Z'EV — Schönste Muziek

Forty years after its initial release, industrial legend Z'EV's Schönste Muziek is finally given a state-of-the-art remaster. Metallic, booming percussion fills the air, generating the thick atmosphere for the five album tracks, as well as the newly included "Titan Night," which has been unavailable since 1984! Loaded with banging steel and metal that is the lifeblood of heavy industrial percussion, Schönste Muziek feels like more of a treatise than an album, but I cannot remove my forty-year-thick lens. With that, it is an interesting work, but it tends to be a bit monotonous

Schönste Muziek is described by Cold Spring as "hallucinatory ritual percussion," and one could see how that would be an apt description for this in a live setting. Hammering rhythms, ringing metal, flailing arms, nodding heads, everyone collectively joining together in this industrial ritual. However, lacking this involvement, the tracks fall a bit flat, and what would be hypnotic live feels repetitive and drawn out in the recording. Outside of this minor gripe, the industrial rhythms on display are thick and thunderous, often like the heartbeat of a boiler room in the middle of a booming factory. Heavy as they are, there is a relative simplicity to them, using the bare essentials to convey the message, unadulterated industrial at its core. Varied types of percussion are used on Schönste Muziek, from pounding steel of "Titan's Might," to an almost bowed/saw like bending of "Anubis Ah'' Soul," or the distant, sparse, almost Noh style hits of "Sweet Dreams," The album covers a bit of ground between the handful of tracks. Each has a one-and-one live recording feel to it as well, and whether or not that's the case, the improv feeling adds to the charm of each piece, showing Z'EV's feeling while performing. The last song on the album was added for this release - "Titan Night" from Berlin Atonal in December 1983. As noted above, this recording was only available on a split from 1984 with Psychic TV, and features Z'EV playing custom-made percussion instruments. His performance foreshadows what was to come on Schönste Muziek, with "Titan's Might" being reminiscent of his Berlin Atonal performance. Playing his instruments designed for the specific space, his hammering is intense, amplified, and reverberates well, carrying his message clearly even forty-two years later. This performance is strong and engaging, and its extended run time must have wiped out poor ol' Z'EV.

A much needed remaster of an 80's experimental industrial gem, this reissue of Schönste Muziek includes the live track "Titan Night," which helps to give the album much-needed context. While each song may seem simple and monotonous in 2026, one must look at the tracks as they would have been when released to get more of an appreciation for what is presented. The clanging and booming steel was foundational and helped shape the sound of heavy, physical industrial. Z'EV's career was much lauded, and for good reason, and although he is missed, remasters of his work help to bring him back even if for a short time.