Search - Apoptygma Berzerk :: Soli Deo Gloria

Early Apoptygma Album Made a Big Splash

SandmanVI | Glen Allen, VA United States | 09/24/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Wow, it shocks me that no one has reviewed this. Perhaps like me everyone just forgot about this album for a while and never went back. Well it actually was a staple of early 90's electro and filled dancefloors worldwide... only in Goth-Industrial clubs of course but I think you knew that if you're ready this. "Early 90's? But Amazon says 2001." Ah yes... well they are wrong. I'm too lazy to go dig through my 1,000+ CDs to look this up but it couldn't have been any later than 1993. It was a fairly big album within the scene featuring no less than 4 singles: "Bitch", "Spiritual Reality", "Backdraft" and "Burnin' Heretic". These were more in the dark & hard-beat EBM vein prior to the FuturePop movement. However this is when Stephan Groth was developing his uncanny knack for insanely catchy vocal hooks... everyone of the singles has a chorus that bores its way into your mind.



The non-singles are decent but lack the depth of later releases. "Like Blood From the Beloved (Parts 1 & 2)" are simple instrumentals that sound like electronic chamber music serving as the intro and outtro to the album. "ARP" is a very minimalistic, bouncy analog-sounding track with charmingly infectious vocals. "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a Beatles cover. Let me go off on a tangent here if you will. This song has been covered frequently over the decades by many bands. I've never understood why. It wasn't one of The Beatles' better songs (and I don't like them much anyway); It's not a good song. It's never been covered very well either. So it's a weak track and the covers haven't ever really improved upon it. The only version worth a salt is Bryan Ferry's... but I digress. Moving on, "Ashes To Ashes" is not a cover of the David Bowie song of the same name... then again it's not very good.



I think this album had gone out of print for some time and then got reprinted... maybe Amazon lists 2001 as the re-release date but who knows. If you like Apop and want to go back then I'd say that this is well worth having. If you're an EBM historian I'd say the same thing. If you can't find this album then 'The Apopcalyptic Manifesto' is a solid substitute since it has every one of the singles and then some.



Early through mid-90's dark electro... good times... good times."