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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Nazi pop, not pop by Nazis, April 11, 2000
This review is from: Opus Dei (Audio CD)
I think what many people miss about Laibach is that what they've been up to this whole time with their Fascist/Nazi overtones is some very sharp social/cultural commentary. On one level, you can think that what's up here (and elsewhere) is some jackbooted group doing Nazi-symp cover versions. But given that Laibach has given both hints and overt statements that their 'mission' is, in fact, cautionary and satirical, it puts releases like this as well as others of their pop-oriented projects into a very interesting perspective. The pop industry, in a real sense, _is_ something of a fascistic proposition imposed on the marketing of culture. And by doing these versions of such Euro-fluff as 'Life is Life' as well as Queen's more overt 'One Vision' (which, I should note, they don't change here lyrically aside of translating the lyrics into German...scary, hm?), Laibach appears to be making some nasty statements about the machinery that delivers...and often comes up with...our entertainment. Aside of the artistic focus here, this is amazing, brutal, and sometimes funny stuff. I recall there was an alternative station in Nashville (back when 'alternative' really MEANT SOMETHING) that took a perverse glee in playing 'Leben Heisst Leben' at 7 AM, just when ones' clock-radio might click on...and yes, it was an effective gesture. A must-hear release, perhaps the best of Laibach's 'pop' records.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Opus Dei and Serbia, February 2, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Opus Dei (Audio CD)
"Opus Dei" is Laibach's best album to date. The music technique is very assured, and the critique of fascism, both past and present, is subtle, but inspired. As for those afraid that they might "really be Nazis," they should check out the film "Predictions of Fire" and note that when the Serbian/Bosnian conflict broke out, Laibach said publicly that Milesovic's modern fascism was exactly what they had been warning everyone about, and they were very vocal in their criticism of his government (including a "concert" in Belgrade that mixed portions of speeches by Milesovic and Hitler).
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11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Laibach turns the corner into "digestible" music, June 30, 2000
This review is from: Opus Dei (Audio CD)
This is where Laibach took the brutal kick-in-the-head elements of their early material and bottled them for the consumer. The result is not watered-down Laibach. Instead, the poppy packaging makes the band sound all the more alien. Picture the elephant man wearing a business suit, sitting at a mahogany desk and chatting with a secretary. See what I mean? It's all the more surreal when the grotesque masquerades as the ordinary.
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