I'm just getting started with the reviews but here are some I found on the web, most are from the old Berzerker site.  If you want to add to this please sign up and submit an article! Cheers.

Reviewed by: FoulIncantation, on august 03, 2009 at UltimateGuitar.com

Sound: The Reawakening is The Berzerkers Fifth studio album which was released September 1st 2008. It is also the bands first studio album to be released on their very own label "Berzerker Industries" after leaving their previous label "Earache". They have been around since 1995, the band is from Melbourne, Australia. The Track Listing for the album is:

01.Wisdom and Corruption
02.Unforgotten Force
03.Caught in the Crossfire
04.The Deception
05.Disassembly Line
06.Evolution of Aggression
07.Your Final Seconds
08.Harvesting a Loved One
09.Internal Examination
10.Spare Parts

The Berzerker play a fast pace kind of Death Metal/Grindcore mixed with Gabber and Speedcore elements. The singer and founding member of the band Luke Kenny has described the music that they play as "Industrial Death Metal" The Berzerker Usually mix audio samples into their music and they do that on this album and personally that’s something I like very much, But they don’t go overboard on it, so like half the album is just audio samples i.e. "Mortician" (Mortician are a pretty awesome band though) Anyways... This whole album just works so well together with the guitar and drums, it has a nice sound that collaborates wonderfully much more than I’ve found on the previous releases in my opinion. The sound of the guitar is pretty heavy, The Berzerker use a lot of tremolo and palm muting techniques on this album, the drums are of course very distorted as usual but that doesn't make it predictable, there is a lot of blasting and double bass on this album but I don't find that very predictable, it’s more so how fast a band can play nowadays, but the Berzerker have always been a fast band, The bass is low and chuggy as can be heard on track Seven "Your Final Seconds" and Track Two "An Unforgotten Force" and towards the end of Track Eight "Harvesting A Loved One". The Samples are pretty awesome such as at the start of track 8 "Spare
Parts" "Every year millions of people around the world have their bodies repaired using spare parts taken from the dead". Pretty cool, yeah I Know" // 9

Lyrics and Singing: The Berzerker pretty much sing about Misanthropy, anger, Medical/pathological errors as stated on Encyclopaedia Metallum.

"False friendship plagued me through this process
Now I'm free I can start again, the reawakening
I've, lived the life of a recording artist
And been unfulfilled
Take this, take that,
Drain me until my passion is gone" From the song "The Deception".

"Burn this place
Life has gone
Resurrect
Those that wait
Without you
Forsaken

Open up your mind and look beyond
the things you think you know
Corruption steams from the true evil
of our world and existence". From Wisdom And Corruption, If any of those lyrics appeal to you, then I'm pretty sure you will not only like most of the album's lyrics, but also the sound of the album and the vocal style if you're into Death Metal (I would probably say the vocals are towards a more Death Metal style than Grindcore). Luke Kenny has quite a unique style to his vocal approach, he mixes between a low and high growl, well that doesn't sound so unique you might be thinking, take a listen and you will know what I mean, its hard to explain. And if you do listen and get put off, I recommend give it more than One go, a lot of my friends that I show this kind of music to, always say the music is alright but don't really like the vocals, This isn't exactly like hearing Metallica or Bon Jovi for the first time, vocally of course. // 8

Impression: The Berzerker are overall a really awesome band, there a good band to check out if you're into heavy Death Metal/Grindcore mixed with Gabber/Speedcore beats. If I was to choose standout tracks on this album it would be really hard because all of the tracks are really good but it would probably be Wisdom and Corruption, Caught in the crossfire, The Deception and Your Final Seconds. This isn't one of those albums that you will listen to and think "Wow this is pretty cool" and never really listen to again, this will be one of those albums that will stick with you Throughout a lifetime, The Reawakening might not exactly be among the Metal classic's like Metallica's "Master of Puppets", Slayer's "Reign In Blood" or Pantera's "Vulgar Display of Power", I mean after all The Berzerker aren't really a Thrash Metal band like most of those albums, now are they? But you understand what I mean just classic Metal albums. The Reawakening might not ever be as Musically great or popular as those albums To many people, but hell I think The Berzerker deserve a lot more recognition than the kind of stuff you hear on the radio, Nowadays. But then again that would be pretty weird seeing 5 year old kids wearing Death Metal/Grindcore T-Shirts, simply because of the fact that there played on the radio...

Thanks for reading (And Remember to be Open Minded! As you will find and discover great new things) Visit there myspace. // 9

Artist: The Berzerker
Title: The Reawakening
Type: Album
Label: Berzerker Industries
Review taken from http://www.metalteamuk.net

We first got introduced to Australians The Berzerker via Earache Records who discovered Luke Kenny, at the time the sole member of the band through his remixes of artists such as Deicide. This was around the time that Earache had unleashed their somewhat groundbreaking introduction to Gabba ‘Industrial Strength’ the principles of which DJ Kenny adhered to. From there a band was born, at first disguised by masks an idea which the anonymous band finally grew out of but one which at the time worked well in their favour.

