Twelve Tribes - Midwest Pandemic
Ferret Music - F0732 - 2nd October 2006
The Black Sails
Twelve Tribes. Well. It seems that no matter how many times I listen to Midwest Pandemic I just don't get it. No, this isn't a concept album, it just strikes me as odd that this lot are as big as they are in the metalcore scene. Having seen them tour the UK with labelmates Every Time I Die and A Life Once Lost I hadn't high hopes for this record and they didn't disappoint. It isn't that the songs are badly put together they just don't have the certain something - allow me to elucidate:
Imagine you are making a loaf of bread,
Flour check
water check
salt check
milk(optional) check
You put this mixture in a bowl and knead it for an hour or so to get some air into it. Stuff it in a bread pan and put it in the oven for a bit.
You notice later that you haven't put the yeast in, so you try to sell it off as unleavened bread.
Most of the ingredients are there; ok live show, guitars, shoutiness, rhythm section. But the songs are just no good. Mundane. Pale. Lacking in any experimentation, not trying to force the scene to move on. Happy to sit in their lounge chair and grow fat and bald. I have listened to the whole 43.1 minutes of this over and over but I couldn't tell one song from another or even give you any of the names. It has had that much of an impact. I wonder if I could ask the band for the hours of my life back...
Here's another food based euphamism to aid us. If this record was any traditional British foodstuff it would almost certainly be tripe. Albeit well dressed, as Ferret have had their usual arty guys create a cool promo sleeve. The only saving grace. If you like everything else on Ferret then you can add it to your collection for completeness but I really don't imagine that you'd listen to it all that much.
2/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Twelve Tribes website
Official Ferret Music website
Ferret Music - F0732 - 2nd October 2006
The Black Sails
Twelve Tribes. Well. It seems that no matter how many times I listen to Midwest Pandemic I just don't get it. No, this isn't a concept album, it just strikes me as odd that this lot are as big as they are in the metalcore scene. Having seen them tour the UK with labelmates Every Time I Die and A Life Once Lost I hadn't high hopes for this record and they didn't disappoint. It isn't that the songs are badly put together they just don't have the certain something - allow me to elucidate:
Imagine you are making a loaf of bread,
Flour check
water check
salt check
milk(optional) check
You put this mixture in a bowl and knead it for an hour or so to get some air into it. Stuff it in a bread pan and put it in the oven for a bit.
You notice later that you haven't put the yeast in, so you try to sell it off as unleavened bread.
Most of the ingredients are there; ok live show, guitars, shoutiness, rhythm section. But the songs are just no good. Mundane. Pale. Lacking in any experimentation, not trying to force the scene to move on. Happy to sit in their lounge chair and grow fat and bald. I have listened to the whole 43.1 minutes of this over and over but I couldn't tell one song from another or even give you any of the names. It has had that much of an impact. I wonder if I could ask the band for the hours of my life back...
Here's another food based euphamism to aid us. If this record was any traditional British foodstuff it would almost certainly be tripe. Albeit well dressed, as Ferret have had their usual arty guys create a cool promo sleeve. The only saving grace. If you like everything else on Ferret then you can add it to your collection for completeness but I really don't imagine that you'd listen to it all that much.
2/10
UM's Review Rating Scale
Official Twelve Tribes website
Official Ferret Music website
