Customer Reviews

Only Theatre of Pain

5 star:		(42)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

... In the 80's it was called Deathrock or Deathpunk. Listening to this album, you'll hear the punk influence clearly, yet this album is as weird and as experimental as rock & roll gets. Not to mention about as dark. The sounds that come from this disk can be best described as pure depression. From Rozz's sickening moans, to the bizarre guitar playing of Rick, and of course the gloom drenched lyrics. (Not as blasphemous as people say when you really look at them) .... ... Christian Death was a big influence on Mr. Manson and were infinitely cooler than he could ever hope to be. And PLEASE, for the love of heaven DO NOT buy a Christian Death cd without Rozz on vocals! You'll be supporting someone who stole the name of Rozz Williams' band and is currently capitalizing on his death. Also try Catastrophe Ballet, Ashes, The Iron Mask, Path Of Sorrows, and Rage Of Angels.

This album came out the same year that I was born, making it 23 years old now. Yet, 23 years on, it still sounds as fresh as anything out there now. No, it sounds BETTER than anything coming out now.

I got this when I was 16 or so, making a transition from old school punk (Crass, Dead Kennedys, et al) into more "goth" music and culture, like Bauhaus, The Sisters, The Cure, etc.

Quite simply, it blew me away. The perfect blend of both styles, in my opinion. The lyrics are darkly violent, sexual, blasphemous, and above all, intelligent. The music is loud, and punky, but at the same time, noisy and often changes pace, something most punk and goth cannot claim. For all the fast, punkish songs, there are still dirgy, synth-laden ones, and tracks of pure noise collage hell. It does not give the impression of being dark and morbid simply for the sake of being dark and morbid-far from being contrived, it feels like this is the only way that Rozz and Rikk could have sounded at this point in time. Fluid yet dischorant all at once. I cannot recommend this album nearly enough.

While the production is not Pro-Tools perfect, it's still excellent, and really does not sound dated like a lot of albums of that time.

This is where the make-up set got their sound, make no mistake. None have done it better, and likely, none ever will. Rozz was a true original...I only wish that he and Boyd Rice had been able to do the long talked about project they talked about. Now that would have been an amazing recording...

The original Christian Death with Rozz Williams-accept NO immitations.

I first heard this when I was 15, back in 1985. At the time I was into Black Sabbath and moving into punk like Rudimentary Peni. I had always been moved by heavy, dark sounds. At the moment the needle hit the vinyl, I knew my destiny was right on course. This is by far the best death rock album of all time. There is nothing that sounds like it or even comes close to the beautiful gloom that Rozz created at a mere 16 years old. Maybe that is the charm. Part of it. Without Rikk Agnew, this would be a different record entirely. He only played on this one and Christian Death never had the same sound again.

Even now, in my 30's, I still find the musicianship on this record amazing. And not just for its time but for all time. I highly recommend this album for teenagers who like darker music. You know who you are. Marilyn Manson is not enough. The religious overtones, the creepy, mortuary vibe and the punk energy make for the perfect mix. I can't really compare them to Bauhaus, Joy Division, Sisters, Misfits, Rudimentary Peni, etc.. because they simply don't sound alike. There are so many genres or labels given to music but I feel this is the quintessential Death Rock album. Sometimes the stars do align, the graves are just the right depth and miracles do happen. This is one of them.

Hey, kids, how would you like to be shown up by a teenager? Do you want to feel painfully inadequate when faced by a masterpiece released by someone "barely legal"? Buy this album, then! It's fantastic. Not only is it staggeringly ahead of its time, but groundbreaking aspects aside, the music is well-crafted, the lyrics are smart, and Rozz Williams' voice is beautiful and evocative. I have yet to hear anybody who could master that scratchy, languid drawl as well as Williams, even when he was a mere lad. This album has the power to destroy your self esteem, because at 18, Rozz Williams had done more for the music world than most of us self-styled artistic types will ever do in a lifetime. It's also stood the test of time, puts nearly all modern goth rock to shame, and is fantastic even nearly thirty years after its release.

