We're excited about the new reviews for Two Headed Monster that are still coming in.

Here are three more. If you haven't got a copy for yourself yet, what are you waiting for? Read the full reviews here.

A Model of Control

...this was worth all the wait. Collide deliver what we perhaps expected, and then some, showing such a confidence with their established sound that they have been able to stretch and shift it into new arenas...

Gothic Paradise

There is just no slowing down with this duo as the ideas just seem to flow and almost year after year we're presented with great new material. This latest work has the band putting together some of their best material to date crossing many genre boundaries and remaining as true to their sound as ever.

Regen Magazine

...Two Headed Monster presents Collide fans with more of what they know and love: scathing electronic and guitar textures, dark atmospheres, and mystifying vocals and melodies...

Labels: a model of control, gothic paradise, press, regen magazine, review

During this past week we've received 3 more great reviews for Two Headed Monster. Check the full reviews here on our reviews page. Thanks to Jen of Stratosphere Fanzine, Gregory S. Burkart of Fear net, and Peter Marks of Release Magazine for the reviews.

Delusions of Adequacy

"This is Collide’s most lush, warm, and accomplished album to date, with a atmospheric mix of rough and raw guitar sounds and flowing beats, electronics, and vocals."-Jen Stratosphere Fanzine"

Fear net

"Another common thread among these songs – and one of the band's consistent strengths – is the seamless integration of multiple layers of sound. With heavy drumming and robust bass pinning down the low end, and kaRIN's vocals occupying the top of the sonic spectrum, there's a lot of room for intricate guitar licks and noise-rock synth mayhem in the frequencies between. Statik's production skills just get better and better with each effort...-Gregory S. Burkart, Fear.net

Release Magazine

"Precision, yes. Craftmanship, absolutely. Collide's fourth album delivers an overwhelming knock-out....Collide return to the world with their new work wrought delicately in the darkest of desires. I swear I can almost hear angels weeping while listening to this."-Peter Marks, Release Magazine

Labels: delusions of adequacy, fear.net, press, release magazine, review

Gothtronic, an online 'zine in the Netherlands is a great source for online music news, and it's not just because they really liked Two Headed Monster. You can check them out for yourselves, or read the full review here.

"Like no other Collide manages to merge influences into their own unique sound, in which elements from triphop, gothicrock, industrial and metal are combined...Two Headed Monster is without doubt the best album Collide has made so far."-Gothtronic

Labels: gothtronic, review

Todd from the Goatsden sent us this review. Hey, we know it's not exactly Rolling Stone, or Spin...wait..are those magazine around anymore?? We don't know, they just seem to ignore our cds that we send to them. Anyway...Todd from the Goatsden likes Two Headed Monster. Goats love it. Statik's turtles love it. Why not get your own copy now??"

"Two Headed Monster is Collide's best work thus far, and any follower of dark and stylish modern rock should investigate now!"-Goatsden

Read the full review here.

Labels: goatsden, press, review

Corey from Litany (the Skinny Puppy news site) sent us this review he put up recently. Besides the review, you'll find some news on the upcoming Tear Garden release. Thanks again to Cory for helping us out.

"...The electronic and live instrumentation on this album mesh with kaRIN's ethereal voice to form a sound that includes dashes of industrial, goth, glam, and shoegaze yet is altogether new."

Check out the full review here.

Labels: litany, press, review, Skinny Puppy, tear garden

We've posted another great review that's come in from the U.K., this one from the Zeitgeist site. It makes us feel all warm and fuzzy. Thanks goes out to Stuart A. Hamilton.

..."It's another fabulous extravaganza in the history of Collide, by far the best darkwave / electro-goth / insert appropriate genre here release of the year, and one of the best albums of the year in any genre you're likely to hear. Go get it now."

Read the full review here.

Labels: press, review

Another great review has come in for Two Headed Monster from Morpheus Music, thanks to Paul.

Check out the entire review here.

...it's worth the wait - all of the controlled chaos, the thick catchy riffs, the inventive programming and crepuscular mystique - it's all here only even more well-produced than before."-Paul at Morpheus Music

Labels: Morpheus Music, press, review

Review #3 for Two Headed Monster is in from vAlien/DJ Commando LABELLA. Val is from Belarus and was kind enough to translate it into English for us, as our Russian is a bit rusty.

His English translation of the review can be found on our reviews page. The original review is in Russian and can be viewed here.

"...this is the most diverse, multi-layer, mature, hard, and complex record of (Collide). Shatteringly beautiful album!" -DJ Commando LABELLA

Labels: press, review, the machinist

Another review for Two Headed Monster is in. Check it out here, at Fazer Magazine.