Four albums on Earache later, The Berzerker are out of contract and have taken the brave move to go it alone. This is completely understandable as with a breakdown Kenny has illustrated the fact that a band signed to a label with distribution and retail taken into account gets somewhere in the region of 3.3% of the money for each CD sold. So the new album aptly entitled The Reawakening is only available directly from the groups webstore (link at end of review) and not in any shops.

The album is thankfully damn good and will not disappoint any fans of the band. I was pleased as well as the last time I attempted to review one of their albums the promo was littered with voiceovers courtesy of Earache making it pretty much unlistenable. ‘Wisdom And Corruption’ comes in with everything brooding like an avalanche is about to hit, slow and building up it melds together death, grind and industrial elements with the ever present backdrop of Todd Hansen’s insanely fast drumming.

Glad to say that the great use of samples that The Berzerker have traditionally associated with is continued. Where they get them from makes things all the more unique, certainly not movies but someone obviously watches a lot of documentaries in their spare time. Things get ever more hectic as ‘An Unforgotten Force’ picks up the pace and ricochets all around with a drum n bass backbone subtly around the crazed instrumental wreckage. If you were waiting for that breakneck pace ‘Caught In The Crossfire’ delivers and I wonder how many damn B.P.M.’s, this hits as this was about the only info not found on the extensive notes that arrived with this disc.

Having not heard an album properly since ‘Dissimulate’ due to aforementioned circumstances it strikes me that things are both more experimental here and songs are on the whole longer, perhaps this could be a factor due to label constraints being severed but whatever the reason I like it. The breakcore speed sound behind ‘The Deception’ illustrates this admirably and with the snarling vocals here it’s like a collision of musical styles all punching each other in the head as though possessed and demonically trying to gain control. It’s kind of like a musical equivalent to a mondo movie such as ‘Faces Of Death’ at times. The samples add to this as do song themes, ‘Your Final Seconds’ and ‘Spare Parts’ thematically take you from last gasp, to mortuary slab and one can imagine the enigmatic Dr. Gröss easing you down this inevitable rite of passage.

As a much appreciated bonus we get six remixes of tracks ‘Spare Parts’ and ‘Caught In A Crossfire’. One wonders if this would have been a separate release from a label for more money. These are as you would expect all varied The Namshubofenki Mix of ‘Spare Parts’ is a crazy dark Junglist trip (and I checked that word exists as a sub genre although whether it is the right one….?) The ever reliable Delta 9 mash the tack up with one solid fast blazing mix which is so damn ferocious it virtually rips your head off. Finally there is a Frazzbass Mix which is gabba to the core and may well surprise a few listeners who have never actually heard this style properly before.

So short of doing a sales pitch all that remains is for me to tell you to check the links where you can purchase this and if you are still not convinced check out The Berzerker at Blooodstock and throughout the UK in August and September.

http://www.berzerkerindustries.com
http://www.myspace.com/theberzerker

Pete Woods

BLISTERING.COM
(Live review from the 3rd Annual New England Metal & Hardcore Festival April 13th & 14th, 2001 Worcester, MA, USA @ The Palladium)

But the highlight of the day was, without a doubt The Berzerker (who were actually the first band I really bothered watching all day). I've seen Slipknot comparisons flying left and right about these Aussies. And to that I say... yah... it's a valid comparison; they're everything Slipknot would be if they had talent, integrity, originality and competently-made masks. HAH! Their unique mix of deathgrind and electronica translated brilliantly live, they played very tight. And their stage behavior is not unlike the aftermath of a tornado touching down at the local looney bin - complete insanity. To win over those who were skeptical when coming to see them, The Berzerker played an impeccable cover of Carcass' "Incarnate Solvent Abuse" (my favorite Carcass song). To sum things up, The Berzerker rocked so hard that they, in the words of the immortal Professor Frink, "Knocked the glasses off my head! Glayben!" Quite literally in my case, since when the vocalist/guitarist went crowdsurfing, he did knock the glasses off my head, but miraculously, they landed right under the stage unharmed. If you ever get the chance to see this band live, DO NOT miss it. You'll end up very sore by the end of the night, but you will be smiling through the pain.

Reviewed by: R. Temin

ANGELFIRE.COM

THE BERZERKER - The Berzerker 2000 - Earache Overall Score: 85 out of 100 In this day and age, much incorporation is made of various outside musical styles into the world of metal. Some bands accomplish the blending well, while some do not. In the case of The Berzerker the infusion of techno/industrial traits is pulled off to superb levels. For the most part, The Berzerker--at the core--really is a death metal band. Yet it is the use of the industrial effects that make The Berzerker an act all its own. As a matter of fact, the best way to describe the self-titled release is "digital hardcore on steroids while suffering from rabies." The reasoning behind such a description comes largely from the insanely rapid pace of every track. Since the pace allows for little technical error, having a drum machine perform on the album is a brilliant idea as virtually no human in the world could pull off what is done on The Berzerker. Something else that gives it a digital hardcore feel comes from the vocals. Most of the vocals have a distorted sound to them, which gives the illusion of a mechanized feel, similar to that of dual-vocal assault in Atari Teenage Riot. One other little industrial trait the group incorporates is the use of speaking samples to lead into several tracks. These samples are definitely needed since they allow for some breathing room from the warp speed of the album. While much of The Berzerker has a repetitious tone throughout, a few selections stand out. "February" jumps out thanks to the higher tone than the rest of the album. With its dominating keyboards and marching drums, "February" simply leaps from the stereo since it is so vastly different from the rest of the record. Also, the closer, "Ode to Nash," is interesting because it sums up the record largely with its arcade environment-like sound. By summing up the whole feel of the album in the closing track, The Berzerker leave a reminder in the listener's mind as to what was just experienced. However, regardless if the verdict is love or hate, the undeniable fact remains that The Berzerker is an innovative album that reshapes the face of industrial metal. Mike Daigeaun

