Laibach – Opus Dei Revisited

Mute

I love the grandiose militaristic slant of this group, a lasting impression founded on my Opus Dei ground zero (and not so much that disco cover version silliness that followed). Those former Yugoslav industrials certainly hit vital back then — trumpet fanfares, pounding drum falls, those rousing anthem repeats; even today it’s still sonically captivating, so much so I didn’t think it needed a rework, but Laibach definitely saw potential in them old bones.

Sonically less brutal, more velvety, the earworm that’s “Leben Heißt Leben” hits, doubling down to a more soulful dub backbone than the spiky pummel of the original. A smooth operator, all slippery synth-snaked and leben-spread with some lovely female vocal takeover accented by a chanting tribality. A re-crafting that adds to the original replete with corrupt data glitches and effect-misted guitar / drum, not to mention a brilliant blend of gruff and silky vocal that surfs the track’s final curtain call.

The totalitarian aesthetic of yore returns for “Geburt Einer Nation”, all staccato-cured and bulbous, swimming in full-on rock operatics and showy synth-licked lapels. “Leben-Tod”‘s rasp / retracting zizz feels incendiary, more elevated. Marina Mårtensson and Milan Fras‘s contrasting vocals are again a real winner — one of the many things that shimmer the ear with this redux, along with the showy Klaus Nomi-like sonics.

Still retaining those neo-classical heralds and teetering drums “F.I.A.T.” waltzes out on a generous spread of Bond thematics. A Moonraker-esque itch / slam stuttered into a beaty synth-led swirl, as its anti-war dialogue slivers around the stadium-like stylistics. The psycho-stabbed locomotive shot revision of “Transnational” sees the original chant chorus expanded, less abstracted. A slow tour de force with additional material that expresses the worldview that everyone should be equal, unhindered by privilege or discrimination — solid words against these right-wing dominated times.

“How The West Was Won” slipping into a pulsing / twisting riff after some lovely trumpet calls, Milan’s cavernous vocal (what a voice) sucking your attention to a glitzy chorus-line backing. The Pathé pomposity of “The Great Seal” harnessing an optimistic flag-waving upbeatness, reconfiguring the Winston Churchill speech of the original replete with saluting harmonics and energised snare – a morale boost that feels very relevant to Ukraine’s shitty situation at present.

To finish, “Opus Dei” gets a full-on rock opera make over — all lamé-lamped and stomping boots. The soft female intoning to harsh male growl digging into a daggering dramatic, gorgeously crushed up and crumpled. To be honest, I was kind of sceptical, but I think they’ve managed to pull it out of the bag to deliver something that adds to the original without overshadowing it.

Yeah, it’s not exactly a radical re-evaluation — more a shifting of the furniture I’d say, where new additions and arrangements give the original an updated sheen – a fresher relevance to the current political environment and the worrying rise of dictatorships. What’s more, there’s another disc of tinkerings from the original producer Rico Conning where we are treated to a host of remix fun including bierkeller mediævals, clubland thump and vaporwave ambience, plus a total rock-god bazooka of “Leben-Tod”.

If this is anything to go by, I’m really looking forward to experiencing Opus Dei Revisited live.

-MIchael Rodham-Heaps-