Too many interludes, but otherwise this fucking album is absolutely killer.
It shouldn't work so well but it does.
Edit: Upon additional listens, it does not work as well as I initially thought. It's interesting, but the two sub-genres of metal never really fuse together. There are seeds here though, hopefully these guys keep working on this concept.
First four songs are absolute fire. Crude Drawing of an Angel is the only real weak song that really put a drag on an otherwise perfect 100 front half of the album.
The back half is definitely a step down from the top half. Hopedrunk Everasking is just weak...definitely skippable dreck. Butterfly net is sort of a snoozer after the first couple of listens. Blood and Butter and Billions are really strong and keep the back half from collapsing into itself.
Those first four songs ... read more
Second turning point for Queensryche. After starting out heavily influenced by Iron Maiden, Queensryche found their own unique sound - starting on the Warning and then for sure by Rage for Order and hit their stride on the magnum opus Operation Mindcrime. Hear Now in the New Frontier marked the second evolution in sound and for many provided the first "sign of the times" that Queensryche had peaked and were now blindly following trends, which is not without some warrant.
To me, the ... read more
This is part of a deep dive I'm taking into chronological Depeche Mode discography following release of the new Memento Mori album. This is the first album after Vince Clarke's departure. Martin Gore takes over lead songwriting duties and Depeche Mode takes the first step forward to developing their trademark sound and attitude.
The front half of the album is fairly strong - Leave in Silence, Nothing to Fear and See you are highlights for me.
Leave in Silence - is a strong opener, has the ... read more
Ready for radio "heavy" metal. Sounds like a mix between Korn and Five Finger Death Punch.
Would have been cool and edgy 25 years ago...but sounds super dated and generic in 2023.
Portals is middle of the road. The thing I liked about Melanie is that she always leaned 100% into the theming on each track on her first two albums. Love it or hate it, she bought in completely to the concept. Music/lyrics/mixing were generally cohesive. This album - not so much.
Death, Void, Tunnel Vision, Battle of the Larynx and Evil are noteworthy and interesting tracks that fit in with the dissonant vocal effects.
The Contortionist - has to be a leftover from K-12. It absolutely does ... read more
Nothing at all like the legendary band that would emerge, this first album has a few decent tracks but certainly fits within the realm of bubblegum synthpop. The real gold of this album is it serves as a palate cleanser of sorts for how great this band actually is. Wow, so glad Vince Clarke left and Martin Gore stepped in as lead songwriter. I'm not sure there has been such a fortuitous change in direction in a band's history, save for maybe Pink Floyd/Syd Barrett?
The back half of the album ... read more
Really strong album. Has a classic thrashy sound mixed with hardcore vocals, and modern production and mixing elevate it a bit above other similar sounding albums. A bit derivative in places, perhaps, but overall a solid pummeling album.
Perfect album for a session at the gym.
Favorite track(s): Relic of Damnation, ULCER, Crucified Heathen Scum
Just listened twice. I really wanted to like this more than it turned out I did. The build up was there, but there is absolutely no release, just a build up to the precipice of thrashiness, followed by a return to mid tempo droning. Kirk's guitar parts are lazy, at best. And 8 minutes? There's no progression here, just repetition of build up to mid tempo break. Not impressed, overall a very average and forgetful Metallica single.
Meh...nothing notable here. Lazy beats, fine singing from Rosalia but nothing spectacular like Motomami. Not much else to say, really.
It has taken me two years of owning this album to get past the first two tracks. Today was the day I decided to commit to seeing this thing through to the end.
My only real takeaway from this album is it is committed in its lack of commitment to anything structural, functional, or emotional. There are moments within (i.e. beginning of track 3) that I thought I was finally grasping onto the vibe of this album, but it was all a ruse.
I find this album highly pretentious. As much as I try to ... read more
The lyric "No it don't get better than, better than this" occurs at 15 seconds into the first song, and is the most accurate statement on this album. They're right, it definitely does not get better than this...
Only listen if you need music for self-flagellation.
How does one review this album without falling into the trap of hating/loving it before even listening? I guess this is a question that plagues reviewers' of most successful bands. That said, I really don't have a strong opinion of Fall Out Boy. I think they are OK...they have some catchy tunes, but most of their output falls away into the ether for me. They seem to front load their albums without fail, which is kind of nice but is really telling of this band overall. They have the chops to ... read more
Only in Amerika was a complete and utter failure on all aspects. So the band got kicked off their boy band heavy label, shed a few members that contributed the G in g-punk, and Jahred decided this was the album in which he wanted to get back at the man by writing the absolute worst F***ing songs that he could write. Misogynistic for no reason and angry at everything, this is hed pe at their absolute rock bottom. This is it...the sewer of albums.
I own every other Hed pe album. I tend to like ... read more
Not sure how I missed this album when it came out...put it on expecting to skim over each song but didn't even come close to pressing next. Captivating from the first note to the last. A must listen to be sure.
