Customer Reviews
Yikes! What happened?!
I LOVED Dirt. The first time I heard Death in Vegas I was hooked. I LOVED the whole entire Dead Elvis CD. . . with a passion!!! Many a guest in my car was forced to listen to it. Ahhh. 'Cause it's THAT good. But this one. . . I don't know what went wrong. . . but it's just the complete opposite if Dead Elvis. Not good. No flow, no rhythm. It might be good if you never fell in love with Dead Elvis, but if that CD is what got you into this band in the first place, you probably won't like this one. .
Finally
They started out as this hiphop band with samples, then they were this cool electro group with angry vocals, and they would occasionally rock out. Death In Vegas has always been one of my favorite bands. They were a live band too. They had recorded with Iggy Pop and Liam Gallagher and so many others. It was hard to keep up with the ever changing and morphing shape of the band. I spoke to them on the phone a while back and it seemed that a change was brewing. The members of Death In Vegas are Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes. After ten years they have created a mostly instrumental album that harkens back to German minimalist techno. Whereas many dance and techno pioneers like The Prodigy and Fatboy Slim have put out records that add nothing new and are now forgotten, Death In Vegas have really done a radical album. This is a shock to the system. They have created an underground masterpiece. Every song spits and sputters like a great DIV track. It's totally them. It's totally fearless and unsentimental. This collection also includes the Live at Brixton CD, which chronicles their live show in 2003. This shows how they sounded as a live act. It includes some cool songs like "Rekkit" and "Scorpio Rising" and "Hands Around My Throat. " They were an actual band of musicians and not two dudes behind some gear. Death In Vegas are one of the most innovative artists of this time and they continue to be relevant.
.
The Vegas masterpiece....
Not even close. It's not like Death in Vegas had any dismissable albums behind them. All their previous efforts had attracted considerable attention from those that truly understand and recognise great music. Plus, their progress had been geometric from album to album.
Because of reasons such as these many had anticipated a seriously grand album coming from this band. And sure enough it came.
"Satans Circus" is an absolutely masterful album. It might be different than previous DIV lps but it's also so much more mature and multilayered. An element that's missing is the bombast which prevailent in the past, but that has been more than compensated for with some very intriguing melodies and a stunningly crafted atmosphere that keeps up on a high quality level throughout.
As many reviewers have correctly pointed out the influences of the album are to be found in 70s Krautrock for the most part. Exactly this fact might be responsible for the album having received some not so welcoming reviews. Krautrock was and is difficult music to appreciate. It's meant for the seasoned and intelligent listener. To have it as a main influence on your album only means you're aiming at such listeners. By definition then you're not aiming at the masses.
I'm greatful that DIV defied the commercial advantages they would have had having stayed on their so far laid path and instead went on ahead and boldly did what they're truly capable of: very intelligent timeless music.
This double limited edition CD comes with a live CD. Normally live cds dont exactly rock my world. But this is in another league again. It's one of those few and rare cases where it pays to rush and get the limited version because of something like a live CD. It's a great show that has been saved in this recording, a great selection of songs and an execution which will surprise even the knowledgeful Vegas fans.
One of the very best albums not only of the year but in recent time as well.
. You can see a complete list of all Death in Vegas discography, or go back to the Death in Vegas tabs
|
