Search - Suicide Commando :: Implements of Hell

Fun to Listen for Blending of Industrial Styles

M. Mierzwa | Davis, CA USA | 02/27/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"[NOTE: This review is for the limited edition of Suicide Commando's Implements of Hell. Tracks included on the regular album will be discussed in my (and other people's) reviews of the regular album. The lyrics on this album are explicit.]



The Limited Edition basically includes a second bonus disc featuring 11 remixes of a couple of the songs on the regular edition and one new remix from the One Nation Under God / Cause of Death: Suicide double EP released back in 2004. (BTW the ONUG/CoD:S double EP is arguably one of the best examples of terror ebm and worth getting.) The bands Xotox and Leaether Strip are the most prominent of the remix artists, and both effectively blended their style with Johan Van Roy's. The song "DMD" (abbreviated due to its explicit song title) is remixed three times, but each remix is different enough that it is not like listening to the same song over and over. A video clip of "DMD" is also included as the 12th track (for PC use).



Sadly two of my favorite tracks on the regular album, God Is In the Rain and Come Down with Me, didn't make the remix list for the bonus disc. Fortunately, a God Is In the Rain EP was released, which included a GSItR remix by EBM giant Wumpscut. This EP can be bought separately or with the Implements of Hell boxed set.



As for the remixes on IoH CD2, some of them I liked ... others less so. The Komor Kommando Severed Head remix is an example of a remix that I enjoyed much less than the original. Severed Head was originally a Belgian styled minimalist EBM (think early Klinik), while the Komor Kommando remix is more aggressive, busier, and cartoon-like. It would be more fitting within a mid-200s or current era cyber goth club or late-1990s rave and works well with ray guns and glow sticks. It isn't a bad track, but the original really was one of the better tracks on the regular edition album (I'd argue that the original track is a good Belgian beer, while the remix is some overpriced, over engineered cocktail - it will get you somewhere faster, but you'll likely miss out on the point of the drink).



Sticking with the Severed Head track discussion, I liked the Beheaded remix by Schattenschlag better, but still preferred the original. The Schattenschlag version has a powernoise style similar to the music from bands like C/A/T or Noisex, defined by a steady beat.



Overall:

Without going into a lengthier track by track analysis, my overall impression of the remix CD is it is worth a shelling out a few extra bucks to purchase, especially if you'll end up playing the tracks in random sets / playlists. The remix disc takes the basic Suicide Commando sound and blends it with various electronic / industrial sounds that you might associate with many of your own favorite artists ... and ultimately that makes it fun to try and describe what and who you hear within each remix.

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