Mindripper II Reviews

The first of Van Richter Records "Mind Ripper" compilation albums was released in 1996 and now, nine years later, it’s time for the next one, "Mind Ripper II". Six artists from the industrial and dark wave scene take part on this album with two songs each, making up just less than one hour of material for the listener. THE FAIR SEX kicks off the album with a song from their new album "The Dark Ages" and cleans the way for the rest of the bands with their heavy, yet dance-floor friendly and catchy, electronic music that has been spiced up by the use of powerful guitars. The second song that the band contributes with can also be found on the above mentioned album and is a cover on the well known "Children Of The Revolution" by T-REX. The next band to step up is GIRLS UNDER GLASS and they are as impressive as always with their very well created and dance-floor friendly dark wave. The first song "Halloween" is taken from their album "Nightmares" and the second one, "The Bitter End", can be found on the slightly more recent "Frozen". TESTIFY on the other hand stands for the most heavy and aggressive performance on the album with their two songs, of which the first one, "Quest Of Nothing", has been remixed by the band DIE WARZAU. Both songs shows the great capacity within the band and are basically two really good and aggressive industrial songs with some metal elements. The minimalistic EBM band PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE follows TESTIFY on the remix theme and presents a remix of their great song "City Of Lies". This remix is however not at all as good as the original, which is a disappointment for me. The second song "Kill What Kills You" is a previously unreleased song and a damn good one also. DEATH AND HORROR INC is one of the two bands on the album that I've never heard before, and that I do regret now, since it quickly turns out that both songs offered some really good industrial music. Especially "New Vision" is a great track and the music seems to work better with a not so danceable tempo. SIELWOLF closes up the album with two quite aggressive and heavy industrial songs in the same nice way as the rest of the album and also this became a nice new acquaintance for me. There aren't maybe any clear hits on "Mind Ripper II", but the album still keeps a high level of quality straight through, something that is rather unusual within the compilation world. This consistency is the albums greatest strength and therefore this album a good choice for those who want to find out a bit more about the contributing bands. - Jan-Erik Nyman, Metal Only Zine


The compilation "Mind Ripper II" rips nothing but the classics from the vaults of Van Richter records with a few unreleased tracks and remixes. Opening with "Beautiful Nightmare: The Number One" by The Fair Sex then onto Girls Under Glass's interpretation of the classic "Halloween" movie turned into a dance floor killer. Testify also shows signs of life after a long hiatus with the track "Quest of Nothing" from their newest album "Aggro" which is given remix treatment from the recently dusted off Die Warzau. While I'm familiar with most bands on the compilation I personally discovered Death and Horror Inc. which captures the glory days of Fifth Column records which housed classic bands like Chemlab and C-Tec. At the middle of the compilation Sielwolf delivers "Korrosion" a hard beat driven instrumental with grinding guitars that move in a machine like sequence to the rhythms that are blanketed by sampled screams from all walks of life, They also close out this agro driven compilation with the droning "Nautilus #1"."Mind Ripper II" captures the best tracks and a sampling of about six different artists contributing two tracks each to fill this 12 track compilation. - DJ Carrion, Lollipop Magazine
The Mind Ripper II music compilation is an aggressive, upbeat collection of songs that makes me want to get off my ass and go back to the clubs I was dancing in back in 1989/90, when the industrial thing was new, fresh, and exciting. These tracks aren't necessarily new or fresh, but they are exciting in the "classical" sense of ebm/electro/industrial or whatever the kids are calling it these days. It's all rock n' roll to me! The selections definitely have that driven, old-school feeling of power, frustration, change and unbridled, rough forward movement. They lack the redundancy that overrides many of the new releases in the bastard children of the industrial genre.One of Van Richter Records' brain children, Mind Ripper II consists of 12 tracks from six different artists; The Fair Sex, Girls Under Glass, Testify, Plastic Noise Experience, Death and Horror Inc., and Sielwolf. The songs range in style and tempo from the dirgelike, yet disco-influenced Bitter End from Girls Under Glass to the militant call to arms of Plastic Noise Experience's Kill What Kills You. Not wanting to alienate the metalheads, Testify's Seeds of Wrath adds a touch of grinding rawk guitars