Pop Will Eat Itself – 16 Different Flavours Of Hell (1993)

Since Nirvana released their monumental album, Nevermind, back in 1991, Alternative music had been gathering more attention by this point and had increased in both popularity and variety. Pop Will Eat Itself is one of those who fit this category, and this is one of their releases that has gathered some attention. Being of an unusual background, let’s take a listen to this album and see if it still sounds good today.

We begin with Urban Futuristic which begins with some engine noises and Ambient sounds, before going into some weird and warped sounds, before some drums and crashing Metal drums enter. This piece gets underway with, “No more Mister Nice Guy!” being chanted here. This whole piece has a very EDM feel to it of the UK Hardcore scene at the time, mixed with a Heavy Metal sort of outlook and attitude. This is definitely different, but very good simultaneously. There is a great sense of rhythmic groove here too, and this whole piece sounds wonderful, in a warped way. An incredibly good listen, and great music here too. A great mixture between Metal and old school Hardcore, a nice listen.

Next along is Get the Girl! Kill the Baddies! which begins with some Electronic sounds, before some real drum beats enter and a main melody emerges that is different. Some great singing then enters and this piece sounds wonderful. A truly great and underrated piece of music that is really cool, with an old school EDM feel to this Metal inspired piece of music. The music here is a warped piece of Metal/EDM that sounds really great. There is a piano solo in the middle, too. An interesting and varied piece of music, Pop Will Eat Itself do well here. An excellent piece of music.

Wise Up! Sucker – 7″ Version begins with a sample of guitar harmonics, before entering into a strange piece of music that has some great Metal guitars in it, in an EDM structure. Very, very catchy and different. This is definitely underrated music and has some great samples of shred Metal guitars being played nicely. The old childhood chant of “She loves me, she loves me not” is here amongst the chaotic sound of Pop Will Eat Itself. A really wonderful listen, and has aged quite nicely this record. It ends with some weird sounds.

Inject Me begins with some warped Electronic sounds, before some cool beats enter, along with some piano. This is a weird piece of music that has many different fragments of music into a whole. It is good music however, despite the weird song title and the fact that this is likely about heroin use. A nice piece of music that is catchy and incredibly awesome sounding, this is a really warped and cool listening experience. A good hybrid mixture of Rock and EDM, and Pop Will Eat Itself stand as a good halfway point between those two genres. Great stuff.

Next along is Axe Of Men which begins with some processed wah-wah guitar sounds, before launching into an excellent mix of Rock and EDM here that sounds unlike anything else. Some vocals enter that are quite good, too. This is very catchy music as well, with some different fragments of many different sounds constructed into an awesome piece of sonic mastery here. This piece is super catchy, too. A great demonstration of a mixture of sounds that is clever and intelligent, with some killer vocals, especially towards the end. Nice music here.

Following is Can U Dig It? which begins with a random TV sample, some guitar noise and a bunch of weird samples. It then goes into a loud and super good piece about loving certain icons of Pop culture, with some awesome samples of guitars. This is surprisingly good, and is a good example of clever samples, musicianship and an ode to those who inspire one. Great music to hear, definitely different and good. A nice piece of inspired music, with Electronic sounds and Metal guitars here.

I’ve Always Been A Coward Baby is next, and is a more traditional sounding Rock sort of piece with some dark gospel backing vocals. This piece sounds really good, with some crunchy Metal guitars and some really good proto-Underworld style vocals. More song based, this is a decent piece of music that is redeeming and great listening. Pop Will Eat Itself utilize samples and sounds way better than most, and this is a great listen. It ends with a toybox style melody at the end, great stuff, although a little weird to hear.

Karmadrome begins with some Electronic sounds, Metal guitars and drum beats that sound very realistic. This is a strange piece of music that is energetic and uplifting, although it is mainly sample based. It’s a pseudo-Rap piece with some interesting EDM and Rock sounds throughout. Pop Will Eat Itself are definitely different, but the music here is amazing and awesome. In the second half are some excellent sampled harmonies, before this piece re-emerges. Underrated for sure, this is really good music that has actually lasted the test of time. Brilliant stuff, it speeds up in a crazy way towards the end, before ending abruptly. Nice.

Next along is Dance of the Mad – 7″ Version which begins with some guitar riffs and some sampled crowd noise and some vocals here, before launching into a different sounding piece which is original and different. Some clever melodies are here, mostly Electronic based here, which are different. It is a great fusion of Rock, Rap and EDM that is different and definitely creative. A great piece of music that sounds unlike anything else out there, and is really awesome. Some weird samples are here towards the end, wacky sounding music this is.

