As a music-hungry teenager I ordered Collide's debut, Beneath the Skin, on the basis of one review, a good 4 years ago. This review was favorable, but the cd was also considered a disc of hit-and-miss. I couldn't disagree more on the hit-and-miss part once I heard it and felt quite grateful for whichever part of that review had convinced me that this was straight up my alley. To date Beneath the Skin remains one of my all-time favorite albums and although band members kaRIN (vocals & lyrics) and Statik (music) have supplied us with singles, a remix cd (Distort), numerous compilation appearances and several excellent remixes over the past few years, I couldn't wait to finally hear their sophomore effort. 

Wrapped in a gorgeous cover courtesty of Digital Apocalypse's Chad Michael Ward, Chasing the Ghost presents itself with nine new songs and one cover version ("White Rabbit"). The first thing that occurred to me was that the often harsh and explosive sound of their debut has partially made way for a more
trip-hop feel. The songs are still powerful, but thanks to dens  layering it creeps up at you, instead of lashing out full-force. And what definitely hasn't changed is the lush, sensual mood and its paradoxal feeling of a beauty submerging the listener so seductively that it could please, yet just as easily kill. All of this is still the result of kaRIN and Statik's symbiotic chemistry; voices become instruments, sounds emerge like whispers, words fall seamlessly into place and the end-result is once again astonishing. 

"Transfer" sounds the closest to something off of Beneath the Skin, with uplifting guitars and lovely vocals, while "Wings of Steel" turns towards the trip-hop feel  that dominates most of this disc. Statik creates a wonderfully eerie soundscape on this track and its ethnic feel is present on several other songs as well, a very welcome addition to the scope of Collide's sound. The lyrics are poetic and extremely well-placed, with kaRIN's whispers sounding as creepy as they are beautiful during strategic breakdowns. One of the album's best songs, in my opinion. 

The percussion and loungy feel of "Razor Sharp" are also very trip-hop, but during the chorus the song gains a lot more substance and transforms into genuine Collide material. While I'm not too fond of the "Cher" vocoder effect, the song is still very good. The same effect, however, is applied much better in the mesmerizing "Frozen" and its use in "Halo" deserves mentioning as well. It's unfortunate that it has become so over-used, because Collide show that when utilized sparsely it can be very effective. (Or use it like Yendri in their lovely "Inside the Machine", where the human nature of the vocals has almost entirely been discarded.) 

Faith and the Muse play a significant guest role on this cd, with William Faith's guitar work gracing the delicious mayhem of "Dreamsleep", as well as Collide's cover of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit". Grace Slick's psychedelic 60's anthem finds itself revamped with style and this cover shows that a gap of over 30 years of music history can definitely be bridged. Monica Richards shares vocals with kaRIN on the high-speed chaos of "Monochrome", my second favorite track on this disc. 

"Ocean" sounds like the ultimate cyper-age lovesong, with a charming chorus and more of kaRIN's alluring vocals, which always tend to drift on through your mind long after the cd has ended. The cd comes to a subtle end with "Like you Want to Believe", which makes me want to believe that the next album will follow sooner than this one did. ;) 

The production of this cd is simply amazing and as with their debut there are new sounds and whispers to be discovered each time the disc is being played. There will only be one Beneath the Skin, but Collide can only be applauded for avoiding the "debut part 2" syndrome and continuing to push their sonic explorations. Chasing the Ghost is a perfect package of poetic lyrics, enchanting vocals and unique compositions with a refreshing mind of their own. There's no stopping it now, the band that was once the best-kept secret of the goth/industrial genre and its many sub-genres is convincingly working on making sure that mentioning the name Collide will never be met with question marks again. 

Tracklisting: 
01. Transfer 
02. Wings of Steel 
03. Razor Sharp 
04. Dreamsleep 
05. White Rabbit 
06. Frozen 
07. Halo 
08. Monochrome 
09. Ocean 
10. Like you Want to Believe 

Band members: 
kaRIN - vocals, words 
Statik - music 

Additional info: 
Official band site: http://www.collide.net
Mailing list: list@collide.net
Faith and the Muse: http://www.mercyground.com
Digital Apocalypse: http://www.digitalapocalypse.com

It seemed as if everywhere one looked, there was information about a band named Collide slapped onto something.  Everything from packages to all sorts of public billboards and  phone booths blatantly screamed the name from its perch only to be followed by a number of magazine ads. This made me start to wonder about this group as well as their street team who are getting the word out. Amazingly enough, all the posted stickers are coming from loyal fans. Upon listening to "Chasing The Ghost," it is impossible not to be fully absorbed into their musical world in a large way, and one can fully understand what all the fuss is about in the first place. 

Collide is a cross between Rhea’s Obsession, Switchblade Symphony, My Scarlet Life and a libidinous dark angel. This particular CD also received additional assistance from Monica Richards and William Faith from Faith and The Muse. There is also a dark remake of the Grace Slick song "White Rabbit" created for the new millennium sound, without detracting from the beauty of the original. 

The music is a steady amalgamation of trip hop, electronica, goth, ambient and rock, all rolled together in an intriguing hybrid and expertly sequenced for obtaining maximum listener enjoyment and satisfaction. Some vocal high tech tweaking similar to the Cher hit "Believe" is also included on the track "Razor Sharp," which rounds out the sound and is going to cause a number of tongues to wag in musical circles for quite some time. 

Beyond the fact that the album is well made and purely brilliant, is the fact that it boldly takes dark music to a sensuous level. It is romantically enigmatic and erotic while still giving homage to the surrealistic depth of darkness in all its guises.  Basically you can sit back and listen, dance to it or you can have an all night Tantra session with that special someone with this as background music. The eroticism of the music and vocals leaps off the CD in an almost subliminal fashion, drawing you in deeper and further with each passing song. kaRin’s vocals are at times like sex-kitten whispers woven between anticipatory longing and sieved through a futuristic chasm with understated crooning. This reviewer can’t recall a dark music album being this seductive in quite some time. 

It can safely be said that based on the strength of this CD, I fell in love with this dazzling work and am looking forward to obtaining some of their earlier music as well. 

Tracks: 
1. Transfer 
2. Wings of Steel 
3. Razor Sharp 
4. Dreamsleep 
5. White Rabbit 
6. Frozen 
7. Halo 
8. Monochrome 
9. Ocean 
10. Like You Want To Believe 

Band Lineup: 
kaRin: Vocals, lyrics 
Statik:     Noise 

Additional Musicians: 
William Faith: guitar- White Rabbit, Dreamsleep 
Tim Pierce: guitar- Transfer, Razor Sharp, Dreamsleep 
Chris Candelaria: guitar- Dream Sleep 
Kevin Kipnis: guitar- Like You Want To Believe 
Fritz Heede: Sitar- Halo 

Additional  Vocals: 
Monica Richards: Monochrome 

Web Site: 
http://www.collide.net
Email: xcollide@aol.com 

Snail Mail 
Collide 
P.O. Box 565 
North Hollywood, CA 91603 

Related: Artwork by Chad Michael Ward 
See http://www.digitalapocalypse.com