritual state, captured within the aforementioned feelings/thoughts. so, do not view this music as DARK music, it is just HONEST music, and that's what sets current's early records apart from a bunch of childish posers that try to recreate this kind of sound for the sake of "darkness". conclusion:buy this record, it is brilliant."
Maldoror is alive and well....
Danny Malboeuf | Statesville, N.C. United States | 11/27/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is in many ways the "ultimate" Current 93 release.The two extended tracks take you into pleasantly painful vistas peopled by elements that might in themselves be considered discordant,but in this context they are woven into dark and sparkling symphonies.Vague chanting,rumbling skies...even an excerpt from the Agnus Dei movement of Faure's requiem mass are drawn together to form a compelling whole.This is Current 93 at their most intense.The extra tracks consist of singles{!?}and rarities,and are a welcome addition to the package."
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1
