If _Music For A Slaughtering Tribe_ is a picture of the landscape as chaotic; if _Bunker Gate 7_ is a snapshot of the world as sinister; if _Embryodead_ is an outline of the universe as amoral; if _Evil Young Flesh_ is a portrait of life as savage; then _Wreath of Barbs_ maybe a framing of mankind as irrational. It shows a driving out, a falling away, a going astray from the roots of rationality; or perhaps simply man following out his nature. Nay, his destiny. In a world where global death is still possible, where flames can rip apart our lives, where truth and untruth are increasingly relative, we begin to wonder if there is indeed any underlying meaning, any compliant code for us to understand life and its manifold events in a simple, straightforward way. "I need treatment," as the refrain in "Dr. Thodt" goes. Yet our existence is a continuing series of fill-in-the-blanks, the search for definitive answers a hollow dream.

We've gone down this path before. :wumpscut:'s art itself, and the summation of negative aesthetics, represent one of many possible responses to madness and ruin. While it allows for the dissection of human frailties, it also allows for regenerating conceptions of the Beautiful. Alas, this is always the thing that makes us, for whatever fearsomeness housed in the kernels of our miscellaneous desires, utterly human. Completely pointless yet somehow strangely perfect.

The album follows the traditional :w: scheme of a roiling, uptempo first half, and a dark, reflective second half. "Opening the Gates of Hell" does just that, getting the proceedings underway excellently, really picking up where the last original :w: track "Hang Him Higher" left off in its theme of a clique being stalked unto oblivion. "Deliverance" might musically be Rudy's answer to Future Pop, with its wonderfully harmonic notes dancing atop an industrial stomp rhythmic enough for the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Lyrically the song echoes parts of "Capital Punishment" and perhaps even the _Gomorra_ EP with its description of a combination of misplaced religious fervor and (with the "final solution" reference) harmful political zeal. It dovetails nicely into the title track, one of the high marks of the album. Over a sample of the famous John Bonham drum beat from Led Zep's "When the Levee Breaks" are laid in descending pitch some of the most beautiful passages Rudy has composed to date. The whole affair is one of stark, almost wrenching emotion. One need only watch the news to acknowledge the utter relevance of a song like "Hate Is Mine," which weeps as well as wonders about mankind's more monstrous elements. A sample from Vast's "Lady of Dreams" nestled in the midsection sets it off perfectly. Aleta Welling's spoken vocals peppered throughout gives the disc a "throwback" feel, as Welling has not appeared on a :w: release since the 1993 debut. Her performance in "Line of Corpses" manages a spooky effectiveness. (Fans hungering for more might be interested in the "Deliverance" single, where Aleta introduces the title of each track.) Rudy's remix of Kirlian Camera's "Eclipse" is included as a bonus.

The Wreath of Barbs itself provides a new symbolism to envision. If a cryptic suggestion of the Crown of Thorns, it not only would look backwards to a prehistory of technology but also imply the permanence of punishment. And almost, as if an afterthought, the naturalness of this proposition. Deliverance from the "bright, bloody sea" is only possible at a painful cost. Perhaps our "greener day" shall upon a time begin with a different wreath-one of laurel. Until then, we have a new collection of stories from the apocalyptic fairyland...



Different, yet good.   January 10, 2002
 4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Wumpscut's new release, Wreath of Barbs, shows that the band is heading in a somewhat different musical direction. Compared to their previous albums, the new sound doesn't have that harsh and grating quality that defined Wumpscut.
However, this is not a bad thing. Although I loved Wumpscut for what they were, Wreath of Barbs is a great album. It includes both the regluar male vocals, along with additional female vocals. The music itself is more trancey and danceable now, but still industrial.
If you've never listened to Wumpscut before, I'd recommend purchasing one of their other albums first. If you're already a Wumpscut fan, this album won't let you down.


Re-inventing the wheel?   October 11, 2001
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

Rudy Ratzinger continues on his course with his latest release, Wreath Of Barbs. It seems that Rudy takes a slightly different approach on this album. This is no more obvious than on the title track for this cd. 'Wreath Of Barbs' is a very minimalistic song, featuring some ultra distorted vocals (done in a very strange fashion) and some acoustic guitar! This song is surgically precise in delivering a despondent mood throughout. Another stellar track is 'Deliverance' which is more like the typical :wumpscut: sound. This song is very dancable and, by no surprise, is the cd's first single (I think). 'Opening The Gates Of Hell' as well as 'Bleed In Silence' are both excellent tracks.

After several listens to my promo copy, I've concluded that this outing is overall less suited to the dance floor than previous CD's. However, on that note, :wumpscut:'s sound is changing and evolving into a more focused machine. This is still a dark CD, no doubt.

The only downside to this CD was 'Dr. Thodt'. I love the music, but found the female spoken vocals to be annoying.

If you are reading this, then there is a great probability you are already a wumpchild and probably have your money set aside to buy this disc. If you are not a wumpchild, then what are you waiting for?


Awesome.   September 3, 2003
 3 out of 5 found this review helpful

First things first, if you've just now heard of Wumpscut, this is a good place to start. Sure, it's a little "softer" than previous releases, but that shouldn't matter. This is a damn good album.

This CD has some of the most original music I've heard since the likes of Mindless Self Indulgence. That's sort of a bad example since the two don't sound anything alike, but how each track on here uses distorted vocals, keyboards, some tribal drums, and even a few acoustic guitar pieces (which is rare for modern industrial bands to use) really makes this stand out from most new stuff.

There's not much to say about Wreath of Barbs to make you understand how amazing it is. It starts out furious and strong with "Opening the Gates of Hell" and slows down right after that, and that's not a bad thing. The lyrics remind me of some things off KMFDM's "Nihil", but that's just me.

Stand out tracks- Deliverance, Wreath of Barbs, Christ[4-letter word for 'sex'], Line of Corpses. All of them are good mind you...except for "Dr. Thodt". That song is horrible, and it makes me want to kill myself. And not in a good way either. It just flat out sucks. Just skip that track before it plays, and you'll be set.