Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Think the worst thing that could have happened to this album was being released in the late 1980s; dated production aside, I don’t know why I liked this as much as I did (up to “The Great Seal”; I haven’t heard the last 4, CD-only tracks yet). The incorporation of bugles, chanting & very loud drums makes this feel like less of an album & more of a soundtrack to a dark fantasy movie. I caught the cover of “One Vision” by Queen but didn’t recognize the Opus track; knowing how the original sounds makes this album funnier as a whole. One of my favourite bands is Muse, which might explain my tolerance for the bombast & theatrics brought to this album, and in *both* versions of “Live is Life”. HL: “Opus Dei”, “The Great Seal”, “Trans-National”* *What is it about the weird loops & drum machines here that appealed to me tonight, when I struggled to get thru Big Black’s “Atomizer” December 24, 2022
4 stars for audacity. What works works, what doesn't work is terrifying. The album is unsettling, and I believe that was the goal. A great introduction to the neo-folk martial industrial genre! Raus!
INT
Very German. Very angry. Very dark. Pretty good.
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Opus dei, Herz-felde, Jagerspiel
Crazy album, very interesting early industrial. Certainly worth a listen.
Okay I have no idea what just happened but I absolutely loved it.
Sounds of rammstein before rammstein, enjoyable, but don't have time for a better description
I used to like this when I was younger. Haven't listened to it in a while, but I'm happy to say I still like it.
Okay I was skeptical but this was VERY cool
This rules.
Industrial is not a genre that I've ever really listened to having dismissed it as the soundtrack of every decadent, dark, bare brick nightclub, that's probably owned by a vampire. At times it could be Eurovision, and there's a definite 80's synth vibe. It's fun though, and the use of some John Heartfield art, along with some easy to understand German bumped it from a 3 to a 4.
I didn't know this band and this might be my favorite find on this list so far. It was unpredictable, but wow! I'm not a fan of this musical trend, but you can see that Laibach had a strong influence on industrial music. The album is both grandiose and humorous, with catchy songs, but with a rather severe tone. I like contrasts and there are a lot here.
Strong 4, such a gripping and interesting album
Неожиданно хорошо
Never heard of this before or really heard anything like it. It's really fascinating. An odd mix of industrial and marching music or something. I'm digging it though.
would fashbait again
Great German rock, reminded me of Ramstein
Interesting - can see where rammenstein got their chops. Wholly entertaining industrial - and makes sense given the bands history. Great dark humour too - but Milan Frans’ vocals are the standout here. Kind of starts petering out toward the end though
Was not expecting the Queen cover
yeah this rules
Oh my. This album is so preposterous and over the top. Militant German punk gospel just doesn’t get enough play, and I didn’t want this record to end. 4.5.
i hated the first few minutes.... but actually it really grew on me. then when i read more about the group i found myself liking it more and more. i went back after the day and listened to it again.
"an avant-garde industrial parody on totalitarianism"...yea alright, why not
Beyond badass
73. Oh, que majestosa criação, a da autoridade! Morra a anarquia, pim! MotA: Opus Dei "Leben heisst leben"
surprisingly good. Seemed also a bit like Duran Duran melodies
this feels like the soundtrack to some epic sci fi film where im the king of the world[s] and winning everything that is happening. an experience truly listening to this wow the amount of scenarios in my head is making little ideaist me happy
I've enjoyed it. Some of them were fun, some really intense.
Cool album big sounds, catchy first song. 1st non English album on the list I've had and I'm impressed
Trans-National
Might rate higher if I spoke German; also if I was a bit more into industrial. As a Tom Waits fan, I appreciate the singer more than most. I felt a little ill at ease listening to it as it seemed like I might be tapping my toe to a fascist propaganda band.
This one was hard to rate… it had some wonderful cinematic songs and then a lot of weird ones…
So out of my wheel house but I liked this!
I get it but it's too much
I think they were actually seriously trying to be subversive, satirical and serious on this album but it came off one big comical farce to me. I actually laughed on every A side song as it came up - I could not keep visions of Mike Meyers as Dieter Sprockets out of my head. The jokes wore thin as I got to the end of the album though.
Weird album not something I would normally listen to but the actual music was tight and pretty good, I like this more than I thought I would
I know Laibach as an influental band that performed the sound of the music in North Korea. I have even seen them live and have memories of being impressed by them. But this album didn't seem to meet the high standard I had before. Has some cool moments, but would not listen again. I would still attend their concerts tho 😅
Man, I got two albums from the bottom 20 of the 1001 Albums website in the span of a week? That sucks... is what I would say if I actually hated either of the two albums in question. I may not have been the biggest fan of the Birthday Party album I got just 6 days ago and I'm also not the biggest fan of this Laibach album that I have for today, but I don't hate either of them at all. This Laibach album is actually very interesting. Laibach are certainly a unique band all things considered. I guess their whole shtick is "satirical faux-nationalism" as I am going to call it, and it's definitely a vision that I can see the intent behind. Laibach isn't a Nazi band, you guys. I don't think the guys using John Heartfield artwork on their album sleeves and quoting a Churchill speech at the end of an album are pro-Nazi, but that's just me, I guess. Maybe some of the stuff they're doing is questionable, but I can definitely tell that irony is something that these guys are a fan of. But how is the music of Opus Dei? It's okay. I think the imitations of marching tunes makes for an interesting atmosphere. The fact that some of these songs were directly inspired by songs from bands like Queen and the lesser-known band Opus makes the satirical elements more noticeable for anyone willing to do the research. The vocals fit the vibe, but they're also not great. I didn't really like "Trans-National" but the rest of the album wasn't bad. This is probably one of the most unique albums on the entire list, to be honest. It's not really my thing, but I get what Laibach was going for here and I respect it. Light 3/5.
Strangely interesting
Curious
Interesting ambiental music for the early evening hourse before the club gets packed. The messiging is extremly cynical but a nice entry into the NSK state subject.
Definitive proof that Germans can be funny, too.
It was fine. Early industrial, but surprisingly melodic. I was more surprised this was included over Rammstein's Sehnsucht which had more critical and mainstream success. I guess this was more influential I suppose.
I wasn't prepared for another avant-garde artist almost immediately after Björk, but Laibach is very unique. They're almost certainly what I'd consider to be an acquired taste, but Opus Dei sounds like something I'd return to in the future and give another listen.
Kind of reminds me of Rammstein. Not bad overall. 3.5/5
Surprisingly, I didn’t hate this. I just hope these guys aren’t actual fascists.
never been too big into goth-y industrial, but laibach is pretty damn good
Wow, what the hell is this. Industrial, fascist? Music. I liked the first half but felt the 2nd half was a bit too weird. An interesting listen nonetheless, Yugoslavian German music isn't something you run into often
Interesting. Different. Proto-Rammstein. The covers are fun and worthwhile. Overall not sure it’s something to listen to over and over
Unfairly maligned but obviously a bit esoteric, but would scare the hoes
Schwer zu hören, andere Alben sehr viel besser
High 3, but not quite a four star album
Loved the first half of this, sounds like a soundtrack to a movie about an alternate history where the allied forces lost WWII, LP fell off in the later stages though
Odd but enjoyable
I can't fault this album for being generic or uninteresting, that's for sure. This isn't exactly my thing at all really, however this is still exactly the kind of thing I'm looking for doing this project. I will likely never listen to this again, but I'm still glad I had this experience because this really is like nothing else I've ever heard before. I'm glad to have dipped my toes into the world of Slovenian industrial metal, and maybe I could even get into it, but for now I'm just going to feel fulfilled with having experienced it at all.
