Sinister Whisperz: The Wax Trax! Years (1987-1991)

Audio Mixer: Buzz McCoy.
Director: Groovie Mann.
The first in a series of retrospective compilations from the band's Rustblade label, Sinister Whisperz revisits My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult's early years by way of the remix. All cuts were originally released on the vanguard industrial label Wax Trax! and come from the band's most beloved era, so it's a welcome surprise that they're treated with respect, especially when this Kult is known for fully embracing both trash and exploitation. Industrial dancefloor great "And This Is What the Devil Does" gets its bass pumped and its punch increased, while unexpected highlight "Burning Dirt" is retooled with a hypnotic middle that recalls industrial dance music when it was pre-darkwave and more trance-inducing. "Kooler Than Jesus" is funked-up disco from hell in this "AC/DC Dog Mix," and you can hear the Euro-dance influence in "Leathersex" better than before as its Giorgio Moroder-like sequencer gets pushed to the front. Although the heavy bass and increased compression would have sounded alien back in the day, Sinister Whisperz otherwise comes off as an early-`90s effort from the Kult that fell through the cracks. Old-school fans will be delighted. ~ David Jeffries