Album Rating: 4.0

the 10% thing doesn't work, but that's okay, this isn't a five anyway. Fun as hell album though. She Who Mars the Skin of Gods is one of the coolest songs ever.

Album Rating: 4.5

I looove turn soonest to the sea. And it is is is a five. Oh so five-aful. Fivaliciously fivey.

Album Rating: 4.0

Okay well whatever then I'm obviously wrong so whatever.



Turn Soonest to the Sea used to be my favorite, but now it's She Who Mars, followed by Blindfolds Aside, and then probably Nautical.

Album Rating: 4.5

My second favorites probably Bury the Hatchet or Divinity Within. I don't know it's all so good.

Album Rating: 4.0

for me, right now, I think it goes:



she who mars > plateful of our dead > no stars > divinity > divine suicide >blindfolds = bury the hatchet = nautical > turn soonest > heretics and killers

Album Rating: 4.0

She Who Mars The Skin Of Gods is tied with Bury The Hatchet, for me.

It's a really great album, but I can't bring myself to rate it right.This Message Edited On 09.06.07

Album Rating: 4.0

It's probably more of a 4.5, but I have to rate it a 5 because I'm a flaming homersexual. This Message Edited On 09.06.07

Album Rating: 4.0

Album Rating: 4.5



She Who Mars The Skin Of Gods is tied with Bury The Hatchet, for me.



It's a really great album, but I can't bring myself to rate it.

Album Rating: 4.0

I promise the Fortress review will be more, um...better. Reading this back makes me lul. This isnt even the right version; I had one that was really modified, but then Sputnik crashed and a bunch of reviews were lost so I just reposted this one.

Album Rating: 4.0

Tried to catch me in the act, Intransit.

Album Rating: 4.5

Ooooohohoohoh I can't wait for Fortress. Anyone know if it's supposed to have a conceptual theme like this one or what?

Album Rating: 4.0

I don't think there is a concept.

Album Rating: 4.5

Ah damn. That sucks...



Btw yall seen that new shirt their coming out with? http://protestthehero.bigcartel.com/product/bull-vs-matador

So badass looking.

Album Rating: 4.0

Fortress has a concept but it's not a singular one like this. It's more of a consistent theme and idea.

Their shirts are all really, really lame. I haven't bought a PTH shirt in at least 3 years.

Album Rating: 4.5

I think that matador shirt is sooooo badass. Their other ones aren't to great though.

But that sucks about Fortress. I really liked the fact that Kezia was like a story sort of.

Album Rating: 4.0

Kezia wasn't even a story, it was just a really brief situation that was just an allegory for their beliefs, other than the last track which is sort of like an apology for their hyper-political EP and such.



Fortress is 'deeper' but a lot less nerdy. At least that's the plan.

Album Rating: 4.5

THE CONCEPT ALBUM



Although an outsider may think it's hard to write a concept album, Rody disagrees:



The lyrics were already finished before we wrote the music, so the hardest part was done. After that we only had to make sure the musical part was coherent so everything falls into place. Of course that wasn't as easy as I make it sound here, because you don't want dark lyrics combined with happy music. When we got together to discuss the plans for our first full length, it became clear that we didn't want to write separate songs and throw them all on one album together. We wanted to tell a story that people could listen to as a whole, but also song by song.

There are two ways to explain the concept behind "Kezia": the litteral meaning of it and the deeper meaning behind it. The simple explanation is that you have three characters on the album who all describe a certain situation from their point of view, which is the execution of a woman. We chose a priest, a prison guard who's also the executioner and the woman in question, Kezia. They all have three songs to tell their story. In the first song they paint a general picture, the second track explains how the character feels connected to Kezia and the third one is their view on the shooting of Kezia. The last song on the album brings us as a band into the picture, although the lyrics are written in the form of Kezia's last words. The deeper meaning of the concept is the gradual downfall of our society. We tried to make the lyrics timeless, so the story could be situated in any time period. There are also political and social critical messages in it. Not that we bluntly say that we hate Tony Blair or George Bush, but more in general comments on the fact that religion and power are getting more intwined every day. The album is also about the responsibility that everyone has as a member of our society. It's your civil duty to act when you need to.



That's in an interview with Rody..

Album Rating: 4.0

And that counters what I said how? It's not a concept album, it's a single situation that embodies their beliefs using characters and shit. It can revolve around a story, but no story was written. It's an idea they had when they were younger but that's irrelevant. It's not like Arif wrote a novel before he wrote the lyrics.

Album Rating: 4.5

Dude, I'm not trying to "counter what you say". I'm just saying I like the fact that the albums a story. Which it is.

That's why the artwork is the part of the album we're least satisfied with. In a way I think it's cool, but if I had the choice, that would be the first thing to reconsider. The problem was that there wasn't a lot of time to create the artwork. We told the guy how we wanted to visualise the concept and we thought he understood it, but then he came up with this burning baby head and the name Kezia written over it. That picture is still inside the booklet by the way, but we didn't think it was suitable as cover art. Of all the pictures he had made, we thought the flowers were the most powerful, so we chose those to be the cover art. At that point we didn't really think about it, but apparently there are a lot of people who buy records based on the cover art. Well, they probably won't be buying our record then, haha! The artwork is mostly something that isn't done by the band itself, although there are some designers in bands too of course. As a band you are super critical about every element of the album, much more critical than you would be if it concerned another band. Right now I'm very satisfied about "Kezia", but maybe in a few years I'll think it's crap and I see a lot of room for improvement. It will always be that way.

I agree with that. I think the cover art looks generic.

Album Rating: 4.0

It's not a story, and otherwise you're just telling me things I already know.



An album can be a fictionalized scenario featuring fictionalized characters and still not be a story. I dont know what you're failing to understand. Pretty much nothing happens, storywise, on the disc. It's just reflections, predictions and ideas involving a situation (a girl getting executed). I dont know how much harder I can emphasize this.