By Dave Guzda
I like remix albums. I find they often introduce me to new bands and offer interesting, often innovative spins on songs I already know. Industrial artist Ludovico Technique have released a remix album based on their 2012 Some Things Are Beyond Therapy album entitled We Came To Wreck Everything. Wreck everything indeed! The remix album features some of industrial/EBM's top artists including Aesthetic Perfection, God Module, Shiv-R, DYM, E-Craft and others smashing, contorting and twisting Ludovico's material with some impressive and intriguing results.
The first track to get wrecked is 'Dead Inside'. The song has been remade by Canadian industrial duo DYM. The duo offer a solid remix which I felt had a Rabia Sorda feel to it. This is certainly good thing. The remix plays with the percussion and the synth tones with catchy, highly dance-able results. Next up is Shiv-r's version of 'Then I Found You'. The beat is straight forward with much of the ambient flair in the original track removed. The remix ends up with an engaging vibe that allows the vocal track to breathe a little more.
Not surprisingly there are *gasp* three remixes of Ludovico's awesome track 'Wired for Destruction'. The first 'Wired' remix is by Nashville's Cryogen Second who are new to me. Cryogen create a flatter, bleaker version of the original song that pulsates and bubbles with energy. A great first impression from this band who have a decent collection of material on bandcamp. Check them out! The second 'Wired' remix is by veteran electroheads God Module. God Module simplify the synth melody and emphasizes Ludovico's strained vocals and add pounding percussion. The result is a killer remix with plenty of thuddy industrial character. The final 'Wired' remix which ends off the album is by Rodney Anonymous. I found this remix somewhat drab with some annoyingly repetitive effects. Ho-hum.
Aesthetic Perfection offer a clean, straightforward remix of 'Dead Inside' focusing heavily on the synth melody. The vocal changes and shifts from loud to soft which they incorporate are fairly effective on this remix. Ludovico not to be left out of the remixing, remixed their own track 'Potential'. I certainly prefer the original. I thought there were a lot of sections where less would have been more. Ludovico missed the remix potential here. The Anger Machine however did not. I quite enjoyed their spin on 'Memory'. Anger infused 'Memory' with a peppy pace, impressive percussion arrangements, stand-out vocal effects and well conceived tempo peaks and valleys. The drum barrage at the end is killer. The E-Craft remix of 'Heal my Scars' is also very good. E-Craft add some deep percussion and heavier synth creating an ominous creepy vibe and compelling take on the track. Lastly Vein Collector cover 'Wasting' which starts off well, but like the original seems to lose steam toward the end of the track.
Overall 'We Came To Wreck Everything' is a solid collection of remixes targeted for fans of EBM/Industrial. As with most remix albums with a variety of artists you'll probably find something appealing and something you'll skip. Well worth a listen.
