Any Questions?

Death (Special Edition)

Tracklisting:
1. Bones Bent
2. Lousy Human
3. Presto (You're Dead)
4. Stasis Interrupted
5. Or I Die
6. Even In Death
7. Dismembered
8. This Universe
Bonus Tracks
9. War Broke (You Will Die)
10. Sonic Death Line
11. Indust Shot (Live)
12. Conformers Die (Live)

Release Date:
2004

Format:
CD

Credits:
Any Questions? is comprised of two members: Ttam Troll and MC2P4

This product was produced, composed, engineered, performed, and recorded by Any Questions? at Floating Fish Studios 01/92 to 09/95

War Broke (You Will Die) and Sonic Death Line were recorded and mixed 01/04 to 03/04

Indust Shot and Conformers Die were recorded live 08/91

Electronic Percussion on Indust Shot and Conformers Die by LTJTHC

Mastered by Brad Vance at Red Mastering

Illustrations by Mike Bohatch @ www.eyesofchaos.com

Copyright ©1996/2004 Floating Fish Music

The Story:
After the success of our Prey For Death (Special Edition) release in 2002, we decided that we needed to give the same Special Edition treatment to our 1996 release, Death. Originally, Death was pressed without being mastered and, though it sounded good, it could have sounded a lot better. To help accomplish this, we enlisted the aid of Brad Vance from Red Mastering. After hearing his work on cEvin Key's "Vault Series" recordings of Skinny Puppy, Download, Hilt, etc, we knew that he was the man to help sculpt our horrific audio warfare. We also enlisted the services of horrific visualist, Mike Bohatch at Eyes of Chaos to create the illustrations for our release. His striking imagery captured the essence of our Prey For Death (Special Edition) CD and his work on Death (Special Edition) is even more disturbing.

No Special Edition release would be complete without adding more music. On Death (Special Edition) we have added two studio tracks and two live tracks. The studio tracks, War Broke (You Will Die) and Sonic Death Line, were not included on the original release because they had a slightly different feel than the rest of the CD and they also shared some samples that were already used. The live tracks, Indust Shot and Conformers Die, come from our War In The Gulf recording sessions in 1991. These tracks feature a young electronic percussionist named LTJTHC. His performances drive the synthetic drudgery of these improvisational classics.

For a detailed release story, click here.

Reviews:
Side-Line

Fronted by Ttam Troll and MC2P4, the US electro-terrorists from Any Questions? are one of the few acts in their genre who have managed staying faithful to their initial concept and can be proud to be able to produce and launch uncompromising industrial music via the platform of their own label Floating Fish Studios. After the re-release of "Prey For Death" (Special Edition) in 2002, today sees the re-release of their "Death" album (initially released in 1996). This special edition was remastered and features bonus tracks, a limited edition DigiPak packaging, and a dark cybernetic artwork by Eyes of Chaos creator Mike Bohatch. Worth the mention as well, nobody else but Brad Vance from Red Mastering (who also worked on cEvin Key's "Vault Series" recordings of Skinny Puppy for eg.) did the remastering work, giving them this way a second breath of life. For those who are not familiar with this album from Any Questions?, you may expect harsh electronic music open to experiments of all forms... They bring you in the most desolated lands, and darker urban corners of the galaxy, these unique places where your evil nightmares too often tend to become reality. The bonus tracks include two live tracks recorded in 1991 and 2 new studio recordings that are "War Broke (You Will Die)" and "Sonic Death Line". Definitely an album for hardcore fans of the good old early nineties American industrial type of sound. Fans of Controlled Bleeding or even early Numb would love this record! We also heard that the band plans to give their earlier releases the same treatment, to be continued.
- TSF

Chain D.L.K.

Originally released with different cover artwork in 1996, this special edition re-issue of "Death" features the eight tracks from the first issue of this disc along with two new tracks recorded in 2004 and two live tracks from way back in 1991. All have been mastered/re-mastered by Brad Vance (who has also done work for Skinny Puppy, Hilt, and Download) at Red Mastering. The "Special Edition" is presented in an attractive, glossy digipak with gruesome artwork by Mike Bohatch (Eyes of Chaos) that suits its title.

