See the Black Sun Rise, Over the Solar Lodge

Scatology - Coil

I finally caved in and bought this album, even though I've always been a little put off by it's subject matter. Turns out I was worried about nothing, the scatalogical references (musical and lyrical) don't exactly leap right out at you. This is their first full length album, and I believe the earliest of their recordings possible to find unless you want to trawl through eBay and pay through the nose.

The first impression that it makes is that it's very 80s. Other than that it's not too dissimilar from their later output. Expect lots of tortured electronics, moody ambiance, crazy high pitched flute noises and Jhon Balance howling like a madman.

About half the tracks are a bit forgettable, but the rest are pretty good. 'At the Heart of it All' is a nice moody one, 'Tenderness of Wolves' is a freaky scary song with haunting lyrics and vocals. Makes you think of the darkest aspects of human nature, (perfect accompaniment for reading this). 'Cathedral in Flames' has the coolest lyrics 'In the distance... a cathedral in flames'[1] (reminds me of 'The Golden Section' off Horse Rotorvator), and it finishes with a cover of 'Tainted Love' about a thousand times more interesting than Marilyn Manson's one.

[1] There's more than a little anti-christian sentiment here.