Sacrificed

The lyrics on Sacrificed, as could be predicted without much trouble, are about pain. Mostly the emotional kind (although not completely). Songs like "Better Off" and "I've Suffered Long Enough" resemble early Stabbing Westward, although more confident and honed down (after all, this is the third Razed in Black album). Unlike Stabbing Westward, however, physical pain is also explored in depth in S&M anthems like "I Worship You" and "Lust." Lyrics along the lines of "Force the blade against my throat/ Lick the blood against the edge" abound, satisfying the darker side in all of us while the lighter side occupies itself with the spooky music. For the most part though, the music is really the strong point on this CD, with the lyrics taking second chair. Of course, you still have to listen to both to get the full effect, but it's the head-spinning synthesizer work that really pulls you in. Any way you look at it, Razed in Black is a force to be reckoned with, and any so-called music expert should think twice before leaving this one-man army off of yet another "comprehensive" list of industrial powerhouses.

Hailing from Hawaii of all places,Romell Regulacion,the one-man driving force behind RIB, has with this album, not only created a typically aggressive,menacing and darkly dancable Industrial affair, but has infact developed a sound that bridges the gap between the more mainstream Industrial acts such as NIN and the less commercial, noise experimentation of genre-defining luminaries such as Skinny Puppy.

Combining heavy guitars,harsh distorted vocals,dark tuneful electronics and abrasive overlapping drumloops Romell experiments with the plethora of styles Industrial Music has to offer,without ever seeming arty or alienating his audience.

Although the majority of songs here are beat-driven tracks interspersed with jagged guitar riffs the album also makes use of ominous synth atmospherics,melodic electronic bleeps and chimes as well as a host of strange and often comical found sounds.

The four segue tracks do weigh down the proceedings a little, as does the sometimes overly frenetic drumming, but on the whole there really is no song here that I wouldn't recommend.Newer Pressings of the CD now come with the fantastic Oh My Goth! Single,one of the best things RIB have ever done (along with their cover of Hell's Bells,not available on this CD).

There's not much I can say that hasn't already been stated in the previous review.This is a consistently fantastic album without one song that isn't completely enthralling.As is often the case with Industrial Music though,if you really want to enjoy this album you probably shouldn't bother with the lyrics,which can at times be painfully silly (such as on the opening to Nightmare).Nevertheless I would highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoys Noisy Industrial ROCK!!!
Can't wait for the new Full-Length.