The first track, "Empty", is a great introduction to the new InSoc sound. Within a perfect meld of 1990s darkwave and InSoc's very recognizable synth sequences, Kurt's voice sounds familiar but with much more intensity and emotion than we had last heard on "Peace And Love, Inc".

In my opinion, the 2nd track, "Closing In", is the best InSoc song that I have heard. The epic song has a *gulp* nearly 3-minute intro that morphs itself into one of the best "Metropolis Records"-style goth-industrial-dance tunes that I've ever heard. The darkness of the industrial atmosphere combined with an eerily-catchy minor-chord variation on InSoc's successful late-80s formula make this the stand-out track. This, especially in combination with "Empty", make the album worth the price.

The following 4 songs are a bit of filler, as well as the ending tracks, though "Ending World" has a great vocal line.

Remaining is Kurt's rendition of Gary Numan's "Are Friends Electric?", which I think blows away any other cover that I've heard of the same song. It's interesting to note that I hear inferior covers of this song on Numan tribute albums and have never seen the InSoc version on any of them. If InSoc had still been on a big label, this would've most assuredly been a successful single.

My biggest criticism of InSoc in the "Don't Be Afraid" world is that this, in a sense, is Kurt's debut solo album, and it was never followed up. At least, not yet, and it has been well over 6 years since this was released. I can understand throwing the towel in after not receiving much commercial success, but it seems like this work was a great step in the right direction. A fifth InSoc album would've assuredly been even better.

INSOC Fan even with the change in people
I am a fan of INSOC and from my understanding Kurt bought out all the band and decided to go toe to toe with Nine Inch Nails, and I think he is doing a great job, his sound is something similiar, yet nothing like anything I have heard before. I heard the cd the first time and wondered about it, but soon I was loving it just like "Pure Energy" and everything else released under the insoc name. So what if he decided to take a twist, as a musician being able to go that far from the style of the old INSOC is something that should be commended, look at some of the bands popping up, not to bad mouth some of them, but there are a few that have such similiar sound to them that there is almost no difference save lyrics between the songs. Kurt goes way beyond that with this album. I love the music.

More! More! Encore! Encore!
I've always been a fan of the synth-pop INSOC albums and major hit we all know, but when I heard this album for the first time a week ago (yeah, I know...it's been a while, but I've rediscovered much of my fave 80's/90's music), I was blown away! Radically different than his/their earlier works, I can't stop listening to it! Probably my first foray into dark/goth (sorry, but that's the truth), it blends together real well and stands on it's own as a major achievement for Kurt, whether he would agree or not. As another reviewer writes, if he would only release more, perhaps some of this stuff would be big! I'm left wanting MORE of this version of INSOC. Kurt, PLEEZE consider giving us more of your creativeness, INSOC or solo, it doesn't matter. Get yourself a website and/or get the INSOC.org site back up and give us an update as to what your current projects are! GREAT STUFF, dude! I'm definitely a fan regardless of what you release.

Why sap the soul of InSoc for this?
I was a big fan of the first 3 InSoc albums. They all showed a great creative progression and insight, and managed to incorporate fun, thought and skill into masterpieces. Kurt has been quoted that Don't Be Afraid was how he originally intended InSoc to sound. Why after establishing InSoc as everyone's favorite danceable synth show would he choose to abandon that reputation for this depressing collection? Why not just release it under his own name?

Despite what people may say...
Kurt Harland decided to be a little different with this album. These days, with people starting to get sick of the same old same old routine, Kurt decides to darken up a little bit. While this album does have its share of sour apples, there are a lot of excellent tracks on here. The stand out track on here, while it seems a little trippy, is Ozar Midrashim. For those that might not recognize the name, the theme is that for The Legacy Of Kain: Soul Reaver series. After his speech, just listen. The deep drum beats are almost tribal, and its flavor is a mix of new age, orchestra, and techno. Don't let other reviews discourage you from buying this album, because it IS a gem. Give it a shot. I'm sure you'd like this.
Long Awaited New Full Length from Kurt Harland & Information Society. Features Production Work from Steven Siebold of Hate Dept.