| King Crimson The Power To Believe |
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 | Tracklist:
1. The Power To Believe I: A Capella
2. Level Five
3. Eyes Wide Open
4. Elektrik
5. Facts Of Life (Intro)
6. Facts Of Life
7. The Power To Believe II
8. Dangerous Curves
9. Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With
10. The Power To Believe III
11. The Power To Believe IV: Coda
| Ranking: #172 for 2003 | |
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On 5 Lists
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1 of 2 thought this review was well written
The latest album from the disgustingly talented sixth (!) lineup of King Crimson. The band is similar to the 1995-2000 "double trio" lineup but is reduced to a quartet featuring Pat Mastelotto on drums and Trey Gunn on Warr guitar (a variation of the Chapman Stick). You'd think that without the virtuoso rhythm team of Tony Levin and Bill Bruford, the overall sound would diminish. On the contrary, this is some of Crimson's heaviest music ever.
Here's a brief track-by-track review:
"The Power To Believe I":
This is the first of four movements in a suite. A very short spoken word poem, which leads into:
"Level Five":
This is like the heavy metal reprise of "Discipline". Distorted, evil guitar riffs trade over complex rhythmic polymeters in this lengthy instrumental.
"Eyes Wide Open":
KC has always been a balance of loud, crushing riffs and lighter, hippiesque ballads. This mellow song would do well on the radio. Nice lyrics from longtime frontman Adrian Belew.
"Elektrik":
This album has more instrumental work than is usual even for KC, but never disappoints. Opens with woodwinds and a quirky guitar melody, and continues for a fascinating seven minutes.
"Facts Of Life: Intro":
A brief interlude of white noise that segues into:
"Facts Of Life":
A hard-rocking satirical tune, with a nice "unison solo". Mastelotto and Gunn rock the house with their pounding rhythms.
"The Power To Believe II":
My personal favourite of the album, this is really Pat Mastelotto's piece. His layers of percussion (tabla, glockenspiel, tambourine, etc) play back and forth beautifully until the bass (Gunn seems to have inherited Tony Levin's sense of melody) and guitars come in.
"Dangerous Curves":
Another instrumental, which cruises along on a repetative 6/4 guitar riff. The rhythm section is almost techno-ish on this track, although they spice things up with constant variations and fills.
"Happy With What You Have To Be Happy With":
A downright hilarious parody of the nu-metal bands that dominate today's popular scene. Fripp's dissonant, amateurish solo is almost as amusing as the sarcastic lyrics.
"The Power To Believe III":
It's not KC without a little Crimprov (to use a Frippian expression). This is actually a live soundscape.
"The Power To Believe IV: Coda":
After several bars of atonal free-form improvisation, the album ends with a second hearing of the haiku from the beginning of the album (which is interspersed throughout the lyrics). A perfect conclusion to a great album.
Personnel:
Adrian Belew: Guitar, Voice
Robert Fripp: Guitar
Trey Gunn: Warr Guitar, Warr Fretless Guitar
Pat Mastelotto: Traps and Buttons
Overall Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
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It's better than The Construction of Light in my opinion.
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Did you mean to rate it 41/2 of 5 stars or did you mean 4 and a half out of five?
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4 and one half, obviously. From now on I'll use "4.5" instead. Don't post if you don't have anything constructive to say.
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[QUOTE=Jigglypuff]4 and one half, obviously. From now on I'll use "4.5" instead. Don't post if you don't have anything constructive to say.[/QUOTE]
I wasn't sure, I thought you were doing what Zappa did in his Freak Out review, rating it like a bajillion out of five.
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Another good review - I don't hear the magic I hear on "ITKOTCK" or "Discipline" here, but it's a good review nonetheless. I'd give this album a 3.9/5 or a 4/5.
Could you review "Red"?
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[QUOTE=BirdsOfFires]Another good review - I don't hear the magic I hear on "ITKOTCK" or "Discipline" here, but it's a good review nonetheless. I'd give this album a 3.9/5 or a 4/5.
Could you review "Red"?[/QUOTE]
If you really want me to, sure. But that'll be the last of my KC reviews, because I don't own any more albums with the exception of Three of a Perfect Pair.
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i give it 5 / 5 because I like every song on the album, King Crimson is really awesome.
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Pat Mastelotto: Traps and Buttons
what does this guy do? :confused:
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Excellent review and an even more excellent album. 
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Pat Mastelotto=Percussion.
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I'm a huge Crimson fan, however I feel the need to express my opinion here. While I understand the musical complexity of Discipline and this album, they seem to me not to be as honest as King Crimson's early and middle-era work (pre-Discipline, I suppose). The result to me is a slightly forced, almost-corny reflection of a great band.
And for the record, the lyrics to Eyes Wide Open (and pretty much everything by Belew in King Crimson) are horribly overrated. Typical fare for radio rock.
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Everyone rates this one highly is it really that good?
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
It's a huge improvement over the ConstruKction of Light but not quite King Crimson's best. The Power to Believe Part Two and Three are really cool tunes.
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
I love the way they end this album. I find it very powerful, and a great way to tie it into the beginning. This might be my favorite Crimson album. It's got everything.
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GONNA REPEAT THE CHORUS!!
I love later-day King Crimson, especially Thrak. That album rules.
| | | Album Rating: 4
Thats a sweet album, i love it.
"King Crimson" is always special
Digging: Dethklok - The Dethalbum II | | |
Is this album as cheesy as Thrak or TOAPP?
| | | Album Rating: 4.5
Those albums aren't cheesy.
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Well, in my opinion they are, but that's just me, eh?
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