Monday, May 2, 2011

Armageddon Dildos - "Untergrund" CD

It's hard to believe that this German techno-industrial group was, at one time, signed to a major label in the U.S. But times change, and the group has returned (sans one founding member) with this 12-song set of electro-pop tunes with teeth.

I'll admit, even in their "heyday", Armageddon Dildos weren't taken too seriously. Their sequencer-driven electronic music was very European in feel, and their adoption of metallic guitars (on their U.S. release "Lost" in 1994) was quickly seen as an attempt to "cash in" on the emerging industrial rock trend that Nine Inch Nails and Ministry spearheaded in the 90s. Needless to say, it was a failed experiment. Their die-hard audience dropped out, and the American rock fans saw them as little more than a novelty (with a ridiculously stupid name).

Here, the Dildos return to their (almost) purely-electronic roots, with percolating sequences and slick keyboard lines. "Hedonic" is a trancy, club-worthy tune. "Bodyworker" is DAF meets plastic club music,and is as cheesy as anything from the Dildos' shaky back catalogue. Both "Gottland" and "Der Schrei" could be Rammstein's clubbier kid brother, and kicks out the heavier guitars to good (if derivative) effect. Overall, a solid, if fairly generic set of hard Euro-pop tunes. (Alfa Matrix)

Dildospace

Armageddon Dildos site

No comments: