Attack of the double-disc sets!

Caustic’s Booze Up and Riot brings the noise.  Pounding rhythms, bizarre samples, squalls of programmed bangs and clangs, and occasional bursts of thuggish vocals form the perfect sonic backdrop for Caustic’s tongue-in-cheek bad attitude.  Booze Up and Riot is vicious fun for the whole post-nuclear family.  The opening track will get skipped more often than the previous album’s; if there was an award for most annoying intro, Caustic would certainly be in the running.  However, Caustic definitely does win an award here for having the most interesting bonus disc.  Caustic’s powernoise cover of the disco “classic” “The Hustle” is worth the price of admission alone, to say nothing of the covers of “The Humpty Dance” and Faith No More’s “We Care a Lot”.

Combichrist’s WTFIWWYP? is a step back.  Whereas Everybody Hates You had a very distinct style, WTFIWWYP? sounds more homogenized and feels a bit more like Andy Leplegua had his eye more on making a popular release than a unique one.  While the snarling, juvenile lyrical content of Everybody Hates You made for compelling, infectious songs, the attitude on WTFIWWYP? has ballooned to cartoonish proportions; both “Shut Up and Swallow” and “Give Head if You’ve Got It” try far too hard to be shocking and provocative.  WTFIWWYP? also has the least interesting bonus disc of the lot, favoring a mixed set of repetitive tracks over any worthwhile surprises.

Zombie Girl returns with their brand of electro-ghoulishness with Blood Brains & Rock ‘n’ Roll.  Like aural mad doctors, Zombie Girl stitches together a monstrosity of industrial, synthpop, and electroclash with a distinctive morbid pall.  Zombie Girl continues on her quest to become the female equivalent of Rob Zombie, tossing lyrics about the living dead on top of big synth hooks that promise a grinding dance floor.  (Guitars have even begun to creep into Zombie Girl’s music…a welcome addition that lends an anthemic quality to the tracks.)  Blood Brains & Rock ‘n’ Roll’s bonus disc adds a bunch of tracks that continue the blood-soaked fun.  The lounge version of “We Are the Ones” would be reason enough to grab this, but high quality of the remixes, instrumentals, and cover versions make it a done deal.

Caustic – Booze Up and Riot

Combichrist – WTFIWWYP?

Zombie Girl – Blood Brains & Rock ‘n’ Roll

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