7

Apoptygma Berzerk | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 6, 1998)
• Original Release Date: September 15, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Metropolis Records
• ASIN: B00000AE26
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #90,059 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #66 in Music > Indie Music > Alternative Rock > Goth & Industrial
  • #100 in Music > Alternative Rock > Goth & Industrial > Industrial > Industrial Dance

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Proving that unbridled aggression isn't always needed to effectively get one's point across in industrial dance music, Norway's Apoptygma Berzerk take a melodic, almost synth-pop-like approach on their second full-length, 7. This domestic issue of an album originally released in Europe in 1996 proves a great introduction to the thoughtful music of Stephan Groth (a.k.a. Grothesk). "Love Never Dies" establishes the gothic tone of the disc, starting things off with grand-guignol organ music that gives way to driving synths and beats, followed by Grothesk's unprocessed vocals and a few sampled refrains from Carmina Burana. "Mourn," a delicate, stripped-down electro track dedicated to Kurt Cobain, shows off Groth's talent for melodic songwriting, a rarity in a genre often criticized for its lack of subtlety. Other highlights include the energetic Front 242-isms of "Non-Stop Violence" and the sharp techno inflections of "Deep Red" (complete with Laibach sample!). --Steve Landau

Product Description

Digitally remastered reissue of the industrial dance act's 1998 album includes the bonus track, 'Mourn' (APB RMX-guitar version). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Got your sites set on some great European electronic?, March 2, 2003

By 

"theedgeradio" (Melbourne, VIC AU) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 7 (Audio CD)

Got your sites set on some great European electronic? Then take aim on Apoptygma Berzerk's simply titled CD "7". The elegant blend of industrial and electronic brings immediate recognition to the sound of Depeche Mode and some of Nitzer Ebb's less industrial oriented material. Catchy but not synth-pop, heavy yet not Industrial, the choruses will have you singing along while the Euro-beats will keep you jumping. The male vocals are heavy yet appealing, and every other track seems to offer a different female back-up giving the album a variance throughout.

The album is anything but ordinary, as the first track 'Love Never Dies Part 1' quickly proves. Church organs open into quick electronic glory, with a gothic choir chorus that gives goose bumps as the volume climbs into the upper decibels. The depth of the band goes beyond the music with 'Mourn'. With a dedication credit to the late Kurt Cobain of Nirvana and Kurt's guitar sample in the track, the song will immediately get in your head. The knowledge of the dedication makes the song even more relevant and allows for reflection on what's really important in light of the tragedy of the late grunge star's short life.

By far my favorite of the album, 'Non-Stop Violence' is everything you can want in an electronic beat, with all the right build and crescendos, and a chorus that's to die for. Political influences are conveyed with samples relating to the Bosnia conflict. A minute before the end of the track leads you into a great piece that sounds familiar but just can't place, but see no way any other artist could have done any better than the electronic perfection served up here. Things get a bit surreal over the next few tracks, starting with '25 Cromwell St.', a slower track with whispered vocals on the verse reminiscent of the likes of AutoVoice.

The track flows directly into 'Rebel', a dreamlike piece with elements of Kraftwerk. The song brings up the band's Christian perspective, and makes you think twice about whom Jesus Christ was. The only vocals are spoken, in an echoing interview style over this really cool electronic beat. With the statement starting with "For me it's really important to see Christ not as this sort of like mythical, Santa Clause type creature...", the band brings up a point that makes you really consider what it means to wear those little "W.W.J.D." symbols going around the wrists of teens today. The surreal sci-fi aspect continues into the first minute or so of 'Deep Red' before diving head first into a heavy KMFDM style track.

We slow back down for the beautiful and ethereal, ballad-like 'Nearer' before thumping again with the rapid BPM 'Half Asleep' which will leave you thinking of the band Front 242. One of the tracks on the album definitely deserving to be mixed to infinity is the Cobain dedicated 'Mourn', and it's given great dance-floor treatment in 'Mourn (Reprise)'. Same great chorus with the energy turned up past the red line, and the female vocals make the track absolutely beautiful.

'Electricity' is just plain catchy, leading into the dreamlike acoustic guitar number 'Love Never Dies Part 2', with its female lead vocals carrying you away.

