Jump to content

The Advantages of Owning the Physical Album


Requiem

Recommended Posts

16 minutes ago, JonoBlade said:

I can't profess to have read every post here but the main trend I noticed was the requirement for a lyric book which gives a tactile experience and greater engagement with the music. I agree, but this has nothing to do with the format of the music itself.

The optimum release format (for a collector that must have something to hold) is a printed hardback artbook that has all the liner notes/lyrics to accompany a full dynamic range 24 bit download.

Vinyl is a dumb format for new releases. The world does not need another spaff-spattered LP. The audio signal is filtered/degraded to account for the deficiencies in the medium (which is even more deficient in a coloured/picture disc). There are so many potential weakpoints in the playback chain for an LP it is simply no longer a viable option. For posers only.

I say that as a clown poser that has a couple of hundred LPs in a cabinet and listen to them all the time. But that cabinet is reserved for the classics. Anything new I buy and download from Bandcamp. While it is nice to have lossless for an archive copy I am quite happy with a 320kbps MP3 for portable use because it is indistinguishable from a CD unless you have super human hearing. There seems to be a persistent myth that MP3 sounds "compressed". That is horseshit. If you can hear compression it is in the waveform - which will be the same whether it is MP3, CD, or 24 bit. 

I was triggered on this topic when reading this Derrick Green interview the other day (https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/sepulturas-derrick-green-would-love-to-see-artists-get-what-they-deserve-from-streaming-music-services-its-completely-unfair/)

In my view all artists, if they are in control of their catalog, should withdraw all content from subscription streaming services at once. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes to all of that -  except I do not fiddle with vinyl at all.  A hundred years ago when I was a student in Sydney we were burgled and my LPs were almost all stolen.  So my old classics went.  I replaced a lot of them (I actually bought many of my own albums back because I knew where stolen vinyl was fenced). I switched to CD as soon as I could but I can barely remember the last time I played a CD and my old turntable probably doesn't even work.

Downloads, baby.  Bandcamp for almost everything, Presto for classical and jazz that I can't find on Bandcamp.  

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, JonoBlade said:

The optimum release format (for a collector that must have something to hold) is a printed hardback artbook that has all the liner notes/lyrics to accompany a full dynamic range 24 bit download.

...

I was triggered on this topic when reading this Derrick Green interview the other day (https://www.blabbermouth.net/news/sepulturas-derrick-green-would-love-to-see-artists-get-what-they-deserve-from-streaming-music-services-its-completely-unfair/)

In my view all artists, if they are in control of their catalog, should withdraw all content from subscription streaming services at once. 

 

I like this take. As someone who owns several hundredCDs,  LPs and 7"s each from 15+ years ago(98% punk and garage), I never listen to these things anymore. Part of that is because I listen to mostly metal these days but also I haven't really organized my life and music listening around sitting around flipping records or swapping out everything in the CD changer these days. Not to say I couldn't go back there at some point...

I think the artbook idea is cool, but I'm just not sure I need more stuff. This house already has lots of bookshelves full of books and board games, I don't think I need to collect yet another thing. However, I think digital + artbook is a better direction so I might buy them in the future just to support the idea.

Just the other day I was curious how much a band makes on a streaming service like Spotify so I did some googling and wow it's not much... my back-of-envelop calculation is that me flipping a band 8 bucks for an album on bandcamp is the monetary equivalent to me streaming it 300 times. I don't think I'm ever going to listen to anything 300 times. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While the likes of Spotify only give chump change to bands it is worth noting that in many cases it's chump change that they wouldn't have otherwise. Most of the people I know who use Spotify or Deezer etc aren't buying albums and wouldn't buy albums in the first place even if streaming didn't exist, but they are happy to pay for streaming services. Sure it takes hundreds of thousands of listens for a band to make any decent coin out of a song but good songs tend to get those figures. I've also seen bands with extremely high numbers (by their own account not claims from the streaming services) of songs that are 20+ years old. It's unlikely (although maybe possible) that many of those songs would not be generating the same sort of revenue without streaming. 

