Suicide Commando – Mindstrip

A great, original band makes this disc, which features a few too many of the same sounding songs, IMO. Everyone loves Hell Raiser in the clubs (the 2nd track, which has a more popular remix by VNV Nation on the single CD-R), but the fact is that SC just has an awesome sound...brutal and harsh to the ear, yet somehow catchy and it draws you in to listen to more. I found that out the first 10 listens to this album, and then after it grows on you, you wish that the songs kind of backoff after awhile with the trendy sound of movie samples and other cliches. I love Body Count Proceed, Hell Raiser, and Jesus Wept, though. Pick it up anyways, despite what I say, because it's great to have in the collection.

Mindstrip marked the beginning of change with Suicide Commando. Don't get me wrong, the album has some excellent tracks, but the presence of oversampling detracts a lot from the listening experience. A perfect example is seen right away with the first track, "Jesus Wept", as a sample from the movie Hellraiser is repeated throughout the entire song - even when Van Roy is singing. This gets annoying as hell, and yet it goes on and on thoughout most of the album. Some of SC's best tracks are found on Mindstrip ("Hell Raiser", "Body Count Proceed", "Love Breeds Suicide", "Slaves"), and the employment of a faster, dancier beat (as compared to much earlier material), is used very well, too, but the reason i gave this album such a low rating is because of the disruptive presence of sampling. Axis of Evil still had a lot of samples itself, but they were used in moderation. This exploitation reminds me of Velvet Acid Christ's Calling ov the Dead, which also ruined the entire atmosphere of the record by abusing the privilege of sampling. Throbbing Gristle must be rolling in their graves.