Search - Leather Strip :: Underneath the Laughter

This CD may be worth the high used price.

Mark Flood | Maryland | 11/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It looks like this CD is OOP, which is a shame. Generally when I think of a five star CD, I think of something that breaks the boundaries of the genre it is generally percieved to fall into. This CD is straight EBM, but it is just so good it deserves 5 stars anyway. From start to finish the production is stellar, the composition is magnificent, and the beats are unbelievable. If you are into Industrial music, you should consider spending the brutal price this one is going for used. This is one of the genres benchmark albums."

Marilyn Manswho?

Rocky IV | Loveland, CO United States | 06/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When you think of dark, evil musicians, many think of Marilyn Manson. Few in this country have heard of Claus Larsen. The genius behind Leather Strip. Claus performs a dark brilliance in his music far better than most. Marilyn Manson may appear 'evil' on the outside, but Claus can deliver the same effect in a much more suttle way. Not to mention that he's also 100 times more talented. I guess the way to get attention or fame in this country has purely to do with 'image'. Apparently painting your face and lighting goats on fire on a public stage is how you become popular in this country rather than just writing good music. Perhaps that's why Marilyn Manson is more popular around here than Claus Larsen. Marilyn should take lessons from Claus on how to write truely dark, menacing music rather than feeding off America's hunger for a 'freakshow' image because that's the only thing he can do well. Anyway, that's my rant, now about the album. This is probably Claus's best work. I chose to review this one because from beginning to end each song never lets up. Every song flows into the next very well. From start to finish every song is as evil as the next. From "Turn to Stone" right up until the last beat in "White Discrace" it makes you go "wow, that was good. It's a true venture into the dark world of underground music."