Beneath The Skin Reviews

• Dark Poetry Set To Music!

  
  By A3KGYTO6CF8MGF on 2003-01-04
  "Spiral revelation, morphis of change
  What a sensation
  Growing in form.
  Imagination, opens the door
  In-between spaces
  Oh dear she explodes..."

  I honestly can't imagine a single soul not enjoying the music of Collide but for those who don't like them, or for those who haven't had the opportunity to hear them yet, well I pity you for you're truly missing out! I've been buying a lot of industrial/goth-related music lately but none have affected me the way that Collide has. Statik (producer/mixer) and kaRIN (vocals/lyrics) are simply brilliant when it comes to getting beneath the skin for the music they create is sure to send delicious chills down the spines of all who listen!

  The lyrics are like dark poetry set to music but when kaRIN lends her lush, breathy vocals to the haunting words she concocts, a sensation unlike any other is sure to close around you as she weaves her delicate spell around her attentive follower... Of course it is very important to have an equal balance between the voice AND the instrumentations so, unleashing their intricate magic, Collide adds some grinding guitars to the mix which dance around leaping flames of industrial/electronic beats!

  Now, because of poor sound quality, I am sadly obliged to give this album a star below what it probably deserves. The songs in themselves are all amazing as they showcase the potential that Collide is known for but the production (which is probably due to a low budget) kills the whole experience! And while it angers me to know that Collide will most-likely never gain the recognition or the following in which they rightfully deserve, I consider Collide to be one of my all-time favorite bands and am looking forward to all future releases!

  I also recommend the fabulous 'Chasing The Ghost', which has better sound quality than this, as well as 'Distort' which features some incredible remixes from 'Beneath the Skin'.
  
  

• Does this band get any better?

  
  By AFT6HJ1ALIWZ2 on 2002-09-21
  As the reviewer below says, it is beyond comprehension that this band is not as well heard of. A friend of mine, with well developed musical taste heard me cranking up the title track ( a superb cut) and said " Oh my G*d- what is that?"

  Its that good. No, its better.

  Despite what the sad soul below said, this is not mindless pop. To call this pop is like calling Britney Beethoven- totally wrong. Souring, grinding electronics, amazing sound scapes, and a lead singers voice whos depth and talent of voice will leave you, literally ,breathless. This is an incredibly good album, not only for Goths , or fans of industrial rock, but anyone who knows what exactly makes a good band- passion, purpose and talent.

  If you want a comparison, gentle reader, try a blend of Tool, Tori Amos and Curve. Kind of. Collide deserve a much wider audience, but we live in a world where people buy Eminem albums, so I guess they may not get the recognition they so deeply deserve.
  
  

• Someone, please - tell me, Why is Collide so unheard of???

  
  By A251TKQQKFBIE5 on 2000-10-30
  I just don't understand it. I guess Collide missed the boat when it came to publicity or something. Maybe they didn't pay off the right person to get some airplay. It's almost criminal, in my opinion, that this band isn't a lot bigger... and that I only heard of them 3 months ago.

  These two (kaRIN and Statik) are absolute geniuses. Statik shows expert musical manipulations with every song, and kaRIN's voice is drop-dead gorgeous. And they are both inventive with the styles they use throughout all the music. There are no two songs here that sound the same, but a very impressive variety, ranging from the noisy jackhammer of "Beneath the Skin" to the peaceful flow of "Deep" and "Black"...

  This album has it all... it's accessible without being cheezy, and beautiful without being bland... For more proof listen to the samples here and the (full-length) samples on Collide's homepage. It'll blow your damn mind. Then buy the CD's and support a band that should be a legend... and hopefully will.
  
  

• industrial music with ethereal vocals

  
  By on 2000-04-06
  this is an excellent CD - industrial music contrasted with the ethereal female vocals. music is a bit haunting, with a harder edge. a bit of variety, with some slower songs (pandora's box), danceable beats and harsher guitars (falling up). i also recommend their CD of remixes "Distort."
  
