Wreath of Barbs

Wumpscut | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 9, 2001)
• Original Release Date: 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Metropolis Records
• ASIN: B00005QB9I
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,301 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Re-inventing the wheel?, October 10, 2001

By 

"skulliest" (Edmonton, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wreath of Barbs (Audio CD)

Rudy Ratzinger continues on his course with his latest release, Wreath Of Barbs. It seems that Rudy takes a slightly different approach on this album. This is no more obvious than on the title track for this cd. 'Wreath Of Barbs' is a very minimalistic song, featuring some ultra distorted vocals (done in a very strange fashion) and some acoustic guitar! This song is surgically precise in delivering a despondent mood throughout. Another stellar track is 'Deliverance' which is more like the typical :wumpscut: sound. This song is very dancable and, by no surprise, is the cd's first single (I think). 'Opening The Gates Of Hell' as well as 'Bleed In Silence' are both excellent tracks.

After several listens to my promo copy, I've concluded that this outing is overall less suited to the dance floor than previous CD's. However, on that note, :wumpscut:'s sound is changing and evolving into a more focused machine. This is still a dark CD, no doubt.

The only downside to this CD was 'Dr. Thodt'. I love the music, but found the female spoken vocals to be annoying.

If you are reading this, then there is a great probability you are already a wumpchild and probably have your money set aside to buy this disc. If you are not a wumpchild, then what are you waiting for?

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Will Die in A Line Of Corpses, June 28, 2002

By 

TastyBabySyndrome "Matthew Lewis, author of M... ("Daddy Dagon's Daycare" - Proud Sponsor of the Little Tendril Baseball Team, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wreath of Barbs (Audio CD)

Wreath of Barbs is, for Wumpscut at least, an odd directional turn that flicked the "off" switch in many people's shallow EBM minds. Compared to their prior releases, this album's darkly moody ambiance wore a slower skin than people were accustomed to, opening it to a flurry of reviews in the "underground" touting the word "mainstream." Still, what is forgotten is that this album doesn't follow the atypical "beaten path," giving the Wumpscut fan the experimental flavor they should have grown used to by now.
There are actually quite a few quality tracks on this album, with moods ranging from the thoughtfully brooding, almost surreally vocalized "Wreath of Barbs" to the more moody, eerily pitched "Line of Corpses." There are other jumps here, too, with the catchy beat of "Opening the Gates of Hell" meshing with the somewhat cheesy, yet strangely disturbed "Dr. Thodt."
All in all, the album is a worthwhile addition to anyone's collection, but it has to be noted that anyone easily offended, especially those religiously inclined, need not apply.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real pleasure to listen to, January 17, 2002

By 

Erica Anderson (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wreath of Barbs (Audio CD)

I must confess that I just discovered Wumpscut. I have been on a serious industrial kick and was looking for something that wasn't familiar to me like Skinny Puppy, KMFDM, the Electric Hellfire Club, etc...etc.... Out of sheer curiousity, I came across "Wreath of Barbs" on Amazon, and being the daring person that I am, I bought it. I wasn't sure of what to expect but that is the beauty of exploring new music. I love to take risks like that since 99% of the time those risks pays off. "Wreath of Barbs" is just that, buying that album was well worth the risk. The moment I heard the searing industrial beats of "Opening the Gates of Hell", my mouth just dropped wide open. Needless to say I loved what I heard. "Wreath of Barbs" is nothing what I have ever heard before. I found this album to be completely unique from say a KMFDM or Rammstein album. A lot of people would might think this album is nothing but noise but I found "Wreath of Barbs" to be quite melodic and catchy. What really struck a chord with me is the nihilistic lyrics. In some eery way, I found listening to them quite carthartic, if not therapeutic. If anything, the lyrics on "Wreath of Barbs" reduces humanity to this negative force on earth hellbent on its self-destruction. Eventually mankind will be swallowed up by its own selfish actions. If and when the apocalypse comes, Wumpscut would be ideal to deliver a soundtrack to accompany the misery and suffering of humanity that follows suit. Of the few industrial albums that I own so far, "Wreath of Barbs" stands out above them. This is nothing I have ever heard before. I am certainly going to start checking out earlier Wumpscut albums.