Thanks Mike Bax

Here's a little excerpt

...a totally unique listening experience. If you’re willing to jump on for the ride, Two Headed Monster will take you places most commercial releases cannot - and that’s right into the minds of it’s two creators. Another thought: Collide are not a band you want to rip into your computer at 128 bits and expect great things from. Two Headed Monster is headphone music of the highest order. Don’t sell yourself sort and accept truncated computer files as a means of playing the CD. Collide is some heady stuff - so treat it as such.

Labels: fazer, review

The first review of Two Headed Monster is in. Check it out here at the Glasswerk website.

Thanks to Steven

Labels: glasswerks, review

Gothic Beauty Review

"The Secret Meeting is where you arrive when Curve meets Collide, in a state that flexes between sharp pangs of emotion and deliciously blurred oneness with all things. From the first intriguing vocals and vibrant effects in "Touch", this music coaxes walls to fall, relaxes your muscles and your mind, and encourages you to move and to breath deeply. Ultrashiver is going to be mindblowing on a big, floor-shaking sound system. Vocalist kaRIN has never sounded silkier, stronger or more sensuous, playing with tempting and focused harmonies alongside Dean Garcia's overarching palette of pulsing, sliding, bouncing guitars and bass. Galvanized by programming master Statik, songs such as "Beautiful Noise Machine" and "SoulCreeper wrap up a full range of textures and tricky mood changes into a lucious, seamless experience so carefully brought together that it feels effortless. -- thanks to Carolee

Rock Sound Review

"Somewhere out there in cyber space, in between social networks and porn and eBay, a beautiful 21st century baby has been born. "Ultrashiver" the result of a cross-continental collaboration between kaRIN and Statik of Collide and Dean Garcia of Curve, is something rare, a newborn with a mature outlook on life. Dreamy, delirious, reeking of atmosphere and heavy with lush layering. The Secret Meeting create songs which are like looking into a very deep well. There is mystery and darkness and a sort of a silky stillness. Languorous industrial beats and often eerie electro experiments are teamed with guitars at times swirling at times jarring, and often just quietly beautiful, while kaRIN's sultry yet searching vocal meandering intoxicate. This is one secret best shared." -Sarah Cosgrove

Movement Magazine

"The Secret Meeting is the combined efforts of kaRIN and Statik of Collide with instrumental help from Dean Garcia formerly of Curve. After listening to this album, I concluded that a more perfect mixture of artist's could not have been more beautifully matched. The music is very reminiscent of both bands (showing the striking similarities they both share) but the music still has its own unique qualities. kaRIN's voice is seductive, soothing, and at times her voice sounds like Toni Halliday (former vocalist for Curve) almost to the point that I first thought it was Toni singing! The music itself is a union of trip-hop grooves, lush electronic atmospheres, and edgy bursts of distorted guitar. Both Garcia and Statik's compositional genius is a force to be reckoned with on this album. Having lent their talents to such acts as TOOL, Eurythmics, Skinny Puppy and many more, you can only imagine what they have achieved together on "Ultrashiver". This album could have stood as a Collide or Curve release individually in some respects, but the interplay between these very talented artist's has forged something just as beautiful, full of emotion and totally captivating that pay the utmost homage to both bands." --Craig Harvey

Evansville Sept. 2007

"Combining the talents of California darkwave electronic duo Collide and former Curve programmer Dean Garcia seems like a pretty promising match, as both acts have specialized in swirly mixtures of moody yet sensual grooves and aggressive electro-rock. Ultrashiver is quite possibly some of the finest and most developed work yet, from either camp. Ranging from the subtly-layered vocal melodies of the percussive "Touch" to the delicate and melodic closer, "Imaginate", which bursts into a swell of epic noise and drums grooves alongside the sweetly mysterious vocals of kaRIN, this transcontinental collaboration flows beautifully. Echoes of Curve lurk within the dubby electro-with-guitar-feedback of "Every Little Thing," wheras Collide's penchant for ghostly texture and bold grooves envelop "Beautiful Noise Machine." Fans of edgier dance-rock with heavenly voices will find immediate sustenance in The Secret Meeting. Wonderful music, and if you doubt me, check out their website (www.thesecretmeeting.net) and hear it for yourself." -Rob Wickett

Labels: Gothic Beauty, review, the secret meeting

Alterati Interview

Read it here... or listen to it here on The G Spot...-- Thanks to Wes

Remix Contest

We are just now going through all the remixes that were sent in for the upcoming release of 'Shooting Laser Beams'. Thanks so much to all the remixers involved for taking your time, effort and passion to do a remix for us.!!! We love hearing all the different versions. We will be going through and making an announcement when we can, however just to let you know it will still be a little while before the single will be released.

