Jonathan Hill

A Soapbox for Uninformed Opinions

Apr
12

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Disturbed The Sickness 10th Anniversary Edition Review

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General Information:

Artist: Disturbed
Album: The Sickness (10th Anniversary Edition)
Genre(s): Rock
Subgenres(s): Nu Metal
Released: 2000
Length: 54 minutes
Language(s): English
Label(s): Giant Records, Reprise Records

Track List:

01. Voices
02. The Game
03. Stupify
04. Down with the Sickness
05. Violence Fetish
06. Fear
07. Numb
08. Want
09. Conflict
10. Shout 2000 (Tears for Fears Cover)
11. Droppin’ Plates
12. Meaning of Life
13. God of the Mind (Bonus Track)
14. A Welcome Burden (Bonus Track)

Disturbed The Sickness Cover

Disturbed The Sickness Cover

Disturbed The Sickness 10th Anniversary Edition Review

The Sickness is the debut studio album of American rock band Disturbed. Released at the height of the nu metal trend, it skyrocketed to success on the back of catchy yet simplistic guitar riffs that descended from the groove metal sound, which the band played under the name Brawl before singer David Draiman joined the band.

The lyrical themes of anger and violence as Brawl seeped over into the bands new incarnation as Disturbed and can clearly be seen just from the song titles. On the other hand, the musical abilities of each band member are played down severely when put next to the Brawl demos which had guitar solos, intense heavy metal drumming and much more audible bass.

So what did Disturbed gain from this seemingly one-sided trade off? The most obvious answer is David Draiman, a skilful singer with a knack for writing melodies that will always catch your ear whereas original singer Erich Awalt had a gruff voice that is reminiscent of Pantera’s Phil Anselmo. Other than that, guitarist Dan Donegan and drummer Mike Wengren also contributed different programmed sound effects to many songs, most notably on Voices, The Game, Fear and Meaning of Life.

David Draiman goes on to provide some unorthodox vocal performances that range from barking noises on Voices, Violence Fetish and Conflict to a Hebrew chant on Stupify and a questionable depiction of domestic abuse that takes the form of a shouted monologue in which he portrays himself being beaten by his mother before taking his revenge on her in the bridge of Down with the Sickness (“why did you have to hit me like that, mommy/don’t do it, you’re hurting me/…/you stupid, sadistic, abusive fucking whore/how would you like to see how it feels mommy/here it comes, get ready to die”).

There are 2 minor differences between the original release and the 10th anniversary edition. The first is the inclusion of the bonus tracks (although God of the Mind was included on the 2002 international reissue) and the second is that a few of the sound effects on selected songs have been altered. The significant difference is that the volume of the recording has been increased massively and it might result in ear fatigue because of this.

As Disturbed, the band forged their own sound within the popular nu metal scene which would deflect any comparisons to Pantera. The success that they capitalised on from their transformation led to them selling over 4 million copies of The Sickness which is probably due to the albums highly accessible sound while ignoring the tendency for nu metal bands to incorporate rapping and turntable scratches.

Performers:

David Draiman: Vocals
Dan Donegan: Guitars, electronics, programming
Steve Kmak: Bass guitar
Mike Wengren: Drums, percussion, programming

External Links:

Disturbed Homepage
Disturbed on Wikipedia | The Sickness on Wikipedia

Apr
1

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Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral Review

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General Information:

Artist: Nine Inch Nails
Album: The Downward Spiral
Genre(s): Industrial, Industrial Rock
Subgenres(s): N/A
Released: 1994
Length: 105 minutes
Language(s): English
Label(s): Nothing Records, Interscope Records

Track List:

01. Mr. Self Destruct
02. Piggy
03. Heresy
04. March of the Pigs
05. Closer
06. Ruiner
07. The Becoming
08. I Do Not Want This
09. Big Man with a Gun
10. A Warm Place
11. Eraser
12. Reptile
13. The Downward Spiral
14. Hurt

Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral Cover

Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral Cover

Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral Review

The Downward Spiral is a volatile beacon of industrial music by Nine Inch Nails. Released 2 years after the break through Broken EP, it seems as though Trent Reznor forsook a lot of his rock influences in favour of raw industrial aggression which actually led to a more sonically diverse album.

