Review Summary: If you don't invite them into your house they can't come in.
12 of 12 thought this review was well writtenWhen Marilyn Manson pronounced rock was deader than dead over a decade ago he brilliantly calculated the abrupt demise of the infamous shock genre. What was once seen as morbidly bizarre slowly became desensitized in the eyes of a society drowning in horror. The figures that were once able to graphically portray the underbelly of a world devoid of humanity through their music had turned into a dying breed. In place of prolific preachers disguised as spooky frontmen we received a batch of kids so eager to imitate the look but completely inept in grasping the message. Overnight groundbreaking movements in performance art disintegrated into processed packages so nauseatingly transparent in their hollow carbon copy agenda.
The one thing none of these groups of today understand is dressing like a weirdo doesn’t make them more interesting. It certainly doesn’t mask the undeniable fact they have nothing of value to give other than a husk of established clichés. The artists credited as heavy influences were iconic because of bold defiance in every aspect of their presentation. They didn’t pathetically pretend to appeal to an already existing generation of outcasts at arms length and expressed more than just empty words. If these so-called persecuted rebels feel the need to honor their idols then how about attempting to innovatively push boundaries instead of blatantly stealing elements from their predecessors hard work...and that brings me to daywalkers Vampires Everywhere!
I never cared to have an opinion on such an embarrassingly predictable and easily forgettable product until I stumbled upon the atrocious plagiarism contained in
Hellbound And Heartless. It was never hard to scoff at a group named after “The Lost Boys” movie with ridiculous stage monikers and an image that says everything about the quality of their music. I knew exactly what they aimed to achieve with their twilight shtick and after the amusement had towards the horrid ‘Immortal Love’ music video their relevance began winding down. My assumption that the debut album
Kiss The Sun Goodbye would successfully tank was met with the reality of a wised up audience sick of auto-tuned metalcore disasters.
What I never counted on was founding member Michael Vampire cleaning house in a defiant refusal to let a stake in his career be the final nail in his make believe coffin. In an attempt to rise from the dead Vampires Everywhere! reemerged with a brand new lineup, pseudo goth getup, and bulk driven sound disgustingly embezzled from the golden eras of Marilyn Manson. The self-appointed saviors of shock rock now boast about bringing blood, sex, and rock n’ roll back into the mainstream in a complete 180 that's so sudden it reeks of desperation. I’m confident that even the person who coined the saying “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” would vomit uncontrollably after dealing with this album and sue on behalf of Manson.
I can not express enough how infuriated I was with every song on
Hellbound And Heartless nor am I exaggerating about how shamelessly it rips off
Antichrist Superstar,
Mechanical Animals, and
Holy Wood. After the clustered intro of “offensive” samples known as ‘I’ the listener is hit over the head with ‘I Can’t Breathe’ aka. ‘1996’ and the impossible to ignore thievery doesn’t end by a long shot. ‘Beauty Queen’ is a direct replica of 'New Model No. 15' and ‘Unholy Eyes’ made me double check that I hadn’t accidently clicked on ‘Tourniquet.’ The classic MM signatures are ever present from the musicians playing exact sections in between abysmal soloing to the dead on vocal impersonation with clearly lifted delivery and lyrical themes.
I’m trying to find something positive to say about what I’ve heard but it speaks volumes when a butchered Nirvana cover is the best thing offered. The single reason I could even call
Hellboud and Heartless a major step up is inconsequential because a metamorphosis into a fanboy tribute band isn’t improvement. As wannabe blood sucking posers Vampires Everywhere! made Edward Cullen look like Lestat de Lioncourt and now they piss on the fond memories of Mr. Brian Warner before he became a delusional drugged up train wreck. Unlike the last incarnation I do hope Vampires Everywhere! take this little role playing all the way and sink to the same lows of their ghoulish forefather. Until then I’ll keep checking to see if Blade is looking for any kind of dirty work.
