"I first heard the album magnificat over one year ago, unfortunately, I didn't posess the money to buy it at the time and assumed that I would be able to find it elsewhere when I finally had my finances situated correctly. However... I soon found how hard good techno is to find. It has taken me over one year to finally find this cd and once again hear the hard core industrial percussion and the hardline techno and electronica instrumentation mixed dilligently with 16th century gregorian chants (sung by the los angeles chamber choir) This album takes sampling to a level that has only been touched by mod composers on computers with the mixing of two genres of music, superficially different, but similar at the core. If you like to feel the music run through you and get caught up in a flood of sound, music, and chant, then buy this album. You won't be disappointed"
Nothing short of incredible!!
Obadiah Noakes | Longview, WA United States | 03/17/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Industrial Monk's debut album begins with the swirling sounds of almost any electronica-based album, but descends gradually into an amazing blend of choral beauty and electronic strength. The unexpected marriage of the dark, heavy-handed synth lines and symphonic vocal arrangments presents an experience unlike anything you can find in most electronic music genres. Obviously rhythmically gifted, Industrial Monk transcends the lower levels of gothic lyric and replaces it with symphonic choral arrangements of traditional Gregorian chants. An intense experience, worth listening to more than once."
This music is the essence of GOTHIC !
Obadiah Noakes | 11/23/1998
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This album is another in the line of mixing chant with modern bass lines and rhythms, ala Enigma. This time, industrial styles rule, for an overall great result. Hearing the Latin Mass for the dead (Requiem aeternum) in a Rap over a heavy-synth techno bass is definitely something not to be missed (TRACK 2). A great way to set up a modern day Gothic mood. Only real complaints are the CD is too short (only about 50 min. of music), but if you like interesting, intelligent music that you can jam to, consider picking this one up."
Best fusion of techno/ Gregorian Chant I ever heard
Obadiah Noakes | 01/23/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I had been hoping for a long time for something like Industrial Monk's Magnificat, a fusion of two styles that on their own I sort of like, but they do get boring after a while. That is techno and Gregorian chant. This is one of the few CDs where I like every song. I recommend this CD to a more musically literate audience, one who has listened to not only techno, classical or jazz, but in addition a less mainstream form of one of these. The understanding of the interaction of the two styles might confuse others.I have heard mainstream songs like this CD, but only for part of the song, like Ace of Base's "Happy Nation", opening part.Similar artists are Era, Pilgrimage, and Adiemus. I like IM better because: it isolates the chants' free-flowing, reverberant, non-rhythmic style from the simultaneously heard techno beat, creating a great contrast; IM's lead vocals are almost always the chant, the others too often use other styles; IM never keeps the techno part "wimpy" just so it can "refuse to overwhelm" the chant sound; and IM has longer track times (only one under 6 minutes) so ideas can be fully developed.IM does have some harmony in its chants-- I think it uses medieval fifths and twentieth-century major sevenths. This doesn't really take away the chant spirit, as these harmonies are usually used as a quick shock. Effects are well used on the chant part. One is the "stuttering" on some syllables. It seems to accentuate the beauties of the Latin language. The most effects-modified chant part is on "Kyrie" but even there, the chant is still presented distinct from the techno.There are funny moments, like the Latin rapper. Only complaint is that there are some long episodes of no chant where the techno tends to get boring.I wouldn't mind a similar style album, but fusing techno and Eastern Orthodox Chant."