BLISTERING.COM

Despite its perceived dedication to recognizing and nurturing talent, the music industry - when its not snatching up clones of the "flavor of the month" - thrives on a savage one-upmanship through what can at best be dubbed pseudo-innovation. In other words, any Tom, Dick or Harry combining disparate styles of music into a slightly unusual, yet palatable, concoction is dubbed a musical genius.
Even extreme metal, which for a while has remained surprisingly unmolested by the mainstream, is imbued with this attitude of experimentation to some degree, despite the renowned conservatism of its most vocal adherents. So I suppose it should come as no surprise that a band like the Berzerker, snatched up and unleashed by the folks at Earache, has reared its ugly head from "Down Under" onto a largely unsuspecting scene, mish-mashing two of the most extreme, yet dissimilar, expressions of music - gabba and grind - into a hybridized yet functional entity.
As Nine Inch Nails did with pop music, filtering it through a sieve of mechanical angst only to reassemble it into a barely recognizable form, the Berzerker does with extreme metal, deconstructing preconceived notions of extremity by attempting to coalesce the realm of metal with the radically different techno and rave cultures. That's the idea, anyway.
So is it extreme? I would say so. How else would you describe the dual vocal attack, guitar riffs, gore-soaked subject matter and penchant for macabre samples of early Carcass adopting the siren-like wails of keyboards being bludgeoned and strangled with a drum machine that blasts out at least 120 beats per minute? Definitely a listening challenge. But the future of extreme music? Let's just say that I am not holding my breath.
Quite simply, the novelty wears off fast. It's a formula that has its moments, like on the opener "Reality," "Cannibal Rights" and "Mono Grind" - as if the band just might be on to something. But instead of sustaining my interest, I found listening to the album in all its ultra-repetitive glory actually repelled any interest I may have momentarily held. The music is, for lack of a better term, sterile - the hollow ping of an amphetamine-paced drum machine and the processed, watered down guitar tone absolving much of what I can only call the human factor. By the time the final two tracks had done come and gone, two cacophonous noisescapes entitled "95" and "Ode to Nash," I had already tuned out, physically and emotionally unable to give a shit.
I suppose the Berzerker cannot be faulted for the breadth of its scope - after all, "gabba-grind" generates infinitely more interest than, let's say, "polka-power metal" or "salsa-splattergrind." And I imagine that the band has carved a niche on the diverse Earache roster that it is in no danger of losing, if only to placate Dig, the label owner, when he feels the necessity to release another sacrilegious album of real metal bands bastardized by techno remixes - a similar novelty that wore out its welcome almost before it began. Reviewed by: Shawn Wedel

A BULLET HOLE IN THE FACE OF REALITY

The Berzerker The Berzerker is a strange new sound in the world of extreme metal, and it will take you to strange new places. The whole of the album leaves you feeling overwhelmed and will thrust you into a depth of despair that has seldom been felt from music alone. I’m not sure what it is exactly that invokes this feeling, probably a mix of everything together. Since, as far as I can tell anyway, the bands mission is the destruction of our society this response does seem to be appropriate. Anyway onto the music that creates this interesting effect. First and most prominent are the electronic drums. Usually I despise this sort of this in Metal, but in this case it made for an interesting industrial wasteland effect, giving it an at times techno feel mixed in with the extreme grinding metal sound that is the most obvious and prominent sound. Samples play a heavy role in the music, a lot of which seem to be autopsy related, ala Carcass. This will of course add to a depressive mood. Heavy low grinding guitars go very well with the electronic beat and vocals, giving an often low pitched wall of sound. Then of course, there are the vocals. Covering the whole range of possibilities, you get a good mix of anguished screams and low guttural animalistic sounds. All the makings of a classic, highly recommended! EARACHE (MW) Gallery Of Sound - The Berzerker The Berzerker Earache

