Review Summary: Even though it's a solid record, Chris Vrenna and Clint Walsh fail to create something cohesive, turning everything into more of a soundrack with a few highlights.
It's been 8 years since former Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails keyboard player/drummer Chris Vrenna has released a record under the Tweaker moniker. Quitting Manson after creating, producing and touring behind the band's latest offerings, 2009's
The High End Of Low and this year's
Born Villain, he quickly came up with a third effort, entitled
Call The Time Eternity. Tweaker has always been about moody tunes that created a somber ambiance and
Call The Time Eternity is no different from his previous recordings, being the result of some tragic events Vrenna suffered, such as the death of his father, going through a divorce and even having to leave Manson because of the hectic lifestyle he had to cope with during the last 5 years in the band.
Musically,
Call The Time Eternity sounds like Front Line Assembly meeting Delerium (circa 1994), mixed up with the dark ambient works of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross'
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. While Vrenna and Clint Walsh (who provides the guitar work and some of the keyboards) do manage to carve a niche of their own, they fail to create a cohesive record, sounding more like a soundtrack containing some sparse, undeveloped instrumentals and a few songs that are clearly meant to be singles. This way, "Nothing At All" and "Grounded" are
Call The Time Eternity's highlights, both featuring guest female vocals to a great effect. The former (having Jessicka Addams of Jack Off Jill) is a haunting number with a really nice, melodic chorus, while the latter, which is reminiscent of Delerium's mid to late 90s material, features kaRIN of the band Collide lending her beautiful, soft voice to a matching instrumental. Chris Vrenna also steps up and performs a more aggressive cover of Phil Collins' "I Don't Care Anymore" surprisingly well. The vocal harmonies are nice and the whole song is translated very well into the record's overall theme. Unfortunately, these songs are in a category of their own and the rest are less enticing.
Beside the aforementioned tracks, "A Bit Longer Than Usual", "Areas Of The Brain" or "Ponygrinder", the rest of the more enjoyable tracks found here, create a tense atmosphere using mainly a deep bass line, loud percussion, abstract soundscapes and whispered vocals (courtesy of Chris). They are fairly interesting as they showcase Vrenna's creativity and production skills, but still, there is nothing spectacular here. Meanwhile, others, like "Hoarding Granules", "This Is Ridiculous" or "Wasting Time" are just an exercise in sound manipulation, thus feeling like some vapid interludes, lacking any shape or melody and not going anywhere really.
In the end,
Call The Time Eternity sounds half-baked. It's clear that Vrenna and Walsh had some great ideas, but halfway during the process they rushed to finish the record, leaving some of the tracks undeveloped. This is not a bad album, but it doesn't offer anything spectacular to be remembered. Industrial fans might enjoy this for a while before shelving it in favor of better records.
