Customer Reviews

Hex Angel: Utopia-Dystopia

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hex Angel is an atmospheric creepy crawly electro-industrial record from one of the genre's most beloved. V.A.C.'s latest outing sends up all that is expected of this veteran project. Loads of saw wave synthesis, techno-beats, overtly processed vocals and near-unending movie samples make for a formulaic effort that is primarily geared towards fans of old with little concession made for potential newbies. - C. Curry

When I first played this CD, I thought that he had made a pretty good album. But for some reason I don't find myself constantly putting it in my CD player or taking it in my car as much as I did with Neuroblastoma or Calling Of The Dead. This is honestly a good CD and it was well worth my money, but it lacks that feeling you get after playing a good CD that makes you want to hear it again. Maybe it's just because I have so many CDs, I don't know. Bottom line: if you've liked VAC's previous albums, there shouldn't be any reason why you wouldn't like this one. Just don't be surprised if you see it spending more time on your CD rack than in your stereo.

In recent years, Velvet Acid Christ has taken on a more dance-driven ebm form...at least with it's better known songs. Hex Angel marks the return to VAC's roots...and is perhaps the closest attempt to fully realizing Brian's musical intentions for the project from the start. The overall tone of Hex Angel is slower, darker, and more descriptive than in the past. It resembles the more abstract works in the genre now, like Skinny Puppy, Dismantled, Haujobb, or perhaps even Nine Inch Nails at times. Pretty Toy is probably the strongest track, with it's haunting synths and warping stereo sounds. Although Haunted, Collapsed and East are also very memorable songs. So what does VAC's shift in style mean in the end? It means fans of high bpm future-pop and ebm will probably not like this album. However, fans of the darker, more ambient side of electronic music will likely adore it. I still favor VAC's style found on Fun With Knives and Twisted Thought Generator, but Hex Angel earns it's place in my collection for it's originality and artistic boldness.

This is the least memorable Velvet Acid Christ album. It isn't that it's poorly done. There just isn't anything outstanding enough to make an impression. It's also a lot more impersonal than previous albums and seems to take influence from ambient and noise- now, i'm into that kind of thing, but it's just not effective here. On the bright side, Bryan does seem to know how to place his samples better- they aren't nearly as distracting as they have been in the past. Highlights for me were "Haunted" and "Collapsed."

okay, first off. i own all of VAC's albums along with over 300 other EBM/UEDM/etc.etc. cds. musically,this album is very noisy. also most of the vocals are so low and distorted, you can't even understand them. almost every track has too many cliched samples in them. i really loved Fun With Knives and thought Twisted Thought Generator was good, but this was a let down. Bryan aka/Disease Factory aka VAC seems to be on a downward spiral of depression and rage. Fun with knives was very catchy and all the songs had their own distinct sound. also, in the cd booklet, he lists many complaints. media,religion,the internet?(why have a website then buddy?),and the one the caught my eye, the bashing of futurepop music and fellow label mates VNV Nation and Apoptygma Berzerk. both bands are extremely talented if you ask me. he just seems angry about life. i like harsh,angry albums. music is all about what mood your in. some good harsh EBM cds of late are God Module-Empath and Negative Format-Cipher Method. maybe this cd will grow on me? who knows. there are a few tracks that are well written. hence the 3 stars. if you own all the other VAC cds, pick this up. if not i reccomend Fun With Knives, a 5 star album in my eyes. i hope this helps. and i hope that Bryan seeks counseling. i know what it's like to be depressed. one last thing, i am highly anticipating Front Line Assembly's new and last cd? coming out the end of this year called End Transmission??? it is the reuniting of Leeb And Fulber. i know it won't dissappoint. take care

first off, many people i see online or at shows/clubs what have u are just big on hateing vac, they say things like *it sucks, it all sounds the same, its simple and dumb*
blah blah whatever
but u know i think its just the fact that they just hate bryan,
which whatever i do not see eye to eye on some of bryans views but who cares, that dont make his music bad, i find all vac albums to be well done and as each one comes out its more mature then the last,
i find hex to be a great album, very clean, i did not like it at first but now i luv it, i use to be on the band wagon of hateing vac but im over that crap, vac is one of the view bands around that still holds true to its views and wont sell out for nothing
so u go bryan i may not see eye to eye with u but your music is perfect and this album is just wonderful

well, here we are again. a new release by VAC. i guess you could say this is a typical VAC release. over sampled, over distorted vocals, and songs about depression/rage,etc. this is a decent album with about 3 or 4 good tracks. some songs are just way too noisy sounding like an Ant Zen release. also, some of the vocals are drowned out and way too distorted to decipher. i did like some of the samples, there are just way too many of them. the songs are too similar to each other. VAC's Fun W/Knives, a masterpiece in my opinion, is the best VAC cd there is and will ever be. all the songs were different, very danceable, and still dark. after reading the cd jacket, Bryan aka VAC has grown bitter and very depressed. i seriously think he needs Prozac and therapy before he commits suicide. the main thing i didn't understand is how he dogs Futurepop music and artists Apoptygma Berzerk and VNV Nation,esp. since he thanked VNV on his last album Twisted Thought Generator.???? he does praise Covenant though. i'd like to see a side project between VAC and Covenant. that would be interesting. so as a whole, this is a decent effort. if you're a huge VAC fan, you'll probably like this cd. if you are new to VAC,buy Fun With Knives 1st,a definite 5 star cd. i own over 500 electronic cds. i can tell when an artist puts out a good album.i hope this helps. take care :)

That word alone decribes these 11 tracks. This is a incredible album. I'm glad to see after about a 2 year break, VAC is still making good music. Definitely a must-have for any industrial fan.

VAC's Hex Angel is definetly an interesting album on the sonic level. The music is complex and dark, with a good atmosphere, and is very unique. Nothing sounds like VAC.

However, the problems of over sampling, too much noise, and generally being less anthemic than his past work makes this CD less memorable. This album also has less of an emotional impact than his previous CD, the excellent Twisted Thought Generator.

Overall, it gets 3 stars for its sonically interesting approach (and some good songs like Collapsed and Pretty Toy) but it fails to reach the heights of Bryan's previous psychosis. And yes, the guy does need Prozac before he kills himself.

The fist 6 tracks on this new album sound like left over cuts from TTG. The music is too trancy and there's too much synth.
If you liked older VAC albums like Fun with Knives and Calling Ov the Dead, but not groups like VNV Nation, you might want to stay away from this one.