Long before Marilyn Manson there was Specimen. Ok, well that's a bit of over simplification. A long time ago there was a weird goth scene in England centered around a joint called the Bat Cave. Well that's about as much info that filtered throught the midwest to me in the mid 80's. I'm not sure who copped who's look, but Specimen were to Sigue Sigue Sputnik what The Nightmare Before Christmas was to Rudolph the red nosed Reindeer. I'd guess that Tony James was the copy cat. Anyway, Specimen played glam and goth rocked out. They had an EP called "Batastrophe" which is unavailable at this time. All six tracks on Batastrophe are present on WWCFRVC, but with slightly different producing credits. A cursory listen reveals minor differences in the mixes as well probably due to the fact that some come from 7" releases. Blah blah blah. I'm not sure if there is anyone out there who remembers Specimen, but if you do, this release is worth picking up. Admittedly, Specimen's brand of goth rock comes off a little over theatrical and definitely sounds a little dated. Back in their day, however, Specimen had a fresh sound that is still comes through today, as long as your friends don't catch you listening to it. If you're a jaded Goth looking to find your roots you should search for this realease. Now if I could just get those scratches out of my Belfegore record...

Reviewer: Kilwag