Friday, May 30, 2003
Okay, enough of this fucking quasi-sabbatical.
One of the (two) best new-to-me bands I've discovered recently is Soilwork. I'd seen them mentioned on Joe's blog recently, but only mentioned, not really discussed. Then I started working on this impossible project regarding current big hits at college radio, and decided that I needed to download stuff from lots of genres. Lo and behold, there in the top 5 of the CMJ Loud Rock chart is Soilwork's new album Figure Number Five - and it's fucking sensational.
I don't have a lot of use for "new" metal (nu-metal I have even less of a use for, mind). Most of the real metal out there these days, like the stuff hitting at college radio, seems to fall into the black/death metal genre - and I don't find feeling like I'm on the wrong end of a steamroller enjoyable for hours on end. Maybe a song or two here and there (like that great "Babalon A.D." by Cradle of Filth), but that's generally it. And all the "kill-maim-destroy-blood" lyrics get tiring almost upon point of impact. When I need to experience the jolt I assume most fans get from these bands, I spin Appetite for Destruction, or N.W.A., or some good ol' Sex Pistols. [Does this mean I'm getting old? Don't answer that, please.] Or, in a better-but-still-needing-loud-and-fast mood, Andrew W.K. (in case you missed it the first time, here's why I love him).
And yeah, Soilwork occasionally has their "whooaaaaarrrrr" moments of "singing." But they're in the minority - what they generally do is spin the now-familiar Linkin Park formula of one guy "rapping" - in this case, he's more shouting, barking - and another singing, really singing, with a tone reminiscent of the guy from Fugazi, practically all-but crooning at points. The contrast is sublime (not Sublime). Gorgeous multitracked harmony - there's a surprise. Intelligent guitar playing, not "these go up to 11!" bombast, but meaty riffing full of nutrition. Lots of keyboards, used to augment, part of the band, not a gimmicky thing nor the sound of Eddie Van Halen's "Jump" work. They add texture and life to the songs. The drummer does what's he's supposed to do; he keeps the beat, bashing on relentlessly in time.
And yeah, I know that a number of this new breed of "heavy" bands are supposedly known for their thoughtful lyrics, but I didn't expect to come across writing like this:
"I rumble, I stumble
My memory starts to crumble
I can't refuse what's haunting my dreams
Have I stumbled?
On my way to a created perfection
I penetrate the gates of rejection"
- Soilwork, "Rejection Role" (Figure Number Five, Nuclear Blast, 2003)
That's good stuff. Actually, it reminds me a bit of some of the depressing/goth bands I so passionately loved in the '80s (and do, still, sometimes), like the Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and Bauhaus (not to mention the industrial titans of the late-'80s). Alienation from society: who can't relate? Well, apart from the really popular people, and fuck them anyway. [Here I go, back in high school again...]
If I was 15, Soilwork would likely be my favorite band. As it stands at 32, they're quite a find, and I firmly expect to see them popping up on my end-of-2003 lists. Alongside DJ/rupture's Minesweeper Suite and another record I'll discuss soon, this is one of '03's long-players to beat.
Addendum: their official site seems to be down, but their official fansite, Soilworkers.com, is pretty nifty. And it would appear, based on their names, that the band is from northern Europe - I'm guessing Norway.
One of the (two) best new-to-me bands I've discovered recently is Soilwork. I'd seen them mentioned on Joe's blog recently, but only mentioned, not really discussed. Then I started working on this impossible project regarding current big hits at college radio, and decided that I needed to download stuff from lots of genres. Lo and behold, there in the top 5 of the CMJ Loud Rock chart is Soilwork's new album Figure Number Five - and it's fucking sensational.
I don't have a lot of use for "new" metal (nu-metal I have even less of a use for, mind). Most of the real metal out there these days, like the stuff hitting at college radio, seems to fall into the black/death metal genre - and I don't find feeling like I'm on the wrong end of a steamroller enjoyable for hours on end. Maybe a song or two here and there (like that great "Babalon A.D." by Cradle of Filth), but that's generally it. And all the "kill-maim-destroy-blood" lyrics get tiring almost upon point of impact. When I need to experience the jolt I assume most fans get from these bands, I spin Appetite for Destruction, or N.W.A., or some good ol' Sex Pistols. [Does this mean I'm getting old? Don't answer that, please.] Or, in a better-but-still-needing-loud-and-fast mood, Andrew W.K. (in case you missed it the first time, here's why I love him).
And yeah, Soilwork occasionally has their "whooaaaaarrrrr" moments of "singing." But they're in the minority - what they generally do is spin the now-familiar Linkin Park formula of one guy "rapping" - in this case, he's more shouting, barking - and another singing, really singing, with a tone reminiscent of the guy from Fugazi, practically all-but crooning at points. The contrast is sublime (not Sublime). Gorgeous multitracked harmony - there's a surprise. Intelligent guitar playing, not "these go up to 11!" bombast, but meaty riffing full of nutrition. Lots of keyboards, used to augment, part of the band, not a gimmicky thing nor the sound of Eddie Van Halen's "Jump" work. They add texture and life to the songs. The drummer does what's he's supposed to do; he keeps the beat, bashing on relentlessly in time.
And yeah, I know that a number of this new breed of "heavy" bands are supposedly known for their thoughtful lyrics, but I didn't expect to come across writing like this:
"I rumble, I stumble
My memory starts to crumble
I can't refuse what's haunting my dreams
Have I stumbled?
On my way to a created perfection
I penetrate the gates of rejection"
- Soilwork, "Rejection Role" (Figure Number Five, Nuclear Blast, 2003)
That's good stuff. Actually, it reminds me a bit of some of the depressing/goth bands I so passionately loved in the '80s (and do, still, sometimes), like the Cure, Siouxsie & the Banshees, and Bauhaus (not to mention the industrial titans of the late-'80s). Alienation from society: who can't relate? Well, apart from the really popular people, and fuck them anyway. [Here I go, back in high school again...]
If I was 15, Soilwork would likely be my favorite band. As it stands at 32, they're quite a find, and I firmly expect to see them popping up on my end-of-2003 lists. Alongside DJ/rupture's Minesweeper Suite and another record I'll discuss soon, this is one of '03's long-players to beat.
Addendum: their official site seems to be down, but their official fansite, Soilworkers.com, is pretty nifty. And it would appear, based on their names, that the band is from northern Europe - I'm guessing Norway.
# posted by Thomas : 3:14 PM
