Burned Mind

Wolf Eyes | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sub Pop
• ASIN: B0002UJN6K
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,094 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authentic Industrial Music, November 5, 2004

By 

Crypt "thecrypt777" (Arkham) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burned Mind (Audio CD)

This could also be titled "A fresh approach to old school Industrial", but I don't feel the term "old school" is relevent.
The use of tapes, guitar noise, samples, crackling electronics, screaming synth noises and factory-machine rhythms brings to mind SPK, Throbbing Gristle, NON, Whitehouse, and even the great Merzbow. It's not "music" in a traditional way, although there are pleanty of mechanical rhythms buried underneath the noise. This is sonic Da Da. It's more likely to piss off the average listener or frighten them away, than it is to be played at the average pseudo gothic club. This isn't EBM or whatever else that gets the "Industrial" label slapped on it in other words. I wouldn't exactly call it Noise-Rock in the vein of early Swans either. This is more like what Throbbing Gristle was up to in the late 70's. Oh by the way, I discovered this band purely by accident. I was browsing through the "experimental" section (which contains everything from Krautrock to Industrial) at a record store and I just happened to dig the cover, a wonderfully macabre pen and ink drawing, and bought the album without ever having heard of the band before. I'm very pleased that I discoverd Wolf Eyes.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You are slowly dying..., August 18, 2006

By 

Alex Whelan "macgamer28" (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burned Mind (Audio CD)

...and this is all you can hear.

Now, to get this out of the way, this is unpleasant music. The band knows this. We as listeners know this. The point of the music is not to be consumer-friendly. You think DOA-era Throbbing Gristle was thinking about mass appeal? Fuggettaboutit.

No, this is a manifesto. This is a sonic map to your darkest fears. This might not frighten you (it should, though), but it should at least make you rethink a few things.

Music by definition is entirely in the eye of the beholder. Some people think that Frequency LSD by Masonna is just as musical as Beethoven. I'm not sure if I completely agree, but the point is music can be anything aural. So, everyone who has beef with this album being "pure noise" or "talentless" or "unlistenable" are missing the point. It's SUPPOSED to be UNLISTENABLE. Whitehouse makes noise because it's noise, not because it requires talent or anything. So does Wolf Eyes.

All the complaints in the world about this CD are all basically about the same concept: it's not music. I don't really know what to tell you all. Your definition of music is different than ours. We accept this not just as music, but more importantly as ART. This does take talent, it does take effort. Trust me (I'm a noise composer myself), this takes plenty of time. It might sound sloppy, and it might sound talentless. But some of the most revolutionary, influential bands were the same way.

Mudhoney (who I believe were among the first true grungers) sounded like absolute garbage when Superfuzz Bigmuff first came out. But it wasn't about the music. It was the MESSAGE: the combination of garage punk and the DIY attitude of the first wave of punk had not been done before to that extent. They (along with Green River and a few others) created a revolution. But their musicianship? Awful. But by that time, it didn't matter.

I realize I may be rambling a bit, but you have to understand where I'm coming from. I try to compose music like this. And I'm nowhere near as good (yes, GOOD) as these guys. It takes effort that you might not immediately see. But it's there.

So, enough bashing. Let's take this for what it really is: a statement. A piece of art. Whether you think it's music or not, it deserves to be noteworthy. That's all that really matters.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars to each their own..., July 14, 2006

By 

waht (usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Burned Mind (Audio CD)

To simply say that this is just noise, is absolutely right...get over it and start getting it. I have heard enough to know that this is a fairly easy to digest recording in such a genre. Don't be fooled into thinking that this is DaDa or some form of industrial sound, it simply is not. These members have spent decades destroying sound to static which almost makes this project of Wolf Eyes an almost "pop" band by their own standards. This music represents the improvisational moment, a mood, and just plain chance...and this is what I appreciate - you take a risk and just let it happen. "Music" today is usually 2 things...the bands that rehash the good stuff with a different name and no legitimacy, and people who dig deeper to see what new thing they can find. If you don't care for what Wolf Eyes has found here, that's fine but please respect the fact that these guys are trying to find a unique moment and respect listeners enough not to give you something you already know. Support Hanson Records.