Album Rating: 2.5
Dunno, this seems similar quality to latter day Mastodon or Kylesa to me
The middle section of this album is real bad, those other two bands aren’t recording anything as embarrassing as ‘I’d Do Anything’ or ‘Cold-blooded Angels’
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Album Rating: 3.5
So sad production on this record sucks so hard... In terms of composition I feel there are plenty of great ideas here (first listen though).
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Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off
Is there any chance, or it makes sense, to put HoF there as a close 2nd, after the Don? I'm just crazy about the band lol...
'I’d Do Anythin' is pretty bad agreed
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Album Rating: 3.5
I'd put HoF over Masto, actually. They've been nothing but consistent throughout their entire career.
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Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off
They can be more consistent...only put out one classic for me...though I feel your love for it, and don't see them as challenging or conceptual as Mastodon, in that matter.
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Every time the drums get busy on the cymbals it sounds like a cyclone.
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Album Rating: 3.5
Yes, you can probably tell by my ratings that I prefer Death Is This Communion to anything by Masto :p
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Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off
m/ toured on that one again yesterday m/ while making dinner...and walk the dog m/ I'm just one badass mofo
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Album Rating: 2.5
I think back to ‘Blue’ and the tracks like ‘O’er He’ll and Hide’ and ‘The Gnashing’ and they’ve lost all that - the best bits basically, the faster and more intriguing tempos, the bite to their attack
Bands do it. Now 50% of their songs sound like they want to be ‘Shock Me’ but just aren't as catchy
On the other side they really need to cut the pure pop ballads, going a horrible Linkin Park route with them - sell those to Imagine Dragons if you must make money from them
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Album Rating: 4.5
I actually originally had a paragraph reflecting on the sludge scene from the southern states and how Baroness, Mastodon, Torche, and Kylesa were leading the charge as a sort of Big Four a decade ago and how they ended up. I took it out though so the review wouldn't be horribly long and realized that nothing was really lost without it.
Of the four, I think Baroness have stayed the best and most interesting, but that's sadly really not saying much.Some of the interludes here are useless and feel like fodder they'd use as transitions during a live set, but I can't deny how much I like some like 'Sevens' and 'Crooked Mile' for how brief and weird they are. Couldn't disagree more on "I'd Do Anything" though, I thought it was one of the emotional centerpieces of the album
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Album Rating: 3.5
Shame you decided against including it, Odal. I love sludge, and it would be interesting to read through your perspective of the scene.
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Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
Yeah I'd Do Anything wrecks wtf Doof
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Album Rating: 2.5
Odal - imagine a chart band singing ‘I’d Do Anything’, it’s more suited to that delivery, same sort of song writing, and the vocals are already very boy band’y on it with the backing vocals in there too
I’m amazed Baroness put it on here, def One Direction vibes
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Album Rating: 4.5
@Pika it was basically me saying that I felt the sludge scene was the most interesting movement happening in metal back then and how every panned out. I attempted a Mastodon dig by saying they now pretty much make music for Madden loading screens (even tried calling them Maddenstodon lol), that Kylesa broke up after going through an identity crisis, and that Torche seem to be chasing any sort of formula after going full-sugar and then removing all of the color that made them interesting and fun in the first place.
Full disclosure: I reviewed Mastodon's the Hunter and gave it a 4 (of which now I'd say I mostly stick by, though I'd probably give it a 3.5 now) and I reviewed Kylesa's Ultraviolet and gave it a 2.5
@Doof I guess I can picture a "charting" band do that song in so much as....it's a ballad with very typical pop ballad chords, but it's a song where Baizley and Gina's harmonies shine and the production and mix work in their favor. The ringing piano and little instrumentation flourishes are gorgeous imo. It's just good songwriting to me that isn't anything crazy innovative or new, but it's emotionally evocative to me. We might just have to agree to disagree here (:
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Album Rating: 3.5
Maddenstodon of Sand... lol
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A lot of the interludes make me wonder what could’ve been if they expanded them into full songs instead of small aimless snippets. Can Oscura and Assault of East Falls in particular
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Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off
interludes are the coolest parts lolol
anyway, I'm giving this a go again, after listening Red&Blue m/
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Baroness shines when they’re going wild with the lead guitar work, they need to do that a lot more.
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Album Rating: 2.5 | Sound Off
new guitarist...cool chick, not as good though
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Album Rating: 4.5
She is a beast live and I think she works really well for the kind of music they are writing now. Other guy was better at writing jammy riffs from their first few but I don't think he would work very well with the songs here. Overall, I think the lineup changes have been for the better
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