Songs like Ruiner, I Do Not Want This and Eraser are all characterised by thumping industrial drum patterns, layers of processed sound effects that are incredibly hard to identify and have enough distortion and noise meshed together to make you think that you’ve blown out your speakers. The guitar is still present in these songs at times but the rock influence is significantly less pronounced when compared to Heresy or March of the Pigs, both of which have an easier structure to follow because a lot of the time the songs don’t follow a particularly strong verse/chorus format.

While challenging sounds are a given within the industrial music scene, one can’t help but question the need for or motive behind some parts of the album. Particularly the minor noise music influences heard at the end of Mr. Self Destruct, which becomes unlistenable when it devolves into a formless mess at the end, or the chaotic end to Big Man with a Gun that is so layered up and loud that the only thing that can be picked out clearly is Trent Reznor’s frenzied shouting.

This isn’t to say that the processed sounds and distortion don’t always work because for the most part it is done well and it plays a major part in making The Downward Spiral what it is. In contrast to the dense noise, Big Man with a Gun is followed up by A Warm Place which will keep you on edge the first time you hear it because you can’t help but expect a loud burst of noise to chime in out of nowhere. This doesn’t end up happening and it makes this short ambient piece the most reserved part of The Downward Spiral.

Despite the length of The Downward Spiral, it rarely feels as though anything gets dragged out and if anything should have been cut out the first thing that comes to mind are the inflammatory lyrics revolving around rape on Big Man with a Gun (“held against your forehead/I’ll make you suck it/maybe I’ll put a hole in your head”). Reptile and Hurt both have crass lyrics as well but aren’t comparable to Big Man with a Gun and aside from that, the rest seems to focus on inner turmoil one way or another and are delivered through shouts, whispers and singing – all of which get at least partially buried under the uncompromising music which was a surprising commercial success. The vocal highlight of The Downward Spiral has to be the cheerfully sarcastic singing on March of the Pigs when the piano is introduced briefly.

The technology used to produce this album has dated surprisingly well and without knowing beforehand, you can’t pinpoint it to a certain decade like you can with a lot of other electronically produced music. The Downward Spiral is the musical equivalent of a torrent of verbal abuse that encapsulates self-loathing surrounded by a relentless gourmet of industrial rhythms which makes it an ideal introduction to the genre.

Performers:

Trent Reznor: Vocals, all other instruments
Mark “Flood” Ellis: Hi-hat (Closer), synthesizer (The Becoming)
Chris Vrenna: Drums (Hurt), programming, sampling, additional drums (Burn)
Adrian Belew: Guitar (Mr. Self Destruct and The Becoming)
Danny Lohner: Guitar (Big Man with a Gun)
Andy Kubiszewski Drums (The Downward Spiral)
Stephen Perkins: Drum Loops (I Do Not Want This)

External Links:

Nine Inch Nails Homepage
Nine Inch Nails on Wikipedia | The Downward Spiral on Wikipedia

Mar
20

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The Autumn Offering Embrace the Gutter Review

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General Information:

Artist: The Autumn Offering
Album: Embrace the Gutter
Genre(s): Heavy Metal, Metalcore
Subgenres(s): Melodic Death Metal
Released: 2006
Length: 35 minutes
Language(s): English
Label(s): Victory Records

Track List:

01. Prologue
02. Decay
03. The Yearning
04. Embrace the Gutter
05. Ghost
06. Misery
07. This Future Disease
08. One Last Thrill
09. No End in Sight
10. Walk the Line
11. The Final Cut

The Autumn Offering Embrace the Gutter Cover

The Autumn Offering Embrace the Gutter Cover

The Autumn Offering Embrace the Gutter Review

Embrace the Gutter is the second album by The Autumn Offering. It features a fluid blend of metalcore and melodic death metal, a style that had gained a lot of traction by its release in 2006, but Embrace the Gutter is far from a run of the mill bandwagoning effort. There are plenty of guitar leads and tasteful solos without many of the typical hardcore breakdowns or drawn out guitar chugging sessions that can be found on albums by many of their contemporaries.