GALLERY OF SOUND

It was in these very pages only a few months ago that Earache Records founder Digby Pearson proclaimed The Berzerker to be the most extreme album Earache has ever released. Looking closely at the Earache canon, it's not surprising that ol' Dig would have such a soft spot for this twisted Australian. For The Berzerker perfectly embodies the label's two focal points of the past fourteen years--brutal death metal/grindcore and harsh, experimental gabba techno. True enough, it's a formula that been applied repeatedly over the past decade. But what separates The Berzerker from the techno metal sounds of say, Pitchshifter or even early Fear Factory is the fashion in which he unites the two genres' most abrasive elements. Diehard death metallers know full well it doesn't get much more visceral than early Carcass, and The Berzerker proves his mettle--and his metal--by targeting the legendary grinders' detuned guitar sound. But it's when he marries this murky buzz with pummeling, programmed jackhammer beats that The Berzerker nearly fulfills Dig's aforementioned claim. The result is so fast and utterly claustrophobic that the two styles collapse into one another, rendering little division between guitar and beat driven sounds. That said, The Berzerker is a "challenging" listen, much in the way an ultra marathon is a "challenging" race to complete. And when simply brutalizing the listener just isn't enough, The Berzerker aims to annoy with the incessant drumbeats of "Ignorance" and the Merzbow derived noise of "95," and, well... he succeeds. It's just the kind of thing you'd expect from an artist whose video was banned from MTV Europe for fear of inducing epilepsy. Dancers and deathsters, proceed with extreme caution

Albert Mudrian

BURN THE SUN

Techno beats have never been a successful part of Death Metal. Though with The Berzerker's self-titled debut, it would seem that almost anything is possible. The CD does have its rough spots and songs that really should just not have been recorded, but the majority of the disc is as bizarre and worth while as it is brutal. Sound bytes, spoken word passages, ripping electronic blast-beats, Death Metal guitars, and spewed vocals make up the majority of the CD. Then there are the lyrics, possibly the best part. On "Forever," there is a spoken word passage about vocal chords in the garbage disposal and throwing darts at severed heads, really messed up shit that should give Exhumed and Impaled a case of gore envy. This disc should appeal to fans of extremely brutal crust, early Carcass, or very splattery Gore Metal. Don't let the fact that there's drum programming be a deterrent because the sound actually enhances instead of distracts from The Berzerker's brutality. REVIEW BY: PETER JOHNSTON This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it POSTED 27 SEPTEMBER 2000 Standout tracks: Forever, Chronological Order of Putrefaction, Slit Down

SKULLCRUSHER -The Berzerker The Berzerker Rating: 5/6

"It is so unfortunate that this is how our world must be but why must I accept reality, is this reality?"-Excerpt from the first track on their self titled debut release, "Reality". Industrial death metal with an horrific edge. MTV has already banned their video for "Reality" which is only-a minute and a half long, because of it's graphic scenes (psst...chek it out on Earache's site). So, if MTV has banned it you know it KICKS-ASS! Anywayz, back to the musick, there is fifteen songs in total on The Berzerker.-the cd delivers forty-one minutes of hard hitting faster than fuck industrial death metal, including some powerfully written lyrics, filled with hatred for society, mankind's ignorance and everything human. The only thing that lacks majorly on this cd is the last three instrumentals-"Humanity", "95", and "Ode to Nash" all suck big dicks. This is a quartet, that uses some pretty fuckin frightful masks as part of their gimmick, being a concept band, concept being: "Free of the limits of being a man, The Berzerker has grabbed every tool at its disposal to express disgust at mankind in the most forceful way possible. Isolated from people and the world it has through its own nature evolved to a point well beyond the horizon of extreme"-taken from Earache's web site. Long live The Berzerker, disputing humanity forever. --SkullCrusher

CRITICALMETAL.COM -Berserker "Berserker" (15 tracks. 40:48).

Either the guy behind this project is one seriously twisted individual-part Norman Bates, part Hannibal Lechter-or he is somebody who has put together one serious musical documentary about the extremely twisted individuals in our society. In any event this album contains enough sickness and brutality to equal a month of news broadcasts. Each song is like a mini-documentary about some sick or evil thing in the world. Song titles like "Cannibal Rights" and "Ode to Nash" speak loudly. Musically, this is one brutal album. It is one part Death Metal, similar to the other Earache bands, and one part harsh Industrial with the programmed blast-furnace drums and the samples. At times it gets a little tedious to listen to this CD as the constant pounding of electro-drums can get on your nerves. But the overall effect of "Berserker" is to transport you into a world where Dahmer and Gacy and the like are the norm. This release is for people who are into all kinds of extremes: extreme music, extreme topics, extreme artwork, etc. Not for the faint of heart.

METAL-IS.COM

Only an Australian could listen to death metal and decide that it's just not heavy enough and what it really needs is a backdrop of gabba beats from the most insane end of the techno spectrum. Thus inspired, the lunatic in question (who for reasons known only to himself is wearing a ludicrous monster mask on the sleeve) took the likes of Morbid Angel and early Carcass and jammed it headfirst into a blender with the likes of Ultraviolence and DJ Hellhound. The results are staggering in their ferocity. It's like a musical bloodbath, as impossibly fast beats fight to the death with the most vicious riffs imaginable. But of course that's not extreme enough for our mate The Berzerker, oh no - he has to go and add samples about rotting corpses and vocals that sound like a rabid pitbull in a school playground. It's actually a fairly simple premise, a logical step for music's most over the top genres, but it works better than a match to gunpowder and is just as likely to blow your head off. The scary thing is that someone out there will listen to this and think, 'Y'know what? This just isn't heavy enough…' At which point, your best bet is to hide!

