"...back when Industrial culture was dangerous, cynical and determined to spread it's message. Back when Industrial culture actually existed. The time of SPK when a time when Industrial was not just a style of music, but a philosophy. Not dance music, not techno-pop, not electro goth or electro metal. Industrial was cultural, social and sometimes political propaganda. It was sonic terrorism. Industrial meant clanging machinery, scrap metal, screeching analog electronics, feedback, mutated post-punk noise, primitive ethnic rhythms, and anti-musical experimentation. If you want the true Industrial experience, rather than what MTV and magazines tell you is Industrial, this cd is a perfect place to start. It has all of the above and more."
SPK! SPK! SPK!
Danny Piette | Belgium | 01/24/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First off: I'm not the kind of guy that spends time writing reviews for every CD in his collection.
But this SPK cd is really so damn great I couldn't resist. If you want to hear TRUE industrial - not this lame "goth" stuff of the past decade - buy SPK's Auto Da Fe. After all these years, this one still sounds amazingly powerful and inventive.
It includes their first two singles(!), some tracks from 1982 and their '83 E.P. "Dekompositiones".
Recommended tracks:
"Kontakt" - a great electropunk track. If you like Cabaret Voltaire's "Nag nag nag", you'll like this one too.
"Germanik" - those barking german vocals!
"Slogun" - the definition of 'HARSH'! It starts off with distorted moaning and screaming, kinda like a sample of a snuff movie, or someone getting electrocuted. Really disturbing. My wife gets scared when I put it on. Then suddenly there's a noisy and really intense, aggressive synth rhythm and a guy screaming 'SPK! SPK! SPK!' on top. Pure sonic terror - it'll make you want to kill everyone in sight.
"Metal field" - starts of like an early Cabaret Voltaire piece, then turns into a pretty danceable industrial/wave song with DAF/early Front 242 sequences.
"Another dark age" - great electro/wave with dark vocals, akin' to early Front 242.
This is their best release, definitely."
Scare those pop lovers!
05/19/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If some guy drives up next to you with that rediculous rap music blasting from his speakers, just pop in your SPK cd and let Slogun do it's thing. People will think twice about ever messing with you."
Industrial rock from the late days of the cold war.
barnabywalsh | Sydney | 04/26/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Introspective sounds which are similar to other arthouse rock noise makers, such as Matt Johnson, Dome, Throbbing Gristle and Fetus Prodictions. The most interesting industrial musicians who dont appear to put a persona across their art. They seem happy to be anonymous, perhaps that influenced cutting edge dance music makers later on."