The Album Review Thread

[SaShman]

Ya snooze ya lose @Afterglow

Post your album reviews here.

Hysterics - Rolo Tomassi

Very rarely do I come across an album so original and just plain great as this album. This album is a roller coaster of sound which shifts in mood, tone and rhythm extremely frequently keeping everything fresh and brilliant.
With that said though, this album is not for everyone. If you are after singalong choruses or something chilled, you probably won't find it here.

The album is well constructed and blends together very well; almost seamlessly in some areas as is the case of the first two tracks; 'Oh, Hello Ghost' and 'I Love Turbulence'. You may even have some trouble determining when one track ends and another begins on the first time listening.

Imagine hardcore screams and growls accompanied by chaotic, a-tonal guitars and odd time signatures interlaced with smooth, jazz inspired breakdowns, soft clean vocals. Now add a synth element to the mix which provides everything from ambient sounds to chiptune/'tetris-sy' sounding riffs and you have a fraction of what this album has to offer.

I can't really fault it for anything so I'm giving it a 10/10. Identifying stand out tracks is a bit difficult as there is so much greatness. Also most of the tracks fit together with each other, so it would make little sense to single them out.

Give it a listen..

10/10

 

[Sexy Beast]

Living Things - Linkin Park

In 2010, the Sextet Rock Band, Linkin Park shocked us. Their album A Thousand Suns turned out to be quite the shocker in his sound and its song structure. Fans perceived it as a “disappointment”, while others praised the band for their advancement of their style. Now, we fast forward one year and nine months, and we have their latest release Living Things

The album opens up with a hard-hitting track called Lost In The Echo. The song itself opens up with a similar fashion that A Thousand Suns had. As soon as the half-minute intro ends, Mike Shinoda’s vintage, and favorable rapping kicks in with a finesse that only he can dish out. Into the Chorus, Chester’s remarkable vocals take over. In contrast to his alternative-sounding vocals, and Shinoda’s raps, these two coexist in a coherent unit. By halfway into the track, an electronic, almost techno breakdown is introduced. This is the point of the song where Chester’s voice becomes much more aggressive, and adds to the overwhelming emotion the track gives. In my mind, this track is the best opening, and defines how far they’ve come.

As we continue into the album, the second track is pushed into our faces. In My Remainsis a very radio-friendly track. It has a majority of Chester’s vocals, mainly on the softer sides he holds. The absence of Mike Shinoda’s raps is apparent, but he delivers with his own set of vocals. As mentioned, this is a very radio-friendly, alternative-sounding, track that deals with, as the title says, what’s in your remains of your soul and mind. This track in general gives the listener a great chance to rest up from the hard-hitting song that is Lost in the Echo. This track is not the highlight of the album, but it is not a bad addition. Sets the feel of the album perfectly, if you ask me.

The third track, Burn it Down delivers in every sense of the word. Not only is it the first single off of Living Things, but it’s also a personal favorite of mine. The very clear techno beat combined with the drumming of Rob Bourdon produces a great beat throughout the track. Again, this is another song that is focused on the lighter side of Chester’s vocals, but about half-way, we are surprised by a little snippet of Shinoda’s notorious rapping. In closing, this track delivers radio-quality music, but also living up to Linkin Park style.

Our next track is, most likely, my favorite of the entire album. Lies, Greed, Misery is, at its core, a very fun song. It’s the type of track that some would find a groove to dance too. It’s another track that just makes you feel good despite its rather grim themes it bares. This is also another track that takes advantage of Shinoda’s rapping, and also takes advantage of Chester’s versatile vocal range. This means that at parts you hear him doing a mildly-aggressive melody, but near the end, he busts out the aggressive vocals that fans know and love.

The fifth track, I’ll Be Gone, is a half-half kind of situation for me. On one hand we get early shades of the Linkin Park we remember, but then there’s a certain aspect that it seems cheesy lyrically-speaking. More specifically, it’s in the chorus. It just sounds like they didn’t really try when writing this. I’m not saying this to take away from the entire album, as one track does not make a whole album. I will say this, however. I would say this track is the weakest one of the entire record. It’s still good, just not as good as some of the others.

The sixth track, Castle of Glass, is just like I’ll Be Gone. On one sense, it has a fantastic sound, instrumentally. However, lyrically-speaking, it is lacking in certain areas. Much like how “Crawling” was, it has a bit of a cheesy lyrical-content. However, I will commend LP for using Shinoda in this track that is not rapping. It shows how versatile his talent is. A nice beat opens the song, and a constant flow of the entire song, AND the album in general does not fade, but rather keeps a great consistency. So, I don’t love this song, but I like it.

