Overworld album reviews

[Kråhffäh]

I heard something about Gordon aproving?

Gordon ALWAYS (almost) agrees!

This is good news 

[Bocom]

I heard something about Gordon aproving?

Gordon ALWAYS (almost) agrees!

This is good news 

I meant approve, not agree. :X

[PrescriptiveBarony]

i am now in a position to contribute to this thread with the sorts of contribution for which it was created.

i was actually thrown a little off-guard with this album. I see what people mean by its being dry or more metally. But what nobody that i can see has mentioned is a curious industrial hue that was never there before. I think it's a combination of the simultaneous expanding and backgrounding of the synth and the change in rob's singing, which has been mentioned. I would describe it not so much as "showing less range" as "more confident." Not that this is purely positive; it sounds as though he's been truly convinced at last of the coolitude of his style of singing and as a result is a little more cocky; alternately, this might just be overproduction in post.

that said, however, i have been known to fall for overproduction, and it's certainly still the trademark sound.

I'm not going to do a song-by-song thing (and i've only listened through 1.5 times so far), but overall i was most pleased with the result. The energy is great, though in some cases the downfall; i didn't feel like there were enough times it slowed down. And one of the places where it definitely did (Skin) felt almost forced, like they couldn't wait to get to the cool part (the explosive fast part), which i agree was more fun, but a guy needs a break over the course of an album, and something rich enough to get involved in (even dark city doesn't take the time to smell the roses, but it's the closest they come). By the end of the album, in fact, i found myself thinking that it was as though the whole thing was an excitable race to the end, plenty of fun, but you're left at the end with a sorta "oh... what happened?" feeling.

as i say i haven't even listened through twice fully, and I have to say that i love industrial/groove, so to the extent that alterations led the sound in that direction, i'm happy. In fact, i'm overall quite happy, and I still would be hard-pressed to name another band with a sound significantly like this. But it doesn't feel like quite the same band. I can appreciate an evolution in sound and i had no expectations going in, so coming out it is a great album by someone i'd like to hear more of, but i'd also like to hear more of the band that wrote hubnester inferno and the wired. alack, they might have dissipated into the mist...

i'd like to give a special shout-out to gimme more, which actually i think reminds me most of the irreverent machinae supremacy of days of yore. I'd also like to give special props to the increased solos, which were greatly understated in redeemer.

[Bocom]

I wouldn't exactly call it industrial and/or groove, because I can't seem to find these things in the songs, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

[Xarion]

i didn't feel like there were enough times it slowed down. And one of the places where it definitely did (Skin) felt almost forced, like they couldn't wait to get to the cool part (the explosive fast part), which i agree was more fun, but a guy needs a break over the course of an album.

That's only your personal opinion, man... Personally I love it when an album is fast from the beginning to the end without a single slow/gay song to break the intensity of the whole thing. Albums like Reign in Blood or Silent Night Fever are fast ones but you couldn't want any slow part in them, because what makes them special is the uncompromising aspect

[Bocom]

i didn't feel like there were enough times it slowed down. And one of the places where it definitely did (Skin) felt almost forced, like they couldn't wait to get to the cool part (the explosive fast part), which i agree was more fun, but a guy needs a break over the course of an album.

That's only your personal opinion, man... Personally I love it when an album is fast from the beginning to the end without a single slow/gay song to break the intensity of the whole thing. Albums like Reign in Blood or Silent Night Fever are fast ones but you couldn't want any slow part in them, because what makes them special is the uncompromising aspect

But there are slow songs in this album? <_<''

Skin is slow in the start for example.

[Pete]

I...uh...accidentally downloaded the leaked rip. It's not my fault that I wanted to listen to Sid Icarus.

 But damn, I like it. Top songs for me are the aforementioned Sid Icarus (how they were going to put vocals to it worried me, and at first I thought it was just okay. It's grown on me though, I still freaking love the sid line in it) and Radio Future, I love Radio Future it's almost a Flag Carrier-like ballad, but with a bit more energy. Dark City is also badass.
 
