The Avenging Disco Godfathers of Soul "The Ultimate in Authenticity and Musical Usefulness" CD
[Alone]
When I saw the band name and the indicators that they use live and electronics drums, percussion, sound manipulation, guitars, xylophone, bass, vocals, and synths, I feared the worst. However, while I admittedly don't think this is a great record, the band's brand of quirky, melodic, abrasive, metallic "screamo" (for lack of a better term) isn't so bad. It's definitely unoriginal, make no mistake. You've heard these screaming vocals, rambunctious pull-off riffs, sliding power chords, and jangly clean breaks before, and (thankfully) the band doesn't really use their eccentric accompaniment instruments very often, and when they do, they start to suck, so... I do like the complex bass runs and dynamic shifts from layered clean passage to stuttered distorted rhythms, and overall their songs aren't so bad considering - they do have a fairly cohesive flow going on. But it doesn't interest me all that much. Few riffs hit me, and the rhythm section (especially the bassist) is definitely the strong point. Even though it's entirely too long at around six minutes, "Reflex Point" is one of the better songs as far as impactful riffing and whatnot, and some slick drum fills accentuate that for sure. The same goes for "Witch Hunt" and its caustic guitar textures over energetic bass runs and thick bass chords, though they border on destroying the quiet segment with the damn xylophone... "Revelations", which is slower and darker, is by far the best track though - certainly hinting at the band's true capabilities. The recording's alright. It's thin. The drums are a little on the flimsy side, the bass is well defined but not as dominant as its performance deserves to be, the guitars and vocals sound fine but do lean towards the higher tones, etc. I can deal with it, but I'd love to hear the bass mixed as a lead instrument. I don't mind the layout. I actually like aspects of the colors and arrangement a lot. There are lots of tiny photos and layers, the text and colors are consistent, etc. The inner black and white spread is on the plain side, but it still works. The cover is definitely strong, though. The lyrics don't do anything for me, they're just the usual personal, somewhat abstract stuff. "My pocket's full, full of razor blades. My fist is full, full of the same. Call it a blessing or a curse. Bow down, follow me, with your eyes shut tight, it must be hard to see. They must have snuck in through your veins. So quick they travel when agitated..." Bottomline? Toss the extraneous instrumentation since it doesn't help matters, beef up the sound and let the bassist run the show, trim the fat so the songs don't drag on, and just be a band that's good at what you do, even if what you do has been done before. (5/10)
Running time - 53:41, Tracks: 10
[Notable tracks: Reflex Point, Witch Hunt, Revelations]
Alone Records - http://www.alonerecords.com

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