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User
Soundoffs 43
Album Ratings 833
Objectivity 59%
Last Active 10-29-22 10:05 am
Joined 09-10-22
Review Comments 49
| | Disappointing albums | | 1 |  | Kavinsky
Reborn
The production overall makes it's a competent album - no doubt, but it doesn't saves it from being annoying to get through. Even the solid material suffers from poorely thought-out runtime or the lack of composing complexity. Most of the worthy tracks are in the 2nd half, and "most" is a strong world in that case - just about 2 or 3 of them. The dream pop sound is too dull. What's mind-buggling is the satirical context of it on some occasions which is still ruined by all-over-the-place approach. Seems like this album can't decide whether it's trying to be synthwave, glam rock or true to the 80's synth-pop at once. So many collaborations with other artists are making this creative disonnance worse. Besides, there's almost no story with immersive samples which were supposed to soak you into Kavinsky's lyrical hero. The only thing that saves it somewhat for me is Zenith. That track is a nuclear bomb. | | 2 |  | Hocico
HyperViolent
I am not even sure what Hocico intended to do. There are really excellent singles you expect from them like Broken Empires, Weapons of Resistance or Backstabbers, but they are mostly mixed with dark ambient water throughout. Drinkable water, mind you. | | 3 |  | Alexander Brandon, Michiel van den Bos
Conspiravision: Deus Ex Remixed
Some remixes improved the originals, some - not so much by a mile. | | 4 |  | Marilyn Manson
The Golden Age of Grotesque
Dies from cringe. The 1st 6 tracks, The Bright Young Things, Tainted Love cover and Baboon Rape Party are enjoyable (ha-ha), albeit i am not a fan of pseudo intellectual wordplay on MOBSCENE, but then it really slaps hard when Brian started to document the sidelines of show business, i don't understand why - Mechanical Animals said it all in a better way. Did you know that during the PR event his car had a "goth thug" plate? I digress, sound-wise it is the best one, Skold is a great producer. | | 5 |  | Marilyn Manson
Heaven Upside Down
After a finally worthy album since Holy Wood he came up with another copy of the past self concurrently trying with that insipid death pop, which irks me to no end. | | 6 |  | 3TEETH
Metawar
Not enough love for Altaer or Blackout - a quintesential couple of industrial rock anthems, Lex's vocals are on another level of grandiose drama on these ones. Lyrics can be slightly over the top, but 3TEETH continued to speak the hard truths, felt many songs to my gut. Some tracks do gain good advantage of that guitar driven sound, especially AFFLUENZA, which is a very strong start to an album plus the whole cyberpunk atmosphere is top-notch, but yeah, after a while you can't shake off the feeling that even collabs with Ho99o9 are better suited for 3TEETH's sound than such nu metal-induced approach. Nevertheless, this LP has some redeeming qualities about it and still an essential listen for any thinking man. I also highly recommend Matt Hart's remix of American Landfill, which is free on bandcamp - pure EBM brilliance. | | 7 |  | PIG
The Gospel
I find it too kitchy even by PIG's standars and overblown with post-effects. | | 8 |  | Soft Cell
Happiness Not Included
Contrary to the popular opinion, i find this record just generic for the genre, with some actually on point satire on zeitgeist. Yeah, there are a couple of really off-putting, to say the least, songs, but mostly it's just ok'ish all the way. It's sad, because Soft Cell is one of the most underappreciated bands, underrated even. | | 9 |  | Soft Cell
Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret
A cult classic in it's genre with some mind-shaping lyrics on top of tight, inspired synth play, but it's so hard to stand Almond's sex obsession which is angsty and not that elegant like on the future albums. | | 10 |  | The Doors
The Soft Parade
When Robby Krieger, the band's guitar player, took the wheel - because Jim Morrison was too drunk, i guess - they went all-out commercial with this one. Aside from 2 Jim's songs like "The Soft Parade" (the best song by The Doors btw) or "Shaman's Blues" the whole thing isn't bad, but just so forgettable, like an ordinary Phil Collins LP. | | 11 |  | Gary Numan
Intruder
Numan focused on more mellow tracks from Splinter and Savage to create this good, but very predictable sound-wise album, built on regular drama composing with an emphasis on strings, low key synth/piano and the same post-effects from the previous two, but without a proper weight to them. | | 12 |  | Depeche Mode
Sounds Of The Universe
Wrong is legendary, but the whole album suffers from this sedated electro-pop rock sound. Possibly, their weakest album. B-sides have some notable tunes btw. | | 13 |  | Depeche Mode
