You have to listen to this

FaSho · 01-01-2009, 10:34 PM

Sorry, but I'm really hating the first half of this album. I'll review in full after I finish.

4ZZZ · 01-01-2009, 11:53 PM

Where as I am finding it very interesting indeed. It is going to be interesting to see the differing views and that, my fellow Music Banters, is what makes our obsession so wonderful.

Roygbiv · 01-02-2009, 11:06 AM

Can't wait for the next album : )

Sneer · 01-02-2009, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackhammer

I am going to post an album from my collection and instead of me doing the reviewing, I want YOU fellow MB'ers to review it instead. Once every fourteen days I will post an album, PM me for usual details and a link to the album then review away. Even if you hate the album you may still hear something outside of your comfort zone. Here is the first choice:

Flaming Tsunamis - Fear Everything

EDIT: A clue it's very noisy but it has horns' too!

Could you pm me this?

Demonoid · 01-02-2009, 12:47 PM

Ok, here's what I thought after listening to it few times -

The Good:

They've got a lot of ideas floating around here. I like the fact that they screw around with genres. The music itself is completely chaotic and unpredictable! I mean, ska, punk, hardcore, metal, funk, jazz, even some reggae in there. And many unexpected events, like tempo changes and the circus themes, which added to the experience, in a good way.

The Bad:

Some of the core-ish/metal intros sounded a bit generic. Once the twist does occur though, you catch on. One thing I disliked was when they would scream some line or something all of a sudden, near the end of each track. Wasn't exactly a bad thing, but most of it didn't go all that well either. Lines such as the "lalalala" part in Bird-watching, "Homogonize the earth so no matter where you go you're in America" in fear everything and so on and so forth.

1. The ritalin conspiracy
I loved the horn arrangements here. The core/metalish intro reminds me of meshuggah, but the horns are just WIN. An early highlight me thinks.

2. Bird-watching and vice versa
A great track, except for the lalalala part. Some strange twists and turns, that's for sure

. Love it, when those sorta things happen. Most of the transitions were sudden, but still smooth enough and didn't spoil the track at all. In fact, the entire charm about the album is it's unpredictable nature

.

3. Corpse disposal for dummies
Starts off the usual way, with some technical bits, but the middle part is soo damn catchy

. Again goes back the way it started, but that didn't spoil it for me. I would re-listen for the middle part alone.

4. Fear everything
Again, same formula as the first half, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as I have found out. I liked the riffing here a bit more, but like I said earlier, I could do without the repeated screams at the end.

5. The great red cross robbery
For some reason, I didn't like the horn arrangements here, but great riffing and a fierce intro saves it quite a bit. Still though, not amongst my favorite.

6. If you really love me
Nice funky-kinda bass intro, and the middle sections makes you come back for more. Funny lyrics

. A nice solo as well. Liked it quite a bit.

7. The first rule
A catchy dub twist in the middle, but I could do without the "Bomb the white house part" part. Spoiled it somewhat for me.

8. Satan vs. the united states of america
Phew, for once, the line near the end didn't put me off. Funny track, with somewhat similar formula; This one is a bit more strait up hardcore-punk + Ska without too much of a twist.

9. world of chaos
Funky, catchy intro. But before you even know it, the track descends into chaos, with a weird dance-able kinda feel, which isn't a bad thing at all. Liked it quite a bit.

10. Bennett brauer
A bit too short and random. But I guess a necessity after following a similar formula so far. (other than a couple of exceptions)

11. weaug, teaug, peaug (the powder of life) - Another nice reggae twist, which is quite welcoming. Great track, to change the mood a bit although the intensity does pick up later.

12. **** piss die - Great way to end it all. Nice breakdowns here! Quite fierce and I think this might be my favorite from the album. Intense to say the least.

Highlights: The ritalin conspiracy, bird-watching and vice versa, If you really love me, world of chaos, **** piss die.

Overall: I'd give it a 7/10, but in terms of actual enjoyability, I'd say 8/10 as this definitely was a fun listen! I wouldn't mind re-listening again in the future. But there's still a lot of areas they could improve on which is why I'd give it a 7. The riffs seemed a bit generic at times. The vocals could use some improvement, although none of it put me off. The screaming part can change a bit as well, or maybe it's only me and I need to get used to it. Oh well, at least they tried to change it up a bit, which I'll always appreciate. A nice addition which would definitely get more listens in the future.

