 | Tracklist: 01. Cursed
02. You People Are Messed Up
03. The More Things Change The More They Stay The Same
04. This is The Last Time I Repeat Myself
05. No Care Ever
06. After Everything That's Happened, What Did You Expect
07. We Like to Call This One...Fuck Off
08. Can Someone Please Explain This to Me?
09. Disaster in Sight
10. This is Considered Mere Formality
11. This Feels Like The End
12. They'll Never Know
13. Pallor
| Ranking: #104 for 2010 | |
| | other reviews | Ian W. (4) Ion Dissonance improve in all the right ways, releasing probably the best album out of their discogr... |
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| Summary: technical music that confuses itself. |
5 of 7 thought this review was well written
Cursed is perfect. It really is. I now have a distinct example I can point to in lauding the excellence of technical metalcore bands such as The Dillinger Escape Plan. Ion Dissonance bring everything to the table that DEP, almost, refuse to exude and they’re worse off for it. Sure, they share a similar tact in disregarding any sense of time signatures, structure or melody, but they also beef up the need to prove to the world they're technical, losing the grace and shredding mindless notes for the sake of shredding mindless notes. It’s hard to see the appeal in such a process. This isn’t a talent show at your local junior high, therefore Ion Dissonance need to be taking their technicality to the next level and show us something we didn’t already know they could do.
There is some praise to be had here though, Cursed is a firm step up from their previous two disasters, harking back to that fire the band entered the scene with. Furious tracks fueled with all the testosterone one fraternity house can muster blindly guide each track. Armed with a plethora of breakdowns and, if you couldn't guess by the name, near unbearable degrees of dissonance; Cursed fills a shallow bag half filled with originality and half predictability. In fact it becomes almost too easy to expect where each tracks pace will dictate the journey’s ending. Thrash intro? A battle of who can play their instrument the fastest with a three minute time limit – “You People Are Messed Up”. Machine Gun characteristics? Gotta be that Warped Tour essential “After Everything That's Happened, What Did You Expect” complete with all the "fuck you, you bastard ... blah blah blah meanie". Even the song titles are indicative of what the song is about for example “We Like To Call This One...Fuck Off”.
Aside from the fact that technical metal should not be predictable it doesn’t help that Ion Dissonance get pretty annoying fifteen minutes into Cursed. Back to the reason why they still don’t quite get ‘it’ yet; they over use their trademark, the dissonance that is, to the point where it becomes a gimmick. Is the band a one trick pony? One could argue either way; there was potential a few years back, but they’re just now releasing the follow-up album that should have been their sophomore effort. Though few songs start in identical fashion every song loses itself forty seconds in and the band have no idea how to pull it through in the end. The middle of the record is a perfect example, it’s a dead zone, with indecipherable moments cementing themselves on top each other in between sheer unappealing musicianship. Of course, it could be that I just missed the memo and that’s all this band is really about, music that’s really, really, fast and heavy and loud and full of china cymbals, not heard so profoundly since Messengers, and really, really fast and totes magotes and all that good stuff. Well, I'll bid myself adieu from music cause this shit’s a classic.
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Album Rating: 2 | Sound Off
i was not aware so many were loving this album.
my bee.
Digging: The Felix Culpa - Sever Your Roots | | | Ion Dissonance hurt itself in confusion!
Digging: Systemshock - Virus-Electro
| | | fromtheinside for staff
Digging: Punchout! - New Chapter
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the need to prove to the world their technical
they're ?
| | | Album Rating: 2 | Sound Off
great catch. will fix.
| | | great review as well
i probably won't check this out
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
really dude?
Digging: Company Flow - Funcrusher Plus | | | Album Rating: 2 | Sound Off
album is a bore.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
tracks 2-6 are prty fuckin awesome though!
| | | Album Rating: 4 | Sound Off
Disagree but very well argued. And "Messengers" as in ABR? Haha Ion blows them out of the wishing well
Digging: Nadja - Touched | | | Album Rating: 2 | Sound Off
i only mentioned Messengers cause that album loves it cymbal use.
| | | Album Rating: 3.5 | Sound Off
'moar chyna krash?'
| | | The track I heard was pretty good, hopefully I'll get around to getting this.
Digging: Moving Mountains - Pneuma
| | | Album Rating: 4 | Sound Off
True that. As solid as ABR's drummer is... the china's are EVERYWHERE
| | | This album isn't bad, it's just wayyyyyyyyyy too random.
I mean, they go too far out of their way on some of these tracks.
Digging: Hiroshima Will Burn - To The Weight Of All Things
| | | Album Rating: 4 | Sound Off
which is what makes it original
| | | Album Rating: 2 | Sound Off
kind of.
if they just noodle for 4 minutes and end up nowhere what have they accomplished?
| | | Album Rating: 4 | Sound Off
it is still comprehensible song-writing and they have to remember the structure for performing amiright?
| | | Album Rating: 2 | Sound Off
dragonforce.
| | | Album Rating: 4 | Sound Off
eww yeah right. ID is way less nerdy
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