Music for a certian crowd
B. Klos | Oakland County, Michigan | 09/21/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was originally a fan of Icon of Coil, and later Combichrist before i bought this album. I knew that IoC and Combi were pretty different in their sound, so I didn't know what to expect from "this is my battle field". The thing I liked about IoC was it's metaphorical lyrics (some say the lyrics are crap, but it really depends on how much thinking you want to put into them). But the thing i loved about Combichrist (the "everybody hates you" album) was the extreme abrasiveness of the base and beats, hence the sub-genre "Power Noise".
In Panzer AG you get more of the abrasive militaristic rhythms, in fact, more so than combichrist. My favorite song is "this is my battle field" the best song on the album in my opinion. it starts out with stupid movie sound bites (which i don't mind like some do), but then it hits you like and exlposive shell when andy yells, "THIS IS MY WARRRRR!!!" and under the exposive "this is my war" is a womans choir doing epic sounding "ahhhh's". If the song is playing with MAX volume, you'll definitely feel a powerful emotion (almost orgasmic for me).
"Beriet" is another good one for me, there's some cool sounds in that one, and some interesting beat pounds in the middle of the song.
Some of my friends (who arn't much fans of electronica industrial in the first place) think that PANZER AG is way too abrasive on the ears. While that might hold some truth, it's music to mine. It's definitely intense stuff, and it definitely gets me blood pumping."
This is my battlefield
Erica Anderson | Minneapolis, MN | 12/21/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I am a big Icon of Coil fan. I didn't know until recently that IoC frontman Andy LaPlegua had a side project called Panzer Ag until last week. I listened to a sample of the album and liked what I heard. I picked up the cd a couple of weekends ago. I have to say that Panzer Ag's music is a far cry from Icon of Coil. The music is more abrasive and not as catchy as IoC's music, nevertheless it is a good album. I had to listen to "This is My Battlefield" a few times to allow the music to sink in. The music reminded me of Funker Vogt at times. Andy's vocals are more rough around the edges yet he maintains his familiar monotonous sound that is heard in IoC's music. The lyrics are a mix of German and english, with a healthy dose of irony and satire. The standout tracks for me is "When Death Embrace Me" (the catchiest song on the album), "Bereit", and "Tides That Kill". I especially love "When Death Embrace Me". It almost sounds like a song that IoC would do. I loved the female vocals on "Bereit". The one song I really didn't care for was the repetitiveness of "Panzer". That song is the weakest track on the cd for me. The other song I wasn't crazy about is the last song "Drunke I Tarrer". It was long and repetitive with no vocals. The album was a bit too long for my taste and I could have done without a couple of songs but overall I feel taht "This is My Battlefield" is a pretty solid industrial album from Panzer Ag. I look forward to hearing more music from them in the future."
Not half bad...
Justin T. Schmidt | Bryan, OH | 05/12/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Not half good either. I'm writing this after doing my review for the second [and much better] Panzer AG album "Your World is Burning". Mainly because I needed to reflect a bit and wash over some of the thoughts I have on this debut release. This album starts off with a bit of a bang with "Filth God", some great kicking drums and a fast pace, with some deep drum kicks and some silly Lyrics about "What does God want from him". You've heard this type of stuff before. You can throw a rock at about any aggro EBM band and you'll get pretty much the same song with the forsaken cry of disdain and loathing about this thing we call God and life. "Battlefield" feels like it should have been the first track. Some fantastic choir sounds giving it that epic and tragic feel, like witnessing a great war over enemy territory with exploding mortar shells, gunfire, squeeling tank treads, and cries for victory while sending you catchy aural noise attacks at your senses fixed with a memorable basslines. A great track.
Overall the album plays a tennis match over good and "not so great" songs through about 60mins of play time. The "not so great" songs are usually the obvious filler tracks just to make the album longer. My personal favorite track on the album is "Behind a Gasmask". Mainly because it stands out above everything else you'll hear. It's the only song in the album that actually strays away from the typical formula and becomes more of an industrial metal track. The same noise and bass effects are still there, but add some guitar work and glitchy vocal effects and you'll get what I'm saying. Definatly the best track in the album. Again the lyrics are not that deep or inspiring, but their fun and catchy. And it'll really get stuck in your head [I know it got in mine].
So basically the album teeters between the same aggro EBM you've all heard before [since it kinda sounds a lot like CombiChrist in most ways], and some really interesting laid out songs that will get your attention. I know I could have laid out a track listing on the good and "not so great" tracks more specifically, but I would rather you check it out for yourself. And basically because I just don't feel like it :). This album is a good start on Panzer AG, however I believe the second outing is the better album of the 2.
I gave this 3 stars because it has some really good and decent tracks, but it also has more of the same that we've all heard before, in that it never really gains any new territory in the industrial music area. Thanks for reading my review and I hoped I gave you some insight for this album :)."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1