and slightly death-metalish delivery. Not to worry if the metal thing is not your scene. Testify's other song, Quest of Nothing is more Mansonesque and manageable for the common industrialite.Taking it back to the really old days of rock but adding a lot of non-hippie improvements, The Fair Sex's version of T Rex's Children of the Revolution is an important addition to any attempt to bring the 70s into the present. Death and Horror Inc. keep it real with banging metal drums--or at least what sounds like them, old Skinny Puppy-like screaming and frustration, and an overall audio assault of the desirable kind. Although Sielwolf's first contribution, Korrosion resides in the hard experimental realms, the final track, Nautilus takes it down like a dying heartbeat and leaves you sufficiently mellowed to go to bed, or ready for another go round.All things considered, Mind Ripper II is a happy addition to music collections begun in the industrial revolution any time between the 80s and now. It's timeless, danceable, passionate, engaging, and it's a compilation, so you've got the variety factor. Check it out! - Dharmageddon, Dark Life & Pit Magazine
Industrial music in all of its subgenres (electronic, EBM, darkwave, aggro): these the coordinates we're offered by the collection 'Mind Ripper II' second chapter of the anthology cured by the label Van Richter Records, to which six different bands participate with two songs each one. In rigid order of apparition: THE FAIR SEX open the dances with their hypnotic woof of invadent loops and compressed guitar flashes, giving us also a little surprise with the cover of 'Children Of The Revolution' of T-Rex of Marc Bolan, obiously filtered through their electro-dark sensibility; immediately after is the time of GIRLS UNDER GLASS who with 'Halloween' offer us their interpretation of this classic of horror cinema, a sort of dancefloor version of Goblin, while the second episode taken from their discography ('The Bitter End' reveals an almost Depeche Mode-like taste in its gothic involving walking. Then it's the turn of the harder and guitar oriented TESTIFY, that can be remarked for a charm remix (by DIE WARZAU), gloomy and a bit prolix, and a more furious track of industrial metal on the path of Ministry, entitled 'The Seeds Of Wrath' while immediately after we've PLASTIC NOISE EXPERIENCE, who decide we must get back moving with a couple of songs, one taken from the latest 'Noised' and the other unreleased, enriched with an EBM minimalist of likeable manufacture. Canadian DEATH & HORROR INC. represent the best revelation in the album maybe, thanks to two songs of martial chasing electro goth, though also SIELWOLF must not be neglected and with their obsessive hammering ('Korrosion' or their dron approach ('Nautilus #1' clearly showing why their sounds have been compared with Rammstein and Godflesh. If you're open minded metalheads or lovers of the most violent electronic music, here there could be something for you. - Dario Adile, Silent Scream Magazine
Mind Ripper II is the second compilation from the aggro-industrial record label, Van Richter. The compilation repesents the label's six bands: The Fair Sex, Girls Under Glass, Testify, Plastic Noise Experience, Death and Horror, Inc., and Sielwolf with two songs each, just enough to give you a taste for what Van Richter is all about. The Fair Sex starts the compilation with "Beautiful Nightmare: The Number One", a good old-school track, followed by Girls Under Glass' interpretation of the theme song from the movie "Halloween". While the track starts out much the same as the original song, it quickly gets cranked up a notch with hard, driving beats. Testify is up next with "Quest of Nothing", remixed by Die Warzau. Plastic Noise Experience follows with "Kill What Kills You", an excellent unreleased track, once again with a vibe of old-school industrial. "Chemical Land (Showdown Version)", from Death and Horror, Inc. is another great track, followed by industrial-noise track "Korrosion" from Sielwolf, reminiscent of early Ministry. The Fair Sex starts out the second half of the album with "Children of the Revolution", followed by my favorite track on the album, "The Bitter End" from Girls Under Glass. Track 9, "The Seeds of Wrath" from Tesify, seems to break from the general theme of the album with an almost purely metal sound. In contrast, Plastic Noise Experience's "City of Lies (remix)" is a more minimal song, with old-school vocals. We get another pounding track from Death and Horror, Inc. with "New Vision" and the albums finishes with the haunting, instrumental track "Nautilus #1" from Sielwolf. Overall, Mind Ripper II is a good sampler of some great bands you may or may not have known and is a blast from the past to remind us of the roots of today's industrial music. - Legion, This is Corrosion