AVERSIONLINE - The Berzerker "s/t" CD 7/10 - [Earache]

I don't really understand the "band image" here; wearing some sort of masks or something to resemble mutant, dog-like creatures… but the music fucking slays! This is brutal grind with fucked up sounding drum machines, and absolute vocal insanity. The dual vocals cover the highs and lows with constant overlapping for tons of tradeoffs and chaotic layering. I really love the samples they use, not to mention they are well implemented and become part of the songs, rather than extras. Some of the tracks have a slight industrial feel, with the use of noise and blatantly electronic drum sounds. Electronics are most fitting on "Chronological Order of Putrefaction", though the recording quality could be stronger. The mix can hurt at times, as the bass guitar is too quiet and the drum beats tend to overpower the rest of the instruments. The final tracks are actually nothing but pure harsh noise, handled very well on "95". While The Berzerker is not all that original, they are definitely trying, which is cool. Do not judge this band by their image, because this is some raw, grating grindcore and it's pretty damn good! [Notable tracks: Forever, Cannibal Rights, Chronological Order of Putrefaction, Slit Down, 95]

ALICE RECORDS -BERZERKER

Earache have been making a big fuss about this mutant being the first Industrial Death Metal album in the world ever. Well, that's not quite true is it? One spin and I was immediately reminded of Malhavoc from the early 90's, and while many of you may not have come across that particular band on a more accessible level I'd also be neglecting my duties not to mention the first Fear Factory album, at least in passing. But all that said this does take the whole concept to new and more extreme levels, best explained to someone bemusedly reading this having not heard it as Morbid Angel played over manic Gabber beats, although in reality it's probably a bit more intense even than that. I suppose the groundwork was laid with the release of the "Hellspawn" album which gave Industrial makeovers to a number of well known extreme Metal tunes. This will be best loved by fans of that album and those in search of something fresh and most certainly extreme. This makes the Prodigy sound like Britney Spears!

UNCHAIN - The Berzerker - s/t (Earache, 2000) Rating: 9.5/10

Tracks: Reality, Forever, Burnt, Pain, Cannibal Rights, Massacre, Chronological Order of Putrefaction, Deform, Slit Down, February, Mondo Grind, Ignorance, Humanity, 95, Ode to Nash.
To quote Joe Headcrash from Hellfrost.com, it is good to see such a completely brutal album with the classic Earache logo on the back! The Berzerker is very brutal grind, driven by a drum machine set at a breakneck pace. These boys are competing with Mortician for the most ridiculous level of BPMs. The music on this album is much more complex than on Mortician's releases, but no less barbaric. Just much less one-dimensional. One gets the feeling that The Berzerker are not using a drum machine because it is easier in the studio than a live drummer, but rather because of the inhuman, cold feel it lends the music. This is insanely brutal grindcore with industrial overtones that are a direct result of the mechanical drum sound used. I am usually not a fan of drum machines in this kind of music, but it really works very well on this album. The vocals are very deep and disgusting and the music is the audio equivalent of being fucked directly up the ass with a jackhammer for 40 minutes straight. If that doesn't make you want to run out and buy this album right away, well, then you can't come to my birthday party. - Al Kikuras

HELLFROST - The Berzerker - The Berzerker EARACHE

What a rush it is to see the original EARACHE logo on a legitimately brutal release. Sure, there's been a handful of CD's in the last several years, but few (if any) NEW bands. Australia's The Berzerker bring to mind the sense of innovation and extremity that the EARACHE label once helped to flourish back in the early 90's, by their brash mix of grindcore and techno. The Berzerker are more interested in telling psychotic tales of gore and serial murders than simply weaving together metal and industrial, and through the bulk of the 15 songs they nod to all things vile and repulsive(from ritual torture, drug abuse, cannibalism, arson, and so forth). They even steal a Carcass riff (from "Reek of Putrefaction" no less) and after many listens you'll agree that these guys STUFFED the album with 100% violence. However the one(and major) problem is the lack of memorable riffs. There are a TON of killer techno loops, noise samples, and percussion effects that sound like a malfunctioning drum machine(one that had recently been smashed with a Louisville Slugger about 80 times) but as far as the guitars go I don't remember many individual riffs by the time it's done playing. This could be the fault of the production, which sort of lumps the grindcore and industrial influences into one musty cesspot. Had The Berzerker made a masterpiece here, the elements would collide a lot harder than they do. I must say I'm being pretty damn critical about it though, as most people looking for something original in a legitimately "grindcore" way) WILL get it. The one song with the Carcass riff is cool (I think that's the first song) and a handful of others get my head nodding along. But the best song in the mix is probably the LEAST "grindcore" of all, track 14(called "95", whatever that means), an absolutely PSYCHO collage of destructive noise, techno, with distorted gore vocals. 40:58 87/100.