Radio Stations

We just sent a big mailing of 'Ultrashiver' out to 250 College Stations, so most stations should have the CD and some might even play it =).

Please do us a favor call your favorite radio station and request it. Let them know you want them to play it...every bit helps really.

Hidden Sanctuary

Thanks to the people behind the scenes...like Mike V of Hidden Sanctuary who spends his time and enegy to help expose underground music purely for the love of music. Thanks Mike it means a lot to all of us...go listen to the station...there are many great artists to discover....tell Mike we said hi.

The Music World Today

So now if you really have bothered to read this far...your probably thinking wow...they must be,selling tons of CDs...well the answer is not good. Seems like people are not bothering to buy CDs much any more...the whole industry is changing....look around at the schools... art and music is going away. It's starting to feel a little dismal...if we do not find a way to speak up and help suport art and music it will become a thing of the past. It will become increasingly impossible for us, or any other artist to continue and pay all the expenses involved in releasing music. Also, support those people, magazines, clubs and radio stations and websites who do the hard work to expose underground music. If you enjoy an artists music, any artist and you have been able to enjoy it for free...find a way to give back. If this has meaning to you in our case...you can buy something...anything here...a t-shirt...a poster...a sticker even.

Labels: alterati, Hidden Sanctuary, review, the secret meeting

You know... when you are making an album... locked in your studio for a year or so...pouring all your passion into it and basically giving it all you have and not letting it go until you feel that it is the best that you can possibly make it....then there is the moment when you finally let it go ...of wondering what others will think.

Thanks to everyone who has left messages on the The Secret Meeting MySpace etc. It always means a lot to us to hear from you.

Here are the first of the reviews coming in for The Secret Meeting. Our thanks and appreciation to the reviewers involved who took their time and energy to listen to the album and write their thoughts.

ReGen Magazine

"Some may find it a dubious pairing as many have described Collide as an American version of Curve, indicating some sense of redundancy. However, Ultrashiver is anything but; the songs hook you in as well as anything by either band, from the catchy melodies to the supercool electronica to the down-and-dirty rock vibe that permeates throughout.--thanks to Ilker Yücel

Read more here

Alterati

"The Secret Meeting album Ultrashiver is by no means an album of throw-away tracks that didn’t make it into a Collide project. Instead there’s a complex and underlying statement within some strangely beautiful dream realm, some surrealist vision painted with the lyrics that warp and weave between the collage of artwork and the arrangement of the tracks."--thanks to Wes

Read more here

Glasswerks

"this album seems like some kind of an erotic lullaby, of course with resplendant dark edges intact."--Thanks to Steven Hurst

Read more here

Morpheus Music

"The Secret Meeting don't play with obvious melodies, preferring instead a driving intensity threaded through with sensual moodiness - electrodes connected directly to tissue, a nocturnal shroud draped over everything, an ethereal light shafting through storm clouds."--Thanks to Paul Jury

Read more here

Gothtronic

"A wonderfully and good album and recommended to those who love adventurous alternative music with a fair amount of electronics in which darkwave, dreampop, triphop and industrial meet each other."-- Thanks to TekNoir

Read more here

Smother.net

kaRIN and Statik of Collide fame join forces with Dean Garcia (Curve) to get together on this new project. Energetic alternative pop is blended with airy industrial dance along with ethereal melodies and blissful arrangements are what makes “Ultrashiver” really outshine everyone else. Rich textures and darkwave atmospheres percolate the Secret Meeting into an out-of-this-world combo that is completely intoxicating. Beautiful!--thanks to J-Sin

YAEW (France)

"The Secret Meeting laid an exceptionally gifted child, already brilliant. What tops will reach it while growing?!"-- thanks to Jean-Marc Ligny

Read more here

Labels: review, the secret meeting

Kaleidoscope/England

Here's a snippet from a new review of 'Like the Hunted' from Kaleidoscope Magazine in England.

" This has to be one of the best DVDs ever released by a band without major label bankrolling, and really does deserve to be in your collection you will not regret it! Very, very highly recommended!"

Read more here.

Labels: kaleidoscope, review

"Like the Hunted" gets 5 out of 5, as reviewed in Jive Magazine...thanks to Eric Saeger

Read more here.