I don't generally support these services and rarely use them myself in preference of owning the physical media but I don't think they are all bad for all people.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's also the marketing aspect of streaming services. If you're a touring band and you want to attract new listeners there's a good chance they will got o Spotify to check you out before going to the gig to see if it's worth skipping a pre-show beer to see your opening act. Or if just word of mouth, simply seraching a band is a lot easier and available for Spotify compared to say Bandcamp (whose Android interface is... decent).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 hours ago, ratpfink said:

I think the artbook idea is cool, but I'm just not sure I need more stuff. This house already has lots of bookshelves full of books and board games, I don't think I need to collect yet another thing. However, I think digital + artbook is a better direction so I might buy them in the future just to support the idea.

Correct. You do not need more stuff. The artbook is for those that just can't let go yet. Probably the even better solution is some kind of bandcamp-like digital platform where the liner notes/lyrics come in an interactive format to accompany a download.

I still have a hard time letting go of accumulated baggage, but am quite conscious of trying not to add to the pile. I triple sense check every purchase. If you are buying something as a replacement, make sure you get rid of the original.

16 hours ago, KillaKukumba said:

I don't generally support these services and rarely use them myself in preference of owning the physical media but I don't think they are all bad for all people.

Is that referring to the subscribers or the artists? Of course, subscribers are getting a great service. They are getting access to a vast collection of music, on demand, for next to nothing while actively participating in the devaluation of an artform.

A subscription is a flat fee which is where the core problem lies. It's impossible to fairly compensate everyone from a flat fee. The model was broken before it even started, except for the services themselves that are just banking on the fact that an artist might feel it is missing out by not having content on there. They fell for the deception that "you will reach an enormous audience". Yes, an enormous audience of dickholes that expect to get everything for free. "More people will come to your gigs!" What if you don't want to tour or it is not possible to do so (hello Mr pandemic). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Sheol said:

If you're a touring band and you want to attract new listeners there's a good chance they will got o Spotify to check you out before going to the gig to see if it's worth skipping a pre-show beer to see your opening act. Or if just word of mouth, simply seraching a band is a lot easier and available for Spotify compared to say Bandcamp (whose Android interface is... decent).

I use You Tube for that. I consider You Tube an intentionally flawed platform for listening to new stuff and loading up on nostalgia.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, JonoBlade said:

Correct. You do not need more stuff. The artbook is for those that just can't let go yet. Probably the even better solution is some kind of bandcamp-like digital platform where the liner notes/lyrics come in an interactive format to accompany a download.

Bandcamp offers the option of including PDF booklets with every digital download, along with whatever you enter into the lyrics and song info fields. 

They're far and away the best platform I've used as a musician. I made a decision a while ago to only sell digital copies, and only through Bandcamp. I'm missing out on a lot by doing it that way but I'm ok with that. As a listener I sometimes get frustrated when I can't find the music I want on there - usually older stuff - and so I'll still wind up buying CDs on occasion, but the vast majority of my purchases are digital downloads as well. Even the CDs get ripped and then put on the shelf. The only place it really makes a difference is my car, the CD player sounds noticeably better than the aux cable no matter what player or file I use.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Bandcamp offers the option of including PDF booklets with every digital download, along with whatever you enter into the lyrics and song info fields. 

They're far and away the best platform I've used as a musician. I made a decision a while ago to only sell digital copies, and only through Bandcamp. 

#MeToo. While my bands offer a PDF booklet with every album download practically no other band or label does, which I find unfathomable. It goes to show that digital downloads are still looked down upon while dying formats and desperate merch is flogged.

A lossless digital download with a pdf is by far the most convenient way for a band to sell music. I don't have to go down to the post office every other day! I would switch from bandcamp if a metal centric platform* started up that offered a better split for the band, i.e. taking a 5% or 10% instead of 15% cut, but my hat is off to bandcamp for being such an awesome platform that has artists at its heart and soul.

