I've never written a review before, and it would take an exceptional CD to get me to write one. Exceptionally good or bad.
I gave this item one star because the software doesn't allow zero stars. I am a fan of Lustmord for many years now, as well as other ambient/drone masters, so I picked up this CD on that basis. It's too bad it doesn't come with soundclips somewhere because I never would've bought it if I had been able to preview.
To mix ambient with that gawdawful metal is a failed experiment in my view. I can't stand listening to it and didn't even make it through the whole thing. It will go to the back of my stack in the 'never-again-listened-to' category. Sorry, Lustmord.

pigs of the roman empire is the soundtrack to bloody battle on the streets while new york city is being bombed by a thousand jet fighter planes.

I just drove from Portland, OR to Topeka, KS, and i picked this up right before I hit the road and played it at night. It's scary and rockin all at the same time.
It's that good.
Best Melvins album In a long time.

I'm not a big fan of collaborations in general and some of Lustmord's previous collaborations have been rather disappointing. But this is fascinating stuff.

For some reason, even though I'm no stranger to alternative guitar rock at all, the Melvins have completely and utterly passed me by. I'd never heard of them before til now. I'm not sure why that is - just one of those quirks of nature I guess.

Lustmord, however, I have been following since Paradise Disowned (87) and Heresy (90) came out, and have been a big, big fan of his voluminous, cavernous soundscapes ever since. Nonetheless, not being a fan of collaborations generally, I didn't rush out to buy this album when it came out. For one thing, what research I did do on the Melvins didn't make it seem like the outcome would be that promising...

Now that I have acquired it, I find myself putting it on rotation over and over though. What's the attraction? It's actually much easier to pick the album's faults than articulate why notwithstanding I like it so very much.

The album is often unfocussed, in places (especially in the title track) downright messy, sounding more like an unhypothesized experiment, or a competition to see who can make the most noise than a well researched project. In others, such as between "III" and "The Bloated Pope" it comes across as more of a "vs." project - with no evidence of collaboration at all. The first track ("III") is obviously wholly by Lustmord and gives way to the second ("The Bloated Pope"), obviously wholly by the Melvins.

But as I keep listening, the idea of the Melvins and Lustmord seems more and more like a really good idea. Towards halfway through, Lustmord's threatening drones blend in more and more comfortably with the Melvins' guitar work.

By track 8 ("Idolatrous Apostate"), the coalescence of two distinct musical forms becomes downright...well...I didn't think music could ever sound so dark but bizarrely appealing at the same time.

There's something 'otherworldishly' and frighteningly romanesque about this penultimate track, with its menacing guitar licks and demoniacal vocal grating that disintegrates into pure satanic distortion, and it's almost like it represents the culmination of the creative effort, as if the album tracks a diachronic movement. Rather like watching "The Exorcist", it's strangely compelling.

In any case, I highly recommend this to anyone who wants something really....well, original is the perfect word here.

...as per usual. I haven't heard Melvins come up with such odd and sinister soundscapes since "Honky." Quite otherworldly, yet catchy at times ...in that Melvins way. The spacious mood pieces are especially good, and, aside from funky mid-paced "The Bloated Pope," surpass the more up-tempo, mechanical feeling jams. The only thing lacking here was a track where they overwhelm with one of their insanely slow and heavy brontosaurian trademark riffs. I was thinking the title track was going to eventually lean in that direction, but no such luck. Still, if you like that unique Melvins {and Lustmord} strangeness, this one won't disappoint. Sometimes, late at night, I enjoy putting on a movie, be it artsy/indie, or mainstream - often to more comical results - turn the TV volume down, and plug something like this in as a surrogate soundtrack. Nifty.