Never heard of this band. Interested to hear what they sound like. Rammstein before Rammstein. Interesting stuff.
Regular para mí gusto
Definitely an interesting one. Felt like listening to ramstein mixed with 8ps techno pop? Idk. Not bad just different
This album is bad-ass. German gothic industrial metal is soon to be my favorite genre. Favorite track: Opus Dei 3.5/5
Interesting listen
I was expecting to hate this but kind of dug the experimentation will likely will never revisit it.
One of those strange albums with covers of famous songs that get you into their vibe.
Oh man this is one of the hardest to rate yet. It’s both incredible and incredibly awful. I loved it and hated it. 🤔
Didn't expect to start my Thursday with fake dictator music. I wasn't sure with Leben Heisst Leben, but I got into the next few tracks. Geburt Einer Nation was so funny and the clear stand out, it got me invested in the whole concept Leben - Tod sounds like early Rammstein and not just because it's in German, it could fit in on Herzeleid or Sehnsucht. There's also a slight Runescape feeling to the synths, I enjoyed that I don't know how often I would come back and listen to this but I did enjoy it Highlights: Geburt Einer Nation
Gear: ZMF Auteur Classic LTD Shedua Artwork: 🪓🧔🏻♂️👀 Production (2024 Remaster): 🏋️😧👏 Music: 🪖🎭😬 Rating: 🥨🥨🥨/5
probably the best bratsworth I have ever had 4/5. Nein das poopen farten 2/5. Shut the fuck up little dumb fuck German boy you truly don't understand anything. Halt die Fresse, du Männerschänder! Now you are getting on my nerves. Because of this continuous revelation about myself I will give this album 4/5. Du bist verdammt dumm wie Scheiße. Es sind 2 von 5. FINE we will meet at the middle at 3/5. Immer noch dumm und immer noch viel zu hoch – aber ich schätze, ich lasse es durchgehen.
Pre Listen: Never heard of em! But I quite like the album art, goes hard, would have as a poster in my room. Notable Tracks: F.I.A.T. - Sounds like a track from a 90's boomer shooter or cyber-themed arcade shooter cabinet. I dig it, favorite song on the album. There's a sound like a creaking rocking chair in the background that's a bit goofy though. Trans-National - Very torn on this track between loving it and hating it. The sample works range from pretty cool to genuinely unhinged. The beat and guitar are solid, the vocals are solid. It sounds like something from Venture Bros. Left me feeling disoriented, leaning towards disliking it. Herze-Felde/Laibach (Skin) - My least favorite songs on the album. They're just too experimental, just kind of noise. The Revolution #9 of this album. Post Listen: First Non-English album I've reviewed on here, and the definitely the heaviest to date. I can feel the veins popping on the vocalist holy moly. I enjoyed the addition of non-traditional rock instruments, violins, brass, expanded percussion, etc. The experimental compositions with wild sampling were pretty cool too. The vocals are fun, the synth work is cool. The album feels very cinematic, or like it could be used in an early 2000's medieval RTS game involving demons, knights, and time travel. These songs go hard. Head nodding, steel gaze, clenched jaw kind of hard. That being said, it's not exactly my style, and I probably won't listen to this again. If I do it'll be with other people, so we can experience the madness together, and we'll probably be drunk off ale or mead. The second half of the album also becomes a bit too experimental. Despite that, they've got a very unique sound, and I enjoyed that a lot. I'll keep an eye out for the album cover to get as a poster, just so I can remember the experience of listening to this album. 3/5.
idk
it's kinda giving spooky castle video game music, with german vocals. F.I.A.T really feels like boss fight music, maybe its just because it's the 80s? idk.. It's really reminding me of Rammstein, but it's probably just the aggressive german tbh.. everything past Herz-Felde is a sloggggg. Krst raised my blood pressure.
Algjör steik en furðulega skemmtilegt. Coverin mjög fyndin. Allt of löng plata samt var alveg kominn með nóg í lokin. LIFE IS LIFE.
Áhugavert að fá slóvenskt listarokk frá tímum Tító. Coverlögin mögnuð og coverið flott.
I dont know german
Helt knäppt! När jag började lyssna tänkte kag: vad är det här för skit? Meeeen... Musiken drog in mig. Det är ju galet och experimentellt men också bra?! Rammstein-sångaren verkar ha tagit inspiration från sångaren här men detta är bättre. Coolt och knäppt. Aldrig hört talas om bandet innan så det var kul att det dök upp här. Intressant och utmanade lyssning!
totally weird. i liked it
3 - decent
Álbum muy diferente, empezando por estar mayoritariamente en alemán, pero también por el concepto del mismo, crítica al sistema desde la sátira y otros elementos cómicos Los entendí? No. Los investigué un poco? Si. La primera mitad es ligeramente más aburrida que la segunda, porque en esa primera parte está según el enganche que es una versión en Alemán y otra en inglés del clásico de Opus "Live is Life", pero realmente la segunda es donde (a lo que entiendo) el grupo vuelve a sus esencias industriales y tiene sonidos únicos y cautivadores Destaco Jagerspiel pero otras en esa segunda mitad son destacables también Un viaje interesante, merece la pena escucharlo completo y reescucharlo en otro momento 3.5
This shit weird… I can’t understand the words, but… I kind of like it. Prefer this over the 20th generic British Electronica group. 3/5
I can't understand a single word but my god is it a vibe
YAH YAH. NIEN NIEN.
CREEPY RAMMSTEIN
Not one I'll go back to in a hurry but I enjoyed it
Day 978, and finally an album of Slavic military marching music, vocals by one of the lesser muppets and speeches from Churchill. Where have you been all my life? I don't know if it's necessarily the job of music to make you laugh quite this much quite this often, but we are where we are. Obviously in parts it's simply too much, but lovely stuff altogether.
you know what, hell yeah!
I've seen Laibach perform live, and I was still surprised by this in places. Beats similar to early NIN, orchestral stabs straight from early Pet Shop Boys. Vocals that would sit alongside death metal, doing Queen covers in german. It's a strangely thrilling mix. I can't say i'd choose to listen every day, and some of the satirical elemnt is so dry as to almost pass you by - but i'd take this over another nondescript 70s rock album any day. A very strong 3.
This unfortunately rules everyone. It definitely does overstay its welcome, but it manages to sound both incredibly dated and ahead of its time.
at least it was interesting!
