I have a friend who claims this was when Spineshank sold
out. That their mild success with the mainstream caused them to abandon their
metalcore anger and intense energy for a more radio friendly sound. On one hand
I can see his point. "Self Destructive Pattern" is nowhere near the
level of raw aggression "The Height of Callousness" displayed. On the
other hand, I would say that the band, much like others have done, wished to
explore another sound, one that yes, was focused on being more accessible, but
one that they performed admirably. In any case, I love this album. Spineshank
would substitute a lot of their energy for more structure their songs, which
helps them create multiple moods throughout the album. Again, this is Nu-metal,
but the sound on this album is much more diverse in that, it's not all over the
place trying to mere multiple genres and samples into one sound, but rather the
album flows with a similar atmosphere from start to finish.
The album kicks off with "Violent Mood Swings", a
song with the aggression of old and simple catchy riff that propels the chorus
forward. The next song,"Slavery" has another catchy rhythm to it, one
that would be used in the film "Freddy vs Jason" as would the song
"Beginning of the End" as well. "Smothered", is obviously
the bands most successful track, which was nominated for a Grammy.
"Consumed (Obsessive Compulsive)" and "Falls apart" show
off their fast paced aggressive roots, while songs like "Stillborn"
show the use of their industrial elements that they have always been known for.
At the end of the day, yes this album was geared toward a
greater chance of success by altering their pure Nu-metal energetic sound to
one more melodic. Is that a bad thing? Depends. If you wanted another constant
yeller like "The Height of Callousness" than maybe. If you enjoy
hearing a band grow and develop a little more layered approach to their
simplistic style, than this might be for you. Either way, I eat them both up
and enjoy them each for their unique sound.
Highlights: "Slavery" "Falls Apart"
"Violent Mood Swings" "Tear Me Down"
Rating: 4.5
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