Customer Reviews

Twitch

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Twitch sound nothing like Jourgensens later forays into industrial metal and sounds more like a mix between pop and heavy electronic music. Considering it was recorded and produced back in 1986 one can easily hear influence from bands like Nitzer Ebb, Front 242 and even withouy the guitars this is a very aggresive and heavy album. Jourgensen uses his fair share of voice treatments and the end result is very much like the sound used by FLA and Skinny Puppy. The cover art is confusing and I have no idea what it is supposed to convey. The lyrics are well written and Jourgensen is a much better vocalist the people give him credit. The book-let is sparse and there is not much of anything it besides some credits and the list of tracks.

Twitch is a sort of "middle ground" in the Ministry catalogue of albums. Pre-Twitch, you have the catchy, breezy, euro-synthpop of With Sympathy and The Twelve-inch Singles. Post-Twitch, Ministry is darker, harsher and heavier, beginning with the landmark industrial album The Land of Rape and Honey. On Twitch, Al Jourgensen begins to move away from the melodic synth-pop and into a slightly more grating, unconventional approach. The breezy pop stylings of previous works can still be found in tracks such as The Angel, Over the Shoulder and the All Day remix, however the rest of the music, for the most part, takes on a darker direction. Twitch showcases Al Jourgensen's talents as an electronic artist before he fell in love with the guitar riff.

This album has a special place in my heart. Forget what you know about present day Ministry and listen musically. Its very much an 80's sound, but even so it still was ahead of it's time.

This is one of my essential albums of all time. For the price of this album you would be a fool not to own a copy. I have this, and the 'Twitched' album version myself, and plan to buy both cd copies also. Some say that there's only a few good tracks on here, but i disagree fully. "Good" is a relative term based on different criteria, but i feel each and every track has something to offer, and has it's place on this album. I hesitate NOT one second to give it a 5 for that reason. I love this album!

Okay, so this album may seem dated and not as refined as 'Land of Rape and Honey' or 'Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste', but this a very important album in Ministry's evolution. Without the guitars as demonstrated on later albums this album doesn't lack any intensity. This is still Ministry demonstrating their emotion and attitude, but with different instruments. This album shows the descent into a much darker and sinister side of Al Jourgensen. Without this album what would you do, try and make sense of the transition between 'With Sympathy' and 'Land of Rape and Honey'? It wouldn't make sense at all. Maybe this was Al's way of trying to convert earlier synth-pop fans into fans of harsher industrial metal. Who knows? Anyway, I think this is great album despite your taste in Ministry. It's still one of my favorites.

not confronting as with most of their later work, this is eerie, that is all i can say, eerie

After going Ministry crazy & comparing some of the other albums, as an album, this is definitely my fave, being the dance fiend I am. This is just great dance or driving music, especially when yer in a down mood, but just not THAT bad in a mood to hear "Psalm 69" or "Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste". One reason to get it, if anything, is just for the 2nd track "We Believe"...pounding drumbeats I luv along with a somewhat eerie atmosphere it creates no matter where you play it. If you don't know much besides "Everyday is Halloween" then you'll probably fall instantly in love with this one...I did, anyway. And I was pleasantly surprised to hear "Over the Shoulder", since I had heard it at clubs before, but didn't know who it was. "The Angel" is also a definite plus. Those 3 songs alone make up for any other flaws in the album, I think...I can just listen to 1-5 & be content with it. The other more instrumental tracks are great if yer just not in the mood to hear anyone's voice, but I definitely prefer the 1st half of it. If you like this & don't have the 12 inch singles album, get that also. Or, if you like it & want something slightly heavier, "Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste" is an awesome choice as well.