Heavily distorted vocals rip through layers of heavily processed guitars, pummeling percussion, and squiggly synthesizer shrieks in "Bones Bent." Machines reign supreme in "Lousy Human," as AK-47 beats ride shotgun alongside blistering vocals and the tune closes with an ironically appropriate Schwarzenegger sample. Four on the floor beats from a retro-80s kit drive the pedal to the metal in "Presto (YouÕre Dead)," maniacal laughter ringing in the background. "Stasis Interrupted" is a two-minutes-hate interlude of digital dementia. Frequent sci-fi samples are littered throughout "Or I Die." "Even in Death" slows things down considerably, reminding me in equal measures of "Satellite" by Pigface, and "Carrion" by Project Pitchfork. "Dismembered" leaps quickly back into the fire, though, its vocals wafted upon a furious, bubbling cauldron of pounding drums, raging axes, and screeching electro-chickadees. "This Universe" is uncharacteristically laid back, a mantra-like sample declaring time and again "this universe is mine," as a creepy howl repeats over a disconnected drum beat. Where the earlier tracks are shorter on duration and longer on industrial-metal intensity, the newer ones are definitely more structured and disturbing in their own subtle ways. The vocals and samples on "War Broke (You Will Die)" and "Sonic Death Line" are much clearer than in most of the older songs. "Indust Shot" (Live) is a marathon instrumental of primitive eletro-percussion, and "Conformers Die" (Live) is similarly focused on electronic drum beats, and cut with Desert Storm samples for good measure.

The man vs. machine aesthetic is certain to remind listeners of bands such as Frontline Assembly, Numb, and Chemlab. Perhaps even the nightmarish, dystopian landscapes in the movie Hardware. Good stuff!
- Ian Hall

Grave Concerns E-zine

This 2004 release is a special edition digipack with bonus tracks. Any Questions? presents a new dawn era of a death defying technological industrial wasteland full of horror, corpses everywhere, poisonous gaseous and biohazard chemicals spreading through out the air and dust, bodies burning as the victims scream in terror, bio-chemical warfare, innocent children life being taken away plague of germs and diseases that will eradicate the human race, hi-tech science and machines to help eliminate the entire world, and an act of supremacy for power. Now this is real legitimate pure electronic/industrial music! A must have for all industrial fans, especially fans of FRONTLINE ASSEMBLY and GRENDEL.
- Donovan Tate

Gaze Into A Gloom

Although this album was released years ago (1996), the re-release is cause enough for celebration. "Death (Special Edition)" now comes with a fantastic artwork and some bonus tracks, all remastered by Brad Vance (SP, Download, Hilt), and it is definitely worth owning.
As always, Any Questions? impress with their electronic approach, being truly ahead of their time and their music certainly has an advanced feel. Their sampling mentality as well as their key sense of timing and rhythm make Any Questions? and "Death" just damn good.
- Merje Lohmus (aka Mad Sister)

Slambook

Time to dust off those synths and resume the 90s revival. Most of the tracks may sound dated, but it shouldn't detract from this panic inducing spasm, much in the vein of Numb. The 2004 tracks "War Broke (You Will Die)" and "Sonic Death Line" demonstrates that there's still some menace remaining in those old machines. Bleak, apocalyptic Post-Cold War angst.
- Zaanan Foreman

Darker Than The Bat

The duo Any Questions? releases a special edition of their 1996 industrial classic, Death. The album comes in a limited edition digipak and is remastered by Brad Vance (Skinny Puppy, Hilt). Industrial and samples are keywords here. To the end the album brings less chaos to even approach a nearly danceable song like Sonic Death Line. Other remarkable tracks are Lousy Human and Even In Death. The album ends with live versions from Indust Shot and Conformers Die, recorded in '91. This brings a good look in the past of industrial rhythmic projects.
- unknown

End