Not
sure how I managed to miss out on this band up til now, but I have. Sure, I’ve
heard the radio singles like “Going the Distance”, but for whatever reason I
never delved any deeper. Now, thanks to my mighty position as a rock critic
(please note sarcasm), I’ve been sent Cake’s latest release in its entirety.
These guys make me think of a less silly They Might Be Giants, or Phish without
the long jam sections. Like those two bands, although the music is usually
upbeat, the lyrics are often dark and/or bizarre. It’s really a sad world we
live in when a band with great melodic sensibilities and hooks that lodge in
your brain are considered “alternative”, while bland forgettable crap passes for
“pop” music. “Wheels”, the lead-off track on this album, deserves to be a hit
single. Ditto for “Dime”, “Carbon Monoxide”, and “Waiting”. And while these
previously mentioned tracks all stand out especially, almost every song on here
is excellent. I’ve seen a few other reviews that make the argument that, more
or less, this album should be dismissed because the band hasn’t really grown
beyond their early material. Whatever. If it ain’t broke (Ramones, Motorhead,
AC/DC, etc.) don’t fix it. (Bob Ignizio)
I had been both
looking forward to and dreading this release. On the one hand, I love most of
Nick Cave’s work. On the other hand, his last two albums had been pretty
disappointing. To top it off, this is a 2 disc set, and I’m not very fond of
double albums. Usually it just means a lot more filler, with one disc worth of
good material if you’re lucky. Well, Nick Cave has definitely exceeded my
expectations. ‘Abbatoir Blues’ shows Cave’s rock side, opening strongly with
“Get Ready For Love”, sure to be ranked among the best songs he’s ever done.
Although this and all the other songs are augmented by gospel backing vocals,
the production is pretty raw sounding, especially on the dissonant “Hiding All
Away”. ‘The Lyre of Orpheus’ showcases Cave’s balladic side, but that doesn’t
mean it’s commercial, as the somewhat out of tune sounding guitar accompaniment
to the title track shows right from the start. And of course, Cave is hardly
the sort to write simplistic, happy lyrics. His usual themes of obsessive love,
an indifferent God, and general doom and despair permeate both discs. I suppose
if one song from each album had been left off, what was left would have fit on
just disc. However, since the vibe is so different between the two, splitting
them up seems appropriate. Plus, I doubt Cave’s fans will find any of this to
be filler. Definitely worth buying for fans of dark pop. (Bob Ignizio)
This
reminds me a lot of late eighties to mid nineties metal bands like Fear Factory,
Pantera, Prong, Godflesh, White Zombie, and ‘Chaos A.D.’ period Sepultura.
Unfortunately, Chemical Burn simply don’t measure up. If Chemical Burn would
have come out at the same time as the artists that obviously influenced them,
they would have been also-rans. The band has talent, but the pool of influences
they draw from just isn’t deep enough to result in anything distinctive. Unless
you’re just a huge fan of this particular style of metal, there’s not much here
of interest. (Bob Ignizio)
The
never-ending evolution of Cradle of Filth continues on their latest album "Nymphetamine",
a return to indie-label status for the band (their last effort "Damnation and a
Day" was released by Sony). Well, the band seems to be none the worse for their
label "demotion" (really, did Sony ever know what the hell to do with this
band? Sure their t-shirts sell well at Hot Topic, but this kind of music is not
easy to market to a mass
audience).
Nymphetamine continues the grand Cradle tradition of vocal screeches and growls,
blasting drum breaks, and crunchy guitar riffs galore. The arrangements are
complex as usual, but the band seems to have gotten away from the sheer bombast
that bogged down "Damnation" at points. Every album, this band gets better,
tighter, and more concise in the way they put songs together, as well as in
their execution. I especially loved "Nymphetamine Overdose", where their use of
female vocals is really outstanding. Not a huge departure, but if you like
Cradle, you'll love this album. The Heathen Hippy gives it four inverted
pentagrams. (Taliesin Govannon)
Not
sure how I managed to miss out on this band up til now, but I have. Sure, I’ve
heard the radio singles like “Going the Distance”, but for whatever reason I
never delved any deeper. Now, thanks to my mighty position as a rock critic
(please note sarcasm), I’ve been sent Cake’s latest release in its entirety.
These guys make me think of a less silly They Might Be Giants, or Phish without
the long jam sections. Like those two bands, although the music is usually
upbeat, the lyrics are often dark and/or bizarre. It’s really a sad world we
live in when a band with great melodic sensibilities and hooks that lodge in
your brain are considered “alternative”, while bland forgettable crap passes for
“pop” music. “Wheels”, the lead-off track on this album, deserves to be a hit
single. Ditto for “Dime”, “Carbon Monoxide”, and “Waiting”. And while these
previously mentioned tracks all stand out especially, almost every song on here
is excellent. I’ve seen a few other reviews that make the argument that, more
or less, this album should be dismissed because the band hasn’t really grown
beyond their early material. Whatever. If it ain’t broke (Ramones, Motorhead,
AC/DC, etc.) don’t fix it. (Bob Ignizio)
I had been both
looking forward to and dreading this release. On the one hand, I love most of
Nick Cave’s work. On the other hand, his last two albums had been pretty
disappointing. To top it off, this is a 2 disc set, and I’m not very fond of
double albums. Usually it just means a lot more filler, with one disc worth of
good material if you’re lucky. Well, Nick Cave has definitely exceeded my
expectations. ‘Abbatoir Blues’ shows Cave’s rock side, opening strongly with
“Get Ready For Love”, sure to be ranked among the best songs he’s ever done.
Although this and all the other songs are augmented by gospel backing vocals,
the production is pretty raw sounding, especially on the dissonant “Hiding All
Away”. ‘The Lyre of Orpheus’ showcases Cave’s balladic side, but that doesn’t
mean it’s commercial, as the somewhat out of tune sounding guitar accompaniment
to the title track shows right from the start. And of course, Cave is hardly
the sort to write simplistic, happy lyrics. His usual themes of obsessive love,
an indifferent God, and general doom and despair permeate both discs. I suppose
if one song from each album had been left off, what was left would have fit on
just disc. However, since the vibe is so different between the two, splitting
them up seems appropriate. Plus, I doubt Cave’s fans will find any of this to
be filler. Definitely worth buying for fans of dark pop. (Bob Ignizio)
This
reminds me a lot of late eighties to mid nineties metal bands like Fear Factory,
Pantera, Prong, Godflesh, White Zombie, and ‘Chaos A.D.’ period Sepultura.
Unfortunately, Chemical Burn simply don’t measure up. If Chemical Burn would
have come out at the same time as the artists that obviously influenced them,
they would have been also-rans. The band has talent, but the pool of influences
they draw from just isn’t deep enough to result in anything distinctive. Unless
you’re just a huge fan of this particular style of metal, there’s not much here
of interest. (Bob Ignizio)
The
never-ending evolution of Cradle of Filth continues on their latest album "Nymphetamine",
a return to indie-label status for the band (their last effort "Damnation and a
Day" was released by Sony). Well, the band seems to be none the worse for their
label "demotion" (really, did Sony ever know what the hell to do with this
band? Sure their t-shirts sell well at Hot Topic, but this kind of music is not
easy to market to a mass
