Brainchild (Audio Cassette) [Import]

This album has been long out-of-print, and I own both versions. In 1992, the band was called Brainchild, and the album was called "Mindwarp." Two years later, Scott Albert (later changing his name to Klay Scott, his renowned Circle of Dust moniker) remixed and rereleased the album as "Brainchild." And it is a masterpiece of underground industrial. This is a great pick for fans of hardcore beats mixed in with death metal guitar riffs and pulsating electronics and textures. The music fits into a Ministry vein, but Circle of Dust achieve some sense of comprehension where Ministry lacked in any sense of cohesion or melody (don't get me wrong, I love Ministry, but their music was about dissention both lyrically and musically). "Brainchild" is wrought with samples from movies, TV, and cartoons, using quotes from "Blade Runner," "Robocop 2," and "The Abyss" all over the place. Normally I would think this to detract from the music, but the choice of quotes is excellent and adds an eerie twist to the music. If it wasn't for the electronics, one might think this to be some artsy-fartsy experimental death metal album. The best songs on this album would have to be "Telltale Crime" and "Deviate." The version of "Deviate" here is far superior to the original '92 release, and is a masterpiece of industrial-thrash. The "Regressor/Aggressor" mixes are awesome as well. If you can find a copy of this album anywhere, I encourage you to give it a listen. It's an aggressive and hard-pounding album that should be in any underground industrial fan's collection. Circle of Dust has since moved on to become Celldweller, and Klay Scott continues to experiment and evolve. I look forward to the first Celldweller album, but until then...I have Circle of Dust to tide me over.

I'll begin by noting that I don't consider myself a Whitecross fan; I do, however, enjoy great Christian hard rock and metal. Like so many other folks, I first discovered Whitecross back in 1987 when their debut release generated quite a buzz in the CCM community. They were the answer to my prayers; I was tired of listening to Christian music that tried unsuccessfully to appeal to fans of hard rock. Aside from the obvious Stryper, Saint, Messiah Prophet, and even Bloodgood, there was little on shelves back in 1987 that really sounded like the music I heard on secular rock radio stations. When I first heard "Who Will You Follow," I thought I was listening to a re-tooled and converted version of Ratt. I was stunned to learn that Whitecross was its own entity, and that they had an entire album full of tunes that could easily fit with many successful secular artists at the time. Over the next few years I found that I liked each successive Whitecross release less than the one before. I'm not sure if their debut was so good that it was impossible to top or if I was growing as a music fan. Though I never became a Whitecross fan, their debut release retained a special place in my heart. So, once I learned that Rex and Scott were planning to re-record their classic, I was both ecstatic and fearful. I was happy that their early music would get another shot at appearing on a CD, but I was worried that they would taint my memory of the original recording. I had fears the band would make the same mistake that Ozzy made when he recently had the bass and drums on his first two classic albums re-recorded. Fortunately, I was to be pleasantly surprised. In my humble opinion, I feel that Whitecross improved their debut. I'm sure that purists would argue the first release is the better of the two versions, but I don't think so. The new version of "Whitecross-1987" has all the chops and riffs of the first recording, but it is also a bit more thunderous. "Enough Is Enough" (despite its silly "enough, nuff" chorus) is solid, and the guitar work comes through much more powerfully than the original. Likewise, "Signs of the Times" offers a take on the original that is true to the 1st version but much more aggressive. Best of all, the inclusion of "Love on the Line"--an often overlooked Whitecross song--rounds out the CD with a classic sound that doesn't compromise its power for a slower tempo. The song is reminiscent of AC/DC's earth-shaking "For Those About to Rock." Even the lone new track, "Re-Animate," fits on the disc rather nicely. Though the track is an instrumental Rex Carroll piece, it sounds as if it could have easily appeared on the original debut release nearly 20 years ago. All said, "Whitecross 1987" is a worthy rendering of the original recording. In fact, I feel comfortable saying that it is better than the original. Listening to the CD makes fans realize how good Whitecross's debut was, but it also reminds us that some things just get better with age...

Usallu when a band decides to "re-record" an album disaster strikes! Not with this release! It surpasses the original. The original "Pure Metal" release has been out of print for quite some time. I bought it brand new on cassette in 1987. That cassette is long gone. So instead of paying high-dollar for an original CD I decided to wait on this and it was worth the wait!

VERY true to the originals, no updated sound here. Rex's guitars shred almost nore-for note to the originals. Scott's vocals are a bit deeper now. The drums and bass sound much better with today's production technology.

Kicks off with "Who Will You Follow", contains "Eough Is ENough", "No Way I'm Going Down" and more. Only the ballad was left off, which slips my mind at the moment. Contains 2 "new" tracks. "Love On The Line" was never released on CD. "Re:Animate" is a new instrumental/solo from Rex. It is the only thing that sounds remotely "modern" but it still shreds.

You can hear good MP3 samples at the Whitecross website (google it).

Also, lots of cool pics from the 80's and new liner notes from Rex.

If you are a fan of Christian Metal, give this one a try. Old School at its best! also, Saint is still out there too!!