Classic Albums Vol 3: The 13th Moon Years is a five-CD boxset bringing together all of the studio albums from Alien Sex Fiend from between the years 1996 and the present day, as well disc taking in two EP’s, and bonus album tracks. Since the early 1980’s the UK two-piece has gleefully dodged genre labels & brackets. Their often darkly tongue-in (rotten)cheek sound blends elements of Goth, psychobilly, punk, electro-fired shock rock, and various brands of electronica.

The set appears on Cherry Red Records- with the five discs coming presented in a black flipside card box, taking in white and pink texts/graphics. Each CD comes in its own card slip, which reproduces the original album artwork. The set comes presented with a glossy twenty-page inlay booklet- this takes in a nine-page write-up about the band & the albums/ material featured. As well as tons of ghoulish/ OTT graphics/ pictures, and album credits.

The first disc in the set takes in 1997’s Nocturnal Emissions, and its three bonus tracks. This originally nine-track album sees the band in a decidedly electronic setting- blending & blurring different sub-genres in a ghoulish & demented way.  Things kick off with “Evolution” which brings together bounding techno synths, snapping/whizzing/ thumbing beats, wailing to mumbled male vocals, and moody synth guitar harmonics. We have the pumping ethno-ambient beats, synth strobe darts, slamming sub-bass tones,  subtle goth bass wonderings, and ghoulish vocal trails of “ Big Blue Moon”. Moving into the album's second half we have the wonderfully titled “Soaking Wet, Mate”  which brings together sparking bright synth lines, raving bass line weaves, mumbled vocals & sample chatter. We have the manic yet ghoulish “Tarot” with its stabbing ‘n’ smashing beats/ bass, creepily reverbed male vocals, and rapidly tolling electro tones…which later turn a bit more bright & buoyant.  Nocturnal Emissions is a great ride of an album, with the pair really brewing up an original/distinctive-sounding release from electronica sub-genre cliches.

Onto disc two and we have  2004’s Information Overload, and it’s two bonus tracks. This original nine-track album moves from snapping & bounding electro-punk of the title track. Onto the sampled sleazed female moans, bounding bass line, steady slapping beats, and ghoulishly baying male vocals of “Baby”. Though to psycho ambient drifting,  hazed slurred techno pulses, low-key knocking beats/ bass, and paranoid spoken word/ talking of “Voices In My Head”. The album plays out with the stab electro bass line, hissing beats, baying guitar line, and more sung vocals of “Five To One” which is a cover of The Door’s track. Information Overload is a nicely varied album, with once again tons of creativity/ ghoulish charm.

Disc three takes in 2010’s Death Trip, and its whooping nine bonus tracks. This album was an original ten-track affair. We move from the wavering ‘n’ warbling male vocals, dark glowing synth tone glide, and ramshackle goth-meets-garage rock of “Land Of The Living Dead”. Onto the short ‘n swift lo-fi sweary psychobilly stomp of “B.B.F.C". Though to the slicing ‘n’ slipping electro beats, whispered to hissed vocals, and Halloween ambience meets dark electro-rock groove of “Voodoo”. The album plays with the choppy dusty beats, choppy synth & baying electric guitar of “Oop’s Wrong Planet”. As an album Death Trip brings both guitar and more creepy ‘n’ crude moodiness back into the band's sound- for another great ride of a record.

On disc number four we have 2018’s Possessed- which is to date the band's last album.  It’s a twelve-track album, with two bonus tracks. This is the only album here I have previous experience with, as I reviewed it on its release…and I don’t often do/ or say this, but looking back on that review I was unduly unfair, and to be frank rather cruel on the album, as playing it back again now it’s another good/ largely consistent record in the band's discography- with some great/ classic moments. I guess musically it’s following on from the last album with more use of guitars & creepy atmospherics, but with an often more set-if-shambling groove. We go from John Carpenter-like synth bass pulse, creepy tone swirls, hissing ‘n’ smarting percussion, and crude blue rock churn of “It’s In My Blood”.  There’s the ghoulish-gone sightly Arabic surf guitar, backwards tones, clip-clop/ hiss beats, and eerier echoed vocals/ effects of  “Ghost In The Machine”.  We have the short “spine-tingler” with springing/ warping electronics, guitars, and mangled vocals. Or the coldly moody tolling guitar tones, building wiry electro tension, and shambling beats of “Neutron”. All in all, Possessed is another worthy latter-day album from Alien Sex Feind, and I’m ashamed I treated it so unfairly upon my first review.

The final disc in the set takes in two EP’s first of these is 2006 Para-Abnormal, which is a seven-track affair consisting of remixers/ demo versions of tracks from the  Information Overload album. And  Re-Possessed from 2019- which brings together remixers/ demo versions of tracks from Possessed. And there certainly are some worthy/interesting retakes on tracks to be found here.

Classic Albums Vol 3: The 13th Moon Years is a great look back at the latter years of this great, unsung and distinctive British two-piece. As the release title suggests this is the third of the band's album boxsets, and I’ll now most certainly be tracking the other two down.