Cleopatra wants to keep its early-90s goth demographic, AND grab a piece of the techno market. Consequently, "The Darkest Millennium" features several techno mixes of well-known songs that were better in original form. Maybe it's just me; I was never a big fan of the "UNH-tsss-UNH-tsss-UNH-tsss" techno beat. Switchblade Symphony's "Wicked" is decent. Old-school death-rock fans might like Eerie Von's "An Investment in Hate."

On the plus side, the price is great and you get a Bowie tribute CD, "Goth Oddity." Mission U.K.'s cover of "After All" is the standout. Trance to the Sun gives "China Girl" good atmosphere without trying to change the song. Silent Order's "Always Crashing in the Same Car" has a creepy appeal. Corpus Delecti's "Suffragette City" stays closest to the original.

Since it was included in a discount sampler pack, I'm guessing "Goth Oddity" didn't sell well. Something else Cleopatra often does is to put three older albums together as a "Limited Edition" of 1000. (That's more than any of the albums sold individually.)

At two CDs for under ten bucks, "The Darkest Millennium" is a good value. For better songs and packaging, order Cleopatra's "The Black Bible" through this site.