Apoptygma Berzerk – SDGXXV (Tatra Records)

English:CD-review
  Van Muylem    13 maart 2019

Fans of Apoptygma Berzerk can party! We already reviewed their stunning re-release of their first album ever and now we get a remix album. For a band that describes itself as a synth band, well it’s more then just a synth band from Norway: it’s a classic alternative band! And they will play at W-Fest, this summer!


Like Blood from The Beloved Part 1 gets a new interpretation done by Steven R. Sellick. It sounds a bit like that 80’s tune from Airwolf but in a slower version. Next one is the stumping and beaten up version of Burning Heretic by Ancient Methods and is called the Cycles of Absolute Truths remix. It’s an absolute hit remix and sounds really great with that Liaisons Dangereuses- Los Niños Del Parque touch. It’s also great that the melancholic touch has been upgraded.

 

Backdraft gets revised by The Invincible Spirit and that’s once again bull's-eye as it all sounds even better then the original (and that one was already a topnutch version). Cronos Titan does as good with Stitch and basically creates a new hit! The No Sleep Mix by Deranek for ARP is a soft and floating version. The Sentinentel in the Southern Discomfort Mix by Blackhouse sounds like a dark ambient track with a touch of NoFestival Of Light(Enter To The Realm Of Satan III). Biggest surprise is the feature of Mortiis with his dark ambient/martial FRXTA Skyline Mix of Walk With Me.

Codex Empire throws another version of Backdraft in the Kill The Light Mix and takes up the tempo and giving it a club feel and thus prepping it for tomorrow parties! Simply great! I was never a fan of Portion Control but what they did with Spiritual Reality in their Gold Golem version is simply well done and will for sure pleasure a lot of EBM fans! I feel this one is also ready for clubland!

Clock DVA also does a good job with their version of Stitch.Substaat attacks Bitch with their Weil Mix, but the original version is still a bit stronger. Atropine does a Subline Mix for Borrowed Time and makes it sound like an eclectic Front242 mix. Another version of The Sentinel comes with the Doom Electronics Version by Prurient feat. Maniac and the title is the perfect description of what you get.

Stitch Patched & Processed by O/Eand turns it into a complete new track that almost has nothing to do with the original. Here it sounds like a mix of 80’s synths and 2019 electronic music. Ashes to Ashes in the Diabolic Mix by Bal Paré changes into a spooky version with a slice of an electronic feel. Skyscraping in a Cricket Mix by Monster Apparat is also very interesting and has a nice tempo. Naked Lunch reworks All Tomorrow Parties in their Evolve or Die Mix and does a perfect job giving it a 2019 feel and still keep the 80’s touch of the original. Last one is the Reworked version by Erik Wollo of Like Blood From The Beloved (Part 2): a fading out floater.

Remix albums are not my thing, but this one has more then enough good stuff on it and lot’s of variation and that made it perfect for me! Fans will for sure appreciate this and they might even dive into other albums from Apoptygma Berzerk or even check out the people who made the remixes! Great work and really enjoyed it! A special thanks goes out to Per Aksel Lundgreen!