Atrocity

Werk 80 (Reviewed by wavemeister):

Atrocity 'Werk 80', released in 1997 on Massacre records, Metal / Wave
Tracklist:

Shout
Rage Hard
Wild Boys
The Great Commandment
Send Me An Angel
Tainted Love
Der Mussolini
Being Boiled
Don´t Go
Let´s Dance
Maid Of Orleans
Deutschmaschine*/**
Verschwende Deine Jugend**

* Bonus track of Digipak edition
** Bonus track of Festival edition

Okay...this review might cause some controversions. Why?
First...Atrocity is no band of the 80s. Second...they never played music in a style of the 80s - with this only exception. Last...they´re reviewed here despite of all the lacks mentioned above.

Atrocity began their career in 1990, first under the name Instigator. Soon, they veered the fields from Thrash to Death/Grind, becoming one of the most interesting and willful acts of this genre.
Towards the mid-90s, another element was added to Atrocitys music, as some of the tracks featured a distinct edge of Dark Wave. In 1995, they started a project with the German Dark Wave-band Das Ich, exchanging certain tracks to be arranged and played by the opposite. The probably best known result was 'Die Liebe', originally performed by Laibach, and a few remixes followed. Atrocity began to attract audiences from other genres, and they played on festivals where 'pure' Metal bands were the last to be expected.

1997 saw the release of 'Werk 80'. This project picked up some classics from the New Wave- and Pop-era of the 80s, rearranged and performed in a Metal style.
And...it worked. The accusations of Metal- and Pop-fans ruining their favourite music were groundless. In fact, the arrangements of Atrocity were like fresh infusions, adding a new side to the classics as the tracks were not 'just covered'. Even the term of 'Crossover' seems not to suit properly, this album holds it´s own ground.

The most striking are the vocals of Alex Krull and Liv Kristine Espanaæs (Theatre Of Tragedy), the decent electronics and strings are just emphasizing the powerful arrangements.
Each track was treated in a unique way, be it 'Tainted Love' which was turned into a wild emotional vortex or 'Let´s Dance' which suddenly features a very 'German' twist. The only track which is lacking a bit from the quality of the album is 'Wild Boys', but this is not necessary Atrocitys fault - other bands, even from the electronic genre, failed there before. And, the track 'Deutschmaschine' is the 'little runaway' from this concept, as it was originally from the And One-album 'I.S.T.' which was released in 1994, nonetheless fitting the selected tracks.
But, the originals were never 'destroyed', they´re now 'made' for a wider audience.

Atrocitys 'Werk 80' is one of the most ambitious works of the recent years, breaking borders without cottoning to the Crossover genre. A definite must for the lovers of the unusual and a good occasion to drop some typical prejudices.