Alfred · 01-02-2009, 02:21 PM

Okay here we go, I'm writing it as I listen to it:

The Ritalin Conspiracy: It's a deadly combination of free jazz and bad metalcore. I like chaotic music, but this is awful. Stop changing the beat too. This track is pretty bad. Didn't make my stomach churn though, oddly.

Bird-Watching and Vise Versa: Cool ska-y opening. I enjoy the horns here. Then it takes a turn into that same bad metalcore we heard on the first track. It's not as bad as it was, because this time the horns are used more effectively. It's still a little too sludgy for my taste. The ska bit about halfway is nice, but when it goes back into the slow metalcore, that's when my stomach didn't feel so good. Better, but still bad.

Corpse Disposal For Dummies: Yes! They finally succeed in blending ska and metalcore. Why? Because they don't resort to awful breakdownish sections, and once again, the horns are well used. It gets real funky about a third of the way in, and I enjoyed that. Even the really slow part sounds good, mainly thanks to the wonderful horns.

Fear Everything: This isn't bad, but the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. I love the clean singing on this track. It sounds pretty bad in some parts, but it's listenable. Politicallyricfail.

The Great Red Cross Robbery: Sounds a bit more like a straight-up ska-punk song. The metalcore isn't done too badly in this song. Check it out, yes it is. Awful breakdown alert. Oh look, let's get some more ska cred by throwing in a soft horn section. Boooooorrrrrrrriiiiiiiiinnnnngggg. Oh look, my Bad Religion download finished, can I listen to that and forget the rest of the album?

If You Really Love Me: Okay, this sounds promising. I like the instrumental hooks here. The vocals are done nicely. Ooooh, this heavier part is done really nicely. It's good to hear a more ska oriented song, this is how the rest of the album should be. The lyrics have Misfits written all over them. Solid track.

The First Rule: It's got the metalcore vocals, but it's tolerable because the beat is faster. The horn instrumental bits sound great. It's decent.

Satan vs. The United States Of America: Yet again, good ska instrumental. But wait! We can't have anymore good ska punk. METALCORE. UGGHHHH. And then it does this neat punk rock thing, before going back to some annoying yelling over a ska instrumental. Stop yelling bullshit about the system, I've heard it all before.

World Of Chaos: I know how this is gonna go, soft ska, and then metalcore. Well, not quite, it's a little better than that. The intense part is pretty solid. Love the little guitar lick when it returns to the ska. This is pretty fun.

Bennett Brauer: Awesome sample at the beginning. Decent, short hardcore track.

Weaug, Teaug, Peaug (The Powder Of Life): No no no, don't bullshit around with this mellow stuff. Wait... are they actually just gonna do a full-out ska song? This could be enjoyable. It makes the transition into a pretty nice ska-punky song. This is great track.

Shit Piss Die: Oh crap, not again. There's a few nice parts to this song, but there's a lot of the same elements in other songs on here that I disliked.

This album wasn't bad, it wasn't good, and it wasn't really mediocre either. It was annoying in some parts, good in others, and I don't really know overall. I'll give it a 5/10. Most of the tracks were dislikeable, but most had at least something enjoyable about them. The concept of ska with metalcore is kinda cool, but they sound like they're trying too hard. The thing about metalcore is that it has to be done right, or else it will certainly suck. This band should just try for a ska punk sound and drop all the metal.

jackhammer · 01-04-2009, 03:43 PM

Some contrasting views on this but it's all good. Some great reviews too. Keep it up!

Alfred · 01-04-2009, 05:56 PM

A thing I found about the album is that all too often it was the horns that saved the songs.

Demonoid · 01-05-2009, 08:00 AM

Contrasting views indeed. I just wasn't distracted by the core elements that much tbh. I'm sure all of us can safely say that without the horns, this would have been nothing. The surprise element definitely helped in boosting the score!

**Janszoon** · 01-05-2009, 09:27 AM

Sounds interesting. Can I get a PM?

