Artist: Deride
Label: The Music Cartel
Release Date: 6/12/01
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Title: Scars of Time Artist: Deride Label: The Music Cartel Release Date: 6/12/01 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
I was pleasantly surprised by the casual, melodic music that came out of my speakers when I first spun this disc. It brought me back to a pleasant time in the mid-nineties, when the death metal explosion had started to wane, and a different, more accessible form of metal made the underground just a little more pretty. This album reminds me of a cross between old Life of Agony and Fear Factory. Retrospective lyrics, simple but urgent riffs, and a pop-like melody, combines with the metalness (Yes, that’s a word… well it is now anyway) to give an altogether pleasant listen that could probably make it in the mainstream if given a chance.
And that seems to be where this band wants to be, as they ask their listeners to search a little further to find out that there’s more to life than Kid Rock and Britney Spears. I do have a slight problem with the lyrics that allude, or actually come right out and say the aforementioned because, to me, metal bands should never be looking to convert the masses, they should be putting forth their art and letting the people choose on their own. The whole concept of metal is that it’s outside the mainstream, and while I wish all the financial success in the world to our metal brethren, courting the young girls that listen to boy bands and Kid Rock isn’t the answer (remember what happened to Kiss?). And while the band probably denies that that’s what they’re doing, the implication is still there.
"I doubt I’ll be returning to it that often, as the accessibility is enjoyable while you’re listening to it, but quickly forgotten once the music stops." Of course, my whole point is moot, because I don’t see this band as a sellout, and I’m actually enjoying this album right now. Those who hate Korn and newer Fear Factory completely, will probably have a little trouble getting into this one, because there is definitely some influence, but this remains more metal oriented than those other bands, always being sure to throw some screaming over a metal dirge to keep you interested. The worst part of this album is that I doubt I’ll be returning to it that often, as the accessibility is enjoyable while you’re listening to it, but quickly forgotten once the music stops. This might be more of a strong 2 skulls, but I’m feeling happy about it right now.
Death's Review:
"What the fuck is a band like Deride doing coming out on a label like The Music Cartel?"Sorry, but that was my first reaction. Deride, a band whose bio opens up with the line "Watch out Fear Factory... Watch out Slipknot... Watch out Pantera... Here comes Deride!", is on a label which - to date - I've primarily associated with stoner rock. I guess judging a book by its cover would be a bad idea with this one.
I've probably already turned a number of you off by quoting the above from the bio. Trust me, Deride is better than that sounds. But you may have to really want it to take the time with this one to figure that out. Listen to the closing thrashiness of the album opener, "27 Years." Sure, the downtuned guitars are everywhere, and the screaming vocals (yes, there are also clean vocals) sound a lot like the rest of the post-Anselmo screamcore pack. But the guitar riffing is crunchy, and the repetitive sixteenth note riffing and tight double bass sometimes really work for me. Like, for example, somewhere around the 3:00 mark in "Driven to Perversion," track number two.
"Deride are not 'nu-metal' they're 'new metal.' " Like Famine said to me in a recent discussion, Deride are not "nu-metal" they're "new metal." A distinction that is perhaps subtle but definitely true. Think Nothingface, Diecast, Skinlab or Vision of Disorder. If you HATE Pantera, Mushroomhead, Fear Factory, Slipknot and Machine Head - all of them - are you gonna like Deride? No fucking way. If you love those bands, will you like Deride? Absolutely. For the rest of you out there, ask yourself if you would care if a Roadrunner band listened to some Meshuggah records and then incorporated a touch more of the SF thrash, a healthy double-bass attack, hardcore brutal vocals and an interest in Real Thing -era Faith No More. Would you like this band? Would you want to check it out. Whatever your answer, that's what you think about Deride.
Hel's Review:
Favorite tracks: "A Big Mouth (doesn't make you a man)" & "Scars of Time"If you include something for everyone, can you be all things to all people? No, but Deride certainly appears to be giving it a try. Seriously, I think somewhere along the way, every musical hallmark that can somehow be dubbed metal is tossed into one song or another.
This is not really a disagreeable philosophy, as long as the end product isn't disjointed and confused. Deride pulls it all together somehow, and the end product does have a distinct overall feel. But the level of potential enjoyment is inexorably linked to the overall sound of that final product. And that's where Deride loses me. Dissecting it part by part, there's a lot to like on this record, including quality musicianship and imaginative songwriting. But without this level of extrication, the overall product is commercially palatable, polished, and well, nu-metal sounding…
" Dissecting it part by part, there's a lot to like on this record, including quality musicianship and imaginative songwriting." Even though many of the disparate elements Deride draws upon are rooted in all sorts of styles and sounds I do enjoy, the only time I really enjoyed this album was when I'd pick a single part and focus on that. While a segment was under the microscope, so to speak, I was able to find its interesting aspects and admire them. Listening to Scars of Time this way, I really liked the record. But I found that when I removed that pinpoint focus and just listened the overall vibe, nu-metal was all I could hear, fully canceling out the me-liking-it part. Maybe my split personalities are just having fun with me, so this is what I recommend - if you think you might be open despite a nu-metal vibe, certainly check this out.
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