FEEDBACK - May '00 The Berzerker, The Berzerker Earache Mosh 222CD

Imagine Napalm Death being heavier and more brutal than you ever thought possible, Mixed in with huge slabs of horror films with spoken extracts; then combine that with some synths and effects and you may, just get an idea of what The Berzerker are all about. The press release proudly says that :This is the most aggressive release in the history of humanity" and while that is a very strong statement indeed, having heard this album I can understand where they are coming from. Of course it's not all about 400 beats pre minute (they must have either a very good drum machine or an octopus sat behind the kit), there are ballads as well…Are there Hell! This is brutal speed and volume just for the sake of it. What is unusual about this album is that there are just enough new idea to maintain the interest, and ensure that I keep listening all the way to the end and then playing it again. For some reason some extreme metal albums just tend to have each song blur into another and become boring, but there is never the danger with this. While definitely not everyone's cup of tea, if you like your rock at the very edge then this is an album that you ought to be seeking out.

HARD WIRED - June '00 The Berzerker Mosh 222CD

Inventors I fell are very much akin to musicians. They are constantly striving to improve on the norm, the dull, the mass produced, and the downright crap; in a furious bid to in someway change peoples ideas and perceptions, and ultimately their way of life. When I think of an inventor my mind drifts to the Back To The Future films. A bulging eyeballed, wayward haired, gibbering speekfreak, who's taken his work to an extreme. Well this a comparison that would suitably fit the musicians in The Berzerker. Okay, I don't know what they look like, after listening to this album, my mind is working overtime so please bear with me! This CD came with the press release that describes it as "music of the most extreme reaction from a being beyond mankind" the result of a malfunctioning mind hot-wired to hatred" and it's a pretty good description. Although I disagree with the bit about the " malfunctioning mind" as that implies that whatever thoughts and ideas that are produced here are nonsensical, and that is bollocks to say the least. It takes dedication and a thought process of deliberate narcissism to be able to come up with a concept of such proportions as this. In no way is this the result of a malfunction, did they say that about Kevin Dyson? No, eventually people looked past the cosmetic shock, and the absurdness and addressed the important issues, and that is what should be at the back of your mind here. This is such a powerful album, full of raw, but tapped and channeled energy. Its so loud, furious and strident that all the clocks in my house all stopped (at 2 minutes to midnight?) If you read my review for the Viking Breed album then you'll have some idea of the magnitude of this release. Viking Breed (if you recall) produced a shoddy, but fun, extremely fast, aggressive, loud and experimental sound that kind of won me over. More for the fact that someone had actually sat down and tried (and succeeded) to produce and sustain a 'new' sound. Well The Berzerker have taken that sound and transformed it into a monster! And what a monster this is? The approach is unparalleled, and to give you an idea of the sort of sound produced, well, it has frenetic 300+ BPM akin to Fear Factory's "New Breed", and aggressive vox that are unrivalled in their screaming ability! But there is something very special here, I can feel it. The intelligent mind behind The Berzerker is at work, and they have produced an earth-shattering album whose effect on music as we know it will be so vicious an onslaught that many people wont realise until it's too late. Way too late! Extreme, aggressive, -its different for fucks sake. If you appreciate being at the cutting edge of alternative music, you dare not have this album in your collection "It's a scream baby!" Buy it I dare you! It'll change your life forever. ***** (Metcalfe)

TOP - June '00

Over in death metal circles, The Berzerker are churning out some of the more interesting noise. The Berzerker (Earache)**** is a frightening cauldron of chaotic brimstone, with drums like road drills and all manner of generally evil behavior. Eek, and indeed, eek

VIRGIN.NET

The Bezerker The Bezerker Released: 05/06/2000 Label: Earache

This is a blistering blitzkrieg from the get go. It's the fastest, heaviest, most gruntingly over the top metal album yet. Guttural cannibal rantings and ravings are driven along at 1000mph for the first 10 songs or so at least. Then things slow down to a menacing grind. This guy doesn't like people too much and with song titles like, Burnt, Pain, Cannibal Rights, Massacre, and Chronological Order Of Putrefaction, don't expect a big sloppy ballad to make you feel better. This stuff is extreme beyond belief, and could make your nose, ears, and eyes all give blood the first time you hear it. But persevere and things start to make sense. This is a sonic rollercoaster, a white knuckle ride, and very aggressive, but so OTT that it's funny. Not a record to relax to, but if you want a jolt like 200 espresso's then this is definitely for you. On your knees, scum! Bow down to the Beserker! Now! By Matt Carless -

