Sutcliffe Jugend started as an offshoot of British power electronics specialists Whitehouse, using this project to reveal the outer reaches of the human psyche—both sexually and otherwise—more so than their counterparts. Most times, in the past, the music had managed to match the questionable content. The question is: how does one react when a band that is so reactionary responds by changing their sound?
On this record the group plays host to a more ambient and, possibly, more creepy overall sound. For a band that has done so much to make their lyrics and sound match in such a savage and disturbing way it may be an antecedence in the overall aesthetic. The record starts off with the fuzzy-sounding electronics of "Solace" and by 2 minutesin the vocals show without any screaming, instead with the vocalist holding court with a near whisper. This almost helps to make the song more unsettling: it matters less what he is saying; rather than the fact that it is being whispered in your ear.
The main issue is that there seems to be little forward motion within the songs or even across the the album as a whole. The songs alone carry the creepiness and unsettling nature of the band’s content quite well. It feels generally unfortunate that the songs don't feel entirely connected to each other. Sadly this feels more like perverted horror movie music more than an artistic statement from one of the greatest noise and industrial artists of all time.