"Mind Ripper II" is a brand new compilation from Van Richter records containing songs from catalogue titles. This release includes artists such as Death and Horror Inc, Girls under Glass, Fair Sex, Plastic Noise Experience, Sielwolf and Testify. I must admit that I was not aware of Van Richter's work a couple of months ago but from what I've heard so far I have the impression that Paul Abramson is a man who loves underground music being keen especially in old school stuff such as gothic rock, gothic and what I like to call garage-techno (old industrial bands that could find a terminology for their music). This release is all about the music listed above and believe me with one exception the whole outcome is fantastic. I caught myself travelling back in time when the scene was pure and bands didn't mind much in selling albums, only composing music and spreading it to the underground world. Best moment of this Girls Under Glass and Plastic Noise Experience and I encourage you to explore Van Richter Records through this compilation, you will find so many interesting worlds to live in. - Vassago, The Enochian Apocalypse e-zine
Domanda: chi diavolo mai comprera una compilation del genre. Risposta: nessuno, crediamo. Gia, perche questa "MR II" raccoglie al suo interno brani editi un secolo fa, tra l'altro di gruppi si importanti come The Fair Sex, Girls Under Glass e Plastic Noise Experience, ma parzialmente avulsi dai gusti musicali del nuovo movimento gotico che avanza. I due brani degli ottimi TFS appartengono alla notte dei tempi, quelli dei validi GUG non sono altro che una 'cover' della colonna sonora di "Halloween" e la conosciuta "The BItter End", mentre almeno per i PNE c'e qualcosa di nuovo sotto al sole ("Kill What Kills You" e un buonissimo remix esclusivo di "Noised"). Chiudono il cerchio gli inutili Testify, i Sielwolf e due piacevoli episodi cyber - punk dei Death And Horror Inc., ma alla resa dei conti sembra di ascoltare un sampler partorito all'inizio degli anni Novanta! D'ora in poi la chiameremo archeologia musicale. - Paolo Trerotoli, Rock Hard Magazine
Mind Ripper II is the second in a series of compilation releases from Van Richter Records, an independent artist development label out of California. Every so often they peer into their back catalogue and reanimate a few of their artist's tracks for our aural pleasures. Mind Ripper is different from some other compilation albums because there are 12 tracks from 6 bands instead of 12 tracks from 12 bands, so we get more than just one look or listen to each artist; which could be good or bad, depending on how you hear it. The Fair Sex start us off with a snappy piece of dreamy early 80's era sounding industrial. Rather than continuously throw the term "industrial" and all of its light and dark wavelengths like Aggro, Experimental, Electro and such, I'll just tell you now this recording showcases all of the above singularly and mixed together, while throwing in a few other formats. So there is a good blend of styles that fall under the "industrial" umbrella. None of the bands stray off into the overly aggressive and violent side of things. This is more like slow or mid tempo trancelike beats to bob your head to rather than some to smash your face in. Track 2, Halloween is just that. The foundation for the song is the theme from said movie while on top of and around that structure lives a hypnotic, repetitive beat that will surely get your eyes twirling and your body moving. Testify are up next with a slower, haunting track that features a ghostly, antique female voice dancing eloquently with the alien growls of the male singer. Plastic Noise Experience really kick things up a notch with my first most wanted track, the powerful and intense "Kill What Kills You" which leads into my album favorite Death and Horror Inc's "Chemical Land" a trippy piece that makes you feel like you are involuntarily dancing around the room with a fish bowl on your head. And yes, you are happy about it. Then Sielwolf step in with their first submission "Korrosion" So, like the runner on the circular track, we have gone round already once, and now we get to do it all over again. I didn't find the second half of the album as appealing as the first. It is a little bit slower and a little bit weirder and if my industrial ain't like a jackhammer in your face (and none of these tracks are) I like it with 'a nice beat that you can dance to' There is a sweet electric guitar part on Testify's "The Seeds Of Wrath" but the rest of the track reminds me of Ministry on Valium. And the last track from Sielwolf is a 2:49 instrumental. Why? Of all the songs the label could have picked to showcase this band they use this one. I'll never understand it, but I am sure they had their reasons. Well if you are a fan of this type of music or any of these bands, then Mind Ripper II is your perfect mix CD already done up for you without any work on your part. If you are curious about these subgenres of the industrial revolution then ears on board for a good listen. But as I said before the first six are like the yin and the last six are like the yang. And I found that to be mildly unsatisfying. For old fans and collectors some of these tracks are remixes and others are even previously unreleased rarities. My favorite was Canada's Death and Horror Inc; give this a listen to find out yours. 7 out of 10. - Lord M, Pro 4 You
