MURDER, INC. / Murder, Inc. (1991)

Why when I search for Murder, Inc. do I get a damned hip-hop label? The Murder, Inc. I want has a members list that reads like a who's who of industrial music pioneers: Martin Atkins, Geordie Walker, Chris Connelly, Paul Raven, Paul Ferguson, and John Bechdel. If you know of those people, then you'll know it includes two of the finest drummers the scene has ever produced. Martin Atkins and 'Big Paul' Ferguson were able to work in tandem beautifully, each able to anticipate and finish the others rolls and fills like a two-headed-four-armed drum beast. But, sadly, the album never reaches the heights you'd expect. It feels like a lazy Killing Joke album, minus vocalist Jaz Coleman.

Songs of Note: Murder Inc; Red Black

3 empty glasses out of 5

VARIOUS ARTISTS / Pure Devotion (1992)

Pure Devotion was a low-price sampler for the now defunct Wax Trax record label. If you don't know Wax Trax, they were responsible for giving many of the early Industrial and Electronic bands their break. The PD compilation was my introduction to a number of them: Pigface, Revolting Cocks, Skrew, Crowforce, Hyperhead, Excessive Force, and more. It's the kind of album that you'd lend to people in order to introduce them to some new sounds. I give it a spin every now and again for nostalgia purposes, and usually fall in love with it all over again. It's a little slice of history, both the musical and the personal kind.

Songs of Note:
ACID HORSE / No Name, No Slogan; LEAD INTO GOLD / Faster Than Light

4 holes in the wall out of 5