Ah, Victimized is just like Lost in The Echo. It’s a hard-hitter, and takes advantage Shinoda’s versatile talent , and Bennington’s aggressive growling vocals. In the background, you hear a weird distorted guitar, and along with the pounding drumming of Bourdon, it makes it whole. My only qualm with this song is its shortness. A great song that delivers such completion just needed to be a bit longer. I think, if it had an extra minute and a half, a lot more could have been done. Perhaps a digital breakdown or something like that would of fit in perfectly.

The eighth track, Roads Untraveled, is the softest track of the album. Such tender vocals from Shinoda at the end. The combination of a triangle, piano, cello, and occasional drumming really adds to the tenderness of the song not only musically, but lyrically. On the subject of the lyrics, it’s so simple, but I believe it works. About a little past the halfway mark, guitars, and the combined melodies of Bennington and Shinoda kick in. Then, as the chaotic middle part ends, we are introduced with a semi-solo of Bennington’s tender vocals. This song just hits the heart on a very deep, emotional level that you can’t help but feel affected by it.

Skin To Bones is our ninth track. By this point, we have entered a phase of the album that includes another aspect of Linkin Park’s style that we all love. The fact they experimented hugely with this track, with not only sounds, but arrangements makes the tone of the album all the more sweeter. This is another track that focuses on Shinoda’s vocals. It’s surprising that they used his vocals more than his actual raps, but it still doesn’t take away from how finely-tuned this song and the album is. Truly a masterpiece.

Our tenth track, Until It Ends, gives us the early shades that brought Linkin Park to us in the beginning of the 2000 decade. Truly a nu-metal track has hit us near the end of the album. With some interesting sounds in the background, we are not taken away from Shinoda’s intense raps, as he delivers perfection, as always. In the middle, we have Bennington’s mildly-aggressive vocals, but then brought back to Shinoda’s raps. This is truly a song for the nostalgiafags that miss old LP.

Track eleven is Tinfoil, and an instrumental. It gives our ears a little break to admire their work in this album. With a combination of pianos, some mixed beats, and other sampled works, it’s a nice, and relaxing piece. This definitely gives a good break before the last track.

The cool thing about Powerless is that it carries over from Tinfoil. It doesn’t even disrupt the sound. It’s like Tinfoil IS the intro to Powerless, and as such, it doesn’t cut off. If this isn’t a perfect ending song to an album, then I don’t know what is. If this isn’t a wonderful end to such a wonderful album, then you must not be listening to the same album I am. With the combo of the mixed beats, and the keys of the piano in a lesser volume in the background adds to Bennington’s vocals, and the interesting lyrical-content that we are presented with.

Overall, this album is great. For nostalgiafags that wanted the old LP or new listeners who are looking for a great album to get their grubby little paws on, then Living Things is for you. It combines the new, the old, and a little something in-between for all to enjoy.

Overall Arrangement: 9/10
Overall Song Structure: 8/10
Overall Lyrical-Content: 7.5/10
Overall Vocal Melodies: 8/10
Overall Enjoyment: 9/10
Overall Score: 41.5/50---83/100---8/10= B+

 

[seddy-0]

I can be a regular poster here as i do an internet radio show and do album reviews.

my latest p.o.d. - murdered love

this is the latest installment by the christian influenced socal rap metalists p.o.d. unliek thier last album, this one takes an old school approach going back to their old style. most notable tracks are eyez and lost in forever that stand out to me. this album just like their progression finds the band being able to not be out in the open with their influence of christianity, music is indeed positive portrayed. if you are a or was a p.o.d. fan, this album is a must check out.
the album opens up with eyez, the song comes right at you as they get right into the music, no special build up, just in your face, here we are..lets do it. eyez even features guest vocals from hatebreed's vocalist jamey jasta. it keeps the heaviness going all through till west coast rock steady, featuring b-real from cypress hill. a great mix and def. a great hip hop/rock feel. the albums last track leaves you with a great feel, its a song about no matter what has happened to you.. that you can still rise up.. the song is called I am.


my overal rating for this song is 8.5/10 great music, great song writting, but my only con is at times it starts to sound like a lot of albums in previous, musically. some riffs do sound recycled, but still it is a very very enjoyable cd and i suggest it to everyone.