Various Artists Mind Ripper II. The presented sampler from Van Richter contains 12 pieces of 6 bands of the same label. So there are 2 musical contributions of each formation on the CD. Consequently the tracklist is touching on many musical genres. From metal. Industrial, EBM, Darkwave all the way to classical Electro everything is included. I will not cover some of the bands, as there are already reviews of their published albums available here. When studying the track list I immediately notice Girls under Glass and The Fair Sex, which contribute 2 titles from their latest work The Dark Ages. In the 4th piece the question is asked Why do you think its stupid. The answer from my side would be, because the CD does not,convince musically. When hearing the samplers I have mostly the feeling that this was taken from a historic musicbox. The samples and sounds appear dusted and dont create any motivation for me. Therefore after about half of a track I am mostly pressing the button. Especially Chemical Land by Death and Horror Inc. sounds like a EBM-80s-revival and just creates guitar sounds that gets on my nerves, which can also be found in other track. With Sielwolf's Korrosion the fun ends. Here I only find Heavy-Industrial sounds that are scratching my ears. Also the brachial metal-heavy Seeds of Wrath by Testify one has to either like or hate forever. New confidence can only Girls Under Glass restore with their classical cover of John Carpenters Halloween and their fantastic melancholic hit The Bitter End. Also the remix of City of Lies by Plastic Noise Experience lets me get something positive from this sampler. For people who like harder EBM, Industrial, and Metal sounds this CD is worth a try. Those who are interested in 1 or 2 bands in this collection should buy the individual source releases on Van Richter Records. - Robert, Medienkonverter
Usually I don't like to do cd reviews of compilations, if not just for the fact that it's hard to put a general 1-10 scale of goodness on it because you'll have great tracks mixed with not-so-great tracks......but in this case, I was definately taken by surprise! This is a current mix of the bands you will find on Van Richter records, and with bands like Plastic Noise Experience, Testify, and Girls Under Glass doing tracks, it's a definate factor that this cd will end up staying in your cd player on repeat for a few weeks before you even notice. It's a great mix of dance, heavy industrial and synth.....and it goes back and forth between all the syles very well! So, if you're into the old-skool industrial and darkwave genres, you'll definatley want to check this one out. (Old Skool Electro) 9/10 - Mike Wimer, MusicWerks Magazine
Label comp from aggro-industrial pushers Van Richter highlights the latest gloom-tunes from their impressive roster of post-Apocalyptic cyberpunks. The death disco gets rolling with a typically icy track from Germanic disaster baiters The Fair Sex before launching into the creepadelic "Halloween" from synthcore legends Girls Under Glass. Testify offer up the awesomely titled, 8-minute electro-nuclear track "Quest of Nothing (Warzone Pharmaceuticals mix)", Plastic Noise Experience ping and bling through a dated sounding goth tune, Death and Horror, Inc. blast their way through a terror-train of noise and static, and Sielwolf close out the first round of hits-from-hell with a percussion-heavy dose of scary freakdustrial. And then it all starts over again, with slight variations. All of the bands on deck owe at least half their sound to Skinny Puppy and/or Christian Death, but the best of 'em (Testify, Death & Horror, Sielwolf) manage to keep the zombie-beats sounding fresh. If you're looking for something you can dance and die to, just dig around in here, you'll find it. - Ken, Sleazegrinder Magazine
Old school Rivetheads rejoice. As I put this one on I was immediately reminded of the glory days of Catch-22 and the Boom Boom Room. What we have here are 12 new songs from six veteran bands. The bands showcased here are Girls Under Glass, Plastic Noise Experiment, the Fair Sex, Testify, Death and Horror Inc. and Sielwolf, all with two songs each. Even though these bands may not have reached mainstream status, they helped pioneer what we call Industrial today. Also, the great thing about this compilation is the way it flows. No filler here, just great song after great song showcasing great talent that doesn’t make you want to skip tracks. Highly recommended for those wanting to hear something new that sounds like the past and highly recommended to those wanting to see where industrial roots come from Anthony - Prugo, Exclaim Magazine