Delta Machine
One critic called it the office plankton's dream, could not state this better. There are some solid songs like Heaven or Soothe My Soul, but overall it's an overly melodramatic electro blues which doesn't reminds of DM heights in the slightest. | | 14 |  | Depeche Mode
Spirit
DM experements with blues annoys me to death. The first 3 tracks (plus the last one) hits the mark, eventhough there's nothing phenominal about them - great statements and synths tunes though. On the other hand, they can't shake off melodrama and pop sleaziness from Delta Machine and, yet again, their blues'y sound which is rarely interesting for me. Still a good album in my book. | | 15 |  | Minuit Machine
Basic Needs
Solid EP, but less interesting than the previous one in so many ways. "Don't Run From The Fire" had striking thoughts - it helps you to accept yourself via pretty effective blend of punchy EBM with distinct vocal messages. This one just plays it safe, not trying hard enough to resonate with you through deep worries or high octane danse macabre tunes (it's rhythm is casual for dark clubbing if compared to DRFTF; melodies lacks extra weight). | | 16 |  | Angelspit
The Product
The band was having a tough time since DestroyX (co-writer, co-vocalist and co-producer) left, so ZooG tried various collaborations with other artists, which resulted into a good album, albeit solid even, but pretty disjointed quality-wise. | | 17 |  | Skold
Anomie | | 18 |  | Skold
The Undoing
There are some tabloid and cringy lyrics from Anomie which is a shame, because good thoughts are scattered around too plus the use of electronics in-here is some of the most creative i've heard in industrial rock - my favorite sound on Skold's record. Tim's vocals also lack dynamics for metal when it's needed, he was smart enough to avoid such instances on other albums, but not here. Deluxe edition improves the album a lot. 1989 in collaboration with En Esch of an early KMFDM fame feels like the best hit by the latter which never was. I still like the album in spite of this. | | 19 |  | Chemlab
Oxidizer
It's mind-buggling when the demo set showcased what the band intended to record. After the sophomore (UNDERRATED) album the studio intervened to make this thing sound less industrial, grim or experimental. The result is a good album, but very botched because of it. | | 20 |  | Eminem
Revival
Oh, i don't even want to stress that enough. Even Marshall himself broke the CD in his music clip. | | 21 |  | Priest
Cyberhead
After their fetishwave type of synth-pop and techno they came up with your by-the-numbers futuristic synth music. It's all good, but nothing that special. New vocalist is fine, however can't keep up with old Puppet Master without autotune at times. Nevertheless, he is constaintly improving. Body Machine album is more reminiscent of Priest i knew. | | 22 |  | Mick Gordon
Doom OST
I guess, i should re-think DOOM's soundtrack, but dunno. It suits the game perfectly, but when you listen to it separately it ends up being just a distortion-filled metal, which could have used more diversity. Anyways, Bullet Per Minute OST is better - fight me. | |
Josh D.
10.17.22 | Whatever you're listening on should have a volume control, try experimenting with that and see if you get more pleasant results. | Deez
10.17.22 | Yes these are all Poo but as poo as expected so not really a disappointment | Josh D.
10.17.22 | That Eminem album cover is probably the funniest thing I've ever seen. | Kusangii
10.17.22 | USA is hilarious agreed | CaptainPlasma
10.17.22 | I guess, i should re-think DOOM's soundtrack, but dunno. It suits the game perfectly, but when you listen to it separately it ends up being just a distortion-filled metal, which could have used more diversity. | CaptainPlasma
10.17.22 | "Oh yes, next time I play the game I will mute the music." - good boI. | CaptainPlasma
10.17.22 | "Yes these are all Poo but as poo as expected so not really a disappointment" - well, look at you, fortune teller, predicting all the disappointment. | 0xME
10.18.22 | I suppose I can see how someone could be disappointed by some of these releases but most of these artists were never good/had a few stinkers in their discog before so it shouldn't be too surprising/disappointing | JKing92
10.18.22 | Revival was such a fall-off. Like, how do you go from MMLP2 to THAT?
Thank God he rebounded with Kamikaze the following year. (Music to Be Murdered By was pretty good, too.) | CaptainPlasma
10.18.22 | JKing92, i salute him for admitting his own failure. For me, Marshall will always stay in a cool dude's club. | CaptainPlasma
10.18.22 | 0xME, well that's your opinion, man. As you can see, i am not the "riff guy" here. |
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