01-02-2009, 11:06 AM	#23 (permalink)
Roygbiv marquee moon Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Toronto, Ontario Posts: 759	Can't wait for the next album : ) __________________ Roygbiv's Review Revue LATEST REVIEW SILENT SHOUT BY THE KNIFE

01-02-2009, 12:47 PM	#25 (permalink)
Demonoid Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 734	Ok, here's what I thought after listening to it few times - The Good: They've got a lot of ideas floating around here. I like the fact that they screw around with genres. The music itself is completely chaotic and unpredictable! I mean, ska, punk, hardcore, metal, funk, jazz, even some reggae in there. And many unexpected events, like tempo changes and the circus themes, which added to the experience, in a good way. The Bad: Some of the core-ish/metal intros sounded a bit generic. Once the twist does occur though, you catch on. One thing I disliked was when they would scream some line or something all of a sudden, near the end of each track. Wasn't exactly a bad thing, but most of it didn't go all that well either. Lines such as the "lalalala" part in Bird-watching, "Homogonize the earth so no matter where you go you're in America" in fear everything and so on and so forth. 1. The ritalin conspiracy I loved the horn arrangements here. The core/metalish intro reminds me of meshuggah, but the horns are just WIN. An early highlight me thinks. 2. Bird-watching and vice versa A great track, except for the lalalala part. Some strange twists and turns, that's for sure . Love it, when those sorta things happen. Most of the transitions were sudden, but still smooth enough and didn't spoil the track at all. In fact, the entire charm about the album is it's unpredictable nature . 3. Corpse disposal for dummies Starts off the usual way, with some technical bits, but the middle part is soo damn catchy . Again goes back the way it started, but that didn't spoil it for me. I would re-listen for the middle part alone. 4. Fear everything Again, same formula as the first half, but that's not necessarily a bad thing as I have found out. I liked the riffing here a bit more, but like I said earlier, I could do without the repeated screams at the end. 5. The great red cross robbery For some reason, I didn't like the horn arrangements here, but great riffing and a fierce intro saves it quite a bit. Still though, not amongst my favorite. 6. If you really love me Nice funky-kinda bass intro, and the middle sections makes you come back for more. Funny lyrics . A nice solo as well. Liked it quite a bit. 7. The first rule A catchy dub twist in the middle, but I could do without the "Bomb the white house part" part. Spoiled it somewhat for me. 8. Satan vs. the united states of america Phew, for once, the line near the end didn't put me off. Funny track, with somewhat similar formula; This one is a bit more strait up hardcore-punk + Ska without too much of a twist. 9. world of chaos Funky, catchy intro. But before you even know it, the track descends into chaos, with a weird dance-able kinda feel, which isn't a bad thing at all. Liked it quite a bit. 10. Bennett brauer A bit too short and random. But I guess a necessity after following a similar formula so far. (other than a couple of exceptions) 11. weaug, teaug, peaug (the powder of life) - Another nice reggae twist, which is quite welcoming. Great track, to change the mood a bit although the intensity does pick up later. 12. ** piss die - Great way to end it all. Nice breakdowns here! Quite fierce and I think this might be my favorite from the album. Intense to say the least. Highlights: The ritalin conspiracy, bird-watching and vice versa, If you really love me, world of chaos, piss die. Overall: I'd give it a 7/10, but in terms of actual enjoyability, I'd say 8/10** as this definitely was a fun listen! I wouldn't mind re-listening again in the future. But there's still a lot of areas they could improve on which is why I'd give it a 7. The riffs seemed a bit generic at times. The vocals could use some improvement, although none of it put me off. The screaming part can change a bit as well, or maybe it's only me and I need to get used to it. Oh well, at least they tried to change it up a bit, which I'll always appreciate. A nice addition which would definitely get more listens in the future. Last edited by Demonoid; 01-02-2009 at 02:27 PM.