I don't know what the lyrics are about but I won't be surprised if they invented some new form of fascism
interesting style and unique genre but not my cup of tea
I’m demonstrating some serious motivation and will to not give up on this by giving some of these albums my time. I’m listening to this album on my work lunch break and all I’m saying is at least my day is not completely boring. I will never listen to this again but I found some enjoyment and appreciation in it & now I want to watch a German movie with this album as the soundtrack
weird, but absolutely an unexpected delight. there's this flavor of like, hypey old jrpg boss battle OST with interjections of throaty german that really does something. favorite is Geburt Einer Nation or the title track. strong 3
Rating: 7/10 As a piece of art, it’s crazy, bold, subversive, confrontational. Reading about the band and the album is a truly wild ride. It’s a satirical presentation of the feeling of being at a European white nationalist rally. The repetitive grand arrangements really work for the militaristic tone they were striving for. The repetition is by design but as a result it’s not the most engaging on a moment to moment basis. It would have been better if I realized before that the last four tracks are in fact not part of the original album. Still, despite that repetition pretty much every track just works and Laibach really achieve the idea they’re going for here.
Not the type of music I listen to, but I can appreciate the cultural and radical meanings behind their band and music.So, between the music and meaning I would give it a 3.
Tengo sentimientos encontrados, me gustó. Lo guardé para seguir escuchandolo e indagando en el artista.
That was strange, not necessarily in a bad way though
Slovenian industrial rock in German from the 80s. No way I would have heard of this if not for the list :-) Includes a lot of covers of popular songs from queen, etc Favorite track: Opus Dei other picks: Geburt einer Nation, life is life
Awesome. Really reminded me of Andrew WK of all people.
unique and funny , provocative , even if repetitive ,
I don't dislike this as much as the general users evidently. I don't think it's brilliant, but it's clever. And I usually hate anything in the metal territory.
Zig zagged between really good songs and boring repetitive songs
this was a fun album to get from this list. really intriguing band. is it my favorite? no! but did i enjoy learning of their existence? absolutely!
3.5, I actually enjoyed it a lot more than I thought i would but it was a bit too arty in places
Sounds like an intense cartoon and seems like it would be fun to watch.
What a weird fuckin album. Fairly intense German-language industrial music, but often using keys/samples of fairly happy and triumphant sounding horns, organs, and orchestra. But it’s also dark with cold, pounding drums and a cold, brassy gruff vocal over it all. It’s just a unique sound that’s pretty unlike much of anything I’ve heard before. I honestly have no idea if I like it…it’s off-putting on first but memorable and I think could grow on one.
This is capital "A" Art. Unfortunately that doesn't always translate into listenable music.
Laibach are an interesting band, to say the least. Their name appears to be a reference to a planned Nazi take over of their city. Their music and imagery depict fascism and militarism, mixed with a goth industrial style. But it's incredibly unclear how much is tribute and how much is satire, which makes people understandably uncomfortable. But a bit of exploration really do point to satire, given the frequent silliness of the album (albeit delivered in a grimly serious manner). The blurred lines about their real beliefs probably contributed to their invitation to be the only Western band to date to play a concert in North Korea. They performed a heavy metal rendition of the Sound of Music soundtrack. You can imagine the audience, cut off from any Western cultural references and the storyline of the movie, trying to make sense of these Slovenian cultural ambassadors. Love this band or hate them, they're definitely interesting. They may make your head spin trying to figure them out though. It's absolutely not one that I'd return to often, but it's been an interesting one to think about, so it gets some points for that.
As strange as this album is, it's actually a really fun listen. It's just a bunch of policitally charged musicians making music that inspires them to be more politically charged. I know nothing of this culture or of the group but as an ignorant outsider, it feels like an homage to perhaps their culture while also fighting the current culture. It's masculine, vocal, and almost a call to arms. When I learned its song "Opus Dei" is a national anthem for an art project country whose visas are literally classified as art projects, I fell in love with it. It's a wild industrial album that's reminiscent of Rammstein and has some catchy tracks. I would use the term "avant garde" to describe this album. 6/10
This was awesome and hilarious (unintentionally). Some cool repetitive chants and this album was headed for a 4 but fell off
Other than the fact that I much prefer the live one hit wonder version of "Live is Life" from 1985 by Opus, I don't even know what to say about this album. I almost want to give it a five for leaving me speechless. Incredible madness. 3.4
My rating 3.2. German industrial prog rock. I’m here for it.
Fun and just sub metal. The first German album I’ve gotten, although it got progressively less German throughout
I couldn’t understand a word he said
3/5 Algumas músicas são JA, outras são NEIN e umas poucas LIGHT BEER. Mas a banda te faz ler Zizek pra tentar entender o que está acontecendo, o que é bom e ruim.
5/10… industrial / metal / *1987
weird but I liked it
Oh dear. Tough one to listen to, honestly. They clearly had an influence on Rammstein (Laibach for kids, basically), and given this is an album from Yugoslavia from 1987, it's significant because it had such a big influence. And covering Queen's One Vision the way they did and laying bare that the lyrics could be construed quite differently from the way they were intended... Deserves some form of reocgnition. Beyond the gimmicky songs, though, there's some substance, too. Some more clever Queen quotes from the Kind of Magic album, as well. But. It sort of lends itself to making you want to pull some grand nationalist/communist/ideologically charged moves, and immediately feel dirty and manipulated about that. Maybe that's exactly the intent, we can't be sure. So... 3/5 because it's certainly significant, but not a single star more because I want to take a shower and never listen to this again.
Blind album and artist. I fucking loved the eagle screech opening the 2nd track. Kinda funny it covers the Queen One Vision too where I can't unhear 1 Dump, 1 Turd, 2 Tits, John Deacon. Immediate 3 at minimum.
Mostly not for me, though I see what they were going for. Definitely hear Rammstein in this, as pointed out by many others. I get that it's parody music in essence, I just don't really see myself playing this record again.
The eastern block just did it differently.
Interesting, wears a bit thin over the course of an album it has to be said. Borderline 2.
Triple blind, and wow. What a journey. At times a cool listen. At other times redundant. And at other times a little fascistic, If we’re being honest. Overall, I’m left dumbfounded. Not sure what to say about an album like this…
Glory to Yugoslavia! This started strong with the orchestral like songs and national anthem sounding tunes but I didnt dig the later electronica songs
German pop hard rock. Started off awesome and then kinda petered out near the end. Shame.
Not heard or heard of before (although I feel I have seen the album cover before), it's like proto-Rammstein, "it's okay ja"⭐⭐⭐, not sure I'd rush and buy a copy, a bit too Euro-cheese-rock for my liking, they should cover "C is for Cookie"😆, couple of interesting experimental tracks, probably a 3.5 really
Life is life! Opus Dei! Slovenia anthem
I've seen this compared to **Rammstein** which makes sense given it's both largely industrial in flavour and sung in (I think) German, or at least a similar language. I'd be astonished if Rammstein hadn't heard this before coming up with what it is that they do, but I'd take this over anything I've heard from them all day. I had the feeling there's more of a story behind this and in fact a simple Google led me to find that _'Laibach became renowned in the early 1980s for their cultural resistance to censorship and totalitarian tendencies in socialist Yugoslavia.'_ So this is protest music that on the outside doesn't seem to take itself too seriously but I suspect there's some deep satire going on here. Perhaps anti-establishmentarianism was frowned upon in Yugoslavia back then! Musically it was quite interesting, I like the industrial aspects played through a lens of a nationalistic anthem. The cover of **Queen's** _One Vision_ and two covers of **Opus'** _Live Is Life_ were a surprise and an example of the humour. It fell off a bit with the last 4 songs although the constant chant in _Jägerspiel_ did remind me of _Addams Groove_. Those 4 tracks apparently weren't on the original vinyl which makes that the preferable version for me but on the whole, this was quite entertaining. *
Not my favorite. Too heavy for my tastes.