Following is Another Man’s Rhubarb – 7″ Mix which begins with a weird vocal sample, some guitar styled feedback, sitars and other weird sounds. It quickly goes into a very unusual Electronic structured piece that is completely different to anything else in the music world. Some wah-wah guitars in the background enter, and this piece gets underway. A really awesome and different sounding piece of music, it is a more EDM styled piece that is quite experimental, but successfully so. A very creative and inspired piece of music with a variety of different sounds, this is super cool to hear. Nice pastiche tune here.

X, Y & Zee follows, which is a more straightforward piece with some Fender Stratocaster styled sounds, before launching into a laidback Rap sort of piece that is quirky, yet excellent. This is a really underrated album, and indeed, form of music. It just sounds indescribably original and effortless here, the music is worked on very well and is a good mixture of Rock, Rap and EDM schools of thought, with a chanted chorus. The music here is quite hypnotic, too. This is one of the standouts from this album, a really excellent track. Nice effort from these guys.

92° F begins with some good Electronic sounds and beats that are quirky and original. Before long, a rather raspy sounding set of female vocals enter, followed by a load of brilliant EDM styled textures throughout this track. This is one of the better pieces from this album, although the album here has many high points. A great listen all the same, this is a piece of grand music that sounds really energetic and amazing. This is a great album, hands down. It sounds wonderful and lively, with some awesome sounds and beats, sounding amazingly futuristic. The section towards the end is incredible, Pop Will Eat Itself showcase themselves to be master creators. Great music here.

Next along is Cicciolina – 7″ Version which begins with some weird TV samples, before launching into a very much early 1990s sounding piece with an old school UK Hardcore sounding piano, James Bond styled horns and a bunch of other extraordinary textures. This is a great listen and sounds really incredible and different here, with a bunch of unique and awesome sounds that are not really found anywhere else. It is Italian inspired music for those who like to dance here. Really cool sounding, in the second half it samples some Opera singing and does very well until the finish. Good tune here.

Following is Bulletproof which begins with some cool Metal style guitars, before launching into a really good song with many well deployed samples and sounds that you will not find anywhere else. Some chanted like singing then comes along which is different. This is a great example of decent musicianship that goes far, even in today’s musical world. An excellent musical listen, awesome and fresh. It ends with laughter.

Def Con One is next, with some scratched over beats in the intro, before going into a weird concoction of sound and lyrics. It sounds inspired and marvelous, and chants about getting “Big Mac and fries to go”. This is really odd music, but hey, it’s perfectly fine here. A grand mixture of Rock and EDM that sounds original and different to everything else out there, this is a cool tune. In the second half, it goes a little wacky in the breakdown and uses some edited melodies from Black Sabbath and Miles Davis, before concluding. Excellent stuff.

Wake Up, Time To Die is an extended six minute plus piece which begins with Metal guitars and some nicely sung vocals, before going into a great beat driven piece. This is a really inspired and excellent piece of music that sounds really great. A really awesome piece of music with many cleverly used samples and instrumentation here, this is akin to Industrial music in some ways with the sounds and samples here. A genuinely good piece of music that sounds interesting, diverse and unique, this is a really excellent listening experience that doesn’t fit specifically into any genre here. It’s just great music that works. There is a strange solo of sorts in the second half here as well, which definitely sounds different. A wonderfully crafted piece of music with some great guitar styled Electronic sounds at the end. Awesome stuff, all the way to the fade out.

Next here is PWEIzation – 7″ Version begins with a TV movie sample, before quickly launching into a straightforward piece that sounds awesome and terrific. It’s a much shorter piece at three minutes long, but sounds really good. Police sirens and other wacky samples are here, showcasing that Pop Will Eat Itself knew sound very well. A decent track to hear, this is awesome work. Nice effort, it segues into the next track with an Electronic rush.

After that is Eat Me, Drink Me, Love Me, Kill Me which begins with some synth strings, guitar feedback and some blistering drum beats. It is a decent sonic pastiche here, with a variety of Metal guitars and references to John Belushi, and greeting you to hell. Obviously these guys were Atheists or Satanists. In any case, this is a good piece to hear as we are towards the end of this monumental album. Good stuff here.

Preaching to the Perverted is last here, with some EDM styled beats, riff based guitars and processed sounds. An excellent piece of music to finish off this album, and it is another really fresh and awesome listening experience here. Great music to hear, and something that has lasted well over the test of time. There are many nicely cut up music elements here, just a great listen here. Many musical elements are here, another great song.

Quite simply put, this is a fantastic mixture of Rock, EDM, Rap and Metal sounds that is fresh and decent listening to this day. Pop Will Eat Itself had created a wonderful album and a very underrated listening experience here. Definitely worth a listen without a doubt. A really great album for these postmodern times.

Excellent.

9/10