Another review for Two Headed Monster is in from Mike at Fazer Magazine.
Collide, a long-running independent industrial/darkwave band is the brainchild of Statik and kaRIN and has been around since 1992. While I’d not call the band a commercial success per se, their music is always a welcome treat for fans of slow-building industrial riffs intertwined with sultry vocals. I’d feel I was cheating saying the band sounded like Curve, but seeing as both Statik and kaRIN collaborated with Dean Garcia from Curve on Their Secret Meeting side-project, and that Dean returns for a song on Two Headed Monster, I’m actually quite alright with comparing them to Curve.
Also in the mix, is Danny Carey from Tool, who lends his weighty drums to four tracks on Two Headed Monster (Statik has done some work with Tool in the past, providing some sounds & effects to some of Tools material). Collide’s four piece touring band contribute instrumentation on the recording where needed as well.
Two Headed Monster is absolutely a Collide recording, but its not a recording that sounds like it picks up exactly where Collide’s Some Kind Of Strange left off. having worked with Dean on The Secret Meeting album, and then delving back into Collide material has taken the band into some more ambience in places - and I’d say a little more towards some pop songs with ‘Head Spin’ and ‘A Little Too Much’. Statik’s ability to churn out a musical backbone to a song made out of different bloops and synthesized buzzings makes for 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. Review by Mike Bax