Premonition (Vampire Rodents album)
Premonition is the second studio album by Vampire Rodents, released on May 19, 1992 by V.R. Productions.[1][2] It gathered them enough attention to get the band signed to Re-Constriction Records.[3]
| Premonition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 19, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | 1991 – September 10, 1991 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 70:22 | |||
| Label | V.R. | |||
| Vampire Rodents chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music
The album features a heavy use of sound samples in many songs, which was a very prevalent trend in industrial music at the time. Samples used includes assorted Looney Tunes voice clips, dialogue from the horror film The Exorcist as well as narration from H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds. The album is roughly half compositions containing vocals and half not. It was at this point in Vampire Rodents existence that Daniel Vahnke expressed that the vocals were the weakest part of their compositions and that he desired the contributions of more vocalists.[4]
The drum loop on "Babelchop" is taken from "Music to Save the World By", the 1981 synth-pop track by Alan Burnham. The second track, "Babyface", is a reimagining of Little Richard's song of the same name with altered lyrics.
Release and reception
Premonition was originally produced in truncated form on cassette with a runtime of roughly thirty minutes. The album was self-released by V.R. Productions for a limited time and quickly went out of print. There were plans to re-issue the album with War Music and an expanded track listing, including the unreleased songs "Lizardman", "Blind Acceleration", "Smartass", "Harelip", and "Annexation II".
Option pointed to the "jittery collage-styled music" as being the strongest moments in Premonition and said "starting with strong, but nondanceable percussion, the group adds sampled sounds, guitars, cellos, and keyboards, and then processes and distorts everything until the tracks resemble sonic trash heaps more than songs."[5]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Daniel Vahnke, except "Babyface" by Benny Davis and "Sitio" by Victor Wulf; all music is composed by Daniel Vahnke, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Babelchop" | 4:37 | |
| 2. | "Babyface" | Harry Akst | 2:37 |
| 3. | "Monkeypump" | 1:49 | |
| 4. | "Recoil" | Victor Wulf | 3:59 |
| 5. | "Ovulation" | 2:46 | |
| 6. | "Subspecies" | 2:28 | |
| 7. | "Burial at Sea" | 4:24 | |
| 8. | "Vulvasaurus" | 1:17 | |
| 9. | "Annexation" | Victor Wulf | 3:37 |
| 10. | "Tenochtitlan" | 1:39 | |
| 11. | "Dresden" | 4:50 | |
| 12. | "Sitio" | Victor Wulf | 4:01 |
| 13. | "Deicide" | 3:50 | |
| 14. | "Infection" | 2:35 | |
| 15. | "Rodentia Ostinati I & III" | 2:05 | |
| 16. | "Dante's Shroud" | 2:18 | |
| 17. | "Waterhead" | 3:40 | |
| 18. | "Demon est Deus inversus" | 2:17 | |
| 19. | "Book of Job" | Victor Wulf | 4:36 |
| 20. | "Apparition" | 2:37 | |
| 21. | "Colonies" | Victor Wulf | 8:23 |
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Apparition" | 2:37 | |
| 2. | "Colonies" | Victor Wulf | 8:23 |
| 3. | "Book of Job" | Victor Wulf | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Demon est Deus inversus" | 2:16 | |
| 5. | "Dante's Shroud" | 2:17 | |
| 6. | "Waterhead" | 3:39 | |
| 7. | "Rodentia Ostinati I & III" | 2:04 | |
| 8. | "Infection" | 2:34 | |
| 9. | "Deicide" | 3:50 | |
| 10. | "Sitio" | Victor Wulf | 4:00 |
| 11. | "Dresden" | 4:49 | |
| 12. | "Annexation" | Victor Wulf | 3:37 |
| 13. | "Tenochtitlan" | 1:38 | |
| 14. | "Vulvasaurus" | 1:16 | |
| 15. | "Burial at Sea" | 4:24 | |
| 16. | "Subspecies" | 2:27 | |
| 17. | "Ovulation" | 2:45 | |
| 18. | "Recoil" | Victor Wulf | 3:58 |
| 19. | "Monkeypump" | 1:48 | |
| 20. | "Baby Face" | Harry Akst | 2:35 |
| 21. | "Babelchop" | 4:45 | |
| 22. | "Lizardman" | Victor Wulf | 4:51 |
| 23. | "Rodentia Ostinati II & IV" | 2:18 | |
| 24. | "Babyface" (Alternate Master) | Harry Akst | 2:32 |
| 25. | "Burial at Sea" (Alternate Master) | 4:26 |
Personnel
Adapted from the Premonition liner notes.[6]
Vampire Rodents
- Daniel Vahnke (as Anton Rathausen) – vocals, guitar, bass guitar, sampler, keyboards, orchestration
- Victor Wulf – keyboards, vocals (12)
Additional musicians
- Andrea Akastia – cello, violin
- Mark Edwards – vocals (19)
- Jing Laoshu – percussion
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1991 | V.R. Productions | CS | VR4 |
| 1992 | CD |
References
- Mahan, Michael (May 1994). "Michael Mahan's Biography of Vampire Rodents". Alternative Press (70): 89. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
- Christie, Dixon (1996). "Permission Interview". 2000AD Online: 6. Archived from the original on May 29, 2000. Retrieved December 21, 2017.
- Gariboldi, Marco (September 2, 2009). "Vampire Rodents (Daniel Vahnke) - Interview (2009)". Fabryka: Industrial Rock & Metal Encyclopedia. Fabryka Music Magazine. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- "Vampire Rodents Interview". Dysmetria Magazine. September 13, 1992. Archived from the original on July 9, 2000. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- Thompson, Ben (1994). "Vampire Rodents: Premonition". CD Review Digest. Peri Press. 7 (4): 38. Retrieved August 16, 2020.
- Premonition (booklet). Vampire Rodents. Phoenix, Arizona: V.R. Productions. 1992.CS1 maint: others (link)
External links
- Premonition at Bandcamp
- Premonition at Discogs (list of releases)