The Duel Album Critique Corner

[lenguy]

This thread is meant to be more critical towards a band and some of their studio releases. What I want you to do is pick a time in a bands career by picking two of their studio releases and comparing the two and discus any change they made, whether you liked it or whether you hated the new direction the band took. Was this the point in time the band "sold out", where you stopped following them or was this the fresh changed the band needed to move forward, praise the change in style if you choose to. Was it a change for the better? Or was it a change for the worse? Will others have a mutual agreement with you? Do you have any sort of evidence to support your claim?

In short, this is where you come to point the finger at an artist or group or this is where you come to give them a round of applause. I'll start.

For the band I'm choosing, I will pick Breaking Benjamin. I will be comparing their two latest album releases

Released in 2009

Released in 2006

I have been a big Breaking Benjamin fan ever since I first heard their Firefly track on the original Smackdown Vs Raw video game, I have follow them ever since. 2006 saw the release of their 3rd studio album entitled "Phobia". Although the bands musical style hadn't changed much over the past few releases, a lot of fans didn't seem to care, nether did I. I found this album a lot more moody and dark compared to their earlier work and in some cases, even heavier. Ben Burnley(lead singer of the group), managed to put together interesting lyrics that at times felt a little out of place but it was a unique staple of the band. Even though nothing much had changed, there were signs of progression in the lyrics and even in the music at times. A pretty favorable album.

Dear Agony,the bands 4th studio release which really challenged Ben in his lyrics. Musically, nothing has really changed. But lyrically is a whole different story. I cannot listen to the album without getting annoyed. All the songs virtually cover the same topic and at times some of the lyrics sound exactly similar to another song on the album. Its like he use the chorus on one song as the verse for another (with some words switched around) and called it an entirely new song. Then there are an over abundance of certain words such as eyes and breathe which made me think he put no effort or no thought into his lyrics whatsoever and was just in a hurry to put out a new album. The lyrics are what really killed this album, they felt rushed and completely uninspired and felt like they were put together in a matter of hours. Which is a shame because he has put together some clever lyrics in the previous albums. I fear the band has found a formula and will stick with in now and continue releasing the same sound over and over with even more below average lyrics that a fucking 8 year old can come up with.

To sum this up, I really dislike the direction they took with this album and I feel as if it was a step back rather than a step forward. Musically, nothing has changed which, to some might or might not be a problem. Lyrically is where the album suffers the most and as you listen you will have the urge to just roll your eyes in the back of your head. A lot of professional reviews have no problem seeing the problems but a lot of casual reviews also have no problem giving this album flawless reviews citing nothing is wrong. To me, clearly, there is a lot wrong and I hope their next studio release won't suffer from the same redundant set of lyrics.

This is my pick, what are yours?

 

[Cracka Jack]

Okay, I'll do a band I'm sure everyone knows: Linkin Park.

Minutes to Midnight vs. A Thousand Suns

I'll start with Minutes to Midnight. I've talked about it on these forums before, but I felt like this was a massive step in the wrong direction for the band. I enjoyed their first two efforts, but felt a change in sound was needed for them to stay interesting to me as a listener. This was surely a change, but one I just couldn't get behind. It sounded more like an experiment; a rough draft as opposed to a finished product. This seemed like them struggling and trying to grow rather than just growing naturally. They sounded like they didn't know what they wanted to be. I appreciate the chance they took, but feel it fell far short of my expectations.

A Thousand Suns, however, I felt was a fantastic piece of music. The whole thing, overall, felt like a complete package and not just a bunch of songs that the guys were working on. Everything fit together, with transitions between songs being crucial to the listening experience. Not only that, but each full song could be listened to individually and still sound right, avoiding a problem that other concept albums face. The only criticisms I can think of would be if one were to listen to it out of order, it probably isn't as good, and that Mike still needs to rap more (something Minutes to Midnight suffered greatly from). Still, I was very impressed with A Thousand Suns, and look forward to what they do next.
​

 

[WWWYKI777]

I'm going to do this with Black Tide

Their 1st album : Light from above

Their 2nd album : Post Mortem

(The above depicted is obviously not the actual album artwork)

On their debut album "Light from above" they sound like a mixture of Iron Maiden & Metallica , ready to take the metal world by storm by bringing back integrity filled old school metal.

Click here to listen to a song off the 1st album

Then , this 2nd album "Post Mortem" which isn't actually even out yet but has had 3 singles released off of it so far and most recently the lead single for it "Walking dead man" (Link below). The term sell-out is used alot when speaking of bands changing but these guys really did it.

They now sound more like All That Remains at their absolute worst mixed with Nickelback.

Click here to hear the horror that is the new Black Tide


..................................................................................

Truly the biggest drop in a bands sound I have EVER encountered. When the albums actually out I'll still give it a chance but if this song is any indication the album will suck major ass and I will not be buying it............

 

[lenguy]

Well I'm going to get the ball rolling again. This time I'm going to compare two albums from my all time favorite band, Our Lady Peace.