Favorite track(s): Gorilla, Silhouette, X
Yawn. I really liked Plastic Hearts...this one, not so much. MIley can certainly sing and has talent to put out really thoughtful, artistic albums, yet she hasn't really ever hit a homerun. This is more of the same...violet chemistry and jaded are good and have some staying power, but I'm not sure they would even go on my 2023 playlist (and nearly everything get on there). Just unremarkable music. What is up with the guest artist spots? Brandi Carlisle seems really under-utilized. The Sia song? ... read more
Revisiting this album after listening to Memento Mori. Time has only improved this album for me. Every song is legendary. This album, and Depeche Mode was my first "favorite" band. I was 8 years old when this came out and I still remember seeing Enjoy the Silence on MTV. Changed my world...it was the first day I really noticed and felt music. From then on it has been a slippery slope of cassette tape, record and CD collecting/hoarding. But it all started with this band and this ... read more
Brooding, slow(ish) finnish melodic black metal. Approachable, yet menacing, like that mall Santa Claus your parents made you visit when you were young that now lives in your nightmares. Or was that just me?
Anyway, I dig this album...it is real brooding and has interesting enough variation in rhythm and instrumentals to keep my attention through the whole thing, whereas usually the monotony of black metal is a problem for me. So I guess maybe this is a good starter album for people who don't ... read more
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Recent Review Comments
On Systematic - Somewhere in Between
"@llamaqwerty feel like it's pretty generic metal. Weak nu metal i guess. I saw these guys open for good bands a bunch back in the day and they never impressed me all that much, so went with the most generic typology i could think of at the time i reviewed it."
On By Storm - My Ghosts Go Ghost
"@OnsPascal Everyone digests music differently. Like I said, I respect the artistic merit here, just not for me, probably for the exact reason that you provide here. Doesn't mean I shouldn't share my thoughts."
On HomeSession3's review of Soen - Reliance
"@HomeSession3 nice review. Agree on a lot of points, and I like the straightforward alt-metal sound, but found it a bit conservative given their talent. I wish they would lean just a bit more into their prog roots and juice the instrumentals a bit."
On Systematic - Somewhere in Between
"@Kendrickgoatedg they were contemporaries... but yeah, pretty close in sound. I think they were trying to hit a nu metal version of soundgarden. Maybe a bit better musically but a bit generic."
On Hayley Williams - EGO
"@Killuah K Stan"
On DJ-SLIM's review of Norman North - Over the Influence
"LOL I almost added this last Friday but felt the same way."
On Bugeater_'s review of Squid - Cowards
"Agree 💯. The Narrator is still stuck in my head, nothing from this album is anywhere near as innovative and has the ear candy that the first album had."
On Orgone - Pleroma
"@Pangota72 💯 more people need to appreciate this masterpiece. 6 months in and it only keeps growing on me."
On Ethel Cain - Perverts
"Makes more sense re Dr. Luke. That dude ruins everything."
On Andwella - World's End
"@parannemi Thanks! It's airways fun stumbling on an old hidden gem like this album. I felt like it needed someone to pay homage."
On Alkymist - UnnDerr
"@chemjay300 even their tiny cookies are awesome."
On NTTR's review of VOLA - Friend of a Phantom
"You were spot on with the similar bands! Maybe a little Soen in there as well."
On Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD"
"@Zackhy the last three minutes were awesome! I get that layering sounds too create the end stage of each song is a process and I respect that. I'm sure that my opinion would change drastically after seeing them live."
On 40 Watt Sun - Little Weight
"@Doofy Fair point. I will leave this one in the rotation for a bit to see if it grows on me."
On Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God
"@leoxmi You're right, I should. My favorite Nick Cave song is the Passenger off the Batman Forever soundtrack...I'll check out some of the early/mid-90s albums."
On Orville Peck - Stampede
"@dasturbo totally agree. With the right manager he could end up a legend in alt country. Just needs to steer clear of all the pop country industry nonsense."
On The Marías - Submarine
"🤷♂️ I didn't expect to be a citric but I'm not feeling this one."
On Maggie Lindemann - HEADSPLIT
"Cool. I'm going to have to check out the first two albums. Thanks!"
On DiceBloke's review of (Hed) P.E. - DETOX
"the self-titled album is much better. The lyrics are still a liability but the music has a lot more originality and funk to it. There were some good musicians in the original line-up, but they're all gone by now. It is tough to put the self-titled album in any one genre, but this album is kind of a one-trick pony."
On DiceBloke's review of (Hed) P.E. - DETOX
"Lyrics have been a problem with this band for its whole existence."
On Inherus - Beholden
"I have to be honest with you, XsVrits...I don't know what you're trying to convey with your statement here."
On The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony
"Yeah, maybe t's not so much the harmonies as it is the actual lead vocals remind me of a mix of weird Al and Tiny Tim. The harmonies are actually decent, but that only exacerbates the weak lead vocals. Maybe that's my issue with it. I don't know, every time I turn this on to try to analyze it I just get a visceral reaction to something in the vocals."
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