| | Full Review | Ratings (438) |
Give your Rating |
| 4.0 excellent | JasonCarne | June 8th 18 |
Improves in every way on the last album, their unique blend of black metal and negro spirituals actually flows and fits together on this one really well.
4 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.0 poor | Bedex | April 3rd 19 |
Blerf. The mix of genres (rock, gospel-ish backup vocals, vaguely black metal-ish noisy
parts) sounds interesting, but its execution is poor. I don't think there is a single
track I thoroughly enjoyed, with the exception of 'Solve' maybe. Some sections are cool,
yes, but they are almost systematically followed by annoying parts. I'll re-listen to
this in better conditions because it is quite unique, but I don't expect to like it. 2.1
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.0 good | Brandon Scott EMERITUS | June 18th 18 |
Zeal and Ardor should certainly be praised for their uniqueness of sound; what they're doing is
wholly original and unprecedented. Unfortunately, the disconnect between their various styles
makes for a jarring listen. Transitions simply don't exist here, haphazardly stitching together
pieces black metal, soul, and gospel into a Frankenstein-esque visage of incongruous limbs. Zeal
and Ardor are on to something, but Stranger Fruits feels like a band unsure of how bridge the gap
between vision and delivery.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | OldCrime | June 18th 18 |
Improves on the previous album - don't see rthis style progressing much further. Two ralbums in and I'm already bored with this rstuff. Maybe if the black metal parts were rstronger..rEdit: this grew on me big time...
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.5 average | Mikrozion | June 17th 18 |
"Black Metal Gospel", a catchy formula that has reached its limits. This pop music is so 2017, stop the hype train. When it comes to jokes, keep it short and sweet.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.7 great | Erwann S. EMERITUS | August 31st 22 |
Black metal and gospel? On paper, this sounds like a great idea, both genres drawing their specificity by fusing emotion and intensity. It sometimes works on Stranger Fruit: tracks like "Don't You Dare" manage to leverage both its parent influences' spirits. Unfortunately, the whole shtick tires pretty quickly, and the late electronic interludes aren't all necessary - gotta trim it up. The formula is good, just needs some refinements to come up with what could be a definitive album.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | iGuter | June 2nd 21 |
While the beginning and the end don?t flow as seamless throughout the entire project, it?s still a dark and unique album from a band that incorporates black metal and black spirituals, something I never thought could be implemented together. The band really shows what the genre can do outside of the norm. The narrative also dabbles in things that are so bleak, but catch your ears with how catchy they are. I can?t wait to see what this band can do next.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | TheManMachine | July 29th 18 |
Siked foremost that Z&A administrator Manuel Gagneux has managed to forge a formidable full-length out of his dicey stylistic amalgam -- though it was an abbreviated mishmash, Devil Is Fine was fine as hell and bursting with potential and individuality. With xtra bolstering from a drummer and producer, this followup sees a satisfactory smoothing. Tunes buffer, metal less blackened, glitchy electro extinct, palette for soul/Satan/slavery/mortality vaster. Structurally however a number of these songs can come off unsure or clumsy. Screechin' and blast-beats as spurts rather than mainstays are sort of a tease, interludes are kinda fruitless, suddenly he'll get all Fithos Lusec on your ass, and at times they seemingly unearth a formula for nu-metal (middling chugga chugga squeaka riff+bluesy yells). Bit exhausting on the whole, yet enticement still overrules.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | cjbizzlebizzle | July 23rd 18 |
Zeal and Ardor follow up nicely on their 2016 release with a more polished and refined approach to their avant-garde blending of black metal, gospel, spirituals and blues. The band along with Kurt Ballou really find a necessary focus and elevate their sound to a new level. The black metal vocals sound more ferocious than on Devil is Fine and the gospel and spirituals are found around every corner. Don't You Dare might be the bands finest achievement yet with gospel and black metal perfectly conjoined. Looking at the track list is a bit confusing when you realize there are 16 songs and the first half of Stranger Fruit is certainly better than the second where it feels like the band is wandering quite a bit with electronic tracks that feel completely unnecessary on this release.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | elephantREVOLUTION | June 12th 18 |
Amazing blending of genres, but the songwriting can be very formulaic at times. If there were some longer tracks and more interesting song structures this could have been so much better. The interlude tracks are also boring for the most part and serve no purpose.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | Sarah | June 15th 25 |
| 4.0 excellent | Lexpool | April 12th 25 |
| 3.5 great | ATTA | September 3rd 24 |
| 4.0 excellent | Fenix | August 28th 24 |
| 4.0 excellent | Abraxas | March 5th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | Timmy | January 18th 23 |
| 5.0 classic | Dooplo | December 28th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | chaz1254 | December 20th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | Lacking | November 11th 22 |
| 3.5 great | altmjw | October 8th 22 |
| 4.5 superb | ARDCWE | June 28th 22 |
| 3.5 great | Matty CONTRIBUTOR | June 10th 22 |