4th studio album released on December 12th 2000

5th Studio album released June 18th 2002

Spiritual Machines was considered by many to be the end of an era for the band. It was the last studio album to feature signature guitarist Mike Turner,last album to feature long time producer Arnold Lanni,the last album to feature Maida's signature high-falsetto vocals and also the last album to feature an art model of Saul Fox on the cover. It is also considered by many the band at their most creative and artistic peak musically and is praised by fans and critics alike. Each song took on an entity of their own and it helped craft the band to form a distinct sound not only in their music but in Maida's prolific and often cryptic song writing. Songs like "In Repair", "All My Friends", "If You Believe" and "The Wonderful Future" were all demonstrations of the bands musical creativity. These songs were powerful and spiritual moving experiences that often resonate with the listener. While songs such as "Made To Heal", "Everyone's A Junkie", and "Right Behind You" could almost be synonymous with the type of bouncy poppy music that would be feature on later albums,possibly a slight indication of where the band would be heading? Unfortunately, for a lot of long time fans, nothing could ever prepare them for what was really ahead.

While Spiritual Machines was considered the end of one Gravity could be deliberated as the beginning of another era. One that fans would resent the band for and never accept. This was the album that band was accused of "selling out" by abandoning their signature sound in favor of something more mainstream and commercial. The hit songs "Somewhere Out There" and "Innocent" were prof of the albums success and even today these songs are considered to be some of the bands most recognizable songs and the rest of the album follow suit with simple power chords, hooks and simple melodies. People blamed the albums new producer Bob Rock for changing the bands sound and song writing, but truth is it was a double edged sword. The band wanted to try something different,something simpler and fresh(at least in their eyes). This was something they tried but couldn't do with Turner, "as he just wasn't playing what the rest of the band wanted him to play"-Quote Raine Maida. So things changed, Rock told Maida to write simple and straight to the point lyrics so the listener can actually understand what he was trying to say. While many consider this album to be the time where they draw a close to the band and resent them forever and always. I'm one of the few who actually enjoyed the album, while it wasn't musically complex as their previous work, it did in fact feel fresh. It might not have been fresh in part of the music industry as a whole but it was a fresh and new experience for the band that they are grateful for. Maida claims it was a positive new experience for the band as far as the writing process goes and hes become a better writer because of it. When you compare it to their previous work such as Clumsy or Naveed, it really doesn't hold up to well. But when one doesn't compare it to other albums and just examine the album on its own, its still a pretty damn good album.

The verdict: While most can't come to grip and understand the new direction the band has took. Thing is, some bands do choice to evolve and grow over time and it will show in their music. As the band and their respective members age, they will experience new things and see things in a different light, and it will reflect in their music. With that being said, as much as I love their old style and really wouldn't have complained if they kept writing music like that, I'm not as indifferent towards the change as most. I'm more open minded and not the type to write something off immediately because its not what I wanted. I give things time to grow on me so I can slowly come to understand and appreciate the music. If time goes by and I haven't come around then I might never grow to like it. Sometimes I may not like the change oh so much but I understand reasons behind it and can respect the bands choices a bit more. When I understand some of these choices I can then learn to appreciate the music a little better with out being all bent out of shape and bitter towards a band that doesn't continue to make the music I would prefer to hear. Bottom line, I can deal with the change and over time I've learned to accept it and even grow with it, I still do prefer their older work but I love the new stuff just as much because the intentions of the band remain true to who they are,despite a change in their sound.

 

[Alisha2]

This is just an amazing thread and the reviews are also very nice.

 

[Cracka Jack]

Back for another quick critique of two albums by one band. This time, instead of "one good, one bad", I'll do "has potential" vs. "living up to said potential". The band in focus this time: Panic! at the Disco.

A Fever You Can't Sweat Out
vs.
Pretty. Odd.

Now, Fever is quite good, don't get me wrong. The hooks are catchy, the lyrics are clever and witty, everything is well-produced. I like this album. But that's all. There seemed to be way too much simplicity within the music produced here to be something I could outright love. The heaviness of the guitars on this record tends to drown out everything other than the vocals, and the vocals themselves sound quite repetitive at times. Still, I could sense that there was a great band in there somewhere. Little did I know how good...

...Until I heard their second effort, Pretty. Odd. "Blown away" doesn't even begin to describe how I felt after listening to it. Just about everything about it was an improvement over the previous one. The songwriting matured greatly with everyone involved this time around, Brendon's vocals were improved massively, the use of instruments was much more varied and well-balanced. This was clearly destined to be their breakthrough as a unit, but the group has unfortunately split since. Panic! still exists, minus two members, who went on to form The Young Veins (who are great, by the way). Still, this album leaves me wondering what all four of these men together would have gone on to do afterward. This could have been the beginning of a great, consistent band for years to come, but oh well. In short, Pretty. Odd. more than lived up to all of the potential showed by Fever.
​