ATROX - first BAD reviews!

[monikaedv]

From http://www.into-obscurity.com/reviews/reviews.asp?reviewID=1088

Norway's Atrox are anything but normal. They follow their on path on a progressive metal journey through schizophrenic worlds and pure chaos. The music has a jazz influence and some really interesting guitar and drum work. So what keeps this group from really turning heads? My guess is the female vocalist. No, I'm not being sexist - but this girl just cannot sing. Monika, the frontwoman of the group, seems like she is trying too hard to sound ethereal and oversings quite a bit which really detracts from what this group are capable of musically. Her vocals are a thorn in the side of what is an otherwise extremely mind-boggling album.

Atrox mix a symphonic, gothic feel with jazz timings and play all of this with an intense feeling matched by few bands. Even their open chord chugging parts are more interesting than most (check the album's final track for what I mean). Unfortunately, this flawless musical performance is marred by an extremely poor vocal performance. I'm not sure if this atypical vocal sound is what they were going for, but it just doesn't work.

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"this girl just cannot sing"... well, isn't that special......?

 

[Michele/Xyphias]

"this girl just cannot sing"
can't find a more unfitting definition for you Monika!
btw I like a lot your sense of self-humor to post this one.
now, let's come back to serious things, lucky it looks to be an isolate case!

 

[Ellestin]

There's always a guy or two to throw some weird bit of criticism in... A few days ago someone told me that the vocalists on In The Woods... - Omnio are awkward beginners. My jaws dropped to the floor, a little like this:


But overall it's not all that bad to have a controversy. It shows that people are not indifferent.

 

[Klaair]

that's incredible ....
I hope you don't listen to them Monika , and don't change hehe!! :Spin:

 

[monikaedv]

I'll never change, Klaair hehehe!!! At least not become more "normal"...

Got the "Orgasm" CDs today and I'm sooooooooo happy! :Spin: Great to see that it's actually possible to release a CD with no mistakes in the cover! Thank you so much all you code666 guys - I love you!!!

 

[Emi]

we love you too Monika

and yes, please do not change your attitude, don't stop to paint freaks, don't stop to use self-irony and well, don't stop to do what you do.

 

[monikaedv]

I will never stop! Being creative and productive is all I ever want in my life...

 

[col]

Aww, yeah.. Atrox.. man.. what's with the vocals?

All that squealin and stuff.. uggghh...

hoho.

Naw, I'm sure it's really cool.
I'll be buying it when I find it!

 

[pharzuph]

I've read reviews critical of Monika's style, which generally show a narrow-minded view of how a woman should sing. That's the first review I've ever seen critical of Monika's ability. :shakes head: I suppose the incomprehension of the groundlings is a price of originality.

 

[Lord Of The Void]

I think Monika's voice is one of the highest point of the album. It's what make that album so special. Who does not think so maybe is deaf.

 

[monikaedv]

I thought it was quite funny to read that I allegedly just cannot sing hehe... because I overdo it... a contradiction in terms, i'd say

hi col, nice to see you found your way to the ultimatemetal forums. i squeal like a pig owiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

 

[col]

Hola hola. Yes.. very very excited to be here, amongst all these metal fanatics, baybee

 

[Burkhard]

If Monika cannot sing, who can? Especially on "Orgasm", there are some really beautiful and very touching vocal melody lines (for those with ears to hear). It seems some reviewers "just cannot listen". It would be interesting to know what kind of vocals this reviewer would have preferred instead.

Apart from the rather disappointing new Voivod-album, "Orgasm" is (and probably will remain - or is there a new Madder Mortem album in sight?) the only new metal release I´ve bought this year and it is just F.U.C.K.I.N.G. B.R.I.L.L.I.A.N.T.!!!!! It may be a little bit early to say this now, but to me, "Orgasm" is the best metal album of all times together with "Terrestrials" (in spite of the production flaws) and Fear Of God´s "Within The Veil". If Atrox didn´t exist, they would have to be invented.

 

[monikaedv]

Hey Burkhard! Sorry I haven't replied to your mails yet, it's like it takes me so much time to answer long mails and I have quite a few interviews to do and I'm busy with my new project (making freaks of fabric and knitting clothes for them) and working on my own homepage with paintings, freaks, music, photos etc... It's not official yet since it isn't finished but you can check it out anyway: http://mmmonika.g2gm.com

So you do like Madder Mortem? When I sent you some MM stuff you said it was just ordinary and boring...?

A recommendation for you: Richard Horowitz & Sussan Deyhim: "Majoun" - GREAT album!!! And it's usually cheap everywhere... Got it from SecondSpin.com but I don't know if they have it now... Imusic.com should have it.

Thanks for your very nice words!
Monika

 

[Burkhard]

Hi Monika, I just tried your link, but I didn´t get to see more than just some brownish(?) looking texture. Is there something wrong with my PC?

