Church of Industrial Music: Spahn Ranch - Collateral Damage

Spahn Ranch is another band I first heard on Cleopatra's Industrial Revolution compilation (the second edition). A remix of the track "Succumber" from this album appeared there, and it was one of my favorites. If memory serves, I got this album in the same mail-order purchase as Chemlab's Burn Out At The Hydrogen Bar, pretty early on in my journey into industrial music. Like the Chemlab album, this one became an instant favorite, and remains in regular rotation here.

The sound of Spahn Ranch changed rather drastically over the span of their existence (1992-2000), as did their lineup. While I fully support bands doing different things if they want to, this is a case where I prefer the earlier stuff. While their following album, The Coiled One, was a bit more sophisticated and polished sound-wise, I think Collateral Damage is a bit more harsh and raw. Also, though the lyrics and vocals are a high point for both albums, there are more vocal effects and (again) a harsher feel to them here that I like. Don't let my preferences keep you from checking out the rest though.

Listen to Collateral Damage on Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/us/album/172780?autoplay=true

The opening track, "Wires", is a perfect example of both the harsh, raw sound I mentioned, and the overall feeling that makes me prefer this album over the others. While the production isn't perfect, it's just incredibly intense and driving, with great use of sampled guitars and mechanical beats. The original version of "Succumber" follows, and although it has a more obviously-synthetic sound, the harsh intensity remains. "Forceps" goes back to the sampled guitars, and an even more rousing chorus than the first track. Though the rest of the album is also really great, I think the intensity lessens a little bit after these first three tracks. "Breath and Taxes" and "Stoma" stand out for me among these slightly-less-intense tracks, though I would stress again that the rest aren't bad, either. The final actual track, "Quince" (there was also a short "hidden track" on the CD) picks up the intensity a bit again, and is also a favorite.

Though I prefer this album, I would also say that The Coiled One is a classic as well, and once you've gone that far, you may as well listen to the rest. However, for me, this one is the must-listen.