Perhaps the perfect example of late '80s industrial dance, Ministry's TWITCH combines dance beats with more menacing and grinding sounds than their earlier synth-pop leanings, not to mention the dystopian, anti-establishment lyrics. "Just Like You," for example, blends a classic cymbal progression with metal clangs and Jourgensen's haranguing vocals, while "We Believe" takes a dim view of the militaristic-governmental complex, with claustrophobic electronics to reflect his vocals. But far from being completely dark, there's also the oddly ethereal "The Angel," which would be the last pretty Ministry song ever. The influence of Adrian Sherwood is clearly evident on this album, especially on the funky-dubby "My Possession." But the centerpiece of the album, the dance-noise-thrash hybrid of "Where You At Now/Crash and Burn/Twitch (Version II)" clearly shows Jourgensen's growing interest in noise and aggression, something that would mark their later work. The final track, "Isle of Man," is an environmentally-friendly work, one that would wave goodbye to a kinder, gentler Ministry forever.

I have really liked alot of Jourgensen's cd's (Psalm 69, Linger Fickin Good, Rabies, The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste) but for some reason I'm always drawn to Twitch when I'm in the mood for some old school goodies. I think its because the album is pure and doesn't try to be something its not, yet is a pioneer and a sign of things to come for the entire genre for over the next decade. If you like Twitch you'll probably also like Poesie Noire (Complicated - Compilated), Numb (Christmeister / Wasted Sky), Nine Inch Nails (Pretty Hate Machine), Frontline Assembly (State of Mind / Gashed Senses & Crossfire / The Initial Command), Skinny Puppy (Rabies, Bites, Remission)

I saw this CD sitting in best buy and thought to myself, "Iv never sceen this ministry CD before" SO I bought it. I was expecting the usual from there later albums, but was blown away by the unique and different sound of this album. Its not like any ministry CD you have ever heard. You can deffinitly tell its 80's music. When you listen to this CD and the later CD's, there is only I simillar sound. That distinct drumb beat that defines ministry.

Al Jourgenson is a genius in my book and this cd proves it...using a medium he started out with, synthpop and turning it into something that is unique. I'll bet not many people get into racket induced noise over predominantly dancy or poppish beats but I enjoy it. Heck, its hard to believe this is the same guy who did the sugar-sweet "With Sympathy" a few years earlier, it sounds nothing like it at all. Well...some songs are still blatantly synth-pop oriented like "All Day" and "The Angel" yet I enjoy those just as much as the darker stuff. I heard Al didn't even want "All Day" on here...that would suck because it wouldn't be 'Twitch' without it IMO.

The album starts off with the somewhat bubble-gum sounding synths of "Just Like You" yet the whole attitude of the song seems to suggest something sinister lying beneath the fun...the crashing beats and frequent conveyor belt twitches dispel any notion this is a walk in the park. Next up all happy feeling is dispeled with "We Believe", Al paints a picture of paranoia
and cyncism over a bass driven line with tinny synths punctuating the airall over the place. "All Day" puts us in a awe-inspired trance with its beautiful synth work and catchy melody. "The Angel" quiets the mood with a lightly doleful yet beautiful ballad of the supernatural. "Over The Shoulder" turns the mood, mixing conga-like beats with harsh noise and punctuating drill beats. "My Possession" puts us in a mood for a dark dance floor full of strobe lights while Al tells us we're all slaves to some higher power. Then comes the ultimate head-trip...the 12 minute saga of "Where You At Now". Sounds kinda innocent, even flat for the first five minutes with frequent vocal shouts and occasional crash. Then all of sudden you hear "Crash and burn" and its time for part 2...sounds like someone set a whole bunch of VERY noisy machines going and let them play. It's time to 'twitch' and thrash baby. Then after about eight minutes of factory ecstasy, its slows down for the third part for some slower machine noise and even....a flame thrower. Now its time to revisit an old friend...yeah, "Over The Shoulder" is back for a remix with some interesting noise variations. Then to end the album is the incredibly trancy "Isle Of Man"...sounds like something a pirate would have sang (imagine Jack Sparrow singing this...he's who I thought of) about polluting the world as we know it.

The album is over...and Twitch is one of the coolest industrial experiences ever IMO. The most played ever of the Ministry albums I own and definitely a top album of all for me. I already appreciated factory noise induced music and this has only inspired me to perhaps carry on one day as the next racketeer. Al has of course moved into guitar-oriented territory but that stuff is cool to. Hats off to him for this classic.

Industrial forever!