Did I really write "ordinary and boring"? Perhaps because "Ruby Red" isn´t exactly their best song (though I wouldn´t call it "boring" now) and definitely not a "killer" like "Resonatine" (my favourite).

I´ll look out for "Majoun", or perhaps I could ask Mahsa. You don´t happen to be somewhere near or in Oslo between November 7th and 9th, do you? I think the "Voggesanger fra ondskapens akse"-concert will become a very special event: five female vocalists from Palestine, Iraq and Iran plus Kari Bremnes - aaarggghhh!!! (Hm, am I allowed to write such things in this forum? Isn´t it too "un-metal", too "un-Atrox-ique"?) I hope it will be possible to take some pictures to make sure that afterwards I´ll believe I´ve really been there.

You did get the three CDs, did you?

 

[zoltanthemage]

"I'm not sure if this atypical vocal sound is what they were going for, but it just doesn't work. "

Yeah, very good arguments!
AHAHAHAHAHAH

My review's on the other Atrox topic, anyway no1 will understand it as it's in Italian!

 

[monikaedv]

hihihi... Maybe I tried to sound like Liv kristine of Theatre of Tragedy but just couldn't make it hehehe...

There's a guy on the forum who's trying to make poeple think I'm stupid because I listen to music I don't necessarily like and because I sometimes sing "ugly" on purpose. He has nominated me as "worst singer in metal" in one forum because of this also... I think he is mad at me because I said people doesn't have to be open-minded just because they think they are... Oh well... I can't really take it seriously either, it's too stupid :Spin:

Burkhard: Maybe you didn't say "boring" hehehe... sorry, I was just teasing you a bit... No, I'm not going to Oslo... Can't afford such things... Yes I got the CDs!!! Thank you, I like them. Haven't heard them so many times yet but I will. Oh you should also check out Axiom of Choice!!! It's a band of Persians from USA I think... The woman who sings has a really beautiful voice, I think you'll love it. Check out sound samples at amazon.com. And Azigza!! I think you'll love them as well... There are free mp3s of them at mp3.com. Hmmm and perhaps Megace (also on mp3.com) - it's a German thrash band with female vocals.

The link works... That's the background of the page you've seen... Try again

 

[Michele/Xyphias]

oh, oh, here it is a new one ; )

Quintessence.sh

Atrox started in the late eighties, first as Suffocation. Their debut album was more death metal at that time, but later on it really divorced from that sound. I think the band changed more into the direction of Gothic Metal. I think that a harder version of The Gathering would be a fair comparison. What this band do musically is really good. They sound really progressive and each member knows how to handle his instrument. Vocally however I have my doubts, although doubts are not the right word. To be honest, I don`t like them. Monica has definitely has a great voice, but the way she sometimes use them are definitely not my piece of cake. Sometimes she sounds like Kari (former vocalist) of The 3rd And the Mortal. The screams she now and then made are not a lust for my ear. It may fit with the schizophrenic sound of the band, but I wish that she stopped with that at once. I really like progressive and schizophrenic music, but not this. On the song "Flesh City" you can here dual vocals where the female vocals are varied by men vocals. This makes this song a bit different from the rest. Like I said this album is musically ok, but mainly the vocals degrade the value of it. My advice is to listen first to this one and then decide for yourself.

 

[zoltanthemage]

Anyway all of them about "I don't like" and so on...

Very un-professional Xyphias, uh?
AHAHAHAHAHAH

 

[monikaedv]

I don't understand German, but we got a sleepyhead which means 1 of 5 hehehe!!!

http://www.heavyhardes.de/metal/newrund/Atrox_Orgasm.html

Also, ich dachte immer, ich wäre ziemlich open-minded (jedenfalls hab ich so ziemlich alle Metal-Stilrichtungen bei mir daheim); aber was mir da vorgesetzt wird, schlägt ja dem Faß den Boden aus. Zur Geschichte dieser Combo will ich erst gar nix schreiben, weil mir die Mucke die Sprache verschlagen hat. Das Label umschreibt das ganze als Progressive Schizo Metal. Nun, das trifft fast ins Schwarze. Eher würde passen: Progressiver prog-Schizo Sound. Mit Metal hat das ganze überhaupt nix mehr zu tun. So verworrene Songstrukturen hab ich ja schon lang nicht mehr gehört. Das hört sich an, als würde jeder was anderes spielen und das ganze wird dann lustig zusammengemixt. So ungefähr Zirkusmusik trifft auf Instrumenten-Stimm-Übungen. Und dazu kommt noch ne "Sängerin", die konstant neben der Spur liegt. Was für Substanzen muss man(n) sich eigentlich reinpfeifen, um sowas zustande zu bringen??? Meiner Meinung nach ein klarer Fall von Rohstoffverschwendung.
Ray