Search - Wumpscut :: Embryodead German

Mille piacer' non vagliono un tormento...

ixion75 | 01/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The line above is from Petrarch as it is quoted by Schopenhauer in the second volume of _The World as Will and Representation_. It translates "A thousand pleasures do not compensate for one pain." This sentiment is expressed in many forms of art, but it never has been expressed as powerfully as it is here. In the post-industrial landscape masterpiece records come few and far between, but _Embryodead_ is without a doubt one of them. _Embryodead_ is a sign of enhancement and evolution, a formative and significant development in the great :W: canon.The album is intense beyond belief, both musically and conceptually. I've encountered more than a few that found the content disturbing; and well, it is. The concept driving the work is one of the least discussed, least mentioned among society, and its use in a musical format is only part of the wealth and power of the record. Each song is in complementarity, thematically, with the others. Dense orchestration adds to the overall effect. From the opening track "Golgotha," in which the story of Christ-as-martyr lends a harrowing humanity to the proceedings, to the closer "Stillbirth," one of the most cosmic and otherwordly manifestations you'll ever hear, there is an ever-rising sense of urgency. Just as the album begins *in medias res* if you will, it ends on a raw note of feedback: the movement both in and out seems to connotate a flow in both directions, perhaps mirroring the colons of the :W: logo.The album, as with all Rudy's products, is more developed and mature than the previous ones. In _Embryodead_ the song lengths shrink, each track only requiring the time it already possesses to slay you and then get on with it: no dawdling or 11 minute atmospherics; Rudy did that before. The real meat is the material, after all, and emphasis is on content. The tunefulness and melody in some of the tracks paradoxically seem to make it an even nastier affair, bold and beautiful. While there is no mystical instrumental like _Bunker Gate 7_'s "Thorns" the solemnity of the meditation here is no less spooky and majestic._Embryodead_ has become a cornerstone of the :W: catalogue, and of all "electro" as well. Who would do an album like this? 10 songs that in 50 minutes illustrate everything deadly about existence, consecrate the ill luck of the unborn, yet still affirm the importance, once cursed with life, of love, in "Angel," which joins the two? One of the major themes in antiquity is that it is better to die than to be born, and best of all not to exist in the first place. This idea can be written off as a thoroughly misanthropic literary trope if you wish, but like that cheerful child consciousness speaking out of "Womb," *it exists* nonetheless. What is to be done once this is realized? The coming to terms of it in art, in music like _Embryodead_, is one possible answer.It's an intelligent and meaningful album that ties together all it can to make its points. "Down Where We Belong" is a vicious twist on Darwinism, "Pest" a dissertation on the historicity and timelessness of despair, "Slave To Evil" a semi-Nietzschean reconstruction, "Is It You" a digression on the rarity of truth, or the illusion behind appearances, or both. "Golgotha" is the disc's emblem, as *in ovo* we see the problem put in terms of Christ's struggle. And "Womb" is absolutely haunting in its portrayal of the fundamentally egoistic strivation of life in general.Perhaps the darkest, most notable, most expressive work in the ever growing pantheon of electronic and industrial. The fans of this album are in ways a vanguard for a future culture, and a listen to _Embryodead_ a prerequisite to understanding that which is most horrible to us as human beings."

A perfectly good resort for music

jon kirsch | Ohio | 04/22/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those of you being recomended for this CD or for those of your just getting into the music of Wumpscut, it's a winner. It seems to cover every base touchable through Dark Wave. It's complex diversity is a sure thing from the moment you pop the CD in, to the moment the last song ends. I would recomend this to any fan of Industrial. EmbryoDead is one of the two good cds to start off with. Many fans say it's the best album ever created, and I even agree in cases. If you find morbid interests in bad taste, then you can obviously tell from the title of this CD, the band is not for you altogether."

Into the darkness.......

BloodySkoll | Hidden from the light | 08/20/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hmmmm.. how Rudy has changed since his early days of Mesner Tracks, Gommorah, and Bunker Gate 7. With all Wumpscut albums you have your share of great songs and annoyingly bad ones. This album is compiled of better ones rather then bad ones, almost all the songs on Embryodead range from good(War) to excellent (Angel, Embryodead, Golgotha). This album is much harsher in tone then any of Rudys other works, and thus it is unique. If you didnt like EEVIL YOUNG FLESH, then you will probably like this better, as it was made in an era when Rudy wasnt as popular so he was forced to make better albums. If you like this album, pick up Mesner Tracks, Dried Blood of Gommorah, Bunker Gate 7, and Born Again. But remember, Wumpscut isnt NSYNC, and thus you will be subjected to apathy, loathing, hatred, and depression... wait a second maybe that is NSYNC."