Far better than I expected it to be, but why do albums like this always have to drag out the song lengths? Cut down each one by 30 seconds/1 minute and they'd be better.
Vanskelig å plassere, vet ikke helt hvor seriøst jeg skal ta denne musikken. Var uten tvil morsomt 🙃
Litt artig, nokre seige deler på slutten. Veit verkeleg ikkje kva dette er. Tenkte umiddelbart at desse prøvde å vere Rammstein, men litt research tyder på at inspirasjonen kanskje gjekk andre vegen? Veit ikkje heilt. Blir nok ikkje gjenlytt, men eg hadde det gøy medan det varte.
Industrial! But also poetic. Dark! But also ironic.
Latvian avant-garde/industrial/experimental band, never heard of them but it should be right up my street, right? Diving in. Sounds like they influenced Rammstein and Saviour Machine, they seem to be making a political statement, but what is it...?
6/10
Not bad.
German industrial is not my usual go to atyle but i dont mind this. There is a fair bit of tounge in cheek here I suspect with their Queen cover, etc. i wish i could understand the lyrics. Could be bloody hilarious. Can hear a bit of Ramstein in the lyrics and beat. This is a bit better than average industrial techno/avant garde music.
Bold and unique, maybe a bit of a novelty album though but I enjoyed! 3.3
I had heard of this band a long time ago, and forgotten about them. This is an interesting album.
Never heard this before. It's very different, like European industrial music. I thought it was pretty good and the singer reminds me of the Ramstein singer. The music kind of has a similar vibe. It's pretty good and after reading about them it sounds like they have a great live show with a whole act they do. Interesting but I'm not sure I will listen again.
Härligt pampigt som bäst! Men riktigt svagt slut.
2.6 2x catch up 2/27... a lighter hearted rammstein. defiinitely see their roots here.
Shit det var mærkeligt! Godt fund af bogen, må være temmelig obskurt. Ofte når der er en obskur plade fra et lille land har det været noget pis, men det her virkede reelt unikt (varierede dog lidt om det faktisk lød godt)
It sounds like Richard Wagner was born in 1963 (instead of 1813), behind the Iron Curtain instead of the Rhine Confederation, and got really into Kraftwerk in his teen years.
Meh
Several various styles and sounds in one album and with somethings reminded me of Prince, Nine Inch Nails, or Rammstein. There were some repetitive anthems I could imagine crowds would sing and I might look into some of the lyrics if they have any reference to Slovenian history and struggles.
One I have never heard before. Don't know much Industrial. Interesting, could be harsher. Better than other stuff on here for sure but not exactly Swans. 3 Heard before? No Owned: No: 37/144 (25%) Will I get? No
This was a good album, I'm going to relisten, I think it's shareable
Meh
lowky overhated
I have no idea what to think about this record. I love experimental music so I certainly appreciate it for that but this is incredibly avant garde. I did really enjoy the album title track Opus Dei - very industrial.
Good fun
2.7/5 Stars Top Songs: Leben Heisst, Opus Dei, Trans-National
6.5
Not sure how I feel about this. I love metal and hard rock, they're my most listened to genre, but I just couldn't get into it. It's like Rammstein from the 80s with Arnold Scwarzenegger providing vocals. It's interesting, but I don't think I'll listen again.
They got real weird with it.
Interesting
A bit out there, just a bit
3/5
Álbum experimental/industrial interessante. É bem musical e bem feito. Celest Pandamon.
Interesting kraut rock.
Bonus star for sounding like if Strong Bad had an industrial band
one of the few albums on this list that is actually interesting to listen at least once in your life, its not just very good
Laibach! lol - not my fave LP of theirs. I think I like later Laibach, as the production gets better but the vibe is the same and I prefer to listen to that. There is something about the trash vibe of this that gels well with the Laibach vibes.
Strange but intriguing. A Queen cover in German in there threw me a bit of a curveball.
It’s mostly in German, but some of the orchestral arrangements are very good
OK, så coverversjonen(?) av «Life is Life» va passe fornøyelig, men sånn utover det va det helt klart ikke min greie, og så e æ vel egentlig aldri særlig fan av ironisk(?) reappropriering av nazisymbolikk og dets like, så æ tror aldri Laibach kommer til å være nokka æ bruke mye tid på, men nu har æ da i det minste prøvd.
erst recherche, hat mir eröffnet warum das Album so spannend sein soll
has the right mix of violent guitar to keep it weird & confrontational instead of only ridiculous confrontation: appreciated. (⌐■_■)
It’s an acquired taste of genre Opus Dei the title song was the best on the album probably won’t listen again
It was certainly not boring.
This is interesting in that it’s a big departure from my usual listening but it’s not really something I see myself returning to.
Leben Leben Leben Heist Leben!!! That opening track was incredible. Made me want to go pump iron. Unfortunately the next few tracks didn't hold up. I loved that Opus Dei came in with the Leben motif though. That got me all stoked again. Actually it just seems like Opus Dei is the english version of Leben Heist Leben and according to the internet it's a cover of an Austrian song but the band Opus? So that's interesting. The German version was much better than the English version.
Laibach's "Opus Dei", was a first-time listen that I found loud and dark. The album delivers a dramatic, cinematic experience, with clearly pronounced martial musical influences. While initially interesting, it's not a relaxing listen, as evidenced by jarring moments like "Trans-National", and the interest doesn't last until the end. For me the album functioned more as a curious novelty than a collection of standout tracks, with the last four tracks, and in particular "Herz-Felde" and "Jägerspiel", testing my patience. Despite finding the experience intriguing, I don't anticipate listening to the album again". Three stars. 1 "Leben heißt Leben" (Live Is Life) (Opus) (4/5) 2 "Geburt einer Nation" (Birth of a Nation) (Queen) (4/5) 3 "Leben – Tod" (Life – Death) (Laibach) (3/5) 4 "F.I.A.T." (Laibach) (3/5) 5 "Opus Dei" (Opus) (4/5) 6 "Trans-National" (Laibach) (3/5) 7 "How the West Was Won" (Laibach) (3/5) 8 "The Great Seal" (Laibach) (3/5) 9 "Herz-Felde" (Heartfield) (Laibach) (1/5) 10 "Jägerspiel" (Hunters' Game) (Laibach) (1/5) 11 "Koža" (Skin) (Laibach) (2/5) 12 "Krst" (Baptism) (Laibach) (1/5) Total - 32 Average - 2.67 136/1001 70/136 albums reviewed were new to me.
ну по перше це прикольно і весело
I'm not sure what's going on here or why they covered life is life twice in one album but I'm kinda messing with it for some reason. Not my favourite at all but surprisingly fun
Who knew I needed to hear Queen's 'One Vision' in Slovenian .... what an unusual album.
