AMG Review of Music for a Slaughtering Tribe [2005 Reissue]

Jim Harper
All Music Guide

Music for a Slaughtering Tribe is the debut album from electro icon Rudy Ratzinger (aka :wumpscut:). Opener "Soylent Green" sets the tone for the album, all blistering mechanized beats and dark, distorted vocals. However, Ratzinger possesses a sense of melody and an eclectic approach that is generally absent from purveyors of this kind of music. :wumpscut:'s music, therefore, has more in common with Skinny Puppy than fellow countrymen Die Krupps. Sometimes the tracks stretch on for a little longer than is perhaps necessary, but there are enough ideas here to keep things interesting. If one can get past Ratzinger's overly serious tone, then Music for a Slaughtering Tribe has plenty to recommend it. Album highlights: "Soylent Green," the pounding "Fear in Motion," and the creepy, sample-driven "She's Dead." [The 2005 Metropolis release has three mix tracks.]