Soilwork

[Psycroptipath]

Sorry to post another thread thats not about opeth but i want to know wat people who listen to quality music like opeth think of soilwork. i reckon soilwork are a sweet band, definately one of my favourites. I also have an ongoing argument with one of my mates who reckons they are nu-metal, i reckon he's just gay.

What are your thoughts?

please dont delete this thread,
cheers

 

[deliverance]

first 2 releases were incredible
third was very good
fourth had to grow on me, and i like it
fifth was laughable
new one i heard 2 songs, and that was enough



p.s. you made this thread twice

 

[Luz]

As I said in the other thread, Soilwork sucks shitloads of donkey and horse cocks, but hey! that's only my thought and it has nothing to do with you.
So my vote goes for 'shitty band' (first option) I don't care if they're nu metal or not, they are shit.

 

[Sanzen]

first 2 releases were incredible
third was very good
fourth had to grow on me, and i like it
fifth was laughable
new one i heard 2 songs, and that was enough



p.s. you made this thread twice

yeah, what he said.

the thing is, you can't approach the new CD as a death metal CD. when I listen to it, I just think of it as solid, catchy-as-fuck hard rock, with an occasional, albeit very short, blast beat (yes, there are blasts on the new CD, which they've actually never done before).

Speed learned how to sing, and the choruses are catchy as hell. Sadly, they've cut down on the guitar solos (I guess the chorus provides the melody now instead of the solo) - no more massive "Machinegun Majesty" epic solos, but when they have em, they're still good. like I said, just don't approach the album with the mindset of, "I'm ready to hear some great melodic death!", 'cause you wont get it. listen to Dark tranquillity if you want that.

Too bad they fucking suck live. Not the band as performers - the fucking SOUND. holy god, I think they hired one of their friends to run the board...one that doesn't know what the fuck to do. It just sounds like one massive wall of noise. they need to do something about that shit.

 

[bball_1523]

they are alright. They are definitely NOT nu-metal, but they seem to be following In Flames' path. I heard "Crestfallen" and it's not that great IMO. I really like their old stuff though.

 

[NeverIsForever]

From what I know of them (which isn't much), I don't think they're nu metal. But I didn't vote, because I don't think I've heard enough of their stuff to judge them accurately on it. The only album of theirs that I've heard is "Stabbing the Drama," the one everyone seems to dislike. I actually liked it, but then again I like a lot of the bands that people on these forums generally don't...

 

[NFU]

soilwork was a band that sharpened up the edges of a genre when it was on its last leg of its creation. they brought a sophistication and melodic aproach to it with the first 2 albums, and did quite well.

somewhere down the line, they got greedy, or restless with what they were doing, and wanted to broaden their horizons (or their wallets?) and introduced some new elements to the music, but also "trimming the fat" of their old sound and style...aka simplifying (yes, were talking about soilwork, not arch enemy folks...thats another topic for another day).

they have now reached the master of their new "craft"...whatever that might be at this point...be it nu metal, or melodic death, or just heavy modern metal with a lot of clean choruses for pop appeal...but unfortunately have very little to offer me or their old fan base of their first 2 albums.

they are proffesionals live and especially in the studio, and very talented metal musicians...but it seems the fans of the last 2-3 albums or so...will never know that.
another one bites the dust...

 

[Dreadful]

I never thought that band would turn THIS BAD. Jesus...I remember when I first heard them, they were one of the only newer metal bands that had solos (played so skillfully and well written at that). While Instead of being one of the few Swedish melodic death bands left to kick America's ass all over the place, they're now getting their asses kicked by american Soilwork ripoff bands which is fucking pathetic if you ask me. I will always love their first few albums so I will never completely hate them...but seriously...such a tradegy...the path they chose and the new legions of posers that love them now and the rest of the contemporary swedish stuff.

 

[Dreadful]

no, I'm not listening to "h" right now that's a typo...no Tool for me. I'm actually listening to Spiritual Begfaces

 

[Mantraschism]

I've been a fan of Soilwork for a few years now. In my mind, they reached their peak with A Predator's Portrait, and Natural Born Chaos was the last album they did that really had that Soilwork feel. I enjoy Figure Number Five and Stabbing the Drama, especially because of how good Speed's singing is and the melodies that are now present, but it's just not as deep as it was around the time of APP because the aggression is being tuned down so much. It's kind of like if Opeth decided to just do stuff like Damnation (but a bit heavier) from now on. I'm sure it'd still be good, but it would not have the same magic because the dynamics would be largely lost. They used to have such inventive guitar parts, but now it's like they just want to settle back and be mediocre. Even the solos (when they have them) seem sooo restrained -- and restraint is a good thing when used properly, but when every solo is as held-back as the ones they do now, it's really disappointing because instead of releasing the emotion that the song builds up, it just keeps it corked up and tense. I hope this makes sense, what I'm trying to say.