  

• Good Album

  
  By A23H9KY3Q1YJ2N on 2002-07-15
  If you like Goth-Rock-Synth music, then this CD is for you. I love Curve and Garbage, and think Collide is close, but not up to par with the previous two bands. The first half of the album is strong and is highlighted by such songs as "Deep" and "Strange", However the second half of the album is a bit weaker. A good band with a lot of potential.
  
  
• Settled Beneath My Skin Very Well
  By AF4UDF0915N34 on 2005-10-25
  After hearing more recent and very appealing work by Collide, I wanted to start at the beginning (Beneath the Skin) and move my way up. Something about the contrast of sugar-sweet female vocals with whipping electronica drew me in. First off, don't be fooled by their over-the-top gothy cover art and webpage design. Though the music has a haunting quality to it, it's certainly not over-the-top in any sense.
  
  Collide's sound is a mixture of darkwave and industrial--some songs with a dance quality, others with more of a swaying feel. The production production approach by Static is something softer than VNV Nation or Apoptygma Berzerk, but harder-hitting than Depeche Mode, with Karen's vocals comparable to Love Spirals Downwards or Miranda Sex Garden.
  
  A couple of my favorite tracks on here are "Falling Up" and "Dreams and Illusions." "Falling Up" gives you the feeling of having a heart attack amidst a crowded church, with it's fast-paced, choir-like background and the sense of being carried away. "Dreams and Illusions" has a mysterious quality to it, as the title conveys. "Beneath the Skin" and "Violet's Dance" put you inside a torture chamber. "Deep" sounds like industrial and more metal with a light sexual quality to it, with the buzzing guitar background serving like a voice. I'm not sure that the last two remixes contribute much to the album, though.
  
  Karin's vocals, throughout much of this album, are basically and elevated whisper. I'm wondering if maybe they weren't too downplayed--sometimes the lyrics are too indistinctive to understand. I don't like the words feeling masked like these; it makes them seem unimportant. It tends to be to much "beneath the skin" when it could be surfaced. Another small critique is the over-repitition of background patterns, but that tends to be my critique with a lot of music, including music I love. After this album I can say I'm a new fan of Collide.
  
  
  
  
• beneath the skin
  By A1Q9XZQ44FZX1D on 2004-12-01
  Beneath the skin is a great follow up to Chasing the Ghost. The best song is Crushed.
  
  
• Distort is very similar to Vortex
  By A2269U42XTH1KF on 2005-04-07
  If you were considering Collide and never heard them before, don't expect something that is going to fit in with everything else but expect something that is going to knock your socks off. The only music I'll listen to round the clock is Collide, a pair of headphones and a moderate volume level in a dimly lit room will set a wonderful mood for you to listen to Collide. All their albums have a similar feel and I would suggest Some kind of Strange Chasing the Ghost and Beneath the skin for someone who has the more open mind, Vortex is an Album I believe anyone can love its not as abstract as the others and is wonderful for dancing and I can guarantee once you hear vortex you'll want to hear everything else. Though I'm glad to have heard their original music first. Collide is probably the first of a new breed of music not rock nor techno. Abstract music is not something you come by often and this is THE BEST.
  
  
• amazon should put this group on a "must have" list
  By A1NBWRHXMJ8ZB5 on 2001-05-10
  Dark ambience with the perfection of kaRIN's voice as counterpoint. Amazon (or someone) should put this group on a "must have" list. If you like to be in on great bands that almost no one's heard of, check these two out.
  
  
• Beneath the Skin : Lovely surpise
  By A144FDB2V87STE on 2007-04-13
  Beneath the Skin was a lovely surprise for me.. something comparitively different that the others, and yet... brimming with that same luxurious dark sound I was used to. I bought Collide's cds out of order, and if I remember correctly, this one was the third I purchased. Of course, none of us know exactly what to expect from any band from one cd to the next, but that's half the fun! And when it came to this cd.. I was thrilled to find that this awesome band had once again captured my attention in a HUGE way.
  
  If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times.... brilliant!!
  
  
  
  

• Chasing the Ghost
• Some Kind of Strange
• Vortex
• Distort
• Zerospace