Van Richter Records offers their best of Industrial, Darkwave and Experimental electro skullduggery consisting of two tracks each from six of their emblematic artists. Mind Ripper II features the nihilistic drones of Sielwolf and Germany's The Fair Sex (who sound a bit like Cevin Key's Download project), but the real jewel here is Girls Under Glass' hijacking of John Carpenter's Halloween theme into a full-on dance floor extravaganza which somehow maintains the theme's psychotic balls. Also included: Toronto's Death and Horror Inc. (a ghostly sounding incarnation of KMFDM), minimalists Plastic Noise Experiment and the pounding guitar-driven agro-industrial noise of Germany's Testify. - Monica Kuebler, RUE MORGUE Magazine
This is a pretty decent collection of goth/industrial artists signed to the Van Richter label. Two tracks a piece from The Fair Sex, Girls Under Glass, Testify, Plastic Noise Experience, Death and Horror Inc., and Sielwolf. Aside from the Plastic Noise Experience tracks, these tunes have all been released elsewhere. Still, if you don’t have these albums and are wondering what the Van Richter roster of artists sounds like this is a great way to find out. I wouldn’t say these artists are doing anything I haven’t heard from other acts in the genre, but the overall quality of the material is solid. If you like your music dark and danceable, chances are you’ll dig this compilation. - Bob Ignizio, Utter Trash
This is the second in a series of compilation releases featuring selections from each of the artists with releases on this label. Featuring some of the best music from the Industrial genres of music. The album contains a dozen total ripping tracks that drag the listener through some of the harshest industrial music released over the past few years. There are six artists, each contributing two tracks each for a nice sampling of what each artist has to offer. Obvious favorites for me include tracks from The Fair Sex and Girls Under Glass with their awesome goth/industrial crossover sound. The Fair Sex kicks off the album with one of their latest tracks "Beautiful Nightmare" from their recent release The Dark Ages.This piece is a perfect example of the powerful crossover music this excellent band has been producing for so many years. This is followed up by the "Halloween" cover version as only Girls Under Glass can do. The climax of the album includes two more tracks from these two bands, the first is a cover version of the classic T-Rex track "Children of the Revolution" by The Fair Sex. And an all-time favorite Girls Under Glass piece "The Bitter End" is in my opinion the highlight of this album showing this band at their very best. Other highlights include the two pieces from Plastic Noise Experience bringing to us the best of their minimalistic, EBM and electro-clash styles before it became the new fad of the new millenium. While I've never really dug into the music from Testify, Sielwolf and Death and Horror, Inc., I was pleasantly surprised with the selections each of these bands presented on this disc. Some tracks were convincing while others were not, but they seems to be pretty average and definitely worth listening to. With each of these selections we are able to see what these bands are capable of releasing and should spark an interest in most listeners to go out and pick up their releases available if you don't already have them.J In my opinion that's what makes a good compilation album, one that presents something that gives a good cross-sampling of what's available from a label or the individual artists.J While you always get tracks that are less than average, you take the good with the bad.J The range of music is concentrated enough within the industrial-related genres that the general fanbase will find plenty to enjoy, while broad enough that the fanbase may include those from all related genres, and not just the most aggressive industrial, but also from the goth and darkwave related music. Check it out for yourself. - Jacob L. Bogedahl, Gothic Paradise
Fans of industrial music along the lines of Ministry, Nine Inch Nails and a hint of White Zombie all with a very colorful European flavor, will enjoy the sounds that top-up this Van Richter Records compilation release. Tracks like "Quest of Nothing (Warzone Pharmaceuticals Mix)" by TESTIFY will mash-up classical elements such as weeping violins and background operatic vocals with heavy industrial electronics and strange noises, yet it has such a harmonious contrast in sounds that it's beautiful. Much of the compilation has your standard industrial tinged music with loud guitars, altered vocals, and heavy electronics, much like DEATH AND HORROR INC.'s track "Chemical Land (Showdown Version)." So if you like your scathing industrial metal music, you'll dig your chops right into this release. It's definitely one of my favorite industrial based compilation albums that's currently in my collection, and the best aspect of it is that it stands out from the rest as something unique. Each artist provides their own blend and style of industrial, yet all the tracks are tied together nicely throughout the duration of the compilation. Definitely a must have for any industrial metal collection! - Wednesday Elektra, Space Junkies Magazine