01-02-2009, 02:21 PM	#26 (permalink)
Alfred one big soul Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 5,096	Okay here we go, I'm writing it as I listen to it: The Ritalin Conspiracy: It's a deadly combination of free jazz and bad metalcore. I like chaotic music, but this is awful. Stop changing the beat too. This track is pretty bad. Didn't make my stomach churn though, oddly. Bird-Watching and Vise Versa: Cool ska-y opening. I enjoy the horns here. Then it takes a turn into that same bad metalcore we heard on the first track. It's not as bad as it was, because this time the horns are used more effectively. It's still a little too sludgy for my taste. The ska bit about halfway is nice, but when it goes back into the slow metalcore, that's when my stomach didn't feel so good. Better, but still bad. Corpse Disposal For Dummies: Yes! They finally succeed in blending ska and metalcore. Why? Because they don't resort to awful breakdownish sections, and once again, the horns are well used. It gets real funky about a third of the way in, and I enjoyed that. Even the really slow part sounds good, mainly thanks to the wonderful horns. Fear Everything: This isn't bad, but the lyrics leave a lot to be desired. I love the clean singing on this track. It sounds pretty bad in some parts, but it's listenable. Politicallyricfail. The Great Red Cross Robbery: Sounds a bit more like a straight-up ska-punk song. The metalcore isn't done too badly in this song. Check it out, yes it is. Awful breakdown alert. Oh look, let's get some more ska cred by throwing in a soft horn section. Boooooorrrrrrrriiiiiiiiinnnnngggg. Oh look, my Bad Religion download finished, can I listen to that and forget the rest of the album? If You Really Love Me: Okay, this sounds promising. I like the instrumental hooks here. The vocals are done nicely. Ooooh, this heavier part is done really nicely. It's good to hear a more ska oriented song, this is how the rest of the album should be. The lyrics have Misfits written all over them. Solid track. The First Rule: It's got the metalcore vocals, but it's tolerable because the beat is faster. The horn instrumental bits sound great. It's decent. Satan vs. The United States Of America: Yet again, good ska instrumental. But wait! We can't have anymore good ska punk. METALCORE. UGGHHHH. And then it does this neat punk rock thing, before going back to some annoying yelling over a ska instrumental. Stop yelling bullshit about the system, I've heard it all before. World Of Chaos: I know how this is gonna go, soft ska, and then metalcore. Well, not quite, it's a little better than that. The intense part is pretty solid. Love the little guitar lick when it returns to the ska. This is pretty fun. Bennett Brauer: Awesome sample at the beginning. Decent, short hardcore track. Weaug, Teaug, Peaug (The Powder Of Life): No no no, don't bullshit around with this mellow stuff. Wait... are they actually just gonna do a full-out ska song? This could be enjoyable. It makes the transition into a pretty nice ska-punky song. This is great track. Shit Piss Die: Oh crap, not again. There's a few nice parts to this song, but there's a lot of the same elements in other songs on here that I disliked. This album wasn't bad, it wasn't good, and it wasn't really mediocre either. It was annoying in some parts, good in others, and I don't really know overall. I'll give it a 5/10. Most of the tracks were dislikeable, but most had at least something enjoyable about them. The concept of ska with metalcore is kinda cool, but they sound like they're trying too hard. The thing about metalcore is that it has to be done right, or else it will certainly suck. This band should just try for a ska punk sound and drop all the metal. __________________ LAST.FM / VINYL COLLECTION / RYM Last edited by Alfred; 03-05-2009 at 07:54 PM.

01-04-2009, 03:43 PM	#27 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	Some contrasting views on this but it's all good. Some great reviews too. Keep it up! __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”

01-04-2009, 05:56 PM	#28 (permalink)
Alfred one big soul Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 5,096	A thing I found about the album is that all too often it was the horns that saved the songs. __________________ LAST.FM / VINYL COLLECTION / RYM

01-01-2009, 11:53 PM	#22 (permalink)
4ZZZ Forever young Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Brisbane Posts: 608	Where as I am finding it very interesting indeed. It is going to be interesting to see the differing views and that, my fellow Music Banters, is what makes our obsession so wonderful.

01-05-2009, 08:00 AM	#29 (permalink)
Demonoid Music Addict Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 734	Contrasting views indeed. I just wasn't distracted by the core elements that much tbh. I'm sure all of us can safely say that without the horns, this would have been nothing. The surprise element definitely helped in boosting the score!

01-05-2009, 09:27 AM	#30 (permalink)
Janszoon Mate, Spawn & Die Join Date: May 2007 Location: The Rapping Community Posts: 24,593	Sounds interesting. Can I get a PM? __________________ A Night in the Life of the Invisible Man Time & Place 25 Albums You Should Hear Before the Moon Crashes into the Earth and We All Die last.fm