‘De-Loused
in the Comatorium’, the previous album by The Mars Volta, was a pretty dense,
complex, and at times almost inaccessible album that nonetheless won me over
with its mix of art rock grandiosity and punk rawness. On ‘Francis the Mute’,
the band manages the difficult feat of making ‘De-Loused’ sound like pop music
by comparison. ‘Francis’ is broken up into 5 tracks, with three of those tracks
further divided into additional sections or movements. It’s like the MC5 kickin’
out the jams on some Amon Duul 2 tunes. And as if that weren’t uncommercial
enough, the band also includes several lengthy passages of white noise and sound
effects, so that the 70+ minute running time is closer to 50 minutes of actual
music. Any band that truly experiments and pushes boundaries runs a risk, and
The Mars Volta is just that sort of band. While I don’t think ‘Francis the
Mute’ ultimately ranks as a resounding success, it’s far from a failure. I like
the album, but I can see how many people would find it too weird and self
indulgent. (Bob Ignizio)
Wow, this makes
two “metal core” albums I’d actually consider buying if they hadn’t been sent to
me (the other being Strength in Numbers) this year. Either I’ve just heard so
much of this stuff that I’m starting to like it, or I’m finally hearing the
right bands. In this case, I feel pretty confident that it’s the last option.
Mercury Switch doesn’t really stick with the clichés of the metal core genre.
Sure, there are plenty of death metal riffs and a fair amount of barking and
growling alternated with more melodic vocals (courtesy of two vocalists, of
course), but the arrangements are adventurous, showing a welcome disregard for
the “rules”. It’s more like a mix of ‘Angel Dust’ era Faith No More, Mastodon,
The Mars Volta, and Opeth. I don’t know, but there’s definitely some prog rock
influences in here. How else do you explain the epic 5 part “The Invitation of
The Reaper”? Other stand out tracks include “Struck by Lightin”, “Hollow Ayes”,
and “Attached at the Wrist”. However you describe this band, Mercury Switch
definitely stand out from the pack of angsty hardcore cum death metal bands who
usually gather under the metal core banner. Even the lyrics, while still a bit
on the emo side, are well written. Highly recommended for fans of heavy rock of
any stripe. Hell, this is good enough I’ll probably go out and buy their first
album. (Bob Ignizio)
Another solid album
from one of my favorite bands. Fans of the band’s earlier material should
especially enjoy lead off track “Deadwing”, a lengthy multi-part prog rock
number (featuring a guitar solo from King Crimson axman Adrian Belew) that
wouldn’t have been out of place on the ‘Signify’ album. That’s followed up by
the more straight forward modern rock number “Shallow”, the album’s first
single. It’s an okay song, but a little too standard issue for my tastes. More
satisfying in the rock vein are the funky “Halo” and the metal tinged “Open
Car”, all of which kick ass while retaining the elements that make Porcupine
Tree unique. “Lazarus” is one of those great melancholy ballads this band does
so well, featuring harmony vocals from Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt. Akerfeldt also
contributes his vocals (and a guitar solo) to “Arriving Somewhere (But Not
Here)”, a classic Porcupine Tree composition which I’d name as the album’s best
track. It’s an uptempo number with some great harmonies and a hard rocking
instrumental section in the middle. There’s also an unlisted bonus track: a new
version of “Shesmovedon”, one of the best songs from the band’s ‘Lightbulb Sun’
album. As bands like Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull proved in the past, prog rock
doesn’t have to be pretentious “musician music”. Complex arrangements, stellar
musicianship and good pop songcraft can coexist. For proof, look no further
than ‘Deadwing’. (Bob Ignizio)
Ever
wanted to write your own eulogy? Finnish band Sentenced does just that with
‘The Funeral Album’, which they describe as their “suicide note”. As with the
band’s last few releases, this is a straight forward metal/hard rock album (no
additional adjectives needed) full of melodic vocals, hooks, and morose lyrics.
The album starts off strong with the one-two punch of rockers “May Today Become
the Day” and “Ever-Frost”. The death metal fury that characterized the band’s
early work rears its head on the short instrumental “Where Waters Fall Frozen”
but quickly gives way to “Despair Ridden Hearts”, a classic metal ballad in the
vein of “Fade to Black” that even incorporates harmonica. Perhaps the
centerpiece of the album is “Consider Us Dead”, a curiously upbeat number that
sums up the theme of the album. Who would’ve thought suicide could be so fun?