*I find it baffling that no competing artist-centric platforms seem to exist. I have no idea about how easy it is to keep a platform running because I am not an IT guy but the world needs a dedicated metal community with better social media aspects than bandcamp to engage with fans and offer digital download and merch options with profits direct to the band. Then I would never have to use facebook again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First of all, JBlade and anyone who casually uses "my bands" are fucking instant legends in my book. In all honesty without the artists, obviously we have no forum, no community, no endless drain on our wallets. So fucking horns to all the bands, good or bad, you guys slay for putting your art out there, and we commend you! (Even post-black shoe gaze bands or whatever the fuck Thatguy is listening too this week).

I am all-in on BC with the exception of using Amazon HD for the better quality streaming.

BC checks many boxes. Adding more community features would be a plus, as would allowing more ways to organize libraries, personal rating system, etc. In time hopefully they make incremental improvements without overturning the whole apple cart.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, JonoBlade said:

#MeToo. While my bands offer a PDF booklet with every album download practically no other band or label does, which I find unfathomable. It goes to show that digital downloads are still looked down upon while dying formats and desperate merch is flogged.

A lossless digital download with a pdf is by far the most convenient way for a band to sell music. I don't have to go down to the post office every other day! I would switch from bandcamp if a metal centric platform* started up that offered a better split for the band, i.e. taking a 5% or 10% instead of 15% cut, but my hat is off to bandcamp for being such an awesome platform that has artists at its heart and soul.

*I find it baffling that no competing artist-centric platforms seem to exist. I have no idea about how easy it is to keep a platform running because I am not an IT guy but the world needs a dedicated metal community with better social media aspects than bandcamp to engage with fans and offer digital download and merch options with profits direct to the band. Then I would never have to use facebook again.

Yeah, it would be awesome if there was some kind of music-specific network that was well-populated and active and widespread enough to make FB obsolete. I wonder if it's even possible. The larger metal-related FB groups I was in were great for promotion and even some good discussion, and I met some awesome IRL friends through the platform, but ultimately it just wasn't worth the mindfuck of maintaining a profile there. Death by a thousand cuts. MySpace was far from perfect but they briefly got the social aspect of music sharing right, before they imploded. Maybe Bandcamp could incorporate some of those networking ideas, like the "top 8". 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, JonoBlade said:

Is that referring to the subscribers or the artists? Of course, subscribers are getting a great service. They are getting access to a vast collection of music, on demand, for next to nothing while actively participating in the devaluation of an artform.

 

It's not a perfect service but think it can be good for both.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

Yeah, it would be awesome if there was some kind of music-specific network that was well-populated and active and widespread enough to make FB obsolete.

I was hoping that Bandcamp would evolve in such platform next to what they do. I sometimes wish I could communicate with the people that I follow or who follow me. Bandcamp is in my opinion an absolute gem of a page. Total desaster for my wallet though. But I believe that many true music lovers are quite heavily involved in BC and probably would be willing to communicate as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, JohanV said:

I was hoping that Bandcamp would evolve in such platform next to what they do. I sometimes wish I could communicate with the people that I follow or who follow me. Bandcamp is in my opinion an absolute gem of a page. Total desaster for my wallet though. But I believe that many true music lovers are quite heavily involved in BC and probably would be willing to communicate as well.

There's a bit of that capability now - they have a comment section for messages that bands put up, and they let you recommend up to three other bands, which are both sort of MySpace-like features. But neither of those is readily apparent on the main page. My guess is that they want it that way. The guy who founded BC has said he thinks of the site as being a digital marketplace like Etsy rather than a social network platform like Facebook. If that's the vision, then it makes sense for each band or label page to be like a separate storefront. I wish there was more social integration but I don't know how you'd get the good parts of that without the drawbacks. I remember MySpace becoming way more frustrating to use and ultimately imploding as they attempted to become more Facebook-ish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

MySpace was by and large a big mess with animated gifs and autoplay blaring, nostalgia aside. But it was good for discovering bands. I sometimes wish that and mp3.com had merged with todays digital capabilities. Then we would have something like BC+.

I think the guy who founded BC might have to reevaluate what the site has become, as opposed what it was. It's so big and so popular that just adding a proper reply function to comments would help a lot. If the band want to reply to a comment they have to do it without being able to tag the person they're replying to. And there's no alert function for comments, making them virtually useless.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, FatherAlabaster said:

The guy who founded BC has said he thinks of the site as being a digital marketplace like Etsy rather than a social network platform like Facebook. If that's the vision, then it makes sense for each band or label page to be like a separate storefront. I wish there was more social integration but I don't know how you'd get the good parts of that without the drawbacks.

