Review Summary: A weird but amazing experience from a band that is nearly impossible to categorize
The two members of Coil (Jhonn Balance and Peter Christopherson) were hefty individuals who progressed at a rabbit’s pace. Pointing directions at their band Coil, they managed to release around twenty, full-length studio albums (and various soundtracks) over the course of around twenty one/two years. All of their albums together were perfectly admirable, and during their early age, they created some of their best albums that would go down in history. ‘Horse Rotorvator’ definitely entitles to that, as it has been critically acclaimed as one of the best Industrial albums to ever come in foot. For some people however, it could be thought of as one of the greatest albums period.
The album has various moods depending on how you look at it. Some songs are fierce and action-packed (filled to the brim with dense melodies and percussion, each taking the listener on a hypnotizing journey), while others are mellow and create a soothing vibe. Most of them are fairly accessible too, but will take more than a few listens to fully digest. As well as that, there are tunes that are straight up bizarre; songs that make you wonder if they were jacked up on drugs throughout the making of it. But to be fully clear with you, this album could easily be defined as their victory album, or their most genre- defining album.
Horse Rotorvator is an exercise in both creativity and instrumentation. Out of around 12 songs (if you exclude the interludes, which leaves it at about 10), there are none that sound exactly alike, which is seriously fantastic. As always, the vocals are absolutely insane and contain some of their most thought-provoking lyrics (and even songs titles…hence, ‘The Anal Staircase’). The album also uses a lot of horns, synthesizers, beautiful guitars, and unusual vocals to create a tectonic masterpiece; it can actually be a bit overwhelming at times, which for some people can be both good and bad.
‘The Anal Staircase’ opens the album up, and is easily one of Coil’s most quirky songs. Featuring pulsating brass sections and some sort of keyboard, it’s a ridiculous song that is a really nice opener. Slur, on the other hand, is completely different. Starting off with a badass bass riff, it intertwines with (I’m guessing) a gorgeous bagpipe and Peter’s voice, creating an elegant work of art. That song is also one of the best Coil can offer.
‘Ostia’ is my favorite off the album, for many reasons. One of them is the truly diving, ritualistic string/guitar setup, and the flowering violins/violas. It’s a 6 minute epic that is unmistakably Coil at their apex and most hard-working. It’s an intense track and is both lyrically and musically complex too.
‘Penetralia’ is a true headbanger off the album. The song is centered around a stiff, messy, repetitive guitar riff and the usual deranged horn sections. One could actually mistake it for an Industrial metal song as well. ‘Circles of Mania’ is where Jhonn himself goes crazy, and starts manically laughing whilst shouting out cold, ferocious lyrics:
You get eaten alive by the perfect lover
You get eaten alive by the perfect lover
You get eaten alive by the perfect lover
The 5 minute jam is probably their most derailed, out of mind track on the album.
This album has laid a foundation for Industrial music for a long time now, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it still is. It’s beautiful, it’s soulless, it’s consistent, it’s brutal……it’s Coil at their best. After all, Coil is a difficult band to categorize fully without breaking into other genres of music. There really isn’t a huge complaint with this album other than the interludes being a bit unnecessary and rather dull. But other than that, this is a stellar album by the Industrial innovators. I would strongly recommend this album to anyone, as it’s a fun album to listen to pretty much anywhere in time.
Recommended Tracks
Slur
Ostia
Penetralia
Circles of Mania
