InfraWarrior

Monica Richards | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 15, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: The Fossil Dungeon
• ASIN: B000JBWTJU
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,431,816 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Gaia - Introduction

2. I Am Warrior

3. Fell To Regret

4. In Answer

5. Into My Own

6. The Antler King

7. Sedna

8. The Hunt

9. This Is Not A Dream

10. Death Is the Ultimate Woman

11. We Are the One

12. Like Animals

13. The Turnaway

14. A Good Thing

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I'll speak the truth, though it may be hard to hear it", November 15, 2006

By 

Scott Sweet "Music Freak" (Colorado Springs, CO) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: InfraWarrior (Audio CD)

Monica Richards sheds the escapism that many Faith and The Muse fans expect, and gets down to business. The frequent Afro-Celtic beats suggest that these songs address (tragically) ancient issues.

If you haven't heard Monica Richards or F&TM (and WHY THE HELL HAVEN'T YOU?!?), her vocals range from folk crooning to punk snarling to whispered siren songs. For a full roster of the guest performers, go to Monica Richards' website.

The opening "Gaia" is, ironically, written and spoken by Monica's *father* (and Renaissance man) Lloyd Richards. It's a fitting start, the premise that the earth itself is a Mother entity. The CD isn't an anti-male screed, but it clearly states the brutality women and animals have suffered for millennia at the hands of men. While sexual slavery is more aptly applied to women, the term *slaughter* is sadly interchangeable between women and animals.

>End wordy dissertation, begin track reviews.

"I Am Warrior" - Tribal rhythm with chanted vocals and layered harmonies. Sounds kind of like an Amazonian bonfire dance.

"Fell To Regret" - Jungle-techno with violins and cellos. Lyrically, a litany of womanhood under political and physical siege.

"In Answer" - Mid-tempo, with pointed lyrics and spoken interludes among the verses.

"Into My Own" - Celtic rhythm gives way to hard rock, with some of the best singing on the album. Fred "Freak" Smith brings a clean, hard Tool-ish guitar to the party.

"The Antler" - The most overtly mythological track. A spoken word piece over an urgent rhythm.

"Sedna" - A siren song with a lurching, neo-martial groove. Jarboe has a spoken-word piece in this one.

"The Hunt" - An ominous spoken piece with ambient dread courtesy of Lustmord. The calm before the storm, which comes four and a half minutes into the song.

"This Is Not a Dream" - sexy, gritty, funky EBM.

"Death Is The Ultimate Woman" - A hypnotic piece with a Middle Eastern appeal. Layers of speaking and singing entwine like snakes.

"We Are The One" - The most modern-sounding track, with mid-tempo drum 'n bass. It's a cover, and this version has Depeche Mode appeal. I now wait for William Faith (who produced "InfraWarrior") to swat me on the back of the head for making that comparison.

"Like Animals" - At least 1/3 of those who listen to this will cry. Solemn, gorgeous vocals with no music and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. Ten bucks says PETA and The Animal Liberation Front will feature this in some manner.

"The Turnaway" - A more ethereal spoken piece, with very vivid imagery. This one's almost a break from the intensity of the prior tracks.

"A Good Thing" - Simple, straightforward rhythm (yep, tribal) under words of comfort from present-day Monica to her younger self. It's a hopeful ending to the album. Sisterhood is one means of overcoming the label of "freak".


Beauty in her voice, conviction in her words, and blood in her teeth. The patriarchal crimes Monica Richards denounces will continue beyond her lifetime, but her words will echo into the future as well.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic, December 27, 2007

By 

joe-maryland (Stevensville, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: InfraWarrior (Audio CD)

This is the latest in a long line of excellent and diverse work by Monica Richards. While she is most famous for her work in the "Goth Scene", this goes far beyond that. Spoken word and techno-Afro beat is all part of this and more. Listen to track #3 "Fell to Regret" first. This song rocks!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful, spiritual, honest, raw, and empowering Pagan music., June 11, 2007

By 

Raven Digitalis (Missoula, MT United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: InfraWarrior (Audio CD)

*This review is care of newWitch Magazine*

InfraWarrior opens with an outpouring of emotion and spiritual awareness, indicative of the album's mission:
"Mother of life / she is kind, sometimes cruel / always indifferent to sacrifice, except for those who came in their time / fertility rites, the celebration of birth of the new year... Turn from the Goddess of Life and there is only Death / Turn from the Mother of Life and there is only Death."
InfraWarrior is the new solo project by Monica Richards, known for her musings in the darkwave/post-punk/Celtic band Faith and the Muse. This album includes guests ranging from her father Lloyd Richards, kaRIN (from Collide), and William Faith (of Faith and the Muse and Christian Death; the album was also produced by him), to violinists Paul Mercer and Kambriel (who is also a Gothic fashion designer). An awesome mix for an awesome album.
The album speaks of unity, of empowerment, of animal rights, of the earth and our impact. Insofar as genres, the record is overwhelmingly tribal. Again, the best way to describe this album is "Pagan." The deep drum beats secure its Pagan identity, and elements of darkwave, Gothic, ambient, rock, and chant secure it as quite Neopagan. InfraWarrior has few musical limits; it covers a broad spectrum of musical expression and, unlike many who attempt this, blends genres with a successfully brilliant transition from one sound to the next. Additionally, a number of vocal distortions grace the album; I feel this echoes the many faces of the divine, particularly the Great Mother, of which Monica Richards is a conduit. Initiatory status and the like notwithstanding, Monica Richards is a high priestess of our age--a statement I personally would never speak nonchalantly.
This album is raw Pagan spirituality. It is powerful, inspiring, brutally honest, and makes the heart of any listener beat faster as Monica's magick weaves awakening into conscious thought. Indeed this album is a bridge between the conscious and the unconscious, and has a profound effect on the awareness of any person who hears it. InfraWarrior shatters our often-comforting illusion of the state of the world, and reminds us that it can remain a beautiful place. It reminds us that our influence on this earthly plane is grand, and not something to take lightly. It reminds us that our time here is too short not to do good and reclaim our spiritual inherencies. With one listen, you'll know exactly what I mean.

RAVEN DIGITALIS