A nice effort which sees Stromkern sternly rejecting most of the cliches that plague most EBM/electro these days. There are a couple obligatory club anthems ("Re-Align" and "Perfect Sunrise", unsurprisingly the two singles), but the rest of the album is quite refreshing to hear, and combines lots of creative synthwork with classical overtones and even some hip-hop styling. Ned Kirby doesn't appear to have the greatest range as a vocalist, but he compensates well by being more rhythmic than melodic. The hip-hop stylings on a couple of tracks ("Terrorist", "My Salvation") are a nice touch as well.

I could take or leave the rest of the Leaether Strip catalogue, but this should be in the collection of anyone who digs early-90s EBM. "Strap Me Down" is a classic single, and the rest of the tracks hold their own. The production has a gritty analog feel to it, and works well with the fat arpeggiated basslines and driving low-fi sampled drums.

"For another clean image we delete what's beautiful, what's surreal..."

I can take or leave a couple tracks from the middle of this album (like JKTV/Otaku, which is a bit cheese for me), but the first two tracks and last three (not counting the "cover" of Cage's 4'33" - exactly 273 seconds of pure digital silence) are phenomenal. LB uses a lot of "retro" sounds, but the themes and compositions were definitely ahead of their time.

It's a pity this album is well out of print -- if you find a copy, grab it!

An album with great songwriting and an intriguing melange of styles, but the production is unfortunately marred by very poor sound quality. Ultimately disappointing as there are some fantastic songs on here (Verklemmt, Mighty Whity, Hammer Falls, etc.) that never get a chance to shine.

Technoid glitch? Tribal ambient? Futuristic soundtrack? Who cares, it's magnificent. One of those albums that unfolds more and more beautifully with each listen. Sellakaers has truly come upon his own sound here, and even though it fits well with the rest of the Hymen roster, this is really something unique. One of the best (and most overlooked) releases of 1999, and still a favorite four years onwards.