Customer Reviews

Vortex

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For those of you who were either disappointed or only mildly impressed with the results of Collide's last remix excursion, _Distort_, worry not because _Vortex_ gets it right! I'm always leery about remixes as they rarely ever breathe new life into the originals, but despite the fact that most of the DJs here are relatively unknown, these remixes are very well done! I honestly can't say there's one dud on this mind-blowing 2-disc set.

The remixes include tracks that are taken from their _Chasing The Ghost_ and _Some Kind Of Strange_ releases. Collide, which is essentially kaRIN and Statik, have been creating neo-Goth for years now with their distinct blend of powerful, exotic rhythms and sensual, tantalizing vocals that are breathy yet dynamic. But with _Vortex_ they've brilliantly reinvented many of their pieces by incorporating a plethora of different styles so that one song never sounds identical to another. The Antistatic Mix by Remko Vander Spek of "Like You Want To Believe", for example, infuses heavy metal with crunching guitar layers while the Conjure One Mix by Rhys Fulber of "Tempted" has the opposoite effect and is melodic and trancy. "Predator", which is actually a Front Line Assembly song, mixes a hybrid of Delerium-like beats with dark electronica that's trademark FLA, only better because of her wonderful contribution. And the Orchestral Mix by Mark Walk of "Somewhere" showcases kaRIN's voice like never before with classical instruments such as strings and piano.

Aside from the many remixes there's also some note-worthy cover songs that are simply incredible. My one gripe, though, is how I wish they would have done more of those and less remixes of the same song used over and over again. Maybe I'm just craving new material from them but I especially enjoyed the funky electro grooves of "The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum" (they performed this song live when I first saw them in concert last year and it was a real highlight for me), as well as "Haunted When The Minutes Drag" (which is originally done by Love & Rockets) and "Feed Me to the Lions" (this sounds like it could have belonged on their debut album, _Beneath The Skin_)!

All in all this did not let me down. It merely provides the listener, with their own personal preference, more options.

I got this cd because I'm a pretty big Collide fan, but I didn't realize this was a remix album when I bought it. I was surprised to say the least, but it's actually really good. It contains three new covers, Haunted When The Minutes Drag, Feed Me To The Lions, and The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum. All of which are amazing to say the least. kaRIN's vocals are great like always but it's the instrumentation that really catches your attention, the way statik arranges the music is just utterly and completely amazing. Another great thing about this disc is that it contains over 140 minutes of music, which you just don't get anymore. The reason this is only four stars though is because they redo the same songs about two times each, which can get old hearing the same lyrics, that's the only reason though. Other than that little problem, this cd is perfect, I loved every minute of it.
A few of the best songs are Euphoria-Emirian Mix, Like You Want To Believe-Antistatic Mix, Haunted When The Minutes Drag, and The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum. I must admit that the first disc is better than the second, but they're both great. So in concluding, I recommend this cd to fans of bands such as Kidneythieves, The Gathering, and maybe even Lennon Murphy.

As remix albums go, this one is actually pretty fantastic. Collide went all out with this ambitious 24 track double c.d. set, pulling in heavy hitter collaborators from the bands, Conjure One, Skinny Puppy, NIN, and Machines of Loving Grace. In fact, Rhys Fulber's Conjure One remix of Tempted is about the best remix I've ever heard. I do really love this album.

So why didn't I give it 5 stars? Repetition, my friend, repetition. The same 3 songs are repeated over and over and over again. Couldn't they find artists who wanted to remix a larger variety of their songs? Check the track listing for yourself. "Crushed" is remixed 4 times, and both "Wings of Steel" and "Like You Want to Believe" are remixed 3 times.

Luckily the 3 new covers on this album are indeed good, especially the catchy "The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum". And the additional remixes are also mostly top notch. But let's face it, if the remixes weren't as good as they are, the lack of song variety on this album would sink it. No one wants to listen to the same thing over and over again, do they? I personally feel that a better variety of remixes would have really made the album much more listenable.

In the end, I do highly recommend this album. It's really great. If you like Collide's previous albums, you will definitely enjoy this one. But the lack of variety of songs covered prevents me from giving this album the 5 stars that I would like to rate it.

You will all think I'm crazy, but I was looking for new music one day at work, came across Collide because it was "similar" to other music I like, and bought it without even hearing it! I wasn't somewhere that I could listen to the samples, so I trusted other user reviews, and couldn't be more pleased. This CD has become a staple in my collection, and frankly, hasn't left my CD changer yet! My boyfriend even added it to his iPod. My personal favorite is "The Lunatics...", don't ask me why. I always play it on my way to the gym...and sometimes before work...perhaps it's something Freudian. :)

I absolutely adore Collide, and plan to try out their other CDs. It's amazing the feeling the music gives you. It's very ethereal, and makes you feel like you're somewhere else. Definitely a great buy, even if you're not into this type of music.

Others I would recommend in this genre are Claire Voyant (Time and the Maiden), Delerium (Karma), Hungry Lucy (To Kill a King), and Lamb (any of them, especially Lamb and Fear of Fours).

before picking up this two-disc package, i was not familiar with the works of Collide. i bought this item on a whim, and am very glad i did. the variety of style approach is refreshing, you really don't hear the same song twice, though there are a few mixes of a few songs. these are good cds to put in on a trip or chill at the house, and i've had the album for a few weeks now and am not tired of it. enjoy the haunting effects of a great band rearranged by great artistic minds.

Ready for the Club and some chill out remixes of their great music? This is the double CD for you. I'd have to say that a lot of great guest appearances are on this album as well and I really appreciate their sound.

This band is labeled like a loungy goth in terms of its sound. It misses the industrial vibe a bit and while Goth music tends to go hand-in-hand with the industrial sound these guys come with a more Euro flavor in lines with Conjure One, Balligomingo, Kate Ryan, and that kind of sound. I really enjoy this dual CD and found some of the sounds to really make the hair on the back of my neck stand up! It is awesome.

If you're looking for something different check these guys out.

I sampled some of the songs on this cd on amazon. They sounded good so i ordered the cd. I'm new to Collide's music but now I am a fan. This is a 2 disc cd. It has great remixes which range in sound from rock, techno, to remixes that put my in mind of Enya. The lead voice is beautiful. I'm very pleased with this cd and will be looking into other Collide albums.

Vortex is full of many wonderful remixes of previous Collide music. I'd recommend this for anyone who loves to dance it mixes the traditional abstract Collide sound with a easy to follow beat for the new Collide listening ear. Not to mention the 2 new original Collide songs hiding amongst the remakes I'd recommend hearing Lunatics first of all the songs on this CD set.

Ok dont get me wrong I love Collide I have all of thier cd's, I love remixes too. However when you can take and fill one cd with two songs for an avrage of five versions of one song on a two disc cd something isnt right. Crushed apears a total of 5 times (half a cd) Wing of steel a total of 4 ( One song half of a cd )Ok you could have maybe put two versions of these songs on the cd and remixed soem of the way older stuff.

I like how the music cant decide what it is. Its not exactly hip hop, rock or electronica. But a blended mix of anything in each song. Too electronic for rock. Too heavy for electronica. Too ritch in the ambiant beat for hip hop. Collide (Vortex) is pure industrial music. Or what I would call power industrial music, like "Juadist Priest" is power mettal.