Customer Reviews

Zerospace

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

After some label problems Kidneytheives return with their second effort, Zerospace. Who? Kidney-who? Yeah, their debut, Trickster, never really hit big in the mainstream. This isn't a huge shock, though, female fronted electronic metal bands arn't on TRL very often. But Trickster did earn the band somewhat of a following(mainly stray Orgy and NIN fans) and fans will still love this record. Kineythieves maintain their KMFDM meets Poe sound. Free's vocals follow the music closly and she seems more comfortable with exporing vocaly on this one. There are a few cliches that surround Kidneythieves but, you cannot deny the music is really good stuff, nothing groundbreaking, but a nice solid record. Basically if you liked them before, nothing changed, and if you are new, if you like NIN and stuff like that you'll like this. Oh, And the title track is riducuously catchy.

It would be easy, and fall way short, to describe Kidneythieves as either a lighter Nine Inch Nails or a darker Garbage. Although the industrial sound recalls the best of NIN and the great female vocals bring to mind Garbage, Free Dominguez and Bruce Sommers have put together a more creative and palatable CD with Zerospace than either of those great bands ever managed.

The track from the movie Queen of the Damned, "Before I'm Dead," probably lured most people to buy Zerospace. The surprise probably came when the rest of the CD proved much better.

From the funk of "Glitter Girl" to the cover of the country classic "Crazy," Zerospace has a depth and dark beauty that Trent Reznor never managed. While NIN could get hopelessly repetitive at times, and Garbage can be stale, Domingeuz' vocals and the diversity of Sommers' material keep this CD from degenerating into uninteresting noise.

Kidneythieves now are, artistically, where Radiohead was with the release of The Bends. Hopefully, Free and Bruce won't make an OK Computer next and lose most of their audience with the arthouse follow-ups. While Nine Inch Nails, Garbage and Radiohead obviously inspired much of the material on Zerospace, these bands'shortcomings are nowhere to be found here.

This band will not be a backbencher much longer even with the recent explosion of great rock groups.

I discovered the Kidney Thieves quite by accident. I also spend a great deal of time searching for bands with female leads that are unique, edgy and interesting and frankly those are the best words in describing the music of the Kidney Thieves. Every tune on this album is great with one exception for me and that is the cover "Crazy"...although I'm sure this is just a personal preference since most folks I talk to find it very creative.

It is nice to run across such an edgy though expressive piece of work from a band with a female lead vocalist. Free stands on her own against all other alternative/industrial vocalist and the band mixes the two styles together so well that this album will please fans on either side. Most industrial music has too many sequenced drums and not enough guitar. Zerospace combines the industrial feel with acoustics drums and screaming guitars to produce a hard driving edgy feel that does not distract from the typically ethereal dance of most industrial bands the tend to put you in a coma. Bands like Collide, Lacuna Coil and Hungry Lucy are all very creative however after two or three listens, the material becomes monotonous. Five minute tunes with moody vocals is not as mysterious as these groups must think because after a while it just becomes incredibly boring background music and the CD gets shelved with the rest of my "OH WELL" collection.

Kidney Thieves is a band that can truly take industrial music to a place all it's own with out losing an ounce of integrity. This album has influences many of my friends who HATE industrial music into the most ardent Alternative fans and I'm hoping more groups like Lennon and Tapping the vein get their cue from the Kidney Thieves.

When I first heard the Kidney Thieves performance on Trickster, I was amazed by a few things they held within their grasp; the diversity with which they carried themselves and the fact that they, another Nothing project from the realms of Reznorian fashioning, were getting no press. There was this almost ambient sound they could mix into certain industrial pools of thought, giving some of the songs a visceal imagery that made me feel like I was floating through an emotional painting that meshing vocals and insturmentals constructed. This would then change gears and become something different, something darker, and add fury into the fold, taking one convection felt and turning it into something new, keeping it flowing together in a seamless puzzle while doing so. Still, I was saddened to see that more people hadn't heard of this band, listing it with the 12 Rounds and the Pricks that had fallen to the wayside and were destined to not receive the glamourization they deserve. This was thwarted somewhat with the cover of "Crazy" that was added to The Bride of Chucky soundtrack, though, and then they went the way of many a wise band and left their old record label, landing perhaps in a land that didn't allow them much acclaim but that did allow them another quality album.