With baby steps I guess. The platform can evolve, maybe just a comments feed to start, rather than needing a wholesale redesign. Bandcamp should definitely stay a storefront primarily because you want to make it as easy as possible for anyone to buy music and support the band. It cannot lose sight of that core mission.

It sounds counter-intuitive to want anyone with a monopoly, but I would much prefer having everything in one place. While I understand the purpose of Facebook as a general concept, I can't get my head around instagram or twitter. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another advantage to owning the physical format is the ability to trade or resell albums. There's always things in my collection that I lose interest in that wind up sitting around. I like trading albums with friends still too. I think another improvement Bandcamp could make would be a feature like Steam has for trading games with others. It might be something that could come along if the community aspect of the site becomes more developed. As it was already mentioned, I'd also like it more too if my collection could be more organized and condensed, rather than just having everything cluttered on one page and having to scroll through it all. Maybe have it set up as a list, or different tabs or directories for each band/artist.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

I am a hardcore CD collector for various reasons, among the physical music carriers it is the best format for sound quality. I like to have the physical bit in my hands and I love to select the next badge of CD-s that I will stock in my car to listen to while driving to and from work. That's a 3 hour trip daily. This feeling I do not have when I scroll through the latest DAP I bought with 1 TB of data. Data that is the ripped to FLAC CD-s I own. With the odd Bandcamp download which I had to because no physical format in place.

Now there is a turning point happening. Getting CD-s at a decent pricing level is becoming more hard now with new UE legislation in place to charge VAT on each and every purchase outside EU. That increases the costs considerably. One CD from UK cost me 8 GBP + 5 GBP shipping. That's just ok. Now the package was delivered to the post office where I had to pick it up and had to add another 5 euro VAT. So I have now to collect it and pay extra. Another package cost me extra 15 euro. This is no good development so maybe I have to rethink and start to turn into full digital but it just feels not right. I am not ready for that yet I think.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I prefer to own the physical album because I am a collector and then I know that the music actually belongs to me and my money has gone to (ideally) keep the artist eating and making music that I like to listen to. I'm a big merch buyer for this reason as well, as artists tend to make more money off of merch than physical album sales. With merch, I get a piece of clothing that showcases a band that I'm stoked on and usually looks pretty cool. With a physical album, not only do I have the knowledge that it is mine and that nobody can then prevent me from listening to it when the artist is inevitably "cancelled" (as is now going on with George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher & Cannibal Corpse) for a comment they made on Stasi-surveillance platform Twitter ten years ago that crybullies are butthurt about ten years later.

The big reason I have always been a proponent of buying albums is because metal is the most-cancelled genre of music in existence, and when it was Conservative Christians who didn't want me to be able to listen to albums by artists like Slayer and Deicide, owning the album ensures that I have access to the music for a long time in the way that digital files simply don't if my computer were to crash, or the New York-living social justice warriors at Spotify all of a sudden decide that a musician is "cancelled" and that nobody is allowed to listen to their legitimately good music anymore based on statements they have made or beliefs they might hold. They can delete it from their platform to try and keep other people from listening to it and enjoying it, but so long as I own the album they are absolutely powerless to stop me from playing it as loud as my speakers can go, air guitaring to it in my home, and generally enjoying the art that this "unpersoned" individual/group of individuals has made. My general rule is that if an artist is canceled, that I go out and buy their album (sometimes multiple copies that I then resell). If I had been old enough to have done this in the 80s when Tipper Gore was going after bands like W.A.S.P. and Twisted Sister, I would have done the same then. I am an adult and do not believe that any other person has anything remotely resembling a right to tell me what music, television, or movies that I am "allowed" to enjoy. I spend money on these artists specifically to stick it to these busybody types who would insist that I am not "allowed" to enjoy their art, because I know that at least some of the money goes into the artist's pocket and in addition, counts as a "sale" of their album.

