Customer Reviews

United States of Mind

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Not often is it that during my first listen to a CD do I enjoy every minute of it. Covenant did just that with "United States of Mind". This album combines the elements of industrial, mixed in with some driving dance beats and tossed altogether with a retro 80s synth pop sound. The recipe may sound cheesy but Covenant pull it off incredibly well without sacrificing a bit of energy. Since I bought my copy a few days ago, my cd player has not stopped spinning the disc. This is a must have CD! The first single off the album, "Tour de Force" is another must have. I can't wait to pick up the new single "Dead Stars"!

`United States of Mind' stands as Covenant's crowning achievement to date matching the intensity of the landmark `Sequencer' but surpassing that effort in songwriting and diversity of sound. Where `Sequencer' was an industrial dancefloor killer from start to finish, `USoM' alternates between hard-hitting dance tracks and sparse, minimal pieces that let the vocals take the lead.

The 1st tier of songs, the dance hits, includes "Tour De Force", "Dead Stars", "No Man's Land" and "One World One Sky". All are excellent and forceful. "Dead Stars" is the most synth-pop feeling of the bunch, while "No Man's Land" is the hardest. "One World One Sky" is a simple, anthem-style industrial song.

The aforementioned second tier of songs includes "Afterhours", "Still Life", "Humility" and "Like Tears in Rain". That last one is the masterpiece of the bunch featuring a slick, catchy chorus. This song unites the old and new styles present on the album putting the vocals more on display with enough beat and rhythm to keep the dance crowd smiling. "Afterhours" seems like a descendant of NIN's "Closer" with a lighter, airier chorus. "Still Life" is a marvel, minimal and soulful, containing some of Eskil's best lyrics. However this song is the furthest from Covenant's former self and could leave some thinking it's off-target. That's unfortunate because I think this is one of the band's top dozen songs.

Overall `United States of Mind' is the perfect blend of Covenant's industrial dance roots and it's new, crisp & clean future-pop style.

I listen to a lot of electro/EBM related. This is one of the best records in that genus. Why? Songs. Some absolutely brilliant songwriting on this album. A lot of people clearly are producing electronic music because they lack the discipline or talent to learn to play a traditional instrument, but they still want to be rock stars. Not these guys. They are among the rare few who have strong creative ideas and they're using the electronic tools to advance those ideas and put them out there.

I completely disagree with the reviewers who have said this record has a lot of filler. Every song on here is intense and distinctive. How can you say "Tour de Force" is filler? Oh well, I guess everyone has different taste.

I recently just got into Covenant. My first Covenant album was their new album "Northern Light" but I was first exposed to Covenant on a cd a friend of mine burned for me. She put on "Dead Stars (Version)" on the cd. I totally dug that song a lot. I got lucky today when I found a copy of "United States of Mind" in the used cd bins. I really wanted this cd for some time now. Now while I do enjoy "Northern Light" a lot, I have to say that "United States of Mind" is definitely better than the band's latest album. I think the Dave Gahan/Depeche Mode comparisons is not as obvious on this cd as it is on "Northern Light". The music on "United States of Mind" is a lot more energetic and danceable. Basically more club material. I personally was bowled over the track #5 "Tour de Force". The energy in the song was amazing as was the melodies and the lyrics. The Depeche Mode comparison is a bit evident on "Unforgiven" and "Humility" but I didn't find that to be annoying as much as I did on "Northern Light". There wasn't one song on this cd that I did not enjoy. I absolutely loved "United States of Mind", let alone this type of music. I am a Covenant fan for sure.

Not since Covenant's 1998 Europa has there been such an exercise in apocalyptic bliss. This disc is 'designed' with clever, prophetic lyrics bridging an aggressive Kraftwerkian-like terrain wrapped package of Swedish industrial/synth. The album leads off with a fatalistic ennui ridden recollection of one's life. Each lyric is free standing poetry of it's own from the first to the last track. Well, not the last as it is 4 minutes and 35 seconds of silence. This perhaps might be a great idea for vinyl but, for CD shuffling not really the best idea. The poppier tracks, 'Tour de Force' and 'Dead Stars' are just that, dance floor alternatives to the real "meat" of the disc. Track #4 is what I refer to as the "meat." A little track entitled 'helicopter.' Lonely futurism congealed in an icy monumental intergalactic soudscape leaves you breathless as if the entire solar system had quietly been turned inside out in 5 minutes and 44 seconds. This group may very well be locked onto a Heaven17/Dalek I/Telstar/Laibachesque elliptical orbit but, that is fine by me and my comrades. By no means do I dare use the word "corny" but there is something very nostalgicly familiar and corny in the spacing, pacing and circadian rhythm of the "industrimental" forging of music and lyrics. "dead stars, still burn - dead still, stars burn", "turn your gaze towards the moon, even further if you dare-turn your face towards the sun, be grateful that it's there" and "one world, one sky-we live, we die" and but three examples of Covenant's simplistic poety. These guys are smart, real smart and not often do we find three men who can design, execute and erect something worthy of worship. But then I said that after digesting Europa's tracks '2D', 'Leviathan' and 'Go Film.'

This is my first Covenant CD, I wasn't sure what to expect. The sound is really darker synthpop with some overtures of industrial.

Covenant is definitely the best dressed (as in wearing suits onstage) band out there. They really shine on the punchier dance floor anthems, it's when things slow down that I find them just ok; I much prefer VNV nation in that area.

That being said, "Like Tears in the Rain" gets things off to a great start, very danceable. Things turn average until "Helicopter", a really interesting tune. "Tour De Force" gets thing moving again.

If "Dead Stars" can't turn you onto Covenant, nothing will. It's a dancefloor anthem, very dark Depeche Mode. "One World One Sky" is a great followup, but things weaken on the closing "Still Life" and the silent ending track.

All in all, the strengths here outnumber the weaknesses and I will definitely check out more Covenant in the future.

An old industrial friend of Covenant will be disappointed by their turn towards synthpop, but he should admit that their melodies are far better than those of their older albums. Well, tracks like "like tears in rain" and "helicopter" are so great that it is difficult for me to under rate this album: ebm mixed with synthpop(hear dead stars) and industrial, with a touch of noise samples (hear one world one sky, a noise industrial track), in an innovative way. But, tracks like Still Life should simply not exist in an album of such an historical electro industrial group.

Easily one of the best albums I have ever heard, United States Of Mind never fails to impact me profoundly. Fantastic music coupled with great lyrics is also a plus, and Covenant continues to show its excellent songwriting ability. Like Tears In Rain, Tour de Force, and One World One Sky are amazing, and Dead Stars is very good, as well.

This album is incredible; this band is absolutely amazing. Their work keeps getting better and better.

I didn't think I'd like this album as much as I did when I bought it, but was pleasantly surprised by songs like Tour de Force, Like Tears In Rain, Afterhours, and especially Helicopter (my favorite on this album). Overall it is a very enjoyable album.