This felt like a boss fight soundtrack, in the best way
At times I felt like I was summoning a demon. At others it was just some German rocking out. Weird experience. 3.5/5
Será que o vocalista do Rammstein se inspirou nessa banda?
On dirait que ça sort d'un vieux jeu vidéo par moment, et du Rammstein lite par d'autres. Quelques moments cool, mais très vibes based. Musicalement, ça laisse à désirer, surtout la fin qui devient expérimental. C'est correct, mais je ne vais pas y retourner.
Not sure if it was their intention, but I thought it was funny.
Kinda batshit but I didn't hate it
Had never heard this before, I think it's worth knowing about. I have issues with it. I'm not a German speaker and so a few songs in I looked up the bands wikipedia page because the music sounded like idolizing 19th/20th authoritarian aesthetics over top of 80's industrial beats. I guess that was their shtick but the motivation was intended to be ambiguous or unimportant. There have been many 'edgy' bands that run up against the issue of whether or not the wrong type of people are going to 'not get it' and become their fans. I could see that being the case here, I don't really know. Outside of all of that, it's not that great. I like the drums and if there was a version of the album that was just that it would be great. Some of the instrumentation has 1987 cheese oozing off of it and the latter half of the album has some sampling/looping sins that are just irritating. So like taking a second whiff of a weird smell, I guess this warrants three stars for being at least worth hearing once.
Not for me. But i liked it
Very powerful 80s industrial rock
Maybe I was just in the right frame of mind on this particular morning, but this scratched an itch for me.
Bizarre album and kind of hard to rate. I liked the novelty of it and the goofy cover songs on here are fun, but there's a lot of meandering pounding synths and bongs that don't do much for me. A lot of this album doesn't really do anything. Still, having a Slovenian industrial band on here is a pretty fun thing.
The cover of Queen’s “One Vision” is worth a listen (and only a year after the original). Monotonous, but strangely fun. This guy has the voice for metal.
The musical wing of a Yugoslavian art collective? In the Martial industrial/neoclassical dark wave genre? What's not to like!?! Well, several things as it turns out. I didn't hate it all, though. 2.5* and I am really torn on how to round. Up, I guess?
Gave this a 2 last time. Maybe enjoyed it a bit more this time.
I didn't know what to expect with Opus Dei, and it sure took me on a wild journey. Sometimes Laibach covered a well-known Queen song and changed it into some kind of fascist theme song, or they created epic, soaring music that would be well suited to a Star Wars film. Toward the end, the music became very repetitive and I wanted no part of that. The first few songs were at least something far from the norm, and I had a few laughs at the deep vocals in the industrial genre. Go hard or go home, I guess.
There's something about the German language that just goes so well against the backdrop of industrial dark wave music. This music is also very...marchy? Militant? The last few tracks on the album get particularly avant garde in comparison to the rest. This was something a bit different, and I didn't hate it. A low 3, I guess!
Coole albumcover, coole vibe, maar dan voor maar één keer in m'n leven te luisteren. Beter dan Rammstein. Ik weet niet hoe ik me moet voelen bij de cover van Live is life, maar ik heb het op me laten afkomen. Het was een boeiende reis, maar nu niet echt iets dat ik zou opslaan, waardoor het moeilijk is om een duidelijke score te geven. Een 2.5 dan maar.
The sounds are synthy and industrial, based around marches/martial rhythms, with artificial electronic horns blaring out and a 19th century national anthem style vocal. The whole thing is like what you'd hear over the course of a dystopian fascist rally. But then it degenerates into dissonant bluesy guitar solos. So sometimes it's stirring, but it's mostly repellent, tedious, and bloated, which was the satirical aim I guess. I found a great RYM review that situates this within the trajectory of late Yugoslav cultural politics, explaining the layers of parody, symbolism, approrpriation and detournement that would've registered to its audience and put this at the forefront of a left critique of Titoism coming from the Slovenian arts world. So that helps position this as a cultural artifact and specifically as a peice of agit-prop. It also means that without a deeper appreciation for that context it's hard to really say anything meaningful about this an album. Partly also because it doesn't seem like it was meant to stand as a discrete album and in fact is part of a critique of capitalist art production and the effects of the commodity form, of which the standardization and fungibility of the album form itself is a major part.
Tja… Unerwartet. Ich finde die Platte nicht besonders gut aber sie ist geisteskrank und ganz anders als die langweile Menge von scheißdoofen Britpopplatten die normalerweise hier auftauchen.
KMFDM if they took themselves a tiny bit more seriously.
Not sure how I feel about this music. Industrial and militaristic to an almost hilarious level. It feels like a parody of totalitarianism and fascism and then there’s the lingering suspicion that perhaps it’s not and that Laibach is quite serious about enjoying these monstrous ideologies. Side note: I really dislike the chintzy sounding synths on this record…maybe that’s the point.
Una mierda muy rara que a ratos era difícil de escuchar pero me ha sorprendido en muchos temas. De esos discos que no son tu estilo pero disfrutas escuchándolos en cierta manera.
Really good but not something id listen to often. I bet the live touring of thisnis spectacular. 3.5
not expected, but glad to hear.
regular
It’s ok, not really that bad idk about the average rating
Martial Industrial made up of a relentless marching beat and campy synths overseen by what can only be described as the voice of a coalmine turned animate. Unfortunately this wears think after half of the album.
In the running for best album cover, look at that! This album is all industrial rock with a medieval flair. Lots of gravelly vocals in German, chanting, and trumpets. Good music to March to. I commented to my wife that this sounds like it should be in a warfare video game, and lo and behold, one of the songs was in Command and Conquer: Red Alert. I didn't want to skip anything, as a few of the songs had me giggling for unknown reasons. If you dig industrial Rock, this is for you. If not, it's still an interesting and somewhat entertaining listen. 3/5
Interesting.
Strong opening very very weak ending.
I didn’t understand most of this, but I thought it was really fun. Is “industrial camp” a genre? Because that’s what this felt like. I am a little worried this is all pro-Nazi propaganda. Let’s see what Wikipedia says: “Laibach has frequently been accused of both far left and far right political stances due to their use of uniforms and totalitarian-style aesthetics. They were also accused of being neo-nationalists. When confronted with such accusations, Laibach is quoted as replying with the ambiguous response "We are fascists as much as Hitler was a painter".[29] Laibach concerts have sometimes aesthetically appeared as political rallies, and the members of Laibach are notorious for rarely stepping out of character. When interviewed, they often answer in wry manifestos, showing a paradoxical lust for, and condemnation of, authority.” That’s hilarious. I no longer assume this is Nazi propaganda; I think it’s just absurdism or parody. I think I love this band. This is probably a 3.5, rounded down.
Laibach is why I launched this experiment. Completely new band and genre to me. Industrial music is something I had never encountered before, and it was really interesting to listen to and learn about. I didn't understand most of the lyrics because of the language difference, but I got the gist of what they were going for. A lot of it was really good, even without knowing the lyrics. Would definitely listen again.
I don’t live industrial music BUT this band is clearly quite unique and culturally significant - so an extra star
Hmm... this one is difficult, musically, I did not particularly like it and from a musicians perspective, it is rather boring and monotonous... but as art, I can see (kinda) where they are going... I feel, this is a band, you need to spend time with to see the full picture and maybe I will in the future... for now, didn't love it, didn't even like it that much, so it is OK...
