A continual pulse check for local electronic music, Opus Collective takes the genre from pure pop to pure massacre, generally within the space of only a few songs. Yes, the guitar has subverted much of this second collection of anti-pub rock bands, from the electrogrunge of First World (Hello, Hello) to About Six Feet's wonderfully moody Miasma, a mix of spoken word, swooping synths and filthy guitar. The guitarist in question, David Sterry, also appears with his own group Real Life (yep, that one) and their hectic Everything Explodes. Ragewar find a way of mixing 2 Unlimited style techno stabs with metal guitar stabs. But don't lose faith. There's still plenty worshipping at the shrine of Depeche Mode (particularly Static Icon, and their catchy Institution), industrial grime (Subliminal Playground) and gloom-pop (Ikon). Elsewhere Occam's Razor show promise with the crafty The Voices, Mia Stone adds her vocal power to producer Adam Calaitzis's Who Am I. There's HiNRG pop with Altar Ego's Bigger Than The Bomb, and 80's flashbacks with Disco Girl's Not Of This Earth, featuring the familiar voice of a JJJ DJ who for some reason wishes to remain anonymous. Xaeja's Healer throws soul into the equation, Sine's Psychocity Love Song mixes the most unlikely elements to create a rough gem while Harmonic 33 delve into the world of the bleep with Universal. The perfect antidote to any Barnesy best of. (7/10) CAMERON ADAMS Beat Magazine, October 1996