Search - Kidneythieves :: Zerospace

Birthing Displeasure and Loving It

TastyBabySyndrome | "Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Lit | 03/10/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first heard the Kidney Thieves performance on Trickster, I was amazed by a few things they held within their grasp; the diversity with which they carried themselves and the fact that they, another Nothing project from the realms of Reznorian fashioning, were getting no press. There was this almost ambient sound they could mix into certain industrial pools of thought, giving some of the songs a visceal imagery that made me feel like I was floating through an emotional painting that meshing vocals and insturmentals constructed. This would then change gears and become something different, something darker, and add fury into the fold, taking one convection felt and turning it into something new, keeping it flowing together in a seamless puzzle while doing so. Still, I was saddened to see that more people hadn't heard of this band, listing it with the 12 Rounds and the Pricks that had fallen to the wayside and were destined to not receive the glamourization they deserve. This was thwarted somewhat with the cover of "Crazy" that was added to The Bride of Chucky soundtrack, though, and then they went the way of many a wise band and left their old record label, landing perhaps in a land that didn't allow them much acclaim but that did allow them another quality album.The feeling of this release is heavier than the last in some regards, making some of the songs more agressively coated, although the movement in the melodies are still shifting from side to side here and newer things are still attempted. For instance, in the industrial-themed sounds of "Zerospace," we hear an almost rapped version of some of the lyrics, mixing in range with rage and aggression with a tempo that holds something within its somewhat twisted roots. Within other songs are the blurring of tempos, the accents of vocals that sometimes delve into the oddities of range and motion, and the use of ideas that are, in many instances, dark and melodic as well as more harshly constructed. So, if you liked the first release you should like this one as well, because both approach their works in a variety of methods. If you've never heard them then you should at least try them out and see if you find this blend of industrial aggression, female vocals, and the idea that darkness is sometimes the most intesting pattern to decorate with."

Dark beauty, bright future

J. Gillespie | isleworld@aol.com | 03/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It would be easy, and fall way short, to describe Kidneythieves as either a lighter Nine Inch Nails or a darker Garbage. Although the industrial sound recalls the best of NIN and the great female vocals bring to mind Garbage, Free Dominguez and Bruce Sommers have put together a more creative and palatable CD with Zerospace than either of those great bands ever managed.The track from the movie Queen of the Damned, "Before I'm Dead," probably lured most people to buy Zerospace. The surprise probably came when the rest of the CD proved much better. From the funk of "Glitter Girl" to the cover of the country classic "Crazy," Zerospace has a depth and dark beauty that Trent Reznor never managed. While NIN could get hopelessly repetitive at times, and Garbage can be stale, Domingeuz' vocals and the diversity of Sommers' material keep this CD from degenerating into uninteresting noise.Kidneythieves now are, artistically, where Radiohead was with the release of The Bends. Hopefully, Free and Bruce won't make an OK Computer next and lose most of their audience with the arthouse follow-ups. While Nine Inch Nails, Garbage and Radiohead obviously inspired much of the material on Zerospace, these bands'shortcomings are nowhere to be found here.This band will not be a backbencher much longer even with the recent explosion of great rock groups."

Zerospace

John Davis | Ozark, Missouri United States | 04/24/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After some label problems Kidneytheives return with their second effort, Zerospace. Who? Kidney-who? Yeah, their debut, Trickster, never really hit big in the mainstream. This isn't a huge shock, though, female fronted electronic metal bands arn't on TRL very often. But Trickster did earn the band somewhat of a following(mainly stray Orgy and NIN fans) and fans will still love this record. Kineythieves maintain their KMFDM meets Poe sound. Free's vocals follow the music closly and she seems more comfortable with exporing vocaly on this one. There are a few cliches that surround Kidneythieves but, you cannot deny the music is really good stuff, nothing groundbreaking, but a nice solid record. Basically if you liked them before, nothing changed, and if you are new, if you like NIN and stuff like that you'll like this. Oh, And the title track is riducuously catchy."