Overworld is great, as all the opening tracks are, but Elite still holds my heart...'did you doubt us for what came before, were you not a believer, well now all your doubts are no more for this is REDEEMER¬!"£$%&*()'

Need For Steve sounds quite punky in some ways and I like it too, quite a bouncy song in some ways <_>

SKIN, this is a great song, though I do find the opening to go on for a bit long, once it gets going it seriously rocks out.

And Violator, it sounds like Dradnought had hot raunchy sex with Seventeen or something and produced a loud, terrifying child (with a punchy little sid line in there too). Nice.

As for songs I'm not keen on...

Edge and Pearl is okay in and of itself, but it doesn't sound as distinctively MaSu as some of the other songs.

And Stand I don't like all that much (I think). Maybe it's just the line 'time's up you corporate whores' smacks of blarghjk. Don't mind the song though, it's quite good.

And that's all I can be bothered with. It's different to the other two, that's for sure, but the other two weren't similar albums either. I eagerly await my official purchase to arrive

(Well, actually, that's not entirely true. I often equated Fury with Return To Snake Mountain, Ninja with Ronin, Rise with Super Steve, Insidious with Elite...)

EDIT: What's good to know is that the songs are still often delicious crunchy rock, I guess the production in some of them just...smoothens the sound of the guitars a bit.

[PrescriptiveBarony]

That's only your personal opinion, man...

uhm.... yeah. man. and what follows is only your personal opinion. that's the point of this thread...

I wouldn't exactly call it industrial and/or groove, because I can't seem to find these things in the songs, but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

thanks for your permission. I know it isn't even close to there yet, but i felt like it was more in that direction; the guitars a little more chugga chugga at times, the background synth with a more "cyber" flare, and the vocals more energized and utilitarian.

[harvey danger]

I've listened through the leak fully once, and listened through most of it two other times. My first impression is that the most stand-out songs are in the first half. Obviously I'm going to be listening a lot more (I felt somewhat the same about Redeemer, but now when I listen every song feels highly individual), but I too agree that a slower song in the middle might have been nice, because it may have remedied this. Going at a fast pace through the entire album can cause a listener to get somewhat lost. Overall, though, I'm pleased, and I can't wait to listen to this on repeat through the new headphones I'm getting. It definitely has a different "feel" than the other albums, and this is always welcome to me.

My three favorite songs are the first three on the album, something which rarely happens. Overworld reminds me of old Machinae in the best ways, Need for Steve has some of the coolest bass I've ever heard, and Edge and Pearl... oh man, I just can't describe it. I think Edge and Pearl is the best song on the album, the jewel at the peak of a shining crown. The mixing is just perfect. It's got the right amount of SID, and the guitars are just so heavy and awesome it makes me giddy. I love it. This band only ever gives me more reasons to follow them wherever their creativity drives them.

I think I'll save my thoughts on the rest of the songs for when the CD arrives, as well as any that change about these. I want to wait until I have the band's impression of how the CD should sound before I make any more judgements.

Also:

slow/gay song

No.

[Laser.T]

Don't wanna write a review, but I do wanna say that on my first listen I was skeptical until Dark City came on. That song fscking nailed me. I was thrown and I loved the second half of the album. After that (on 3 more listens at least) the first 3 grew on me very quickly but 4 & 5 I'm still having a hard time with.

[Lysix]

hold up.
weren't you the one bitching about peoples inability to wait for the actual cd?

[Laser.T]

hold up.
weren't you the one bitching about peoples inability to wait for the actual cd?

Who the hell are you? Mr Fscking Memory Man?!!!



Yeah, I was hoping you wouldn't remember
I blame Magicman for scaring me into it. And yes, I'm a weak MaSu fan like the rest of you now.

[harvey danger]

hold up.
weren't you the one bitching about peoples inability to wait for the actual cd?

Who the hell are you? Mr Fscking Memory Man?!!!



Yeah, I was hoping you wouldn't remember
I blame Magicman for scaring me into it. And yes, I'm a weak MaSu fan like the rest of you now.

JOIN USSS

[Xarion]

It's got the right amount of SID

Uh?

There's no SID on Edge and Pearl, only keyboards.

[harvey danger]

It's got the right amount of SID

Uh?

There's no SID on Edge and Pearl, only keyboards.

OH MY, sorry about that.