In closing, I still think that Soilwork are a damn fine band, and will always be one of my favorites just for the fact that they made APP and NBC, but I wish they'd rethink their current direction a bit. Keep the awesome vocal melodies and great choruses, and bring back the aggressive, technical and emotional guitar parts, add a bit more to the songs (as they seem a bit TOO simple now), and they would once again be a force with which to be reckoned.

 

[Psycroptipath]

I think it sucks when people say they only like a band's old stuff just because... i dunno maybe they wanna be the really 'hardcore' fans - not saying that anyone here has done that. But i think its fair to say that even if a band changes their style a bit as they get older, it stands to reason that they are going to get better. I'm not gunna say i like soilwork's old stuff and that their new albums have just been shit because i actually like their two newest albums the most and i think they have definately got better as they have got older, i think each album is better than the last (apart from Stabbing the Drama which atm is on a par with Figure Number Five for me). maybe they dont display as much skill as they used to and maybe they are making music for the masses these days but i still reckon their new stuff is awesome and prefer it to their original stuff.
thanks for giving reasons and actually discussing this topic - it'd piss me off if people just said "soilwork are shit" and not back it up with reasons.

 

[Night Mare]

Personally I think things started going downhill after The Chainheart Machine, that album was awesome, everything after that seems kind of weak and overproduced. And they never had a line like: "Kill! Kill! Machine Gun Majesty!" on any song after that, that was just the pinnacle of Soilwork.

 

[Donnie Darko]

Their older albums are pretty good. I dont care for the latest two albums

 

[ryan1987online]

god, you guys are picky. all six of soilwork's albums are great and so are the bonus tracks that a couple of them were re-issued with. I haven't heard the live version of "Sadistic Lullabye" on the re-issue of Steelbath Suicide yet, so I don't know whether they actually DO suck live or not, but they can't be as bad as Katatonia are live. they're great in the studio, but I when heard Chrome from their Live in Paris CD, I didn't bother listening past the first minute and a half or so of pre-recorded drumming and mediocre, "trying too hard" tenor vocals. I could go on about that, but back to the topic of this thread. soilwork are great. I don't know who's "posing" as them, but then again I don't listen to TOO much semi-popular/unpopular metal because it's harder to get into. I've heard only three songs, so far, from their newest album: Stabbing the Drama, Fate in Motion, and Nerve. I played the last two songs several times in a row after hearing them. I don't care whether they're catchy or not. I can get over that, unlike some "purists" out there who rebel against all catchiness just because they can.

 

[ryan1987online]

and yeah, The Chainheart Machine was their best album by far, but I don't think they went downhill after that by any means, they're simply evolving as many bands do. they have less and less "death" vocals. look at how many other bands have stepped out of that and into something somewhat (or in some cases, A LOT) lighter. it's not a new concept, people. it's natural for some bands.

 

[NFU]

and yeah, The Chainheart Machine was their best album by far, but I don't think they went downhill after that by any means, they're simply evolving as many bands do. they have less and less "death" vocals. look at how many other bands have stepped out of that and into something somewhat (or in some cases, A LOT) lighter. it's not a new concept, people. it's natural for some bands.

yes, progression isnt a bad thing unless the progress is crap...such as soilworks last several albums.

you enjoy dimmu borgir....this conversation is a lost cause on you as it is.

 

[ryan1987online]

that's a matter of opinion. it's my personal opinion that soilwork are great. it is also mine (and yours, since you said it yourself on that other thread) that dimmu borgir are great.
it'd be better to leave it at this: progression and stagnation are good in their own ways.

 

[AlexGuinness]

I like them, I like most things.

I do not care for the new stuff as much, but on first listen I predicted it would be their biggest unit shifter yet... It plays up to much of what is current and popular at the moment.

 

[ryan1987online]

yeah, but popular rock isn't so bad though. just look at tool, a perfect circle, etc. they're popular and great. they didn't have to sell out, either.

 

[NFU]

yeah, but popular rock isn't so bad though. just look at tool, a perfect circle, etc. they're popular and great. they didn't have to sell out, either.

2 entirely different situations.

a perfect circle has members of tool...which is one of the most successful rock bands of the last 15 years. needless to say thats a little bit of free publicity and exposure...not to mention FREEDOM to do what they want to do with very few complications or compromises.

soilwork on the other hand, has been a b level underground metal band since day one, and is trying to make the big time FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY into the united states, while have to re-arrange their sound entirely (and for the worst mind you) in order to get any sort of pop or wide spread recognition whatsoever. theyre starving, theyre out of ideas, and theyre done.

end of story.