I want to start by saying how I understand that the midi horns can be a put off for some people but holy shit I love them. Its goofy as hell but it works for some unknown reason. It gives me the feeling of a kinda less intense rammstein but im fur thats just me not knowing German music at all. They do have some industrial flair to a song or two and so early in the game. Its pretty good. Not my favorite but a good time marching along to it. As a side when you remaster and album do it all or don't call it a remaster. They cut out the 3 or 4 ambient spoken word songs which to be fair are my least favorite but id still rather listen to them than not.
Did I just get enlisted into the Slovenian Armed Forces by way of neoclassical industrial initiation?
It's fine. It sounds like pre-industrial stuff, which I dig, but Laibach is missing that "wow factor" that makes it really stand out to me. No complaints, just not for me.
I’m in the ex Yugoslavia RIGHT NOW and I feel I should dislike this more as my grandparents were partisans but I can’t quite
Meilleure version de Life is Life, deux fois plutot qu'une. Je n'ai pas tant apprécié, mais en effet, faut avoir entendu.
I enjoyed this well enough, the bit did wear thin closer to the end but I believe the version I listened to had 4 tracks tacked on which would do it.
I guess this is considered an industrial music must listen. Seemed a bit subpar. Ok just not the hype I’ve heard for so long about it.
Proto-Rammstein Theatrical Not bad to listen to once; probably would not listen again
damnnn okayyyy. something interesting for once. thank you generator. the best and most evocative songs are the ones where Van Halen Jump synths are combined with this militaristic marching and chanting. this album has more reviews with the keyword "nazi" than any other album besides the three Kanye ones. the whole "posing as a fascist" thing can be offputting, but i have a higher tolerance with industrial stuff since being edgy n shocking is half the point. i'll get proper annoyed when it's clearly genuine. or has a Peter Sotos collage. did you know that Laibach were the first Western rock band to perform live in North Korea? not kidding! deserves to be one of the 1001? yea! i was gonna make a copypastacore joke but Laibach aren't on there wtf deserves to be one of the bottom 20? no! but i'm less offended by its appearance compared to some of the others
I can get down with a little industrial rock
[3.5/5] Final impression: Experimental, industrial, and rock-ish in a way that works for me. Interesting album overall, each track has its own tone and genres it leans towards, but theres a strong cohesion with the album's throughline. I like it. Might be a hard casual listen but i could see it hitting in the right mood. Listened to the 2024 remaster [https://laibach.bandcamp.com/album/opus-dei-remastered-deluxe-edition] and the leftover tracks on Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/album/3706Kd7JanLR1mzDYrEiqm]. Leben heißt Leben (Opus Dei) - Some sick riffs, im into the instrumentals here. Not sure i would listen to this casually though. The last 30 seconds or so are fantastic. Geburt einer Nation (One Vision) - The tone of the vocals feels like i should not be bopping but i am. Great transition from the previous track. Leben-Tod - Weakest track so far but i don't dislike it. F.I.A.T. (Let It Be) - A bit too relevant to the current political climate. Opus Dei (Life Is Life) - Unfortunately not that into this one even though i can tell its a highlight of this album. Trans-national - Big into this one. Can't tell if that means i have good taste or terrible taste. How the West Was Won - Let's drink love and sing :] unfortunately aside from the lyrics i didn't care for this one much. The Great Seal - Least favourite track so far. Feels reasonably fitting from an audio-narrative perspective. Herz-Felde - Fitting, and establishes a tone really well. I like it. Kind of experimental in the same way as Hana, but the instrumentals remind me of ACC? I like it. Jägerspiel - Im getting a sense that the second half of this album is more on the experimental side than the first half. This track is not as strong as the one just before it. Unfortunate for me since its the longest track. Koza (Skin) - See above, but this one is slightly better. The uncomfortable asmr is working in its favor. Krst (Baptism) - Not as good of a ending track as The Great Seal. Works well with the others of the bottom set of four. Overall notes: Similar in experience as listening to The Wall to me - tells a story, and with tracks that lend themselves to be listened to in order. Vaguely similar to what i imagine would be the result between The Wall and Neyslutrans.
- in german, sounds pretty insane - sounds like comrade music (this isn't a bad or good thing, just a thing lol) quite good, but some songs are very long and repetitive. 3/5
Listening to this and thought one of the songs sounded like “One Vision” by Queen. Guess it was a German language cover!
I actually didn't mind this.
(пока) Самый смешной альбом в списке. Лучшая песня - Opus Dei.
I’m glad an album like this is included on the list as it’s likely not something I would have come across without it I haven’t translated and read into the lyrics but the impression I’m getting is this is some sort of anti (or pro?)war related, industrial, national pride album. I’m not quite sure but these sounds definitely suit that vibe. This album has a strong first half, I’m a big fan of the guitar work on a few of the tracks. Unfortunately the tracks book ending the album feel like half baked ideas that don’t go anywhere. Would of loved if this thing finished as strong as it started. Very unlikely to return to this but it was a fun listen Fav tracks: - Leben heisst leben - Geburt einer Nation - Leben: Tod - Opus Dei - Trans-National - How the West Was Won Worst tracks: - The Great Seal - Herz-Felde - Jägerspiel - Koza (Skin) - Krst (Baptism)
good
Not my cup of tea. But enjoyed some of their songs.
Better than expected
A bold, unsettling, and meticulously crafted album that blurs the line between music and ideological theater. 𝘖𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘋𝘦𝘪 plays with familiar pop motifs and militaristic elements to create something that’s both hypnotic and slightly unsettling. The reinterpretations of well-known songs feel more like recontextualizations than straightforward covers, leaning heavily on irony and contrast. That said, it doesn’t hit as hard as I expected. For all its conceptual weight, it can come across a bit more restrained — almost too controlled to feel truly confrontational. At times it even feels oddly accessible, like the soundtrack to a fictional totalitarian state rather than something genuinely disturbing. Interesting and well put together, but not as impactful as its reputation suggests.
#605. This is absolutely weird as fuck, but you know what? I don't hate it. 3/5: strange
Is this what Slovenia is like?
I was prepared for the ***vibes*** but i was not prepared for the cheesy synth lines. 2.5
This was interesting.
I absolutely needed to hear this before I die.