Mind Ripper II is the second compilation made by Van Richter Records. For those new to Van Richter Records, it publishes for a number of rather well known groups such as Testify, Girls Under Glass, The Fair Sex, and Plastic Noise Experience. After listening to this album, one thing is clear: it is undeniably dark, heavy, industrial music.The first thing to know about the album is it's unique organization. With only six groups contributing a total of twelve songs, there are two songs from each group. The compilation's first half has a track from each, and the second half does the same. The groups are fairly consistent with their offerings and this means that if one song is enjoyable there will be a second enjoyable song. However, the converse also applies for every bad song there's another.The Fair Sex kicks off the compilation with "Beautiful Nightmare: The Number One". The rhythm is strong, the drums are hard, and the distorted guitar is driving. There are some odd low quality sounds reminiscent of barking dogs, but other than that it's a highly enjoyable track. Following that is "Halloween" by Girls Under Glass, which provides a mysterious highly electronic sound. All of this, though, is just preparation for "Quest of Nothing" by Testify. "Quest of Nothing" is at the very least an extremely well produced track. But it is more than just a well-produced track - it is a multi-genre masterpiece. At the outset are highly ambient organic noises, a smooth and morphing beat, and a sea of samples that contribute to its foggy atmosphere. When the vocals come in, it only gets better. The song seamlessly swims through ravaging guitars, a soulful violin, and there’s even some operatic wailing included for good measure. Anyone who hears the emotion and anger in this track should come back changed.The tracks following are quite strong as well. Plastic Noise Experience's "Kill What Kills You" is fun, although with extremely simple lyrics, such as "Don't go insane / Don't kill yourself / Kill what kills you / Kill what kills you", and "Chemical Land" by Death and Horror Inc is loud and clangy and features a fair amount of yelling. “Korrosion" by Sielwolf is itself a massive texture and manages to be fairly interesting, even if tuneless and vocal-less. Starting the second set of songs are "Children of the Revolution" by The Fair Sex and “The Bitter End" by Girls Under Glass, both of which are just as high in quality as their earlier counterparts. In fact, all of the remaining songs are very similar in texture and quality to their counterparts in the first half, with the exception of "The Seeds of Wrath" by Testify, which is completely different to "Quest of Nothing". The only noticeable difference in the last few songs is that they seem more brooding than that prior and are a little less loud and noisy. This is most exemplified by "Nautilus" by Sielwolf, the final track in the compilation. "Nautilus" is slow and muted, with some airy orchestral sounds and a reverberating backing of drums, and finalizes the album quite well. One aspect of Mind Ripper II that is sometimes lacking in others compilations is coherence. Juggling different groups, songs, and tempos, and textures is no simple task, but is pulled off quite well here. The songs in this compilation manage to be both consistent and smoothly transition from one to the next while also having a huge variety of textures, vocals, and sounds. There is no formula here. There is no tried and true methodology. The groups are not similar yet all are of the same industrial genre. This fact makes the compilation many times better and more interesting that it would be were this not true. Any lover of industrial music would do well to give Mind Ripper II a try. The skill with which it was put together gives it merit on it's own. Here is clashing and banging that is both beautiful and harsh at once, both adventurous and ominous, full of distortion yet well produced. Here is an excellent album. - Rendaw Baxter, Subculture Magazine
This comp spans Van Richter's second half of their catalog from around 2000 to now. It includes songs from 6 bands from the industrial genre, including a good cover of Carpenter's 'Halloween' by Girls Under Glass, an unreleased song by Plastic Noise Experience, two out-of-print songs by DHI (orig on defunct Fringe Records), and two new songs by The Fair Sex among others. It centers on mainly German bands, but don't worry, it's all in english. A good comp of average industrial music that doesn't sway too far in either direction to be an uneven set. It may not include much exclusive stuff but includes some hard to find, new-ish, and out-of-print stuff. Listen if you like industrial without excessive guitars, screaming, and noise (ie trends from 2001, clones of Ministry, Ant-Zen, and NIN). - Tsanger Banger, Temple of Horror Webzine

Back to Samplers page