CKY (Camp Kill Yourself) are a band I would imagine a lot of people have heard of, but never bothered to hear. They are essentially known (outside their rather devoted fans) either as the band that played on Jackass or the band associated with the CKY videos/films. I shyed away from checking them out precisely because of that link; I thought they were just going to be another crappy punk band (how wrong is it possible to be?)
Anyway, the reason for the genre problems in the thread title (Rock?/Punk?/Metal?) is that I really have no idea what to call this record. All the way through it has a rock groove, often the guitar tone reminds me of some stoner rock bands, or punk bands like Husker Du (excuse the lack of an umlaut), but the vocals are clean, and actually sung (well!), rather than the slightly gravelly sound many rock-groove bands use. Just sitting, trying to find reference points for the sound this band create pisses me off so much, I've essentially given up and now just listen to the music. So, info..
CKY (in band form, anyway) are:
Deron Miller - guitar, vocals
Chad Ginsburg - guitar
Jess Margera (yes, brother to Bam) - drums
Vern Zaborowski - bass
For any more info about the band, check out [url]www.ckymusic.com[/url]. It makes for a pretty interesting read even if you don't like the band, as CKY isn't just a band; it was started as a way for a bunch of people to entertain themselves, and not just in a band format (hence the CKY films).
Track by Track
1 - Escape From Hellview (3:41)
This was the first CKY song I heard, and its still my favourite. To be honest it just blew me away; the huge rhythm of the opening riff caught my attention, then the verse was just so full of melody. The bridge was the bit that really trapped me though - "So turn back, the silence is deafening.." was in my head for
days, closely followed by the equally ridiculously catchy chorus. I have no idea if the lyrics have a deep meaning (and its a happy sounding song so I don't really care), but I find that they perfectly match the story of someone trying to escape a town full of flesh-eating zombies, so thats how I take it :)
5/5
2 - Flesh Into Gear (3:06)
Another upbeat-yet-stoneresque rhythm starts this song off...the vocals sound more pissed off than the opener, and the lyrics are fairly negative as well. This isn't one of my favourites, but its still really good.
4/5
3 - Sink into the Underground (2:58)
Yet another rolling melody starts this song off, and the lyrics are again esoteric enough to hold interest without wandering into mathcore weirdness. The song in general (and the chorus especially) seems a little less high energy than most of the album (except the closing track), but in no way suffers for it.
4/5
4 - Attached at the Hip (2:59)
Another da
mn catchy riff rather unexpectedly turns into whispered and subdued vocals with minimal backing music, then the chorus has some of the most "singing" vocals on the album. At the second chorus, some chugging guitar in the background of the whispered vocals is very effective, as is a variation of chorus length later on, which caught me by surprise.
4.5/5
5 - Frenetic Amnesic (3:20)
I don't really know what to say, this is just a good song. A mournful note in the background is cool to follow, and the backing vocal repetition of "Frenetic Amnesic" throughout the verses works well. The lyrics to this song are very paranoid.
4/5
6 - Shock and Terror (3:07)
A slower, yet still upbeat rhythm starts us off, and then the chorus has a variation to the same rhythm. I like it, but it doesn't stand out spectacularly (though there are some good lyrics - "The concept of sleep is way too tired").
4/5
7 - Plastic Plan (3:54)
This isn't terrible, but its my least favourite on the CD. It doesn't seem to have any of whatever it is the other tracks have that make me love them so (I know my descriptions are terrible, but despite them making me seem apathetic about it, I'm really impressed with this album). Mainly, the chorus isn't very good, and neither is the verse rhythm, and CKY are good at both of those..the chorus just seems crowbarred into place.
2.5/5
8 - Inhuman Creation Station (4:08)
A return to form after Plastic Plan, it has probably the hardest riff other than the track which follows it, and I love it. The verse vocals suit the songs harsher feel, though the chorus is still a well-sung melody bit. Also the longest song on the album, at a mighty 4 minutes..
4/5
9 - Sporadic Movement (2:52)
Probably the hardest, most metal track on the album (with a suitably altered vocal style), it still slows down about two minutes in, before finishing with a yell of "A transformation!!" to end. My favourite track other than Hellview.
5/5
10 - Close Yet Far
Easily the "softest" song on the album, at first this sounds like the obligatory ballad most bands stick onto albums (even with acoustic guitar in part), but it soon reveals another criminally catchy chorus ("Close yet far, drop me a line and tell me how the hell you are"), and it
will get stuck in your head, like Hellview. The lyrics are the only ones I'm reasonably confident I know something of the meaning behind - they refer to agoraphobia (often interpreted as the fear of outdoors or open spaces), from the point of view of someone with said phobia wanting to hang out with someone who lives only a couple of doors down, but can't (hence the aforementioned law-breaking chorus).
5/5
Good points
- a sense of melody is
never missing from this album, its brilliant.
- the lyrics flow, they never sounds forced.
- the music isn't necessarily showcasing complexity or technical skill, just showing an ear for a bloody good tune the whole time (although I am a fan of bands like Cynic and Atheist, and such showcasing can be good).
Bad points
- You'll spend ages trying to work out what musical influences are on it. My vague references to Husker Du and stoner rock bands could easily have the mighty Led Zeppelin added to them, whereas the band themselves have cited references such as Mr Bungle, Zappa, Mudhoney, Cannibal Corpse (!) and many others besides. Seriously, if anyone can help me out with what this is classed as, don't hesitate to.
- Plastic Plan, which, I feel, lets the album quite a bit.
- The length of the songs (all of them are fairly short).. its up to personal preference whether its a good or bad point.
Finally, despite my awfully samey descriptions of songs, no two tracks here sound similar; the band and the sound they produce are really unique.
4/5
