Review Summary: A wonderfully produced album only to be overshadowed by Temple of the Dog, and denied the right to be a classic album because of I Don't Know Anything.
Mad Season-Above
Mad Season is probably one of the most overshadowed supergroups, not getting the credit they truly deserve, while supergroups like Temple of the Dog jump in and take all of the credit of being the best supergroup of the grunge era. Let me say this clearly: that’s just a bunch of ***. Temple of the Dog was DECENT, but sometimes they were dull. Cornell’s vocals might have been better than they were in Louder than Love, or any Soundgarden album pre-Superunknown, for that fact, but sometimes they were just so-so(Pushin’ Forward Back) and sometimes it got too annoying with the same stanzas and lines over and over again(Hunger Strike).
Mad Season itself seems like a fascinating supergroup, with fellow Screaming Trees members, drummer Barret Martin and bassist John Baker Saunders, with guest appearances made by vocalist Mark Lanegan of the Screaming Trees and saxophonist Skerik. Next up, we have guitarist Mike McCready of Pearl Jam. Ironically, McCready was the lead guitarist in Temple of the Dog, and McCready had a lot of talent to offer to the band that he used to his potential as well as he did in Reach Down on Temple of the Dog’s only album. McCready then invites friend and Alice in Chains’ vocalist/guitarist Layne Staley to join the supergroup, and what we have is one of the most wondrous lineups, with all members containing remarkable talent. But the question that still remained was this: Could the band live up to their talents or would they fade away and sound completely different from what they really are, and sounding like their talents have decreased majorly, such as in Hellyeah or Velvet Revolver(in Contraband).
Now for the review. In this album, I am actually surprised at Mad Season. At first, I’d thought I would be disappointed because of the fact that it was a supergroup and I knew absolutely nothing about them when my brother gave me this album, suggesting that I take a listen to it. My level of just exactly how skeptical I was of Mad Season only rose after that with what has been occurring with some supergroups. Some supergroups were average, displaying their talents, but sometimes not using them to their full potential as in Velvet Revolver’s case, and also because that while some supergroups appear to have a wonderful “dream team” like lineup, but the talent they display is just horrible, such as in Hellyeah. However, Mad Season does indeed prove my skepticism wrong, and actually gives me a breath of fresh air, if you will.
Staley surprisingly shows his talents off well in Above, and even sometimes sounds like a positive influence at times, with the anti-suicidal tones used in Wake Up and Artificial Red. Staley’s vocal ability is also showcased the same as his lyrical structures and guitar playing ability is as well in the closer, the creepy instrumental All Alone, as his vocals and even his lyrics in Above sound heartfelt, driven with backing visceral power. McCready still shows that wonderful talent he displayed with mastery in Reach Down with Temple of the Dog, this time in I Don’t Know Anything and the other instrumental after Long Gone Day, November Hotel.
Bassist John Saunders gives a wonderful and unexpected bass intro in Artificial Red, making the song sound dark yet inspiring, and drummer Barret Martin leaves a good impression with some solid drummer, and a wonderful cello in Long Gone Day. Lanegan’s vocals in Long Gone Day are low and creepy, giving Long Gone Day a tribal, unexpected like attitude that does something extremely different from the album’s overall sound, especially with the saxophone from Skerik. Long Gone Day has to be one of, if not the greatest, highlights of Above, and the production done on this album by the band themselves is absolutely wonderful.
But with the high points come the low points. While there may be a good instrumental in November Hotel, some people might become bored by this instrumental, due to the fact that it is about ten minutes long. The very same applies to Artificial Red and Wake Up. The listener’s attention could be broken by the fact that some songs are over five minutes long, and give the listener a feeling of the band dragging on a song, thinking that after the four minute mark, the song would be over. There is also a major repetitiveness problem in the haunting filler, I Don’t Know Anything, constantly repeating the same lines over and over again for four minutes. While Layne uses eerie vocals to give the song its dark mood, and Mike McCready may give a solo fitting for the song, the song’s lyrical structure is predictable. The song only has one simple verse, then follows into the chorus. I don’t understand why Mad Season would allow such a terrible song to be placed on Above.
With their only album, Above, Mad Season creates one of the greatest albums of the 90s grunge scene. Truly, this is a dream team lineup gone right for once, as the entire band combines forces to create a unique sound, not sounding like any of the original bands that they were from, or just one band with two different members. Layne Staley truly shines in this album, and his lyrics and vocals are truly inspiring and refreshing, sounding diverse from material previously used in Alice In Chains, and sometimes inspiring, as showcased beautifully in Wake Up and Artificial Red. The other three members stay consistent throughout the album, and the saxophone combined with Mike Lanegan’s spine chilling vocals works in the tribal influenced Long Gone Day.
However, because of dragging found in Wake Up, Artificial Red, November Hotel, and I Don’t Know Anything, the average listener might begin to lose interest in the band; however, this works like a double-edged sword. Sometimes, like in Artificial Red and Wake Up, the song’s length is virtually ignored, as the band keeps the listener’s interest in the album despite the stretched song length. However, in the case of the horrendous I Don’t Know Anything, the song’s length and repetitiveness nearly destroys this solid album, and holds it back from being a classic release. Overall, I strongly recommend you get this album over Temple of the Dog’s self titled release.
Recommended:
Long Gone Day
Wake Up
Artificial Red
November Hotel(for McCready’s soloing ability)