The other reason I buy albums, particularly vinyl ones, is because not only am I getting music to enjoy, I am getting  big piece of art that I can frame and display if I am so inclined. I have a few album covers framed and hanging on my wall as is. I bought extra copies of these albums specifically to display them. This too, counts as a "sale" and a "unit moved" for the artist.

I'm not against people buying digital persay, do what works for you. But digital always runs the risk of file corruption or deletion if your computer or device crashes, and I've had iPods stolen before by certain worthless pieces of shit and lost my entire music collection, so now I am strictly a vinyl guy and use Spotify for when I am in the car or out in public. I do not buy digital media in most cases because I would rather buy the vinyl album for the reasons I have laid out above. I have yet to buy a digital album but it's looking like I might have to in order to get music by specific artists who don't seem to release anything on vinyl.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What if you were the one to be cancelled and suddenly you weren't allowed to buy or listen to any of your legitimately good vinyl ever again?

Or what if your house were to burn down and all your legitimately good vinyl and merch went up in smoke?

Or like if a roving pack of wild hungry gators busted down the door while you were out slinging fries and chomped down all your favorite albums?

At least digital files can be backed up. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

What if you were the one to be cancelled and suddenly you weren't allowed to buy or listen to any of your legitimately good vinyl ever again?

Or what if your house were to burn down and all your legitimately good vinyl and merch went up in smoke?

Or like if a roving pack of wild hungry gators busted down the door while you were out slinging fries and chomped down all your favorite albums?

At least digital files can be backed up. 

These are all serious possibilities. No, I mean it. They are much more likely than your download getting cancelled

Back up your download. Back it up twice if you are paranoid like me. Bury one of your external hard-drives in the garden or strap it to your leg and there you go.

People can collect vinyl if it pleases them but it is not a necessary thing to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For real. I've had at least 3 laptops crash on me and in each time my music library was perfectly safe and backed up on an external hard drive. I usually have two on the go, just in the event that one of them gets dropped and brakes or something. I have an old that doesn't get used anymore and I'm pretty sure I've got music on there that I probably downloaded around 2006 or so.

If you're diligent with backing up your files, a digital music library can last you a lifetime. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

What if you were the one to be cancelled and suddenly you weren't allowed to buy or listen to any of your legitimately good vinyl ever again?

That's impossible, because I would just listen to and buy what I wanted anyway. Nobody can stop me from buying the things I want. My bank shut off my debit card for purchasing stuff from Osmose the other day because they said it "looked like fraud". I just stopped on the way home from work, got a new card, and ordered two more albums from Osmose. Fuck 'em. Nobody tells me what I can and can't listen to. It didn't work when it was uptight choda boys like Pat Robertson trying to ban Slayer and Deicide and it isn't going to work now when it's uptight purple-haired lispers trying to tell me that I can't listen to Marduk, Nokturnal Mortum, or Kroda.

 

 

23 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Or what if your house were to burn down and all your legitimately good vinyl and merch went up in smoke?

That's a more realistic possibility. Then I'd be fucked but I'd be fucked just the same if my computer went up in smoke with all my out of print crust & punk stuff on it in that case.

 

 

23 hours ago, GoatmasterGeneral said:

Or like if a roving pack of wild hungry gators busted down the door while you were out slinging fries and chomped down all your favorite albums?

I don't "sling fries". I get paid surprisingly good money, more than I was making in construction actually, to take orders on drive thru and make coffees & smoothies. I have only been working there for a month and I already make more than most of the teenagers there. They were hard up for workers, I couldn't get a job in construction because those were the jobs that everyone hadn't quit, so I went and took the job with the fast food joint because I needed a job and that was the first place I could get hired at with a felony record. Our managers make great money, the GM makes more than my mother who has been at her job for twenty one years and is eligible for $25k in bonuses a year, has a company car and cell phone... we can even get insurance if we want to pay for it (I have private insurance through Obamacare that I pay $0.00 a month for due to some new COVID relief thing that Biden did a few months ago).