Vocalist Dennis Miller has improved a lot since the bands 2004 debut Revelations of the Unsung and while he still utilises a throaty shout, it is more accessible and easier to understand than before. His lyrics revolve around personal struggles so the mentions of decay and disease are metaphors for these things instead of being over the top and literal like in other bands.

Aside from the excellent blend of metal guitar soloing and hardcore bridges, The Autumn Offering has some tasteful clean guitar interludes on No End in Sign and One Last Thrill that would have been a brilliant third side to the band’s sound if it was utilised fully. This third side is only brought to life properly on the instrumental closer The Final Cut and features classical piano playing over the drums and guitars. This then transforms into a cinematic interlude complete with wind effects that take up about half the song before closing with one final dramatic guitar chord and drum beat.

Embrace the Gutter is an overlooked album but it is a worthy addition to the collection of melodic death metal or metalcore fans. Its short length works to its advantage and prevents it from ever becoming stale or tired and instead offers a great deal of replay value.

Performers:

Sean Robbins: Bass
Nick Gelyon: Drums
Matt Johnson: Guitar
Dennis Miller: Vocals
Tommy Church: Guitars

External Links:

The Autumn Offering on Wikipedia | Embrace the Gutter on Wikipedia
The Autumn Offering on Metal Archives | Embrace the Gutter on Metal Archives

Feb
24

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Behold the Arctopus Horrorcension Review

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General Information:

Artist: Behold the Arctopus
Album: Horrorcension
Genre(s): Heavy Metal
Subgenres(s): Progressive Metal
Released: 2012
Length: 28 minutes
Language(s): N/A
Label(s): Black Market Activities

Track List:

01. Disintegore
02. Monolithic Destractions
03. Horrorsentience
04. Deluge of Sores
05. Putrefucktion
06. Annihilvore

Behold the Arctopus Horrorscension Cover

Behold the Arctopus Horrorscension Cover

Behold the Arctopus Horrorcension Review

Horrorcension is the second round of auditory carnage by progressive metal outfit Behold the Arctopus. The songs found on their debut, Skullgrid, are mere pop songs in comparison to the 28 minutes endurance test of Horrorcension. Normally an album should be reviewed on its own merits without more than a quiet nod to another album or band but to express how far-out Behold the Arctopus have swam, drawing some comparisons with Skullgrid is hard to avoid.

While Skullgrid is certainly a difficult album, it did have some strong moments thrown in the mix along with a semi-sense of structure – a motif or reference point that the band went back to before taking the music in another direction. With Horrorcension there isn’t any of this and the music if far more outlandish than whatever you might think the ridiculous song titles allure to.

The songs twist and turn in every way imaginable and make it nearly impossible to follow anything, leaving you with nothing more than a senseless cacophony of guitar screeches and percussive slaps that won’t mean anything to you. There are very few breaks from the status quo and the most noticeable are the short, merciful interludes found on Horrorsentience and Putrefucktion. The most memorable moment can be found on Annihilvore when Behold the Arctopus exchange their progressive metal frenzy for a relatively straightforward black metal sound mid song.

While Horrorcension lacks emotion due to its intense focus on the technical skills and performance of the band, it is still guaranteed to give the listener an emotional reaction, albeit it will most likely be one of disgust.

Performers:

Mike Lerner: Guitars
Colin Marston: Warr Guitars
Weasel Walter: Drums

External Links:

Behold the Arctopus Homepage
Behold the Arctopus on Wikipedia | Horrorcension on Wikipedia

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