Search - Various Artists :: Electropolis

Twining the Threads of Genres

TastyBabySyndrome | "Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Lit | 03/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first started bringing Metropolis albums to my home, it was a hit or miss process that I wasn't sure of and that I sometimes found myself regretting. Granted, they do produce some of the best music in the world when it comes to EBM acts, but randomly picking and choosing personas to bring into the fold wasn't the best way to taunt the day. Then, by some freak chance, I bumped into my first Electropolis album and found that there were a few bands I hadn't tried here, that some people I had made rash judgments on were actually a lot better than I had given them credit for, and that this form of electronic music encompassed more ground than I thought. While on the heavier side of the EBM rainbow, most of the acts here are pretty versatile, and the coverage of the sampler is good and allows a little bit for ever taste that cares for techno/industrial/EBM dancefloor melodies out there. Many of the tracks on the album bear noting because they are pretty creative and are actually enjoyable to listen to. Front Line Assembly's Bliss, sculpting an exotic plateau that isn't as dark as their normal works but that still carries its weight, joining Numb's Blood, perhaps their best work ever because of the voxed lyrics and the heavy yet darkly contrived sounds, the heavier sounds of Wumpscut's Soylent Green (in German), Informatik's Entropy that flashes me back to a time when all their words were voxed and all their sounds seemed possessed by shadows, Mentello and the Fixer's almost screamed vocals on the distortedly heavy Vision (some don't like the remix, but I thought it was good), an older Funker Vogt release that still wears their heavier sounds, Terminal Sect's slower BPMing Backwards Effigy that becomes catchy after a few listens, and others as well. This isn't to say that everything is perfect on the album because it isn't, but it does state that, in the world of samplers, it is a cut above the rest because of its listenability. For anyone wanting to look into some older Metropolis releases and experience some of the heavier sounds resting on the steps of electronic angst, then this would be something worth checking out. There are quite a few bands here that have the ability to hook their listener, plus many of them have something - albeit dark most of the time - about the world and its sociopolitical ways of running things. It, along with quite a few other Metropolis albums, comes highly recommended."

Broaden Your Horizons

skulliest | Edmonton, Alberta Canada | 08/31/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This compilation by one of industrial musics premier record label's, Metropolis, offers up almost every important band in modern EBM / industrial dance. You have some staple acts like Front Line Assembly (with what was probably an unreleased song from FLAvour Of The Weak) to :wumpscut: (a Soylent Green in German). Both of these tracks are worth full price of the CD. But wait, there's more!
There's a remix of Numb's dark and evil 'Blood' from their Wasted Sky release. Da5id Din's Informatik offers up 'Entropy', an excellent track. Numb remixes Thinkingman's 'Screaming Saints' to abrasive perfection while In Strict Confidence offer an extended mix of their awesome 'Prediction'. Out Out, Terminal Sect, Necrofix and Evil's Toy all serve up some great industrial tracks, making this the best compilation CD I own.
Weaker track that I found (or ones that didn't suit my tastes) were Mentallo & The Fixer's remix of 'Vision'. I really like MATF but this mix really seems to have no direction. I am not a big fan of the techno side of industrial, but if you do, Funker Vogt's 'Killing Fields' would definitely be for you. Haujobb and Snog are both bands that I'm not too fond of either and these tracks are exemplory of the music they make. If you like these bands, this would be good for you.
Basically for the average industrial fan, this CD is all hit-no shxt. Highly recommended."