People can make fun of fast food all they want, but if you get in with the bigger companies when they are desperate, you can stand to make a surprising amount of money and have a decent career with flexibility where you'll be taken care of for your loyalty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


  • Join Metal Forum

    joinus-home.jpg

  • Our picks

    • Whichever tier of thrash metal you consigned Sacred Reich back in the 80's/90's they still had their moments.  "Ignorance" & "Surf Nicaragura" did a great job of establishing the band, whereas "The American Way" just got a little to comfortable and accessible (the title track grates nowadays) for my ears.  A couple more records better left forgotten about and then nothing for twenty three years.  2019 alone has now seen three releases from Phil Rind and co.  A live EP, a split EP with Iron Reagan and now a full length.

      Notable addition to the ranks for the current throng of releases is former Machine Head sticksman, Dave McClean.  Love or hate Machine Head, McClean is a more than capable drummer and his presence here is felt from the off with the opening and title track kicking things off with some real gusto.  'Divide & Conquer' and 'Salvation' muddle along nicely, never quite reaching any quality that would make my balls tingle but comfortable enough.  The looming build to 'Manifest Reality' delivers a real punch when the song starts proper.  Frenzied riffs and drums with shots of lead work to hold the interest.


      There's a problem already though (I know, I am such a fucking mood hoover).  I don't like Phil's vocals.  I never had if I am being honest.  The aggression to them seems a little forced even when they are at their best on tracks like 'Manifest Reality'.  When he tries to sing it just feels weak though ('Salvation') and tracks lose real punch.  Give him a riffy number such as 'Killing Machine' and he is fine with the Reich engine (probably a poor choice of phrase) up in sixth gear.  For every thrashy riff there's a fair share of rock edged, local bar act rhythm aplenty too.

      Let's not poo-poo proceedings though, because overall I actually enjoy "Awakening".  It is stacked full of catchy riffs that are sticky on the old ears.  Whilst not as raw as perhaps the - brilliant - artwork suggests with its black and white, tattoo flash sheet style design it is enjoyable enough.  Yes, 'Death Valley' & 'Something to Believe' have no place here, saved only by Arnett and Radziwill's lead work but 'Revolution' is a fucking 80's thrash heyday throwback to the extent that if you turn the TV on during it you might catch a new episode of Cheers!

      3/5
      • Reputation Points

      • 10 replies
    • I
      • Reputation Points

      • 2 replies
    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/52-vltimas-something-wicked-marches-in/
      • Reputation Points

      • 3 replies

    • https://www.metalforum.com/blogs/entry/48-candlemass-the-door-to-doom/
      • Reputation Points

      • 2 replies
    • Full length number 19 from overkill certainly makes a splash in the energy stakes, I mean there's some modern thrash bands that are a good two decades younger than Overkill who can only hope to achieve the levels of spunk that New Jersey's finest produce here.  That in itself is an achievement, for a band of Overkill's stature and reputation to be able to still sound relevant four decades into their career is no mean feat.  Even in the albums weaker moments it never gets redundant and the energy levels remain high.  There's a real sense of a band in a state of some renewed vigour, helped in no small part by the addition of Jason Bittner on drums.  The former Flotsam & Jetsam skinsman is nothing short of superb throughout "The Wings of War" and seems to have squeezed a little extra out of the rest of his peers.

      The album kicks of with a great build to opening track "Last Man Standing" and for the first 4 tracks of the album the Overkill crew stomp, bash and groove their way to a solid level of consistency.  The lead work is of particular note and Blitz sounds as sneery and scathing as ever.  The album is well produced and mixed too with all parts of the thrash machine audible as the five piece hammer away at your skull with the usual blend of chugging riffs and infectious anthems.  


      There are weak moments as mentioned but they are more a victim of how good the strong tracks are.  In it's own right "Distortion" is a solid enough - if not slightly varied a journey from the last offering - but it just doesn't stand up well against a "Bat Shit Crazy" or a "Head of a Pin".  As the album draws to a close you get the increasing impression that the last few tracks are rescued really by some great solos and stomping skin work which is a shame because trimming of a couple of tracks may have made this less obvious. 

      4/5
      • Reputation Points

      • 4 replies
×
×
  • Create New...