The feeling of this release is heavier than the last in some regards, making some of the songs more agressively coated, although the movement in the melodies are still shifting from side to side here and newer things are still attempted. For instance, in the industrial-themed sounds of "Zerospace," we hear an almost rapped version of some of the lyrics, mixing in range with rage and aggression with a tempo that holds something within its somewhat twisted roots. Within other songs are the blurring of tempos, the accents of vocals that sometimes delve into the oddities of range and motion, and the use of ideas that are, in many instances, dark and melodic as well as more harshly constructed. So, if you liked the first release you should like this one as well, because both approach their works in a variety of methods. If you've never heard them then you should at least try them out and see if you find this blend of industrial aggression, female vocals, and the idea that darkness is sometimes the most intesting pattern to decorate with.

Not many bands can bridge the gap between rock and electronic. And even fewer seem able to bridge the gap between rock and industrial. The two have faced off at each other for years. There are obvious comparisons to Nine Inch Nails. But Kidney Theives are not trying to be NIN. They have their own difinitive sound, Female vocals, and, in my opinion, a sharper, clearer image of whatever they are focused on. They paint a clearer picture of what they are singing about. I am shocked that this band is not getting more attention.

I picked this cd up after I saw so many people referencing it in reviews. When I bought it I wasn't expecting much, I knew there would be maybe one or two songs I would really enjoy (as it is with all my cds). But what I got was a much needed treat, every song has it's own touch of perfection. I must admit though, I do enjoy the instrumentals, but with Free's beautifully tragic voice I don't understand why you would use filler. 'Molten' however, sets up 'Black Bullet' wonderfully. That is one of those introductions you want to listen to just to pump yourself up for one of the most pulse pounding anthems on this cd.
While I did enjoy every song on this cd, the standouts are 'Zerospace', 'Black Bullet', 'Dyskrasia', 'Glitter Girl', and 'Placebo'. I realize this is almost half the cd, but when I listen to this cd, I always make time to hear those five songs. I can't tell you what this cd sounds similar to because it's so unlike anything I've heard recently. I recommend this cd to everybody, kidneythieves certainly deserve more fame than what they have.

It takes me a while to find my style of rock with a singer who can sing. For some reason, the record companies currently (in the 2000's) seem to think Death Metal is rock and the more unintelligible the singer, the more pressings and advertising they get. I love a beautiful singing voice and Free Dominguez has one. They could use a better "voice" on a lead guitar, but the "grunge" sound is fine with me. Whatever sub-genre you want to put this in, it is still the original Hard Rock that started in the 1960's and is very well executed. I have shared this album and it is liked by all who like Rock. The sound of the CD is clear. The last track needs editing, though; it is 11 minutes of silence followed by Free a cappella. I have listened to this album repeatedly in its entirety.

With all the noise pollution going on these days its nice to pop Zerospace in the old CD payer now and again just to remember how good music can be. Buy this now. No seriously, buy it. It's like NIN without the irritation factor.

I, like many KT fans, first came across this amazingly talented group by the Queen of the Damned soundtrack. "Before I'm Dead" was just so good, I had to get Zerospace and check them out. Zerospace is fully of awesome riffs, sexy and hard vocals and fabulous drums. Since then, I've trekked to another state to see them in concert. I cannot say enough good things about Bruce Sommers and Free Dominguez. If you like a band that's agressive, cool and appreciative of their fans... you should look into Kidneythieves.

it was the cover of this album that allured me to check it out. then, the voice got to me. it's a very unique album indeed. the hint of industrial goth in the music makes you just want to move your body (in what way is up to you :P). well it was that way for me anyways, hehe. if some of you liked the Queen of the Damned album, then i think you will like this one also because "Before Im Dead" is on both of them. one of the songs that really got me hooked was "S&M (a love song)", go figure..haha ;P

well, we've all heard that sex sells. and the lead singer is beautiful (im sure you cant really tell from the cover), but so does talent and this girl has the voice. some singers cant even sing to the music (i will say no names), at least she can. but like always, who am i to judge wut others should think. lucky for all of you out there, they give samples of music on this site, so do yourself a favor and sample this album. if u like it, buy it, buy all their albums. if u dont, well at least you were open-minded enough to try it :)