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Aug. 15th, 2005 11:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dramacomicComing to you live from the downloaded client (that's the only way I'm going to start updating again, seeing as I get distracted easily when I turn on my computer)
Artist: Alter Bridge
Album: One Day Remains
Rating: 7.5/10
You May Have Heard: Open Your Eyes
Recommended: Down to My Last
Fan Success: Modest, which compared to Creed (from whence they were spawned), is a welcome change. The focus is thankfully on the artistry instead of the pomposity.
Artistic Success: While the temptation is there to love them better than Creed, it does leave a slight margin open for improvement. In all fairness, the comparisons to Creed should be abolished, as One Day Remains recalls more of Soundgarden than most Audioslave does. The guitar work never ceases to impress, however, so they're still at least interested in being slightly larger than life. It'll be interesting to see if they stick with it.
Artist: Atomship
Album: The Crash of 47
Rating: 5/10
You May Have Heard: Pencil Fight, Time for People (from the Punisher Soundtrack)
Recommended: Agent Orange
Fan Success: Unsure... they toured with some of the big guns like Evanescence, so they at least had exposure.
Artistic Success: The band is extremely talented, especially in the rhythm and percussion departments. Try listening to nothing but the drumming in this album, and you'll be pretty astounded. Lyrically, however, they completely fail to connect and only manage to alienate, especially when out of nowhere they yell a parental imitation of "Can't you see I'm fucking cooking?!" Certain songs such as "Agent Orange" seem to be saying something a little bit more than "I've got no people for killing time, so I found time for killing people." Directionless, but talented, nonetheless. Maybe the obscure will grow on us.
Artist: Edgewater
Album: South of Sideways
Rating: 7/10
You May Have Heard: Eyes Wired Shut (from the Punisher Soundtrack)
Recommended: Science of It All
Fan Success: No, but we still like them
Artistic Success: It makes for a great listen, but not throughout. Pretty much all of the songs have strong points, with few weak points, but they make it tough to pace - you could listen to the album on random and it would not feel like the flow was being interrupted. The vocals do manage to captivate and the riffs are well plucked through tracks like "Story Of..." and slower number "Circles", making this a nice little booster to WindUp's roster. Makes you wish a band with their name had just slightly more "edge".
Artist: Seven Wiser
Album: Seven Wiser
Rating: 4/10
You May Have Heard: Take Me As I Am, Sick (from the Punisher Soundtrack)
Recommended: Good As You Think
Fan Success: Perhaps those few people (such as myself) who latched onto them after listening to the Punisher Soundtrack. (Catching on a theme? You think it was produced by WindUp, who unfortunately dropped Seven Wiser shortly after this release)
Artistic Success: While this album is quite a joy of a rip roaring rock listen, it lacks a lot in the originality department. It sounds delilberately censored in some places (I have yet to find anywhere where it actually lists uncensored lyrics to "Sick"), and deliberately like a mix between Linkin Park and Nickelback in others. Some of you may be right at home with that, and after listening to the opening track "Life", you are pretty much hooked. By the end of it, though, you're left thinking that you've listened to a slightly subpar effort, and one that I happen to like very much.
Artist: Submersed
Album: In Due Time
Rating: 9/10
You May Have Heard: Hollow, In Due Time
Recommended: To Peace, Piano Song
Fan Success: Like most of these Wind Up kids, they're keeping it to the stage.
Artistic Success: After a slew of Wind Up newcomers, I decided that these guys were my favorites. Their guitar riffs simply soared a lot higher, as did the pitchshifting vocals with unexpected falsettos. Not since Injected have I listened to a debut album which seemed already ready for the arenas. "To Peace" is easily one of my favorite songs from a new band of 2004. These songs certainly belie the slightly mediocre track they rushed to the Punisher Soundtrack - "Complicated", and it only seems mediocre in this retrospective comparison.
Artist: 12 Stones
Album: Potter's Field
Rating: 9.5/10
You May Have Heard: Far Away
Recommended: Photograph
Fan Success: Perhaps? I'm not sure if people were expecting something with a bit more of the "Bring Me To Life" edge in it, but then again, expectations should never equal result.
Artistic Success: Definitely - Paul McCoy has a captivating and even sexy vocal style that provides many more arresting moments than the self-titled debut did. The band is much more together as well, knowing how to deliver the goods in both fast tracks and slow ones. Albeit, the second half of the album is much slower than the first, but 12 Stones will certainly not be leaving you "Lifeless".
Artist: Drowning Pool
Album: Desensitized
Rating: 3/10
You May Have Heard: Step Up (yep, also from the Punisher Soundtrack)
Recommended: Bringing Me Down
Fan Success: Nope. Seemed to fall a bit flat.
Artistic Success: Nope. If this was supposed to be a tribute to Dave Williams (now deceased), they're going to have to do better. It's quite difficult to do a second album in the first place, with the added difficulty of having to adjust to a new vocalist, but Sinner at least had a spastic mosh-inducing catharsis to it. Desensitized is exactly how you end up feeling about Drowning Pool. After the gratiuitous cover imagery and the bland mishmash of songs, you can tell that they did have the energy, they just didn't have the chops this time around.
