With Passion - What We See When We Shut Our Eyes
Earache - MOSH337CD - 12th February 2007
by Tom Strutton
2007 is the year that With Passion will seek to make an impact on the extreme metal scene with their tongue-twistingly monikered debut lp What We See When We Shut Our Eyes. This young Sacramento five piece make no secret of their tendency to rearrange the band line-up every other day, citing the pressure of a hardcore work ethic as the reason for departing members. Now, with a growing fanbase, an album to promote, and a great record label backing them, With Passion are in a good position to witness the fruits of their hard work. It is as clear as day that the focus of the buzz (and the subsequent promotional angle) surrounding With Passion is on the ambitious histrionic instrumental performances. Similarly, With Passion are marketed as creating highly original stop-start schizophrenic compositions. In truth, WWSWWSOE is too ambitious and its members come across as far too inexperienced to make this debut a critical success. In response to With Passion's supporters, many of whom will no doubt champion the band on the dubious grounds mentioned above, it is urged that the following facts be considered:
Firstly, the performances are undeniably sloppy - all too frequently the guitars and drums fall out of sync, resulting in wince-inducing moments of amateurism. In the presence of such grandly ambitious compositions this sloppiness merely highlights a young band failing to realise ideas which are, at present, above their station. Maybe the recording was rushed, or maybe there is another plausible excuse, but the person who allowed such careless rhythmic errors to slip through the net should be shot. Secondly, the compositions are absolutely all over the place, and not in a good way; stringing together a sequence of ideas with no unifying thematic traits does not a good song make. And many will easily tire of the endless guitar histrionics (note: histrionics is a negative term, denoting 'attention seeking' performances - it is not, as many misinterpret it to be, a positive term denoting admirable virtuosity). The abundant harmonised sweeping guitar arpeggios themselves are an affront to good taste, with not a memorable melody to speak of. With Passion's sound world is essentialy charcterised by these elaborate twin lead guitar lines over drums and bass, although the lack of supporting rhythm guitars, coupled with little bass in the mix, lends the record an overall heightened treble tone. This may or may not be to your liking, but it is arguably another rookie error in the spirit of the sloppy rhythm section. In another blow to the already too thin soundscape, the drum sound that has been captured is very disappointing. On reflection, With Passion surely cannot be happy with the lack of force or presence in the percussion section. On one final negative note, the vocalist sounds like he is vomiting in the most pathetic manner throughout the entire record (though I will be willing to let this one go as a subjective response on my part).
Amid the mistakes there are some aspects of WWSWWSOE that are due credit - it is, for example, not unlistenable. There is enough going on here to encourage the listener to ponder the potential of each song in the hands of more experienced and learned composers. The most significant problem with With Passion is that they currently embody the idea of style over substance. Only they're not that stylish. Sure, they are most likely very down to earth and modest chaps in person, but, unfortunately, on WWSWWSOE they project themselves as thinking they are a lot better than they really are. Future recordings would benefit from toning down the histrionics, tightening the rhythm section, and seeking a more appropriate/articulated vocal tone. There is a lot of unrealized promise in this unfulfilling debut, although, on a positive note, this reviewer suspects With Passion may notice this and fix things next time around.
Official With Passion Website
Official Earache Website
Earache - MOSH337CD - 12th February 2007
by Tom Strutton
2007 is the year that With Passion will seek to make an impact on the extreme metal scene with their tongue-twistingly monikered debut lp What We See When We Shut Our Eyes. This young Sacramento five piece make no secret of their tendency to rearrange the band line-up every other day, citing the pressure of a hardcore work ethic as the reason for departing members. Now, with a growing fanbase, an album to promote, and a great record label backing them, With Passion are in a good position to witness the fruits of their hard work. It is as clear as day that the focus of the buzz (and the subsequent promotional angle) surrounding With Passion is on the ambitious histrionic instrumental performances. Similarly, With Passion are marketed as creating highly original stop-start schizophrenic compositions. In truth, WWSWWSOE is too ambitious and its members come across as far too inexperienced to make this debut a critical success. In response to With Passion's supporters, many of whom will no doubt champion the band on the dubious grounds mentioned above, it is urged that the following facts be considered:
Firstly, the performances are undeniably sloppy - all too frequently the guitars and drums fall out of sync, resulting in wince-inducing moments of amateurism. In the presence of such grandly ambitious compositions this sloppiness merely highlights a young band failing to realise ideas which are, at present, above their station. Maybe the recording was rushed, or maybe there is another plausible excuse, but the person who allowed such careless rhythmic errors to slip through the net should be shot. Secondly, the compositions are absolutely all over the place, and not in a good way; stringing together a sequence of ideas with no unifying thematic traits does not a good song make. And many will easily tire of the endless guitar histrionics (note: histrionics is a negative term, denoting 'attention seeking' performances - it is not, as many misinterpret it to be, a positive term denoting admirable virtuosity). The abundant harmonised sweeping guitar arpeggios themselves are an affront to good taste, with not a memorable melody to speak of. With Passion's sound world is essentialy charcterised by these elaborate twin lead guitar lines over drums and bass, although the lack of supporting rhythm guitars, coupled with little bass in the mix, lends the record an overall heightened treble tone. This may or may not be to your liking, but it is arguably another rookie error in the spirit of the sloppy rhythm section. In another blow to the already too thin soundscape, the drum sound that has been captured is very disappointing. On reflection, With Passion surely cannot be happy with the lack of force or presence in the percussion section. On one final negative note, the vocalist sounds like he is vomiting in the most pathetic manner throughout the entire record (though I will be willing to let this one go as a subjective response on my part).
Amid the mistakes there are some aspects of WWSWWSOE that are due credit - it is, for example, not unlistenable. There is enough going on here to encourage the listener to ponder the potential of each song in the hands of more experienced and learned composers. The most significant problem with With Passion is that they currently embody the idea of style over substance. Only they're not that stylish. Sure, they are most likely very down to earth and modest chaps in person, but, unfortunately, on WWSWWSOE they project themselves as thinking they are a lot better than they really are. Future recordings would benefit from toning down the histrionics, tightening the rhythm section, and seeking a more appropriate/articulated vocal tone. There is a lot of unrealized promise in this unfulfilling debut, although, on a positive note, this reviewer suspects With Passion may notice this and fix things next time around.
Official With Passion Website
Official Earache Website