ROCK SOUND (Alex Whitehead) - 4/5 - June '00

"Australians. Laid back? Relaxed? Easy-going? How about furiously pissed off, because 'relaxed' and 'easy-going' are the last things you'd associate with this record. Make no mistake, The Berzerker has produced one of the most insanely brutal and violent records ever. Lacing together the crushing and molten intensity of death metal and the destructive energy of gabba, 'The Berzerker' is pure frenzy. Guitar solos? There are no guitar solos. The closest 'The Berzerker' comes to that is in the intro to the appropriately named "Massacre". There aren't any noticeable melodies either, or harmonies for that matter. Does it matter? Does it fuck! Carried forward on a grinding wave of chaotic riffs and furious gabba beats this is a relentless assault on the senses, a titanic industrial beat far far harder and heavier than anything in the 'industrial scene'. The Berzerker makes Ministry look lightweight, Static-X seem tame, even Strapping Young Lad have nothing on this. The closest comparison is the frenzy of Morbid Angel, but with the drummer replaced by a Rotterdam speed freak. Hardly surprising really, as this is the guy who remixed Morbid Angel on the Hellspawn album, but 'The Berzerker' CD puts that work to shame. A glorious guitar refrain lifts into 'Forever' as beats faster than anything on an Ultraviolence album kick the song to Hell and back. Yet the hollering of 'Burnt' is even more extreme, and somehow the intensity just increases with each song. 'Ignorance' and 'Cannibal Rights' are speed metal jackhammers to brain, 2 mins of cutting edge aural attrition, and only the 'Chronological Order or Putrefication' give a brief respite before 'Deform' relaunches the monstrous tirade. It's impossible to sustain, eventually collapsing in upon itself with the tumbling blocks of distorted feeback comprising 'Ode To Nash' but by that point the sonic riot has been pushed so far that the notion of songs has been completely broken down. 'The Berzerker' isn't going to win any awards for song-writing or subtlety, but that isn't the point. With this you are simply bludgeoned into submission. The cybernetic primal scream, and an absolute headfuck of an album."

BIZARRE MAGAZINE (Summer '00)

"This would've got a review here whatever it sounded like coz the title's so fucking good. And it just get's better when you hear it. Huge death metal riffs, drum-machine gabba beats and two vocalists, one doing basso death grunting, the other higher-pitched throat-ranting. Liberally splattered with horror, gore and mondo samples. The future sound of armageddon. Rips your throat out and uses it to sing with.

BUNT on-line mag

Band : The Berzerker Album : The Berzerker Record Company : Earache To quote label's PR this album is "the most aggressive release in the history of humanity". Now, doesnÕt that sound CHEESY? My little finger is more aggressive than this. Since I couldnÕt find any info about THE BERZERKERÕs line-up it seems that it's just another project of some "names". To make a long story short, it's a mix between MORTICIAN and ULTRAVIOLENCE, or better yet - MORTICIAN processed thru computer and with a few more samples thrown in. Plus itÕs total crap. While MORTICIAN are at least funny, this shit isn't. Straight to the trashbin. Minda -

AMAZON.COM

Berzerker deal in a pestilent and unsubtle brand of sonic violence. Larynx-liquidating vocals disgorge lyrical gouts of graphic ghastliness with titles such as "Chronological Order of Putrefaction" and "Massacre." Their frenzied fretwork, tortured samples, and impossible tempos conspire to accelerate heart rates to the bursting point. With an insanely accentuated, ultraheavy brand of grindcore that's similar to the most savage works of Napalm and Carcass , Berzerker operate at the very limit of sonic brutality. --Ian Fortnam

DEATH TO DEAD THINGS -THE BERZERKER The Berzerker (CD Earache)

The maniac who remixed two Morbid Angel tracks for the "Hellspawn" compilation (also on Earache) finally gets the opportunity to show us what he is capable of, and this Australian act offer the most extreme mixture of death meets techno yet. They have the fastest beats, the best riffs and some of the sickest samples around. Superhuman drums inject a new form of venom into the Morbid Angel / Carcass styled tunes and it is enough to convince me that this genre has a healthy future. Anyone doubting the metal should sample the 64 second "Mono Grind" or the power electronics that close the album before spouting the old argument that "it’s still dance music though". I’d love The Berzerker to write a club anthem, it’d turn into a bloodbath. Heartily recommended to even the most ardent and pure death metaller. (Ian)

ROCK-E-ZINE -The Berzerker - The Berzerker 15 tracks - 40:55 minutes Earache/Zomba Distribution 6.5/10

"Welcome to the Berzerker - music of the most extreme reaction from a being beyond mankind. The Berzerker CD is the result of a malfunctioning mind hot-wired to hatred." Earache fanatics might remember The Berzerker from his remix work of Morbid Angel on the Hellspawn compilation album. If you know those songs, you know enough. For those who don't, let me explain. Even though the bio states it is a mix between Carcass and Slipknot, this is far from the truth. Agreed, the vocals vary from gory death to assaulting blackish screams. And the aggression in the songs is definately there in aformentioned bands. But what The Berzerker is all about is mixing that music with gabber beats and sample-laden electronics. From the minute you pop in the album, the pounding beats demolish your eardrums, making most real metal fans pissed enough to use this shiny silver disc as a frisbee or whatever. For the more openminded metallers, The Berzerker is interesting. There is very little structure in the songs, whichs creates a chaotic atmosphere. The songs have nothing much in common, so the songs don't really flow into one and another. Besides that, after 10 songs of gabber-death, the album makes a 180 degree turn and we're presented with 5 noise-songs that seem to have run off a Merzbow-clone album. Why not put these songs in between the other ones? That would surely add to an atmosphere of diversity... Even though the noise-songs are pretty cheap considered to the high standards of Japanese bands, they would've been interesting if blended in with the other songs. For now, The Berzerker is an interesting curiosity, but no more than that. For a real gabber speed attack, you should stick to Johnny Violent's output (Ultraviolence's Psycho Drama is an instant classic in that genre), if you're looking for gabba-death in the loudest, evilist way there's no way in avoiding Delta 9's Disco Inferno. Better luck next time. (Xander Hoose)

MELODY MAKER 0/5

If your idea of a good time is watching a snuff movie with electrodes attached to your genitals, you'll love this extreme thrash album. Back in the real world, however, you'll hate it.