The album closes with the appropriately doomy “End of the Road”. A few tracks
are just okay, but overall this is a solid album. It’s a shame Sentenced has
decided to end their run, but at least they get to go out on a high note. (Bob
Ignizio)
‘De-Loused
in the Comatorium’, the previous album by The Mars Volta, was a pretty dense,
complex, and at times almost inaccessible album that nonetheless won me over
with its mix of art rock grandiosity and punk rawness. On ‘Francis the Mute’,
the band manages the difficult feat of making ‘De-Loused’ sound like pop music
by comparison. ‘Francis’ is broken up into 5 tracks, with three of those tracks
further divided into additional sections or movements. It’s like the MC5 kickin’
out the jams on some Amon Duul 2 tunes. And as if that weren’t uncommercial
enough, the band also includes several lengthy passages of white noise and sound
effects, so that the 70+ minute running time is closer to 50 minutes of actual
music. Any band that truly experiments and pushes boundaries runs a risk, and
The Mars Volta is just that sort of band. While I don’t think ‘Francis the
Mute’ ultimately ranks as a resounding success, it’s far from a failure. I like
the album, but I can see how many people would find it too weird and self
indulgent. (Bob Ignizio)
Wow, this makes
two “metal core” albums I’d actually consider buying if they hadn’t been sent to
me (the other being Strength in Numbers) this year. Either I’ve just heard so
much of this stuff that I’m starting to like it, or I’m finally hearing the
right bands. In this case, I feel pretty confident that it’s the last option.
Mercury Switch doesn’t really stick with the clichés of the metal core genre.
Sure, there are plenty of death metal riffs and a fair amount of barking and
growling alternated with more melodic vocals (courtesy of two vocalists, of
course), but the arrangements are adventurous, showing a welcome disregard for
the “rules”. It’s more like a mix of ‘Angel Dust’ era Faith No More, Mastodon,
The Mars Volta, and Opeth. I don’t know, but there’s definitely some prog rock
influences in here. How else do you explain the epic 5 part “The Invitation of
The Reaper”? Other stand out tracks include “Struck by Lightin”, “Hollow Ayes”,
and “Attached at the Wrist”. However you describe this band, Mercury Switch
definitely stand out from the pack of angsty hardcore cum death metal bands who
usually gather under the metal core banner. Even the lyrics, while still a bit
on the emo side, are well written. Highly recommended for fans of heavy rock of
any stripe. Hell, this is good enough I’ll probably go out and buy their first
album. (Bob Ignizio)
Another solid album
from one of my favorite bands. Fans of the band’s earlier material should
especially enjoy lead off track “Deadwing”, a lengthy multi-part prog rock
number (featuring a guitar solo from King Crimson axman Adrian Belew) that
wouldn’t have been out of place on the ‘Signify’ album. That’s followed up by
the more straight forward modern rock number “Shallow”, the album’s first
single. It’s an okay song, but a little too standard issue for my tastes. More
satisfying in the rock vein are the funky “Halo” and the metal tinged “Open
Car”, all of which kick ass while retaining the elements that make Porcupine
Tree unique. “Lazarus” is one of those great melancholy ballads this band does
so well, featuring harmony vocals from Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt. Akerfeldt also
contributes his vocals (and a guitar solo) to “Arriving Somewhere (But Not
Here)”, a classic Porcupine Tree composition which I’d name as the album’s best
track. It’s an uptempo number with some great harmonies and a hard rocking
instrumental section in the middle. There’s also an unlisted bonus track: a new
version of “Shesmovedon”, one of the best songs from the band’s ‘Lightbulb Sun’
album. As bands like Pink Floyd and Jethro Tull proved in the past, prog rock
doesn’t have to be pretentious “musician music”. Complex arrangements, stellar
musicianship and good pop songcraft can coexist. For proof, look no further
than ‘Deadwing’. (Bob Ignizio)
Ever
wanted to write your own eulogy? Finnish band Sentenced does just that with
‘The Funeral Album’, which they describe as their “suicide note”. As with the
band’s last few releases, this is a straight forward metal/hard rock album (no
additional adjectives needed) full of melodic vocals, hooks, and morose lyrics.
The album starts off strong with the one-two punch of rockers “May Today Become
the Day” and “Ever-Frost”. The death metal fury that characterized the band’s
early work rears its head on the short instrumental “Where Waters Fall Frozen”
but quickly gives way to “Despair Ridden Hearts”, a classic metal ballad in the
vein of “Fade to Black” that even incorporates harmonica. Perhaps the
centerpiece of the album is “Consider Us Dead”, a curiously upbeat number that
sums up the theme of the album. Who would’ve thought suicide could be so fun?
The album closes with the appropriately doomy “End of the Road”. A few tracks
are just okay, but overall this is a solid album. It’s a shame Sentenced has
decided to end their run, but at least they get to go out on a high note. (Bob
Ignizio)