The Current Album Review:

	Title: 300 Percent Density Artist: Candiria Label: Century Media Release Date: 5/1/01	Judgment Committee Reviews	Rating
			2
			5
			5
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Abyss's Review:
Candiria is a band that, while I think they deserve all of the praise that they’ve received, I can’t get into no matter how hard I try. For that reason I’ll keep this review short and sweet. Well, not that sweet, but you know what I mean.
While I find Candiria’s approach quite admirable, they lose me with their content. The idea of mixing rap, jazz, ambient, hardcore and metal together in an urban, contemporary sound is a commendable achievement, and by all accounts this band is successful, but the problem for me is that I just don’t like it the way it comes out.

"I don’t really have anything bad to say, except that this just isn’t my thing."
Rap is very prevalent with this band, as with a great deal of other bands. Where Candiria stand alone is that, while many bands have mixed metal and rap, Candiria’s influences seem far removed from most of the others. Most rap/metal is based on the eighties-era, staccatoed, East Coast attack that was made popular by the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, and LL Cool J. Candiria’s rhymes borrow from the West Coast, free verse style of hip-hop that became popular in the early nineties, and remains so today. This would make Candiria seem much more cutting edge (which to their credit, they probably are), but this style of rhyming seems much less conducive to heavy music, and this results in the heavy parts and the rap parts being segregated. At times the music sounds like hip-hop and at times like metal, but rarely both at the same time.
I don’t really have anything bad to say, except that this just isn’t my thing. Fans that have heard this band before should know what they’re getting into, and music fans that haven’t heard this band but are always open to expanding their horizons should probably give this band a shot. I’m just not on board.

Death's Review:
Candiria has produced one of the most interesting and adventurous albums of 2001. 300 Percent Density kicks major ass, segueing perfectly from extreme metalcore to hip-hop to jazz and back again several times. The record is both angular and smooth, abrasive yet inviting. Mr. Bungle meets Dillinger Escape Plan meets Pantera on the one hand (songs like "300 Percent Destiny" and "Discontent," have more than major hints of Jersey metalcore, a la Diecast, etc), mellow and groove-oriented a la Fishbone or Cypress Hill on the other. If I stopped listening to the record after those two tracks which kick things off, I don't think I'd like this album as much. Yet the musicianship - particularly apparent with drummer Kenny Schalk - is outstanding, and the song-structures are universally complex.

"Candiria have crafted a fantastic record, and they should be rewarded accordingly."
Yes, there is hip-hop. But rather than the whiny, suburban, white kid making an ass out of himself that is the standard nu-metal norm in the rapping department, this is laid-back, west-coast gangsta, and it is good. Think Snoop Dog, Ice Cube, etc.: muthafuckas with balls. Ever hear Ice Cube and Dr. Dre's "Natural Born Killaz"? I'm serious, that song has a very metal feel. That shit can be cool, and in between the mathematical precision spazcore, they fuckin' chill. It works. I dig "Words From the Lexicon." I also dig "Mass," which has jazzy elements, and at the same time like the killer "Without Water," which showcases all three of these elements in a catchy - and classy - package.
Don't get me wrong, this is screaming, spazzed-out metalcore with lots of time signature changes and angular riffing. But it is also a smoothly produced rock/rap record, and it is successful. Some of you out there will undoubtedly think I'm crazy for scoring this so high, but quality music is quality music. Candiria have crafted a fantastic record, and they should be rewarded accordingly.

Hel's Review:
Favorite tracks: 300 Percent Density, Constant Velocity is as Natural as Being at Rest
I've always thought of Candiria as jazz-metal. Am I making up yet another sub-genre? I doubt it, few could pull off the controlled chaos necessary to earn this classification. Not only must a band display superior musicianship, but a particular level of songwriting is also a key component. You have to be able to write big fat chunky metal riffs that take several measures to come full circle a single time, and continue on to complete the song in an interesting way. You must also make your jazz influences abundantly clear - an occasional over homage featuring horns would fulfill this requirement. Not only do Candiria achieve this, they also make it clear that jazz isn't their only influence. And for the most part, Candiria do rap songs in a kind of old-school, late 80s gangsta way. Which brings us to another topic entirely.

"300 Percent Density is inventive, heavy, and challenging."
Metal and that certain kind of old-school, hardcore, gangsta rap have long shared a natural connection, which one reason why we always have various bands hanging around doing variations on the theme. Nu metal has taken this connection and has over-exaggerated and exploited its simplest qualities and warped it into something as trite and irritating as pop music. It is this twisted shape which many people first encounter this combination these days, and it is so inane in this form, it closes the door for those people entirely. These people will hate parts of this album, and will not be able to understand why it could be cool. To those of you who are a bit more open, this may open your eyes.
I constantly battle with myself these days, holding each album up to the light, scruitizing them under a microscope - all in the name of honest criticism. Each album, I argue with myself over which of the two scores I am considering is the right call, always trying to err on the side of caution, generally leaning in favor of the lower. Furthermore, I am a consummate procrastinator, so this argument continues through the writing process, with each draft and rewrite making its contribution to my final decision. All too often I find that I have talked myself into changing my mind by the time I finish the first draft. This often prompts the second draft… Today, I have talked myself into upping it a skull. I have convinced myself that this is a great album, and I hope I have convinced you as well. It's not often a band can pull together such diverse influences, preserve the integrity of them all, and put forth a superior metal work. 300 Percent Density is inventive, heavy, and challenging.

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