[.ca] Wreath Of Barbs

Setting Fire to the World:
With this album it seems that you are either going to love it or hate it. Obviously by giving it a 5 star rating I am of the former and think it is the most complete album Rudy has yet released. Although there are higher highs on albums such as Eevil Young Flesh and Embryodead, on Wreath of Barbs every track is great. For me the best tracks are those in which the music is at it darkest in tracks such as, Opening the Gates of Hell, Deliverance and Line of Corpses. In addition, I also very much admire the tracks that Aleta Welling contributed to, including Dr Thodt, which maybe a bit over the top, but appealing none the less, especially to those with a morbid outlook on the world. But then again, I don't know many shiny, happy people that listen to :wumpscut: anyway. Another jewel on this album is Welling's version of Eclipse, in which she provides hauntingly beautiful vocals that are a nice contrast to the rest of this albums chilling intensity. Besides the standard :Wumpscut" fare, that we have all come to love, this album also has several very catchy and dancy songs, such as Christf*ck and the title song Wreath of Barbs, that compliments nicely the more sinister and brooding atmosphere created by the rest of the album. If you like the :W: of Soylent Green and Eternal then by all means you will enjoy Wreath of Barbs, which for my money is one of the best industrial albums to come out in the last few years. And as one of the songs ominously proclaims, it seems that Rudy really is opening the gates of hell with this one. Enjoy!

Has Its Moments and Shortfalls:
I really give this about 3.5 stars but since that isn't an option... WoB has its great moments to be sure. Unfortunately there aren't enough of them. The standouts have to be the dancefloor crusher "Deliverance" and the angry, sacreligious "Christf*ck". "Delieverance" is a bit of a hybrid between the old grinding, rage-ridden :Wumpscut: style and the new cleaner Futurepop style that is prevalent in much of the scene. The vox are not nearly as harsh and the beat in crisper and less distorted than his earlier work. "Christf*ck" is more of a throwback to his aggressive industrial assault. The most creative element is the way the sampled single word "Christ" is repeated along with the hammer strike to form its own sort of beat through spots of the song. Outside of the standouts is where this release falls short. Compared to previous releases there is just more filler here and a couple of songs that are quite lackluster. Rudy certainly needs to do something to revamp the interest in :W: and get back near the top of the scene, and trying female vocals was no doubt a good idea. The issue is that the songs featuring Aleta Welling simply are not well written songs. These sound more like rehash than a new direction to me. Given that I have interviewed Rudy several times and listened to :W: for over a decade I consider myself an expert here. This is not one of his best albums and despite what you may have read elsewhere, this is a very poor starting point. Try 'Embryodead', 'Bunker Gate 7' or 'Dried Blood of Gomorrha' first.

Good in its own right:
I've grown accustomed to Wumpscut's albums that punch you to the floor, spit in your face - only to offer a hand to help you up again and then slap you on the cheek. However, this is a quality album with attention to detail. I could have done without Opening the Gates of Hell as the first track. It's not a terrible song, but I don't think it sets the mood of the album. The tracks here are amazing, mostly slow-paced, but danceable and melodic. I notice many people hate Dr. Thodt, but I'm actually quite fond of its music, but the bloody words and singing are awful. The thing that sometimes ruins the album for me in general is Welling's voice. It actually prevents me from listening to some songs. Line of Corpses, for example, is a beautiful, haunting songs, but her voice is just plain annoying, especially at the pointed where she says "corpses". The moment I hear her say "eclipse", I shudder and turn the song off, which is a pity when I actually sit down to listen to the song. Overall, it's a good album with a few weak points. If you are more into the hammering stuff, I would suggest Eevil Young Flesh and Embryodead.

Awesome.:
First things first, if you've just now heard of Wumpscut, this is a good place to start. Sure, it's a little "softer" than previous releases, but that shouldn't matter. This is a damn good album. This CD has some of the most original music I've heard since the likes of Mindless Self Indulgence. That's sort of a bad example since the two don't sound anything alike, but how each track on here uses distorted vocals, keyboards, some tribal drums, and even a few acoustic guitar pieces (which is rare for modern industrial bands to use) really makes this stand out from most new stuff. There's not much to say about Wreath of Barbs to make you understand how amazing it is. It starts out furious and strong with "Opening the Gates of Hell" and slows down right after that, and that's not a bad thing. The lyrics remind me of some things off KMFDM's "Nihil", but that's just me. Stand out tracks- Deliverance, Wreath of Barbs, Christ\o4-letter word for 'sex'\c, Line of Corpses. All of them are good mind you...except for "Dr. Thodt". That song is horrible, and it makes me want to kill myself. And not in a good way either. It just flat out sucks. Just skip that track before it plays, and you'll be set.

Aleta Welling costs Rudy a star here.:
My first exposure to Wumpscut came in a form of homemade EverQuest raid video, set to 'Torn Skin', and got me hooked instantly. Like Bunkergate 7, 'Wreath of Barbs' is by all means an excelent album. But I have to say, any song that has 'Aleta Welling' in the credits is markedly less appealing than songs stamped with Rudy Ratzinger name alone. Dr. Thodt is especially bad. Still, despite Aleta, this CD definitely delivers. Just skip Dr. Thodt and listen and 'Wreath of Barbs' twice. :)

• Opening The Gates Of Hell
• Deliverance (album mix)
• Wreath Of Barbs (album mix)
• Dr. Thodt
• Mankind's Disease
• Christfuck
• Troops Under Fire
• Line Of Corpses
• Hate Is Mine
• Bleed In Silence
• Eclipse (Kaelte Container Remix)