KERRANG KKKK -Brett Callwood (08 April 00)

"A lesson in one-man insanity from Down Under" The Berzerker is either an alien with a taste for human flesh who has decided to grind Earth to dust or a mad Australian who plays gabba-death metal and wears a mask, depending on who you believe. Either way, "The Berzerker" is one of the most intense releases you will hear this year. A sampled voice asks us to: "Prepare yourself for a journey into a world where each new step may give you a better understanding of your own reality" before "Reality" kicks in, with it s superfast beats and death grunts, and the album never lets up from then on. "Cannibal Rights" follows "Pain", and by the end you really feel like you ve taken a good beating. Nice.

METAL HAMMER 9/10 - Malcolm Dome (May 00)

This man is truly mad. In fact, The Berzerker is so insane that he makes perfect sense in the improbable world of extreme music. Imagine, the senseless rhythm violence of Slipknot, cauterised by the musical cannibalism of Mortician and the viscerally tribal blastbeats of Sepultura, before being immolated by a brain-damaged, degenerate slasher movie soundtrack. This might give you some idea of the diseased mind we re dealing with here. "The Berzerker" is an album that draws from death metal, nu-metal and industrial mayhem. Yet for all it s chaotic abandon, it does have a structure and discipline that suggests the whole thing is being driven by a brilliant, albeit sick, mind. Check out the overwhelming "February" in particular, which has a fever pitched focus that s utterly, painfully mesmeric. This is indeed an opera of torture, a concerto for rabid souls.

LAMINATED CAT 23.3.00 THE BERZERKER - The Berzerker (Earache)

It gets increasingly tricky to find music which really sounds genuinely extreme these days. Maybe it's years of exposing myself to Death Metal, noisecore and whatever else the youth of today are bombarding our ever-so-sore ears with, but somehow the majority of self-proclaimed "extreme" records these days fail to reach any new level of heaviness or intensity. Until now, that is. Welcome to the world of The Berzerker; easily the most extreme and brain-squeezingly savage thing Earache have ever released, and a sure-fire contender for one of those not-exactly-coveted LamCat Album of the Year spots. This is fucking outrageous! People have combined dance beats and Metal on numerous occasions over the years, but no one has ever come close to this level of rabid mayhem, created by some mad Australian techno-maniac with a poorly hidden contempt for mankind (or some such promotional guff!). So what does it sound like? Well, "industrial death metal" is the obvious tag but it doesn't even begin to describe how fucked-up this really is. As the distorted, million-miles-an-hour beats come snarling from your speakers, it's like being smacked in the mouth over and over again by the fastest southpaw alive...and then the guitars kick in! Jesus, this is unbelievable; making Mortician sound like Green Day and wiping the floor with ever half-hearted rock/dance crossover act you've ever smirked at, this is pure, ferocious cyber-grindcore of the highest order. With caustic, radioactive faeces spewing from every blistered, infected pore, The Berzerker shred like nothing before, dripping sonic chaos and evil with every foul, punishing aural slap. Of course, the end result is absolute bliss for those of us who like that sort of thing, but you'd have to be either brain dead or a disgraceful poser to pretend that this isn't the most wild and violent forty minutes you've ever heard. This is real power electronics, with fucking excellent songs to boot, and on the basis of these tracks there will be few bands in 2000 capable of touching these newly reached heights of musical madness. A touch of early Carcass, a smidgen of Suffocation-style brutality and a whole bucketload of brutalised technology make "The Berzerker" the revelation of the year so far, and a shot in the arm for anyone foolish enough to think that Earache have stopped releasing extreme music. Think again, ladies and apes, and then buy this awesome album. Play it to your grandparents and watch them weep... (10.5)

NME 4.4.00 - The Berzerker The Berzerker (Earache)

News just in on the pop-shock wire! The Bloodhound Gang have an LP named 'Hooray For Boobies'. Mark Morriss says that his grandparents don't like foreign people much. Oh, and here's a fellow named The Berzerker. He looks about 400 years old. He doesn't have a nose. He's a being "formed from elemental hatred", and he has a song called 'Cannibal Rights', the gist of which is 'it's alright to eat people, because people are scum'. Yeah, The Berzerker, in the very realest sense, has a bone to pick. He's not prejudiced, though - he's just got a problem with humanity in general. And on 'The Berzerker', he means to express this misanthopy, via the medium of industrial gabba. So far, so fucking stupid, then. But in an age where nu-metal has become just another game of Top Trumps - see Slipknot's inspired 'we've got nine members, and we all wear masks' trick - The Berzerker's facial prosthetics, like fellow rubber-faced industrialist Mortiis, looks like some kind of a masterstroke. Never mind that the music's bobbins - there's a song here called 'Chronological Order Of Putrefaction' that follows the pallor of a corpse through each stage of decay. And ooh, that's such a good look. This is my truth. And yours, it means nothing, human worm.
Louis Pattison (8/10)

Discuss this on the Forums!