Artist: Alter Bridge
Album: One Day Remains
Rating: 7.5/10
You May Have Heard: Open Your Eyes
Recommended: Down to My Last
Fan Success: Modest, which compared to Creed (from whence they were spawned), is a welcome change. The focus is thankfully on the artistry instead of the pomposity.
Artistic Success: While the temptation is there to love them better than Creed, it does leave a slight margin open for improvement. In all fairness, the comparisons to Creed should be abolished, as One Day Remains recalls more of Soundgarden than most Audioslave does. The guitar work never ceases to impress, however, so they're still at least interested in being slightly larger than life. It'll be interesting to see if they stick with it.
Artist: Atomship
Album: The Crash of 47
Rating: 5/10
You May Have Heard: Pencil Fight, Time for People (from the Punisher Soundtrack)
Recommended: Agent Orange
Fan Success: Unsure... they toured with some of the big guns like Evanescence, so they at least had exposure.
Artistic Success: The band is extremely talented, especially in the rhythm and percussion departments. Try listening to nothing but the drumming in this album, and you'll be pretty astounded. Lyrically, however, they completely fail to connect and only manage to alienate, especially when out of nowhere they yell a parental imitation of "Can't you see I'm fucking cooking?!" Certain songs such as "Agent Orange" seem to be saying something a little bit more than "I've got no people for killing time, so I found time for killing people." Directionless, but talented, nonetheless. Maybe the obscure will grow on us.
Artist: Edgewater
Album: South of Sideways
Rating: 7/10
You May Have Heard: Eyes Wired Shut (from the Punisher Soundtrack)
Recommended: Science of It All
Fan Success: No, but we still like them
Artistic Success: It makes for a great listen, but not throughout. Pretty much all of the songs have strong points, with few weak points, but they make it tough to pace - you could listen to the album on random and it would not feel like the flow was being interrupted. The vocals do manage to captivate and the riffs are well plucked through tracks like "Story Of..." and slower number "Circles", making this a nice little booster to WindUp's roster. Makes you wish a band with their name had just slightly more "edge".
Artist: Seven Wiser
Album: Seven Wiser
Rating: 4/10
You May Have Heard: Take Me As I Am, Sick (from the Punisher Soundtrack)
Recommended: Good As You Think
Fan Success: Perhaps those few people (such as myself) who latched onto them after listening to the Punisher Soundtrack. (Catching on a theme? You think it was produced by WindUp, who unfortunately dropped Seven Wiser shortly after this release)
Artistic Success: While this album is quite a joy of a rip roaring rock listen, it lacks a lot in the originality department. It sounds delilberately censored in some places (I have yet to find anywhere where it actually lists uncensored lyrics to "Sick"), and deliberately like a mix between Linkin Park and Nickelback in others. Some of you may be right at home with that, and after listening to the opening track "Life", you are pretty much hooked. By the end of it, though, you're left thinking that you've listened to a slightly subpar effort, and one that I happen to like very much.
Artist: Submersed
Album: In Due Time
Rating: 9/10
You May Have Heard: Hollow, In Due Time
Recommended: To Peace, Piano Song
Fan Success: Like most of these Wind Up kids, they're keeping it to the stage.
Artistic Success: After a slew of Wind Up newcomers, I decided that these guys were my favorites. Their guitar riffs simply soared a lot higher, as did the pitchshifting vocals with unexpected falsettos. Not since Injected have I listened to a debut album which seemed already ready for the arenas. "To Peace" is easily one of my favorite songs from a new band of 2004. These songs certainly belie the slightly mediocre track they rushed to the Punisher Soundtrack - "Complicated", and it only seems mediocre in this retrospective comparison.
Artist: 12 Stones
Album: Potter's Field
Rating: 9.5/10
You May Have Heard: Far Away
Recommended: Photograph
Fan Success: Perhaps? I'm not sure if people were expecting something with a bit more of the "Bring Me To Life" edge in it, but then again, expectations should never equal result.
Artistic Success: Definitely - Paul McCoy has a captivating and even sexy vocal style that provides many more arresting moments than the self-titled debut did. The band is much more together as well, knowing how to deliver the goods in both fast tracks and slow ones. Albeit, the second half of the album is much slower than the first, but 12 Stones will certainly not be leaving you "Lifeless".
Artist: Drowning Pool
Album: Desensitized
Rating: 3/10
You May Have Heard: Step Up (yep, also from the Punisher Soundtrack)
Recommended: Bringing Me Down
Fan Success: Nope. Seemed to fall a bit flat.
Artistic Success: Nope. If this was supposed to be a tribute to Dave Williams (now deceased), they're going to have to do better. It's quite difficult to do a second album in the first place, with the added difficulty of having to adjust to a new vocalist, but Sinner at least had a spastic mosh-inducing catharsis to it. Desensitized is exactly how you end up feeling about Drowning Pool. After the gratiuitous cover imagery and the bland mishmash of songs, you can tell that they did have the energy, they just didn't have the chops this time around.