This brings me to the only draw back to the album, an issue I have regardless of the album it's on. I'm talking about the gap of silence. For five minutes after the acoustic three-minute piece, there is nothing but silence. I don't mind this if it's on the last track, or there's nothing of interest at the end of the track. But Apoptygma Berzerk makes great music, regardless of where it's at. So more often than not, my lack of patience gets the best of me and I miss out on the great material placed at the last six minutes of track 11.

The track-11 medley starts out with a two-minute catchy mix of the chorus of 'Non-Stop Violence', which lasts just long enough to leave you wanting more. Following for the remainder of the track is a piece I can only term as heavy electronic industrial, incorporating vocal samples and electronic versions of metal pipes and rhythmic distortion over catchy synth. There's even a brief 70's polka sample under a bit of German thrown in, because we always need a bit of polka in our lives. The untitled final Track 12 wraps things up with an almost pop-like number with a fantastic chorus. It's almost like a dessert after eating a satisfying electronic 5-course meal.

You're going to be hard pressed to find better electronic music coming from a European sector that tends to define the genre.

-Chad
-The Edge On-Line

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous - Top 10 in Electro History, March 24, 2004

By 

SandmanVI (Glen Allen, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 7 (Audio CD)

Apop is clearly one of the leaders in the international electro scene and this is the disc that forever cemented that reputation. Having built his reputation with aggressive, melodic EBM on 'Soli Deo Gloria' and some early singles, Stephan Groth (Grothesk) further developed the sound with this release bringing in much more texture and atmosphere. The harshness is greatly reduced also putting the strong melodies and vocals on display.

There are 3 clear masterpieces on '7'. The 1st is the powerful "Love Never Dies Pt 1", a slow-building Goth stomp backed by a potent vocal chorus and samples from Orff's 'Carmina Burana'... the only unfortunate thing is that Orff's work was sampled by so many other sources, including Guiness beer commercials, after Apop did it so new listeners may not be as blown away as we were 10 years ago. The next is "Mourn" dedicated to tortured artist Curt Cobain and featuring a subtle Nirvana sample. The 3rd is "Non-Stop Violence" which is the most-EBM of any track on the disc. Other standouts include the dance tracks "Deep Reed" and "Half Asleep". Both are fast and razor-sharp floor fillers.

As for the criticism that the slower songs are misses, I refute that wholeheartedly. I actually think that songs like "Rebel", a tribute to non-other than Christ himself, "Nearer" and "25 Cromwell St" are some of the most interesting on '7' and grow on you with each listen. People need to realize that it takes bravery to strip down electronic music this much allowing the lyrics, storytelling and minimal melodies to stand on their own to such great extent. APB's wonderful use of tones and percussion make even the most stripped-down song a joy. It's easier to hide behind a big beat than expose yourself the way Stephan does on these songs. "Nearer" may be the best industrial love song since Project Pitchfork's "Souls". The slow songs are a critical part of what make this an very complete album.

Fans of electro/industrial/future-pop will likely agree that '7' is one of the great albums of all time. Synth pop listeners from all walks should pick this up to appreciate its beauty and power; trust me, this one has great appeal beyond just Goth/Industrial.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love never dies, August 22, 2008

By 

E. Anderson - See all my reviews

This review is from: 7 (Audio CD)

Over the years, I have sold my fair share of cds for extra cash. There were a few that I later regretted selling. Apoptygma Berzerk's 7 is one of those few cds that I wished I never sold. I recently acquired a copy of last year's remastered version of 7 at a fraction of the cost that is offered here on amazon. 7 has always been my personal favorite Apop cd. The crisp synthesized melodies and throbbing dance beats is what always made me favor this album over the other Apop albums. With 7, I there are no more than two filler songs while on other albums there have been 3-5 songs that I would find myself hitting the forward button on. The only two songs that I really wasn't all that impressed with is "25 Cromwell St" and "Half-Asleep". I wish I still had the original version of 7 to compare it to the remastered version but I don't. I really like how 7 opens up with "Love Never Dies". It is a killer dance song. The operatic sample in the song gives the track an added oomph to the song. Song has a lot of energy. The next two songs continues with that same frantic energy. After not having heard 7 in 3-4 years, the cd still holds up well with me. For me it is classic futurepop. I hope that there will still be some of that in the next Apop album. I liked the most recent album but it wasn't classic Apop.