Electrophonic Tonic

Ok, I uploaded the whole album onto grooveshark. It should all be there. I'll give a listen to it sometime this weekend.

bob.

hmmmm i'm not sure if fan of Spawn is correct....but i enjoyed some of the comics and loved the short lived animated series.....but absolutely hated the movie.....so i suppose there is a bit nostalgia with the subject

i had never even heard of Iced Earth until i started posting here....sooo


1) What are this albums' strengths?
i am not a fan of this type of music.....i did listen to the entire album twice and in no way shape or form did i sit there and complain to myself......however i checked the track number and length numerous times .....i even found myself tapping my fingers a few times.....still this just is not my cup of tea.....but not completely horrible
2) What are its weaknessess?
i honestly feel there is an audience for this stuff.....but for me it sounded like over used megadeath and metallica chords....combined with Iron Maiden ripped of breaks and vocal styles....combined with really cheesy and stupid lyrics which OVER dramatized an already over dramatic comic book.....and when the "singer" wasn't trying to sound like Bruce he was trying way to fucking hard to sound like that guy from Queensryche....which also really set me off
3) How does it compare to the artist's other work?
i don't think i'll ever listen to another album by them
4) Favourite songs?
they really kind of all blended together....which i suppose could be good in a "story telling" kind of way....i suppose "the hunter" would be my "favorite" song on the album
5) What feelings did this album evoke?
laughter at the over cheese of it all....like really trying way to hard to pull some kind of philosophy out of a spawn comic book....i enjoyed that....then boredom.....then anger.....then cynical laughter....then releif
6) How does this album fit into your regular rotation?
again i really do listen to amazingly bad music....so in no way am i going to try and critique the band or their "talent" for what they do.....but i have no interest in looking further into this band or ever listening to this album again
7) What stood out to you about this album's themes, musically/lyrically?
i suppose the simple fact that they really did follow the comic fairly well....but man are the lyrics over the top
8) If you've had any noteworthy experiences with this album, what have they been?
i was driving through bay area rush hour traffic while listening to it
9) What do you know about this album's creation? Any interesting facts or anecdotes?
nope
10) How does this album represent the chosen theme?
i think it represents the theme perfectly.....i just feel it was a bad choice and a bad album.....(again keep in mind that i listen to stuff like Fuckemos.....so really i'm not one to judge)
11) How does this album compare to other albums nominated for this theme?
it doesn't....it stands on its own
12) How does this album compare to others in its genre?
i am sure there are plenty of people out there that really dig this stuff
13) Can you recommend similar albums to this?
nope
14) What does this album's artwork say about it? Is it well paired with the music?
well it is a drawing of Sp[awn for whom the album is about and apparently it was commissioned by the band for the cover....so i suppose thats pretty cool....they were able to get McFarland to draw an original for their album

__________________
A kiss is the beginning of cannibalism.

Reach out, pierce the fine fabric of the sheltering sky, take repose.

Blarobbarg

Well, I picked this album out, so some of you might be wondering how I liked it... or why. Honestly, I didn't know what I was getting into. Here are my thoughts.


1) What are this albums' strengths?

Some good riffs, good vocals (if generic), fairly cohesive story. And if comic fanboyism isn't a strength, it should be.

2) What are its weaknessess?

The whole thing seems very... okay. Nothing too good, nothing horribly awful... but it's all mediocre. Many of the riffs are completely forgettable, the lyrics are downright laughable, and the vocals, as I mentioned before, are very generic, even if they are strong.

3) How does it compare to the artist's other work?

The only other album I have from them is Something Wicked Part 1, which is quite a bit better.

4) What feelings did this album evoke?

Something in between bored internet surfing and contentment with the mediocre. If those are emotions at all.

5) How does this album fit into your regular rotation?

Oh, trust me. Never again.

6) If you've had any noteworthy experiences with this album, what have they been?

I listened to this album while reading up on Cowboy Bebop, an anime with a notably awesome jazz soundtrack. Ironic.

7) How does this album represent the chosen theme?

It's a concept album, for sure. Just... not a very good one. Fine with the theme, not with the quality.

8) How does this album compare to other albums nominated for this theme?

No comparison. Shouldn't have won.

9) How does this album compare to others in its genre?

Power metal is a genre cheesier than Wisconsin, and this certainly isn't the worst, nor the cheesiest I've ever heard... but it's definitely the worst metal I've purposefully listened to in a looooong time. Better than hair metal, though.

10) Can you recommend similar albums to this?

You want cheesy metal, with powerful vocals and good riffs? For something INFINITELY better, check out Iron Maiden's Powerslave. You will not be disappointed.

14) What does this album's artwork say about it? Is it well paired with the music?

Well, it's Spawn, drawn by the actual creator... so yes it does fit.



Okay, so I shouldn't have chosen this album. I'll just say I was in a lack-of-sleep induced haze when I made my decision, which may or may not be true... I can't really remember.

This isn't quite as bad as I make it out to be... but it's so mediocre, so middle-of-the-road, that its mistakes are simply inexcusable. That almost makes it WORSE than an album that is glaringly terrible. I don't plan on listening to it again... ever.

Bottom line: I apologize for nominating the album, and am completely baffled that it won... but it was kinda fun making fun of it. And that's the best thing that came out of it.

Paedantic Basterd

Never apologize, Blarrobarg! All suggestions are valid, and yours won fair and square. My hesitance to listen is nothing personal, I've just not heard a metal album I've liked yet.

Lisnaholic

^
I`m relieved to see that you don`t have some deep emotional bond with this album, Blaobbarg, because I can`t think of anything very positive to say about it.

Metal is a genre that does nothing for me anyway, and this album was no exception: the only bits I liked were the snippets of quiet intro before the predictable, insistent barrage of drum and guitar started up. I also found the forced, desperate urgency of the vocals rather tiresome, and tbh I couldn`t be bothered to delve into the concept at all, partly because I`m not familiar with Spawn.

What does the album`s artwork say about it ?

The artwork looks to me like a slick amalgam of clichés, void of any real individuality or interest. So, yes, it does a great job of reflecting the music.

Paedantic Basterd

So, had you heard this before your nominated it, Blarrobarg, or did you know of it and suggest it because you'd been meaning to listen to it?

Blarobbarg

Hmm. I might make some suggestions on metal if you don't like it, what do you typically listen to?

Yeah, I didn't care for the album at all... I didn't absolutely hate it, like I said, but it was just background noise, not music that I actually enjoyed... too bad, I was hoping Iced Earth had more to offer.

The second one. Basically, I'm a comic book geek, and although I'm not a huge fan of Spawn I thought that a concept album based on the series would be kinda cool. And I wanted to hear some more Iced Earth since I hadn't heard much. Ah well, better luck next time.

Paedantic Basterd

Here. Give er.

Ahhhh, well, no way to assure quality there. If nobody minds, I'd like to skip this one, because the reviews are so bad, and I wasn't really looking forwards to it. I'll penalize myself 2 months if I have to.

Lisnaholic

^ Yeah, it was an interesting exercise for me too. Absolutely nothing to apologise about !

^ I`m sure nobody wants you to penalize yourself, Pedestrian. In fact I skipped a week myself, but just came back and carried on like nothing had happened. I recommend you do the same !

Paedantic Basterd

I wonder if anybody who voted for Iced Earth is actually here to talk about it and tell us why.

Maybe the club was punk'd.