Artist: Radiation 4
Label: Abacus Recordings
Release Date: 9/9/03
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Title: Wonderland Artist: Radiation 4 Label: Abacus Recordings Release Date: 9/9/03 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Abyss's Review:
But is their body (of work) a Wonderland? Sorry, it's just that the title of this album continuously reminds me of that overly contrived, generic slab of Grammy-winning pap that is that John Mayer song (I know what you're saying to yourself, "Hey Abyss, pretty much everything that wins a Grammy is garbage, why do you let it bother you so?" I don't rightly know, but that song is so bad it incites me to violence.). Anyway, Radiation 4's Wonderland is the debut album from a band that is "aching and yearning to break free from the normal confines of hardcore and metal" according to their press release. The same press release quotes lead singer Chris Negrete as saying "I could never understand how bands just play the same thing time after time... They don't really set themselves apart from anyone. Our goal is to get everyone excited about something new."
"Their goal would be complete if not for one resounding fact: Mr. Bungle already did it all." And to a large degree, they've done that. They've come out with a musically challenging, provocative, and kick-ass album. Their goal would be complete if not for one resounding fact: Mr. Bungle already did it all. And while the press release does give a nod to Mike Patton and his band (as well as The Dillinger Escape Plan, Fantomas, and Botch) it would be so much easier to take them seriously if the press release wasn't so adamant about making them sound so original. It's like they're in denial as to how much Bungle worship is going on here. Original they're not, damn good, they are.
This coming from a huge Bunglephile, I have never heard so competent a tribute to the Mr. Bungle sound. This is not Dog Fashion Disco. With the apparent demise (?) of Mr. Bungle for Patton to center on Tomahawk, Radiation 4 have lessened the blow by doing something I would not have thought possible: becoming a competent replacement for the band. Not only that, but their songs contain the heavy, grindcore influenced edge not found on California (Or as Arnold would say: CahLEEforna), making the metalhead in me all the happier.
And while their press release tries to separate them from anything that's happened before, their music quickly shows where their allegiances lie. If this band is truly trying to set themselves apart from MB, the circus-gone-horribly-wrong vibe heard on "Magnolia Act II" is just baffling, as it is impossible not to draw comparisons to "Carousel". Mr. Netrete has a great voice, both when he sings and when he screams, and the guitar work is intricate and interesting, while maintaining a heavy, angry undercurrent.
"This coming from a huge Bunglephile, I have never heard so competent a tribute to the Mr. Bungle sound." This album is a joy to listen to, having enough twists and turns to keep even the most jaded listener happy, but also maintaining an accessibility that makes it easy to get into. Radiation 4's greatest gift is their ability to write involved, technical songs with melodies and vocal lines that are far from obvious, but listenable all the same.
With all that can be said about the Mr. Bungle comparison, there is a far more important question that hasn't been asked: Don't we need more bands that sound like Mr. Bungle? In my opinion, we do, and Radiation 4 are the best out there. One word review: Outstanding.
Death's Review:
The cheap way out is to describe this band as a combo of Mr. Bungle and Dillinger Escape Plan. It might also be the most effective. Call them math-metal, technical, avant-garde metalcore, or experimental hardcore - Radiation 4 are at once elegant and brutal, precise and chaotic. The vocals range from smooth croon to spastic scream. The L.A.-based four-piece is the first release for new label, Century Media metalcore spin-off Abacus Recordings. This is not a bad start.
"Radiation 4 are at once elegant and brutal, precise and chaotic." What is the concept behind Abacus Recordings? I'm not so sure, as Century Media probably could have signed Radiation 4 without too much of a fuss. Perhaps long-term the Abacus Recordings moniker will allow the label to expand further into the realm of hardcore and mainstream music, competing for talent with labels like Victory and Trustkill. Perhaps then Century Media will be even more focused on remaining more of a traditional metal shop, thus avoiding the inevitable erosion in the loyalty of the core label fanbase that is co-extensive with stylistic expansion in the underground metal realm. This of course raises all sorts of fun questions, and if you are a pathetic metal scenester with way too much time on your hands you can turn it into a fun party game. Does Shadows Fall belong on Century Media Records or Abacus Recordings? Surely "traditional" Century Media bands like Nevermore and Iced Earth would not be right for Abacus, but would Haste or Extol fit? Hmmm.
"I think the bottom line is that Radiation 4 is doing the post-Mike Patton technical metalcore thing, and doing it well." Radiation 4 is vocalist Chris Negrete, guitarist Jon Windham, bassist Jose Escobar and drummer Aaron Windham. They are "different" (well, if sounding like Dillinger meets Mr. Bungle qualifies you as "different" - to me, different can be a term of art just like alternative music was still called alternative music even when the mainstream was saturated with it) and definitely into their own thing, from the soft colors and carousel horse on the album cover (the layout is credited to Chandler Owen (Hopesfall, Shai Hulud) to the violent screams that can be found inside. The Mike Patton influence is obvious, mostly because of the dynamics and mellow grooves that are laid down amidst the experimental chaos. Hardcore kids will like this. Experimental noise and metal kids will like it too. I think the bottom line is that Radiation 4 is doing the post-Mike Patton technical metalcore thing, and doing it well. If you dig that sort of aesthetic, and don't mind hearing more material from a different band that pretty much stays in that general sonic area, then you'll want to check this one out. I like this record (and may end up liking it a lot), but the true test will come when I get to see the band live.
Hel's Review:
The cover art is intentionally offbeat, as is the music inside. The press sheet description for Radiation 4 bandies about comparisons to Mr. Bungle and The Dillinger Escape Plan, and for the most part, these are apt. Their sound would generally be categorized as "experimental" and, maybe, "avant-garde." The members are all proficient musicians, as is essentially mandatory when delving into these kind of musical waters.
"And people think Halo is boring?!?"
"I think it somehow falls short of the brilliance of Mr. Bungle and The Dillinger Escape Plan, but this is undeniably an admirable effort." Something irritates me about this record though. Maybe it's the uncanny way in which each time the song "John Vs. the Elephant" came on in my car yesterday, during the part where you hear the music box winding, all three times I was turning left and the sound mingled with the clicking of my blinker in the most disconcerting way. Or perhaps it's that "The Prize" may just be the most annoying track ever - the last half of it in particular. And people think Halo is boring?!? At least Halo uses more than the same two notes over and over, and they know better than to drag shit like that out for over seven minutes - in my book this is a terrible way to end a song, and an even worse way to end a record.
Overall though, I'd say that Radiation 4 has accomplished the goals they have set for themselves. They do indeed successfully invoke comparisons to the aforementioned bands, and Wonderland is full of strange quirks and odd time signatures. Unfortunately, at this stage, I've spun it so many times I'm thoroughly sick of it. Certainly not a great sign, but I can definitely be accused of O.D.-ing on it also. So, to be fair, I would definitely have to recommend it to those who like the comparison bands, Mr. Bungle and The Dillinger Escape Plan. Personally, I think it somehow falls short of the brilliance of those two bands, but this is undeniably an admirable effort.
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