3 out of 5

Label: Metropolis

Producer: Rudy Ratzinger

Well, it’s definitely a bit of a slog – 2 discs, 30+ tracks of mostly early demos and unreleased old stuff- but Blutkind does have its share of valuable material, though its rough nature is absolutely apparent, and so probably plays better to :wump: enthusiasts.  So let’s start off with something for everyone, eh?  Opening track “Hang Him Higher” was a new one at this point, and makes you think that you’re in store for another classic rush of :wump: heavy, distorted beats and aggressive vocals.  But you, my sexy friend, are oh so wrong. Hints of Rudy’s various styles are all present here – some more of that thumping beat, some experimental samples, production noodling, some more laid back ambient work – but it’s all in a much more stripped down version, often the lyrics reduced to one or two phrases repeated per song.  The club stuff is probably – to me – the least worthwhile, some of it pretty dangerous close to straight up dance, no industrial influence.  But it’s a small percentage of the tracks overall.  Most of it ends up like :wumpscut: light, not quite shaped into the developed assault or fleshed out tracks he would one day produce, but the core of it is there, so for a few minutes you’ll stumble across some good Ratzy beats.  …And here and there are some unavoidable annoying moments – experiments or perhaps sketches for songs which never moved beyond one repeating verse or beat – tracks like “Throbberstalk” or “K-U-T-T,” which really can’t pass quick enough.  The flip-side of this are the gems, the stuff that suggested a different direction for Rudy – ambient.  The man certainly has toyed with all aspects of industrial in his time, but there are some really fascinating ‘noisescapes’ (sorry) scattered about Blutkind, just washes of wandering sound, grounded by a beat, and it’d be interesting to hear Ratzinger attempt this for a full album.

So in a way, Blutkind can actually work for new fans as well, as its not quite as harsh of a lot of industrial, the album can act as a sort of sampler for the different directions the genre can take. But more than likely it’ll be picked up by the fans, and it t’ain’t at all a waste of money if you know what you’re getting.  By the same token, it’s a double disc of varying strength, so works better stripped of whatever you consider clutter.