Artist: Candiria
Label: Type A Records
Release Date: 7/13/04
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Title: What Doesn't Kill You Will Only Make You Stronger Artist: Candiria Label: Type A Records Release Date: 7/13/04 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
Candiria continue their unique and experimental fusion on their latest album, which has a picture of the van they almost died in some time ago as the cover. The album definitely has a theme of inner strength running through it, something that will most likely appeal to the generous amount of hard-core fans these guys have, as will the continued use of jazz fusion, hip hop, and complex start/stop rhythms which define this band.
"One word review: Sigh." Of course that doesn't mean I like the band. In fact, I really dislike them and sitting through one of their albums is extremely difficult for me. It has nothing to do with production or execution, just polar opposite tastes. The strange thing is that while this band looks like I should like it on paper, I just hate the finished product. There are other acts that I enjoy that utilize some of the same themes, but these guys just completely lose me. They appear to be going toward a more mainstream audience, manipulating smoother and more fluid raps, and less chaotic time changes and ambient sounds. But at the same time it's hard to say they're 'selling out' (although I'm sure there will be some who will say just that) because they have a truly unique sound, and they should be praised for that if nothing else.
I wish I had more to say about this record, but the truth is I have very little opinion about it. Much like most of the crap on the radio, I simply dislike it and avoid it. Of course, long time fans should ignore everything I say, because they obviously find something here that I just don't get, so I'll just give it a few skulls for their originality, and move on to the next project. One word review: Sigh.
Death's Review:
Candiria have been undeniably one of the more original and inspired bands to emerge from the metal underground since the mid-nineties. Always displaying amazing musicianship, and always having the balls to do their own thing first and foremost, Candiria are, have been and always will be a notch above their metalcore peers. With the nu-metal and rap metal scenes officially dying or dead, I guess the fact that they actually feature good, quality rapping will once again be a liability, only now they'll get it from both ends of the spectrum (underground and mainstream, neither of which want to hear this style anymore). But Candiria clearly transcend any currently en vogue style or sound, and What Doesn't Kill You is no exception to what has definitely become such a well-established rule.
"All in all, Candiria has done it again, and delivered a challenging, left-of-center album that takes time to appreciate but is well worth the effort." The title is an obvious allusion to the band's near-death accident two years ago that shook them to their foundations. The album cover even depicts the wrecked van. Despite what L.L. Cool J. may think of it, you can definitely call this one a "comeback," following a long recovery period that left the band unable to capitalize on the limited video exposure they were getting in the nascent days of the new wave of metal videos brought back to TV via Fuse's Uranium and MTV2's Headbanger's Ball. The "Without Water" track was well-received, but the buzz was just left hanging. Candiria subsequently left their label home at Century Media, and What Doesn't Kill You is being released via Type A Records, founded by Producer David Bendeth. Honestly, the production is great. The musicianship is spot on too, led by the always amazing drumming of Kenneth Schalk. There is some rapping, but a lot of those influences come from more of a Jamaican dance-hall stance than they do anything even remotely approaching nu-metal. The extended jam at the end, entitled "The Rutherford Experiement," is fantastic, think Phish meets Dream Theater filtered through Candiria's style. All in all, Candiria has done it again, and delivered a challenging, left-of-center album that takes time to appreciate but is well worth the effort.
No, they're not the heaviest band out there, but they are one of the more talented. If you have an open mind, and are looking for a well-produced and interesting album to sink your teeth into this summer, check out What Doesn't Kill You. Sadly, I feel that the crash and label switch may end up, in hindsight, really hurting the band's chances at larger success - what window they had may have passed. But that shouldn't stop us from rooting for them to prove me wrong. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger, right? And Candiria sure ain't dead yet.
Hel's Review:
Wow do I feel out of touch. First of all, despite the fact that I that have long been a fan of the band and absolutely loved 300 Percent Density, their 2002 release, The C.O.M.A. Imprint flew right under my radar. Going into this review, I had been convinced that 300 Percent was their last effort. But even more shocking, I somehow never heard about the devastating accident that derailed their momentum. From the descriptions of the accident I have since read, I think I'd need a couple of years to recover from something like that too, and when I returned, you bet my entire new album would be about that experience. That's not the kind of thing you just forget about once it is over.
"Heck, after I started listening to this, I began to realize that there isn’t a thing on this record that I don’t like." So now that we're caught up on where the hell Candiria has been all this time, let's talk about the new record, aptly titled What Doesn't Kill You Will Only Make You Stronger. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for this band. I appreciate a lot of other kinds of music, when they are done exceedingly well, and one thing Candiria has long been successful at is incorporate disparate styles of music into their songs and performing them all exceedingly well. While it may not be the heaviest thing you can put in your player, you can always be assured with a Candiria disc, you are putting in a high quality product. Well, ok, the vocals on Surrealistic Madness were pretty sad, but Carley was doing a style that he didn’t excel at back then, and this is the key thing that the band changed following that record. I’m kicking myself for missing out on The C.O.M.A. Imprint, so much so that I had a dream last night that I found an entire box full of that cd. Yes, it turns out I really do like the band that much.
What Doesn’t Kill You… has two distinct differences from 300 Percent Density: 1) little to no jazz, and 2) it is about half the length. Also, it strikes me that there is less rapping. There are still lots of trippy experimental instrumental parts, and I particularly enjoyed the two tracks featuring reggae-style vocals, “Remove Yourself” and “9MM Solution.” Every once in a while, particularly on the final track, “The Rutherford Experiment,” a distinct prog style emerges, which is something I also really enjoyed. Heck, after I started listening to this, I began to realize that there isn’t a thing on this record that I don’t like.
Even though I am extremely enamored with this record, by no means can I claim that every metalhead will enjoy it. This album, like most of Candiria’s previous work, is extremely diverse, and spans a number of different genres. Those who have a low tolerance for such diversity will most assuredly not enjoy this album. Open mindedness is certainly a pre-requisite for appreciating the album. I consider the greatest strengths of this record to be its songwriting, excellent musicianship, and superb vocals. If these are elements that appeal to you, you can appreciate other musical styles outside of metal when they are done well, and you can tolerate them mixed in with you metalcore, then you really need to check out What Doesn’t Kill You…. It may just make you stronger.
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