Search - Suicide Commando :: Implements of Hell

One of the best releases of 2010

E. Anderson | 05/25/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a fairly a new fan to Suicide Commando. I didn't get into SC's music until a few years ago with Bind, Torture, and Kill. I recently bought the new Suicide Commmando album when I saw the video for Die MutherF***** Die!" on youtube and just fell in love with Johan's vocals and hard hitting dance beats. While I did like Bind, Torture and Kill, I felt the album could have been used a bit more editing, not with Implements. I felt the length of the album to be just perfect. It wasn't too long, nor too short. I love this type of music. Both the lyrics and music is caustic and abrasive. I find Johan's music very conducive when I am at work and is a great way to motivate me to work. There is not one single track on the album I did not enjoy. I can listen to the entire album without skipping a single track."

More Like Mind Strip

M. Mierzwa | Davis, CA USA | 03/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"About the Band:

Fronted by Belgian Johan Van Roy, Suicide Commando is the seminal example of an industrial sub-genre known as terror electronic body music (EBM). Like most terror EBM acts, Suicide Commando can be characterized by the use of distorted and twisted vocals over an intense and pounding militaristic beat. As the name of the band might suggest, the lyrics take on an extremely dark subjects, focusing on death and murder. In general, this genre of music isn't seriously promoting or glorifying anything, but is audio art designed to convey an emotional sense of fear and terror.



Note:

There are at least two editions of IoH available here on amazon. A regular 11 track album and a 2-disc limited edition. My review is focused on the first track, as I have a separate review of the remix disc included in the limited edition. I actually own the limited edition.



About the Album:

Aptly named, Implements of Hell (IoH) is a solid follow-up Van Roy's Bind, Torture, Kill. Though I personally hold BTK and his Cause of Death: Suicide / One Nation Under God Double EP to be Suicide Commando's finest offerings, IoH reminds me more of his breakthrough album Mind Strip. The pace of the songs is faster, more aggressive, and a bit more dynamic than in BTK. While most people may like this, I have always felt that the strength of Suicide Commando lies in how Van Roy blended the style of the Klinik with the more modern terror EBM themes and faster tempo. The question then is how does IoH weigh in relative to Mind Strip in my mind, and the answer is I like IoH more because enough of the BTK and pre-Mind Strip sound is also featured in IoH.



The first track "Intro" is a 1950s styled movie crawl theme, and I quickly took it off my iTunes shuffle. Not that it is bad, it is short and just an intro. But it does not really do anything for me, and the tracks on IoH do not tell a running story (at least I couldn't find a progression). When I suggested that IoH is closer to Mind Strip than BTK, I specifically had tracks such as "Death Cures All Pain", "God Is In the Rain", and "DMD" (abbreviated due to the explicit nature of the track name) in mind. They are fine tracks and will make fine additions to a dance club mix, though my favorite tracks "Severed Head", and "Until We Die" were generally slower (Van Roy included the BPM for each track in the liner notes). And though I lumped "God Is In the Rain" in the category of faster, Mind Strip-era, songs, it is hands down my favorite IoH offering. Featuring compelling lyrics and a fairly simple and straight-forward melody, it really represents the best blend of late 1980s minimalist EBM with early 2000s influenced terror EBM.



It is worth noting that the track "Hate Me" is a remix of an exclusive track originally released in 2007. Personally I prefer the original track (as well as the Leaether Strip remix), as the lyrics of the original version are easier to understand. This is particularly important to me as this track makes a statement easily applied to people's perceptions of terror EBM. In the song the protagonist basically is declaring that he knows people are judging him based on his music and appearance, but he does not care. The good news is the other two "Hate Me" versions are included in the limited edition IoH release.



Summary:

Though I've rated this album higher than the limited edition, the price at the time of writing this review makes it worth buying the limited edition. All the tracks on the regular release are Suicide Commando tracks, whereas the limited edition is largely remixes of tracks from the regular release by other industrial artists and this may not appeal to as many people. Bottom-line: IoH is a strong, fun album that will appeal to terror EBM fans.

"

Danse Macabre

Scott Baboyian | Washington, DC | 02/17/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are a handful of acts which comprise the top tier of the contemporary dark electro/ebm/industrial field: Tactical Sekt, Hocico, Grendel, Dawn of Ashes, and without a doubt Suicide Commando. This guy practically invented the "hellektro"/terror ebm genre, and if he didn't invent it, he played a major role in the evolution of the sound.



Implements of Hell is another masterpiece recording from SC. There is no slackening of the energy and power that distinguishes Suicide Commando's music, and the songs are more layered, complex, and yet melodic and incredibly stompy as well. One of the nice things about the album is there is no filler at all- each song is fully realized - there isn't a weak moment on the disc. Just about every song on the disc could easily be a single and be played in a club.



Almost all of the songs are in English, which is too bad for us fans of German industrial. The content of the songs is no departure from the usual concerns: loss of faith/hope etc., murder, mayhem, serial killings, and general bad feelings. While it is tempting to wonder if dark ebm could ever find a few more topics to address, it is easy to appreciate yet another take on these familiar themes, when it is done with such polish, craftsmanship, and energy, as it is on Implements of Hell.



This is really just a standout album that would appeal equally to existing fans of SC, as well as those who haven't heard him before."