Sacred German band
Leben heißt Leben 3.4 Geburt einer Nation 3.7 Leben - Tod (Life - Death) 3.5 F.I.A.T. 3.4 Opus Dei 3 Trans-National 2.8 How the West Was Won 3 The Great Seal 3.2 Score: 3.25
Interesting and unique. Doubt I'd go back tjo
Was enjoying the album a lot, really fun stuff to vibe along. Was thinking this definitely gonna be 4/5 and a new gem for me. Then somewhere around the halfway point the album took a nose dive off the cliff into suckville
Before listening to Opus Dei, I had never heard of Laibach. Based on the album cover alone, I wasn’t expecting to enjoy what was ahead. From the opening track, my immediate thought was, This sounds like Rammstein. Then I saw the release date—1987—and realized it’s likely this is what inspired Rammstein in the first place. I genuinely wanted to dislike this album, but I couldn't. It's so bizarre that it becomes fascinating. There’s something compelling about its industrial sound—harsh, dramatic, yet strangely captivating. Their cover of Queen’s “One Vision” is outstanding, and I picked up on several samples and stylistic nods to '80s Queen throughout the album. While I enjoyed the experience, I don't see myself returning to it often. Still, it’s a unique listen that left a strong impression. Favourite Tracks: “Opus Dei” and “Geburt Einer Nation” Least Favourite: Nothing stood out as bad—every track was at least interesting. Album Artwork: Stark and evocative, with a strong 1940s German aesthetic.
this was cool, it reminded me of when i was like 9 and figured out i could download the soundtrack from my dad's Age of Empires game disk and listen to it on my ipod shuffle. add some crazy industrial beats noisy guitars and scary vocals , even better. 6.5/10
I was really into this for about the first half but the second half was really rough to get through. A whole lot of nothing happened for about 20-25 minutes
The further along we dove into this list, the more you begin to look at albums like MLB front offices evaluate relief pitchers: weird is good, deviating from the norm is of significant value. Everyone can get through a 2-3 star rock album like every hitter can hit a 6’1 righty with a three-quarters arm angle who tops out at 92 mph on his fastball. This album is the Chad Bradford of the list. A completely unique delivery thats good for a few innings. The novelty of it in the context of this mostly British and American list is hard to ignore. That novelty does ware down a bit towards the end of the record. The opening few songs sound so firm, militaristic, and almost nationalistic in a sense. Chanting choruses, march-able drumloops, jaggedly cold melodies. What captivated my attention the most, though, was the more intimate moments on “Koza (Skin)” with its whispery vocal recordings and echoey, dissonant chamber sounds. It shows to me how the group was in touch with the track sequencing aspect of this project, as the novelty of the loud choruses was starting to lose its welcome a bit. I won’t go back to this album for a casual listen anytime soon, but am appreciative of its inclusion. Music completely unique to a region, culture, and period of time
Meh.
If ABBA was fronted by Count Dracula. Maybe that’s a compliment? Either way this was the weirdest album we’ve gotten so far (and we’ve gotten some real shit before this). I think I actually liked it a lot but don’t think I can rate it any higher because if anyone catches you listening to this you have so much explaining to do
Laibach's "Opus Dei" is an album that embodies a striking sense of militaristic precision, characterized by its operatic, theatrical, and dramatic elements. Although it likely falls within the industrial music genre, the album surprisingly features some engaging hooks. While maintaining a consistent sonic tone, the album remains diverse enough to not be monotonous or overly repetitive. The cover of Opus' "Live is Life" ("Opus Dei") was an unexpected delight, as was "Trans-National," which incorporates New Wave synths and a danceable beat. The album concludes with a dramatic horn outro, the perfect punctuation for such a dramatic set of recordings. This album was a new experience for me, though it likely will not appeal to everyone's tastes. Would I listen to it again? Likely not. However, that does not take away form his being an enjoyable discovery.
I’m not so sure if ironic fascism plays so well these days, especially in German. It’s kind of like the people who get the wrong message out of Fight Club. I won’t hold that against them, though, since we were not their intended audience. Fine. That being said, it’s still not an album I would listen to again.
Nuria: 2 Jaime: 4
This is one of the lowest rated albums in this whole project. The lead singer's voice is something a person must get used to AND the songs are in German for the most part. The last three tracks (on the bonus edition) are all pretty "meh" and instrumentals at that. All together though, I didn't really hate this album. His voice is something to get used to but the use of orchestration, keyboards and just general bombast was at least interesting to me. It feels to me like this is the kind of album that should be in this book, as opposed to what I heard yesterday which seemed to be a take-off of multiple genres without actually doing anything to elevate or bring something new to the genre. Songs I would recommend are: Leben Heisst Leben Geburt Einer Nation Opus Dei (I will say, he does sing like Cookie Monster on this one) Leben-Tod This is industrial music that doesn't just feature screaming over incoherent instrumentation, with the band seemingly performing in front of a steel mill. I would not recommend listening to the version of this album with bonus tracks though.
Their sound is big but I am not sure I like it all that much. 3 stars or C.
Interesting - predates Rammstein, a couple of melodies of there's are present, and one song (which I presume is a cover). A couple of Queen songs riffs too (from Highlander tunes). Could be listened to again. Reminds me of a cross between Tom G Warrior and Rammstein
Very interesting album. Liked the first few songs a lot. Standout songs: Leben Heisst Leben Geburt Einer Nation Leben - Tod
Interesting but not my cup of tea
Giving it 3 stars, it's a strange listen, I like the production, I kind of like their sound even if the vocals get a bit grating. It's certainly one of the more unique albums I've gotten so far, a little too long maybe. Not sure what the genre is, some kind of Soviet military sounding industrial music.
Al fin un álbum que no está en inglés! Y que no es rock genérico! Muy bien! Me gustó, muy jugado y descarado. Tengo que ponerle like al cover de Live is Life. Nota: 3.5
RRRRRRAUUSSSSS slovenialaiset gg. ymmärtää hyvää musiikika. huom. olemme täysin anti-fasisteja.. bändin nimi, symbolit... sattumaa.. miksi puhumme saksaa kysyt? Yhtyeen musiikki käsittelee poliittisia aiheita usein provokatiivisella ja vaikeaselkoisella tavalla. jos selko on vaikeaa niin voivoi.. teikäläisen ongelma. Laibach has frequently been accused of both far left and far right political stances. todellisuudessa: sentristejä.. loppua kohden albumi paranee huomattavasti jägerspiel
There are some fairly interesting things happening with elements of different genres getting mixed together https://open.substack.com/pub/richcain/p/project-1001-opus-dei-by-laibach?r=4ztyq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false
The Life is Life cover is fun, but it seems lie too much of a one note joke. I think Residents are much more successful with their irony filled covers.
Weird af
This was alright. I don’t really like those deep vocals that you often get in metal and some of the really experimental stuff was hard to listen to but other than that is quite good. 3 stars
Creepy
BONKERS
Initially found it interesting but it dragged. Group comments about the sincerity of the “supposed” parody of authoritarianism worry me.
