Review Summary: In a strange way this album is like a 200m race. You start of great and as hard as you can, slow down during the middle trying to keep it going, and give your final effort for the end which is never as great as the start. I enjoyed the album but it has so
With Emigrate's first album comes my first review. Half of these songs I've heard before so I knew what to expect from the album. This self titled album is definitely not my favourite type or music but I still enjoyed it.
Emigrate, an industrial/alternative metal band formed by Richard Kruspe (Lead Guitarist, back up vocalist of Rammstein) is in a way definitely different to Rammstein, but also shows some noticable similarities. And so here I begin listening.
The line up:
Richard Z. Kruspe - Vocals, Lead Guitar
Olsen Involtini - Rhythm Guitar
Arnaud Giroux - Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals
Henka Johansson - Drums
I've always liked the type of review that goes song by song, giving a rating for each song and then summarizing it all at the end with a final score so thats what I'll do here.
Emigrate - The title track of the album and first track, the intro is very much like something you'd expect from Rammstein with a dark keyboard to start it off. The guitars are pretty catchy, and once Richards vocals come on, its definitely not something you'd expect. I was thinking he'd have deep vocals like Till but he doesn't. With a very catchy chorus and great drums that make it even more catchy this is a fantastic opening song and gives the rest of the album high expectations. --[5/5]--
Wake Up - The intro to this song is great, starts off silent with Richard coming in screaming "WAKE UP". The vocals on the verse sound quite distant and gives a nice effect. Again a really catchy chorus. This song shows the bands first similarities to Rammstein; the drums. Yes, they're catchy but they're also quite simple with much the same beat throughout the song and I've heard Rammstein use this same beat in many of their own songs. --[4.5/5]--
My World - The first single from the album, and once again the intro sounds like something you'd expect from Rammstein, with some nice distortion. The guitars during the verse sound alot like Rammstein's Du Hast. The vocals are quite nice and catchy but somehow annoying at the same time. The chorus is again catchy with some nice back up by Arnaud. A nice solo after only the first chorus, song structure seems a bit of a mess. Some nice vocals by children singing along with Richard. A good song but could be better. --[4/5]--
Let Me Break - A nice intro with some nice soft guitar, bass drums and vocals. This all leads into the heavy and catchy (again) chorus with the focus more on the double time drums. Nothing special when it comes to song structure. Richards vocals can be annoying in some other songs but in this one they work perfect. Altogether a great song. --[4/5]--
In My Tears - As the title of the song suggests, its a sad song and you can tell from the second it starts. The guitars are great in the chorus, with a nice pad in the background. This song could have been an opportunity to include some much needed bass in the songs but instead I could hardly hear the bass at all. --[3.5/5]--
Babe - Drums sound tribal during the slow intro and again I think they could have made the bass a bit more noticeable. The song structure is quite grunge-like with the soft verse and hard chorus. A nice solo later in the song but it somehow sounds a bit too dark for the rest of the track and probably could have been used in a faster paced song. The drummer finally uses the snare in the final chorus and it sounds great. Out of this song, My World and Temptation this song got voted the favourite by the fans on Emigrate's website, but I honestly don't know why. --[3/5]--
New York City The second single of the album begins with again with soft guitars and drums. There's some nice rock n' roll guitar riffs throughout the song and the build up to the chorus is great. This is another song where I don't think Richard's vocals are well suited. The solo is great and fits perfectly. The ending with echoing vocals works great, a nice song and finally the tracks are picking up again. --[4/5]--
Resolution - The intro is basically a really weird sort of orchestra that doesn't sound good at first but once the guitars come in it fits great. The verse is great, with some deep vocals. The drums once again sound like what you'd hear from Rammstein. The chorus is really quite catchy with the weird orchestra and guitar combination again with Richard screaming "I do! I do! I can see the resolution!". The solo is pretty good but doesn't seem to last long enough, followed by a final chorus and the entire track coming to a halt. --[4/5]--
Temptation - The third single from the album starts with vocals straight away and again soft guitar in the background. The drums and bass come in and this time the bass is finally a little louder and more noticeable. Nice chugging guitar in the verse but by now the songs are getting a little repetitive. The chorus isn't the best which leads me to believe this was a bit of a poor choice for a single. The chorus is followed by some simple, yet effective guitars. Third verse you can hear the distorted bass nice followed by the final chorus and some catchy guitars again. --[3.5/5]--
This Is What - Tribal drums intro with a nice distorted bass and the drums picking up the pace soon. A nice build up for when the (simple) guitars come in. The vocals in this one have got distortion on them and again are a bit annoying. The chorus sounds great. The drums are basically unchanged except for the fills and occasional stops which is a shame because the cool drum beat gets old after a while. The solo is finally a long one and is again about half way through the song. Can hear the bass nice and good during the second verse. The ending was sort of unexpected and seemed rushed. --[4/5]--
You Can't Get Enough - Some nice keyboard for the intro that ends too soon and kicks into the first verse. Unlike basically every other song this song has soft guitars for the chorus too which is a nice change. The song is slower and sounds a bit like In My Tears but not as heavy. I like this song because it's not as close to the rest of the album which makes it less repetitive. --[4/5]--
Overall I liked this album, more so at the start, then started to get tired of it as I kept listening. The first 3 songs were definitely the best and the first 2 should have been the singles rather then Temptation and New York City. After a while everything gets a little repetitive and annoying, drums, vocals, guitars, (lack of) bass, pretty much everything. The guitars are definitely sweet but they sound kind of the same after a while. It's definitely a good album and I'd say people who like Deftones or want a heavier version of Deftones would like Emigrate but apart from that I haven't really heard a band like them before.
Overall I give this album a
3.5