Labels: like the hunted, review

"Like the Hunted" is an editors Pick on Smother Magazine!! thanks to J-Sin

" Breathtaking. Both visually and audibly. “Like the Hunted” gives us unfortunate folks who haven’t seen Collide live in concert a chance to be there—practically on stage with the dynamic duo. Stuffed into this DVD is a slew of special features, videos, and their live performance at the El Rey in Los Angeles on April 14 of 2005. Ethereal vocals by kaRIN combined with the raw energy of Statik translates extremely well to the live stage setting. Not only is the band stunning to watch but so are the visuals with videos for their cover of the Dusty Springfield classic “Son of a Preacher Man” with a manic battle between stuffed pigs, strawberries, cowboys, cheerleaders, and more plus a couple other videos that you unfortunately won’t be seeing on MTV’s main channel. Kevin McVey helps out with the concert footage and a couple of the music videos and shows off his tremendous talent as well. Also included is an interview, photo gallery, and acoustic performances of “Modify” and “Deep”.

Labels: like the hunted, review

Thanks to Steven Hurst at Glasswerk.co.uk we have a new review of Vortex. " NIN’s affiliate Charlie Clauser has the honour of presenting the first remix of Euphoria that is nothing but a work of rock genius. The first couple of minutes build and build until you are thrown into a void of guitar ecstasy. And this quality is pretty much maintained throughout the first CD. There are a few covers of note as well – But the non-remix highlight has to be ‘Predator’ which is a gothic masterpiece..." Read more here.

Labels: review, Vortex

Thanks Blu and Kristina Rogers.

"It’s a rare delight to come across an independent artist who’s managed to defy the odds and put out a truly polished and professional indie release. Collide, a vastly talented California duo who has successfully released a string of remarkable albums on their very own NoisePlus label, is precisely such a band. Vortex, Collide’s latest offering, is a sleekly packaged 2-disc set, containing a variety of tracks off their last few CDs, remixed by an eclectic variety of both recognized and lesser-known artists. Impressive really doesn’t begin to describe it." Read more here

Labels: review, Vortex

Some new reviews are up on our review page for Some Kind of Strange..

Ear Pollution.com describes it as "aural opium", "the love children of Delerium and Nine Inch Nails who have been abandoned in the center of a Middle Eastern Bazaar.

Labels: ear pollution, review

Tonight from 9-9:45pm feel free to tune in over the internet. Here is a review from the station as well. Thanks E.O.

kaRIN & Statik are back with their new release, which was 3 years in the making. Well worth the wait, too. Collide's music just keeps getting more and more intricate and intense. Layer upon layer of sound mixes with kaRIN's voice, which always sends chills down my spine when I hear it. She has got to have one of the sexiest voices I have ever heard. Add the incredible production by Statik, and you have one of the most distinctive sounding releases so far this year. Some stellar guest stars on this new CD as well, including cEvin Key from Skinny Puppy, and Danny Carey from Tool.

Labels: kscu, review

Thanks to Russell Elliot/Musical Discoveries

Here is a brief expert, check out the full review here.

.... Collide's previous album Chasing The Ghost drew significant critical acclaim. Suffice it to say that Some Kind Of Strange has taken a significant step forward both in vocal work and arrangements...

Labels: musical discoveries, review

kaRIN & Statik return with their own record label, after remaining silent for the past few years. It is a deeply introspective album and a slight change of musical direction. Those of you familiar with their previous efforts, "Beneath the Skin" and "Distort," need not fear because Collide is just as layered and well orchestrated--they just pulled back the noise, allowing for more focus on the vocals and lyrics. The only drawback the album may carry is that none of the tracks scream out to be club hits, with a massive sing-a-long chorus, but since when was that a drawback? If you even remotely like bands with female vocals against distorted electronics or intelligently constructed sound-scapes with honest lyrics this album will not disappoint.

Labels: Chasing the Ghost, review

Collide, a Los Angeles based duo comprised of kaRIN (vocals) and Statik (programming), creates music that marries exquisite vocals with orchestrated layers of sounds. The band's latest release, "Chasing the Ghost", weaves together complex tapestries of rhythm, melody and texture in which kaRIN's velvety vocals and poetic lyrics add a beautifully human element to Statik's moody electronic washes and machine generated sounds. "Wings of Steel", an ethereal erotic piece reflects the bands gothic roots while "Halo's" infusion of eastern dance imagery and club friendly beats showcases the band's industrial nature. Not to be overlooked is Collide's mystical version of Jefferson airplane's "White Rabbit," which is utterly delectable. Overall, "Chasing the Ghost" is a pleasurable feast of rhythms-- offering up a perfect balance between sound and vision.

Grade A Nikki Neil: MeanStreet Vol 11.06/December 2000

Labels: review

We can't tell if this one's good or bad, but it's a good read anyway. CMJ

Labels: cmj, review