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UltraviolenceBlown Away 94-04 Earache/Shock As a techno outfit Britain's Ultraviolence seems a rather unusual group to be signed to Earache, a label more commonly associated with metal. This incongruity aside, this two-CD album - a retrospective of the group's career over the last ten years - should appeal to techno aficionados, featuring a total of almost two-and-a-half hours of quality material. Disc One is a straightforward selection of tracks from Ultraviolence albums released during the title period. Notable entries include the creepy Psycho Drama; the beautiful Heaven Is Oblivion and the rather military and sinister-sounding Murder Academy. Another piece with a distinctly martial flavour is North Korea Goes Bang, which combines thumping beats with military-style drumming and rousing samples of explosions and roaring crowds. Also worthy of a mention is Paranoid, a techno version of the Black Sabbath classic. Disc Two comprises rare tracks and remixes Ultraviolence have done for other bands. Most of the latter songs are well done - highlights include The Two of Me by OLD (pretty much a straight-out dance track); the rather weird War by Laibach (which contains some delightfully corny lyrics); and the racing Life Under Glass by The Naked Apes - although one, Misery Loves Co's You're Not the Only One, is let down by rather mournful vocals that really aren't suited to this sort of music. Stand-outs among the rare tracks are a Lenny Dee mix of I, Destructor (another fairly straightforward dance song), and Strangled, best summed up as a techno song on steroids. Sadly, this is another of those releases that a short review such as this really cannot do justice to; there are simply too many stand-out entries on this collection to mention them all. Overall, this is a most impressive collection of catchy, original and diverse tracks.  |
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