SMERSH - Cassette Pets 2LP

Double LP housed in gatefold sleeve. Released on the mighty Dark Entries and totally out-of-print.

All songs originally released between 1981 and 1994.

Highly recommended.

You awake aboard an alien spacecraft, unaware of how you got there, and as you stumble to your feet you hear the faint thumping of music. Wandering endless halls that can only be described as "Giger-esque" you near the source of the increasingly loud sounds and to your disbelief are engulfed in a room larger than your eyes can see: it's an outer space nightclub and all manner of slimy, grotesque aliens are gettin' down to the sweet, sweet sounds of Cassette Pets.

That's literally what you might envision as you listen to this. Smersh are an enigma. Two guys back in the '80s composing and recording strange, cutting-edge industrial techno hybrids, just the once, releasing it for the cassette underground, and then never looking back, and never performing anything live. Just moving forward and exhaustively, tirelessly making new music (look at their intimidating discography!)

Not having to answer to labels or really anyone, these songs sounds positively modern, unconcerned with trends or whatever would be constituted as profitable. For recordings over 40 years old, many of them - not all, but many - sound like they could've been done yesterday!

Toward the end of the compilation, Smersh have moved away from their earlier industrial dance punk sound and seem to be tapping into late '80s house and acid music, but for example on "Herman" their interpretation on "dance music" is just so...out there. Today, this would be slapped with the 'outsider' label.

Verdict: I'm not gonna act like everything here is superb, but 90% of it is. So for a terrific starting point into the wonderfully weird world of Smersh, get this. One shot folks!