Rivet Head Culture

(Album, 1993)

If It Moves...

I'm a huge fan of industrial music but I wince at the label 'Rivet Head' - it's just so cheesy. Thankfully, it is more popular in the US than in Europe. And the US is where this compilation of "unrestrained cybo-dance, digicore-beat deviants and no techno-house, new wave/age, grincore, experimental noise or instrumentals" comes from. That description on the sleeve explains why I don't have much time for so-called 'industrial' music from America. Compared to Europe, the US still has so many hang-ups about music that is created by methods that don't conform to the all-dominant conventional 'rock band' format. So what is considered 'alternative' in the States would largely pass by un-noticed here in the UK. That is the problem with this compilation.

From a non-US perspective, Rivet Head Culture just doesn't offer any significant alternative to the rest of mainstream American music, and compared to most European compilations simply sounds too conventional. There are few good points and they mostly come from the expected sources. Hate Department, Chemlab, Death Method, Blue Eyed Christ, Scar Tissue and Crocodile Shop all at least give the synths a chance to lead the way and thier tracks are the strongest on here. Whitley Park by They Killed Fritz and Wicked Painted Sun by Non-Aggression Pact don't rely so much on keyboards but their approaches are certainly fresher than the remainder of the 19 tracks featured. But with a total running time of over 77 minutes if you can pick this up cheap enough then it is a good introduction to the US scene as it stood in 1993. Of course, if you're fond of more mainstream guitar-based music or live in America then you might give it more time than me. 5/10

Rob Dyer