Of course, all the classics are here, like the fantastically catchy "Spiritual Cramp," and "Romeo's Distress," everybody's favorite song about racists. Some lesser-known gems like "Dream For Mother" and, my personal favorite, "Burnt Offerings," are a special treat, and there are several alternate versions of old favorites, including a redo of "Spiritual Cramp" that I can only describe as "trippy." It's definitely worth every cent, and I feel it's a must-have for anybody who's even flirted with an interest in goth rock and deathrock. 4 stars, bravo, encore, etc. It's a real knockout of an album.

This album is amazing...words can't describe it, and the fact that Rozz Williams (R.I.P.)commited suicide really intensifies the songs, in my opinion. The lyrics are great, and very dark, and though this album may not be as "calm" sounding as later releases I feel it is still very depressing lyrically. It's like taking a trip into Rozz's mind, I think you can imagine. This album also really defines Goth and what it should be,if you dont own it already...get it! Then get 'Catastrophe Ballet'...I'd give this album 1,000 stars if I could!

~David Painter 1334~

Rozz Williams,the singer for Christian Death was only 18 years old when this record was released. Rozz went on to release numerous other projects under various names. This album is a masterpiece from start to finish; haunting, lyrically rich, and dark. This 1982 release was "Goth" before the name became so overused. This is an album that will not disappoint the true Goth fan.

this is my favorite christian death album. it has a young rozz williams on vocals and one of the best guitar players to come out of the o.c. punk scene: rikk agnew.

A great album... Recorded only when Rozz was 16!! Wonder how he explained THAT to his Southern Baptist parents. This melds gothic rock with punk rock, in a much more pleasing way than most of 45 Graves materials. Heavily apocylptic(SIC??) sounding, it really gets intense on songs such as Stairs(Uncertain Journey) and Desperate Hell. This is one of the best Frontier releases. Now where did all the punk rock go after this release?

This was one of those albums that opened my ears and my eyes and made me see the way hehe. I was tearing through a stack of vinyl at some old record shop and there it was. I played it non-stop for days. Well my record player broke but thats when I got it on cd.

Romeo's Distress, Dream for Mother, Figurative Theatre, etc, their all classics. The band was so young yet so talented. Theres so much energy on this album it's incredible. Even if you're not a fan of death rock you should still have this in your collection. It's a album that made a huge impact on so many musicians.

Now Hanson is probably about the same age as Christian Death was at the time of this album. So theres no exuses to why Hanson is so untalented :).

You may be hard pressed to tell that this is in fact a remastered release as there's no mention in the liner notes, but Frontier did a good job with this one. Listening to the original CD release compared to this 2011 version there's a big difference in the fullness of sound. One major gripe however is an audio glitch present on track 9 "Resurrection - Sixth Communion." At 2:41 the audio drops out for a half second and sounds like a muted skip. This glitch is not present on the original Frontier CD issue. I've tried several copies of the new remaster and all have had the same problem. Hopefully this was an error in a particular batch of presses, because if it's a mastering issue it may take an act of god to get it fixed. If you're having this same issue as well, please email Frontier records at info at frontierrecords dot com
If enough people let them know that the 2011 reissue has a problem, hopefully we can get it fixed.
A smaller issue, but still somewhat annoying are the track cue points. They've been changed from the original CD issue on this release. The ends of some songs are now clipped and have become the beginning of the next track. Sometimes it's no big deal, sometimes it's a major problem.
Five stars for this classic album, but 3 stars for the 2011 reissue until the audio issues are worked out.

*UPDATE*
Frontier Records was kind enough to get back to me on the 2011 reissue audio glitch.

Here's what the mastering engineer had to say:
> Subject: Re: Fwd: Christian Death Remaster Audio Glitch
> Yeah it's from the master mix and has been there from the beginning,
> first release of the dang thing.
> I can't remember if it was bad edit ... or what but I can't
> afford to go back to the 2" tapes (if they play) to re-mix. Maybe for
> some other anniversary edition of OTOP!

So while it's unfortunate that the 2011 remaster will continue to have this issue, I think it's still well worth picking up. It's a half second of frustration, but the rest of the remaster sounds great. Hopefully they'll fix the issue on a future release.