CD 1 (main product)

1. Crown Of Thorns
2. Just A Tenderness
3. The March Of The Dead
4. Fear In Your Eyes
5. Rise Again
6. Final Warning
7. Fallen Angel
8. And Life Goes On
9. Our Fatal Longing
10. Scavenger
11. In The Peace Of Night
12. Your Last Salute

CD 2 (bonus disciple) NEW!!

1. Crown Of Thorns (Suicide Commando Remix)
2. Your Last Salute (Air Forge Remix)
3. Just A Tenderness (Nersoton Remix)
4. Rise Again (Datom Remix)
5. Just A Tenderness (F/A/V Remix)
6. Your Last Salute (Datom Remix)
7. Rise Again (Haus Arafna Remix)
8. Your Last Salute (Laittog Remix)
9. Your Last Salute (Das Ich Remix)
10. Crown Of Thorns (Naked Beat Remix)
11. The March Of The Dead (F/A/V Remix)
12. In The Peace Of Night (:W: Club CVT Version)
13. Your Last Salute (Naked Beat Remix)
14. Just A Tenderness (PNE Remix)

Label: Metropolis
Released: March 23, 2004

Recording as :wumpscut:, Rudy Ratzinger deals in a rather unique form of dark electronic music. His sound is not as dense and spikily aggressive as that of most of his Metropolis labelmates; though he employs beats that are typically metronomic and relentless, they are sometimes almost gentle, and his dark, minor-key chord progressions are more decorous than overbearing. Ratzinger's vocal approach is harsh and guttural, but in a restrained way. It's his thematic material that never gives the listener any respite, and ultimately, that is what limits his musical possibilities. Well, that and his insistence on writing and singing in English, a language in which he is somewhat less than fluent (sample couplet: "Once I warn you underling don't provocate my will/Once again I warn you to sit down and find a chill"). Song titles like "Fear in Your Eyes," "Final Warning," and "Our Fatal Longing" give you an idea of what to expect, as do the gruesome postmortem photos that fill the insert booklet. It's too bad the subtlety and complexity of his music aren't better-reflected in his lyrics and visuals, but Ratzinger is still one of the more consistently interesting exponents of the dark electro sound. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
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Bone Peeler is, in my opinion, probably the closest that :Wumpscut: has come to perfection. I have listened to this album three times in a row and after each listen it gets better. When I first listened to it earlier today, I thought, yep that’s :Wumpscut: no new territory being tread here. Then on the second listen I started picking up subtle nuances that really stuck with me. This record is by far the most melodic of :Wumpscut:’s output. In fact there is some down right catchy tunes on this record.
The overall production on this latest release is on par with everything else in :Wumpscut:’s catalogue. That is one of the beautiful things about electronic music; it is all digital to begin with so nothing is lost in the capture phase of the recording process. That can also be a draw back when working in the electronic genres, but Rudy’s use of sampling and little noises in the mix keep my mind going and thinking about the mix and where everything fits together. All in all the production on this record is superb.
:Wumpscut:’s vocals have always been an acquired taste. Rudy has gone from soft-spoken vocodors to all out annihilation with his vocal delivery. This time around he brings a whole new set of rules to the table. I really think that he has hit his stride on this record. Even the heavily processed vocals still have an air of catchiness to them that I don’t find all the time in this genre. :Wumpscut: is truly leading the pack of artists coming out of the European dark wave electro scene.
Some stand out tracks that I think should be recommend listening from this album including the lead off track “Crown of Thorns”. The vocoded vocals singing “We’re wearing the crown of thorns” with it’s big beats and haunting melody have me singing this to myself in those quite times when I’m all alone. There is a wonderful little staccato string part that just begs to be listened to again and again. “March of the Dead” is the next track that just resonated with me. Its' unrelenting military march and chanting “We are the Dead” just work in creating a claustrophobic atmosphere. It’s cathartic. My next favorite track would have to be “And Life Goes On”. It’s got a cool groove, a sludge groove; it’s as thick as anything that Black Sabbath ever created. It’s so simple in it’s design but it pulls me in and wants me to sway back and forth to the plodding beats. There is a sense of urgency in this song that lends itself well to the theme of loneliness of nothing being there and the thought that you must go on. After that the catchy “Our Fatal Longing” with its' sample of a child speaking in German and Rudy’s chanted countdowns this song captures my imagination. There is also simplicity to this song, almost a child like innocence with the music. It’s haunting yet scary and doesn’t let me rest. Even the child’s chanting causes goose bumps on the back of neck neck.

All things considered this is the strongest release from :Wumpscut: to date. It took me three solid listens to grasp that, but this record has moved straight to the top of my favorites of the new decade. This is recommended for the fans of Leaether Strip, KMFDM, and most of the Zoth Ommog label. I give it a 7 out of 10.

Gabe Wilkinson