“Pure, unbridled mayhem” - Guitar World
“One of metal’s 10 best bands” - Rolling Stone
These are just some of what listeners are saying about Soilent Green’s
Confrontation. The 5th studio album by one of Metal’s top notch extreme metal bands has proved to be a step foreword for the Louisiana heavy metalers. Having not released an album in 4 years, (not since their 2001 release
Deleted Symphony For The Beaten Down), due to two tour bus accidents and the murder of former bassist Scott Williams, the release of their new album,
Confrontation, has proved that the band still has the fire in them, and it’s burning brighter then ever. Blending elements of grindcore, death metal, black metal, hardcore, and groove-oriented Southern rock, Soilent Green has managed to separate themselves from their ‘brothers’, Cryptopsy and Bolt Thrower, with a very unique sound and heavily influenced Mr. Bungle lyrics.
The vocalist, Louis Benjamin Falgoust II, blends a style of growls similar to Lord Worm or Cryptopsy, yet still contains that melodic edge found in (old) In Flames. Although Louis growls are both fitting and unique, there is very little variety in his vocals. Brian Patton (band founder) and Tony White, the guitarist, are both raw talent, and their guitars a tuned to a point that gives Soilent Green their crushing atmosphere. However, there are little to no solos on this album, and most of the riffs tend to follow a very similar pattern. The bassist, Scott Crochet, is extremely hard to hear on this album, but his talent is limited to being greatly overridden by the crushing riffs of the guitar. The drummer, Tommy Buckley, has a great deal of talent, and fills Soilent Green’s music with his fast drumming and an aura of heavy blast beats. Overall, Soilent Green’s music is rather simple, but original, and has a very strong and unique atmosphere that separates them from your average death metal band.
Scarlet Sunrise, one of the many short and sweet fillers on this album, contains a lot of white noise ad sirens, giving off a since of total and brutal war in the mix, an dI think that that is what the album as a whole suggests.
Leaves Of Three, the first actual song on the album, is packed with brutal riffs and bellowing vocals.
A Scream Trapped Under Water follows
Leaves Of Three with a very similar pattern, but the song contains a darker element to it that ultimately makes it one of the best tracks on the album, and the longest. Louis even gives a shot at doing some of his ‘clean’, old In Flames, vocals on this track.
Forgive & Regret and
12 Oz. Prophet both contain a petter similar to
A Scream Trapped Under Water compacted into two shorter songs, with a quick, catchy intro at the beginning of
12 Oz. Prophet.
Southern Spirit Suite is a pure drum solo filler that proves Tommy Buckley’s talent in only 35 seconds.
Pretty Smiles & Shattered Teeth follows the same formula as
A Scream Trapped Under Water, but has a more repetitive riff style that gets boring 3 minutes into the song.
Liquor & Cigarettes is the first song to take the listeners by surprise on this album, a heavy blues, southern rock tune rules this 46 second filler, and adding a hint of brightness to the album. The next two tracks,
Theory Of Pride In Tragedy and
Fingernails On A Chalkboard, flow in a similar manner, both containing more of a speed metal sound the the death-grind that Soilent Green performs to near perfection.
Paper Cut, another filler track, contains a pure bass guitar sample that shows Scott Crochet’s talent as a bassist, and containing more of the groove Southern Rock that secretly drives Soilent Green’s sound.
They Lie To Hide The Truth, a political attacker, follows a formula similar to
Pretty Smiles & Shattered Teeth, with a hint of melody in the constant driving guitars and Louis’ brutal vocals.
Another Cheap Brand Of Luck is another filler track that, once again, contains a Southern rock style to it. Also there is presence of an acoustic guitar, however, the guitarist playing should really stick to the heavy electric guitar.
The Glass House Of Broken Words, the second best track on the album, contains a unique groove style mixed in with it’s heavy riffs, and Louis even pulls some of his black metal vocals on the track. Finally,
A Permanent Solution To A Temporary Problem, ends the album on an undying heavy note similar to
A Scream Trapped Under Water. Overall,
Confrontation is a solid album, with it’s weak tracks, and overall driven by the fury that dwells in the band that has yet to light up.
Pros
-- The vocalist is one of the best vocalist in the death-grind genre.
-- The album contains a powerful atmosphere that makes it easy to grasp.
-- Soilent Green is the definition of death metal originality, and this album is a good example of that fact.
-- Creative lyrics that can be either funny or grotesquely disturbing.
Cons
-- Too many fillers.
-- Can get really repetitive.
-- The album loses it’s flow early in the chaos and mayhem.
Track Listing
1. Scarlet Sunrise (2/5)
2. Leaves Of Three (3.5/5)
3. A Scream Trapped Under Water (5/5)
4. Forgive & Regret (4/5)
5. 12 Oz. Prophet (4.5/5)
6. Southern Spirit Suite (1.5/5)
7. Pretty Smiles & Shattered Teeth (3.5/5)
8. Liquor & Cigarettes (3/5)
9. Theory Of Pride In Tragedy (4.5/5)
10. Fingernails On A Chalkboard (3/5)
11. Paper Cut (2.5/5)
12. They Lie To Hide The Truth (4/5)
13. Another Cheap Brand Of Luck (1.5/5)
14. This Glass House Of Broken Words (5/5)
15. A Permanent Solution To A Temporary Problem (3.5/5)