More of an art concept than a musical achievement. Not terrible and enjoyed it when it first came out good to hear again but no need to listen another time
Ok, so I got this the day after Throbbing Gristle in a wee bottom of the pile double whammy and tbh I don’t hate either of them. At least they’re not boring. It’s all about the context I feel as it’s more performance art. Would be intrigued to see them live
When confronted with accusations that they were recycling n*zi and totalitarian aesthetics, the Slovenian act Laibach was quoted as replying with the ambiguous response: "We are fascists as much as Hitler was a painter". Well, that's the thing: Adolf *did* use his brush on canvas during his youth in Vienna, didn't he? Failed fascists, maybe? Because Laibach were... not serious enough??? All I know is that I ended up on the Wikipedia page about the early pictural works the future Third Reich dictator / mass murderer painted as a student in fine arts while listening to this LP. Quite a nonsensical experience, lol. As goofy and obviously tongue-in-cheek as Laibach's use of totalitarian imagery is (it's obviously a bad taste cosplay act), there's still something quite unsettling in it. Even if it looks like such clownish cosplay routine also aims at provoking questions and reactions in the audience: how on earth is it possible to find something fascinating in those mechanical, 'inhumane' sounds, here delivered with some dubious 'futurist' artwork (the latter even downright inspired by the SS or Stalinist regimes at times -- see those videos!)? And isn't covering Opus' "Life Is Life" (twice! - the first a slower, more ominous version sung in German, and the second as a catchier rendition sung in English) a way to underline that the liberal "west" and its own glorious, "transcendant", arena-friendly aesthetics are actually NOT exempt of that totalitarian impulse? That the latter is actually deeply ingrained inside them? That both systems just might be two sides of the same coin? That questioning aside, I admit that I have always found those cover versions hilarious (and even thrilling when I'm in playful mood). The thing is, this is an app about *albums* here, not 'singles'. And the awful truth is that as an LP, *Opus Dei* doesn't really hold water. Apart from the two versions of "Life Is Life", you have a barely recognizable Queen song and then.... some experimental industrial-classical forays. With some interesting tones once in a while, sure... except that the latter have been done better elsewhere. Consequently, the original album feels more like an EP than a an album proper, to be honest. The CD and streaming version have bonus tracks from an actual EP at the end (a soundtrack about... something -- I was too lazy to check). The experimental tones are a bit better in them, ironically. But it's no life-changing experience either. So let's keep Laibach's name for a book about the 1001 (most extravagant) *singles* you must listen to before you die, and then move on, shall we? 2.5/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums, rounded up to 3. 7.5/10 for more general purposes (5 for general musical competency + 0.5 for some interesting experimental tidbits here and there + 2 for the two cover versions of "Life Is Life") Number of albums left to review: around forty, as I've gone over the 1000 line and this generator is including albums from all editions of the book Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 452 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 271 Albums from the list I won't include in mine: 327 (including this one)
Weird album. It was a constant ebb and flow between digging the album and wondering wtf I was listening to. Sort of enjoyed it, I guess.
Ьчлч
Catchier than I expected. The Cookie Monster voice works, but I also just don't enjoy being yelled at in German. The guitar solo in track 1 is pretty cool too.
I’m not a huge fan of industrial music, but I did think this was an interesting album to listen to.
Strong Khazad-dûm vibes with this one, especially the first song, "Leben Heisst Leben" (Life is Life). Crunchy, grumbly deep voices, and some sick synth-driven orchestrations. Cinematic at times.
Liked this a lot more than I thought I would
Hoy toca banda desconocida por completo. Tienen algo industrial, levemente oscuro y pop. Mención especial al cover bizarro de "Live is life". Sin más para decir, me despido hasta mañana.
Weird album. I imagine this one won't be very popular but I actually enjoyed it. Rhythmic in an industrial, almost militaristic way.
i don’t really get it, but i wish i did, and that must be worth something
German, patriotic, Winston Churchill, lazer beams. What a ride
Yeah... It's a fucking Opus Dei for vampires. Done by vampires too. But it's quite a performance alright. 3.5/5.
3 - sort of interesting
Hell yeah dude, life is life
The entire time, we said that this is a Nick Lupinetti album. It was quite fun and quite German. Not my favorite type of music but I had a good time listening to it on the beach
Strange but enjoyable. Definitely grew on me.
This is certainly An Album that exists. It's decent enough, though, so I'm giving 3.5 bumped down to 3.
This was an enjoyable kind of weird.
the title track is my new favorite song
Cool album
Kind of goofy/unexpected but so committed that it’s actually epic
This one was epic in scope. The thundering drums and instrumentation are pretty cool. It can sound a little bit goofy sometimes though. The vocals could use some work as well in places. I can respect what they’re doing here, but it’s not really something I’d just put on and listen to. It’s ok.
5/10
I can’t tell if this was really cool or really dorky. Some of it was really annoying though. Happy 200th album to me.
this mostly german industrial rock album has a very heavy military influence, many lyrics are shouted like a sergeant, the brass stabs are frantic and the big drums are perfect for getting someone to march in place. dramatic and triumphant, this album is interesting, but it doesn't hold my interest too long. boom boom boom, ja ja ja ja nein nein nein nein. i feel like this album would be great for an action movie score. there's some interesting stuff in here; above all else the aesthetic captures my attention.
Some of the best German Industrial music ever created. I don't know whether it's maddening or musical though. But if you only listen to one German Industrial album, this is probably the one to listen to.
This was definitely an interesting one. I really dislike the vocals, but the instrumentals were interesting. I would never listen to this again though!
For this review, I will not include the bonus tracks from the CD version. This is one of those days where I think to myself, "I would have never sought this out if not for the album generator." Laibach is a Slovenian/Yugoslav group that are considered pioneers in the martial industrial subgenre, which is to say industrial music with a militaristic beat and politically provocative lyrics. After listening to Opus Dei, I can hear the influence these gents must have had on Rammstein and the like. Right out of the gate with their German-sung cover of Opus' "Live is Life" with the bombastic horns, I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer absurdity this was. Then they have the hutspa to go into another cover, this time of Queen's "One Vision", where with the German translated lyrics and militaristic composition it becomes clear how they approach the song from a darker angle and I dug it. Alas, the novelty started to wear thin by the time they've finished the second cover of Opus' "Live is Life". I have nothing against any member of the band; they all played pretty decent. The problem is the idea of using industrial music to focus solely on parodying authoritarianism and militarism limits the scope of what could be accomplished, at least in the case of this album. Opus Dei was a surprising listen, and certainly one of the more batshit inclusions on this list that I'm at least glad to have checked out. I don't expect this to be everyone's cup of tea given the group's image and style, but for those who dig industrial music or militaristic camp Laibach paved an interesting niche path.
Wild. Didn't know this band and I think this is quite entertaining and even amusing. Might have to do with the fact that I understand the lyrics - in German, sung with accent by a Slovenian. I'll give it 3/5.
If nothing else, it's interesting.
I had never heard of Laibach before and wasn't sure what to expect from this album. I assume this stuff is partly parody and made to be fun. It's wild and sounds like a cross between the Scorpions and a Nazi march.
It was unique and interesting. Didn’t mind it at all Rating 3.3
To me this album is worth a listen but I probably will not return to it. I recommended it to my husband who enjoys German metal.
Have no idea how to rate this album honestly. At first I was pleasantly shocked, knowing that this music has such historic significance. I think that’s fascinating and a little hilarious. I don’t think I’d ever listen to this on my own accord, but it’s good to know if I ever need music that sounds like the caricature of a militaristic and controversially political caricature, I got it right here. Also +1 for the music video for Opus Dei Life is Life. It’s kind of incredible.
This was very strange, but honestly, I didn't mind it. I can totally picture this music being used for people gearing up to head into battle.
I don’t know what these guys believe and honestly I don’t think they do either. They’re just provocative which I guess is a choice. Quite liked it, Geburt Einer Nation is better than One Vision, fight me. I guess I kinda like Industrial? It’s provocative, it gets the people going.