sorry for bringing this back up, but PtH are probably my favourite band and it took me a while to really sink my teeth into this one (although i don't think i'm done yet).
it's a very good album, better (heavier and faster-paced) than Fortress, but not at the level of the very best moments in Kezia, which make it my favourite PtH album, or at least the one where my favourite songs are.
i don't think there's as as much vocal variety as there could be. he spends a lot of time... stretching his voice. it's hard to explain, but while in previous albums he sounded loud and heavy but clean, here it doesn't sound completely clean, like he's
almost screaming. the harsh vocals are gone, and so are most of the band back up vocals (used so well in Bloodmeat and even in C'Est la Vie), but Rody does this cool deeper voice in parts, like in Sex Tapes. i was also happy to hear Kezia girl's voice again, but it's good that the band use her only sparingly and tastefully.
i miss the plainer, heavier riffs in Kezia, and how in that album sometimes the guitars just seemed so... emotional with the voice, like when he went 'no one ever said i'd have to pull the trigger on her' in Blindfolds Aside. here there's a lot of twirling around but while it sounds good it doesn't hit you as hard or as emotionally as in that album.
the lyrics suffer a bit from the swearing, it was a bit jarring for me, but while i preferred the story in Kezia, i have to say that the more personal nature of the lyrics here was very elegantly conveyed for the most part.
some songs, like Tandem and Dunsel, could have done with some cutting at the end and beginning, and Tapestry wasn't that memorable for me, but there are no real duds in the album, and i don't skip any songs when listening to the album, which is unusual for me. highlights for me are Termites and Sex-Tapes. i don't get your gripes with C'Est la Vie. the gang-sang bit is awesome, and the second time he says 'stepped off a chair...' is just gloriously loud. the song is the most different (simpler) from the others, but it's no worse for that, imo.
by the way, this site needs an archive review of Kezia, an album that i would qualify as a Staggering Work of Genius. absolutely amazing energy, awesome lyrics, great concept, an incredible display of raw talent.
EDIT - wow, probably my longest music-related post here. also, some of you having had more time with this album, how has it aged for you? for me it's still improving with every listen and closer inspection of the lyrics.
noodles wrote:
voxmonster wrote:
I really liked a few songs off of their last record, but this one is a good example of what happens when songwriting loses to technical showcasing.
Don't really agree since imo the songwriting on Scurrilous flows a lot better than on Fortress (or Kezia). Also I can't think of any parts that sound like twiddly bonk for the sake of twiddly bonk on Scurrilous but I can think of at least two or three on Fortress.
this album definitely doesn't sound meandering, and especially not in the same way as some parts of Fortress. Kezia had parts with immature songwriting, but on the other hand some transitions from slow to fast or from soft to heavy were really well pulled off, imo.
finally, have you guys heard the sped-up version of Moonlight? it's badass.. imo better than the original:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_JMtOnYBro