| 3.0 good | jmh886 | March 30th 22 |
| 5.0 classic | eloli | March 11th 22 |
| 4.5 superb | Oobaloo | February 16th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | Sally J. | December 23rd 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | JoneHK | December 6th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Karen94 | November 24th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | list3r | December 12th 20 |
| 5.0 classic | fossaII | November 17th 20 |
| 5.0 classic | Bridge4 | September 6th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | Evan | July 11th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Suyan | February 27th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | h0rsie | February 6th 20 |
| 4.5 superb | dcube | October 29th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jergal | September 3rd 19 |
| 4.5 superb | Jaxer | August 23rd 19 |
| 5.0 classic | josh | August 18th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | chwe | August 13th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | HybridF | July 23rd 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | kleggi | April 9th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | Host78 | April 8th 19 |
| 2.0 poor | blou52 | March 27th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | conermc | March 21st 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | mrfixit | February 13th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Henry | January 31st 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Flomink | January 22nd 19 |
| 3.5 great | Coast | January 21st 19 |
| 3.5 great | Thibs | January 17th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Alex C. | January 14th 19 |
| 2.0 poor | Runeii | January 11th 19 |
| 4.5 superb | hpmk26 | December 23rd 18 |
| 3.5 great | Veldin | December 23rd 18 |
| 3.5 great | A.R.O. EMERITUS | December 22nd 18 |
| 2.5 average | Grzka | December 20th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Nebula1 | December 17th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Winndex | December 17th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | chayka | December 13th 18 |
| 2.5 average | JS19 | December 13th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | kenji505 | December 10th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | ellagos | December 7th 18 |
| 1.5 very poor | Ryan P STAFF | December 6th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Rail | December 4th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | magicuba | November 30th 18 |
| 3.5 great | gk1979 | November 18th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Shadein | November 16th 18 |
| 3.5 great | jusdiz | November 9th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Ungatz | November 4th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Wolfe | October 30th 18 |
| 2.0 poor | Acole9 | October 25th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | JTPlays | October 20th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | JJKeys | October 19th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | psim | October 19th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | Killian | October 7th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jrpuri2 | October 2nd 18 |
| 5.0 classic | Kruppe | September 28th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Loveloth | September 23rd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | arf | September 22nd 18 |
| 3.5 great | unkle | September 15th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | VanPelt | September 12th 18 |
| 3.5 great | ariich | September 7th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | tcarafi | August 20th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | greg84 EMERITUS | August 15th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Macck | August 11th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Roomex | July 29th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | mRA | July 23rd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | jsaf7 | July 16th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Tbird | July 1st 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | ACVPV | July 1st 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | CGayda | June 26th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Lalka | June 26th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | robkoi | June 22nd 18 |
| 3.5 great | clavier EMERITUS | June 22nd 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Nap | June 19th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Feels | June 18th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Brett W | June 17th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | furpa | June 14th 18 |
| 3.5 great | 8genre | June 14th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jeejee | June 13th 18 |
| 2.5 average | Emo | June 13th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | SimpleM | June 12th 18 |
| 3.5 great | ian b. | June 12th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | CYCO27 | June 11th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Piglet | June 11th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jade | June 11th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Guiltor | June 11th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Rausku | June 10th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Labeasy | June 10th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | N2B3J | June 10th 18 |
| 3.5 great | TwigTW | June 10th 18 |
| 3.5 great | gilly | June 10th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | kx8 | June 9th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | DRusso | June 9th 18 |
| 2.0 poor | bmelt | June 9th 18 |
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