Zoomica Label Compilations

"Club Bizarre 2" Various Artists (Compilation Album, 2001)

Zoomica/Angelstar

A wide-ranging double CD collection of thirty underground electronic tracks taking in future pop, EBM, industrial, electro, synth pop, etc. The artist line up is a strong combination of usual suspects (Covenant, Suicide Commando, Die Form, Dance or Die), with rising stars (Icon of Coil, Cenobita, Hocico, God Module, Accessory, Culture Kultur) and some less familiar, newer names (Seichtum, Plastic Assault and Lost Signal).

CD1 focuses on the darker industrial/EBM stuff. But there are too many disappointments. Covenant's live version of One World, One Sky suffers from a poor quality recording. Cenobita's Scabious Snout is just plain crap and Sigue Sigue Sputnik's Alien Christ sounds like American MOR rock. Highlights include Suicide Commando's Hellraiser (in a VNV Nation remix), L'ame Immortelle's Judgement.

CD2 is more progressive and experimental. Assemblage 23 get things off to a good start with House on Fire, other faves include Absurd Minds' Deception, Infekktion's Braindead, Neurolepsia by Die Form and the outstanding 10 Seconds by Hypnoskull. Another live track closes this second disc, this time it's Apoptygma Berzerk's Starsign. Not many rarities, most tracks are regular versions, only seven are remixes (including the two live versions). Disc one is easily forgotten, disc two is easily the best of the two. 5/10

Rob Dyer