While Subhuman Minds was a darkly atmospheric offering that was full of eerie synthesizers,
Schnitt Acht favored a noisier and more heavy metal-influenced approach to industrial noise on Slash and Burn. Eerie synthesizers were still a big part of
Schnitt Acht's sound, but this time, heavy metal guitars were just as prominent -- and the vocals were angrier, harsher, more distorted and more abrasive. In a nutshell,
Slash and Burn is a heavier
Schnitt Acht -- in fact, the German group seems to be taking a hint from
Ministry on such blistering items as "Sweet Liberty," "Give Me a Release" and "The War Has Begun." On the
Black Sabbath-influenced "Rage,"
Schnitt Acht even borders on embracing a conventional song structure. Remove the distortion from Morgan Lekcirt's vocals, and "Rage" would work on an
Ozzy Osbourne album. Most of the tunes, however, are collages of metallic guitars, synthesizers, noisy effects, samples and in-your-face vocals. Subhuman Minds remains
Schnitt Acht's best album, but
Slash and Burn certainly has a lot going for it. ~ Alex Henderson