Artist: Soilent Green
Label: Relapse Records
Release Date: 9/18/01
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Title: A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down Artist: Soilent Green Label: Relapse Records Release Date: 9/18/01 |
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Abyss's Review:
One would think that acclaim in mainstream rags such as Rolling Stone would prove the death knell for a truly extreme band (hell, I’d sell out), but such is not the case with Soilent Green. This, their first release since the widely acclaimed Sewn Mouth Secrets, is a brilliant example of modern extreme metal. Soilent Green up the stakes with this album, proving to the world that they are a musical force to be reckoned with.
"Soilent Green up the stakes with this album, proving to the world that they are a musical force to be reckoned with."
That’s not to say that they’ve changed their sound a great deal. One should still expect their hybrid of brutality and southern swagger, but the songwriting is just as well-crafted (perhaps even slightly better) than on their last record. The music can be enjoyed on two different levels. One can stand outside and listen to the songs as a whole, being blown away by the resulting overload to the senses. But the music can also be picked apart, as every song has so much going on in it. Intelligent riffs intertwine and bounce off of each other, and the songs seem to have a self-propelling life of their own. The vocals are mostly acidic and overpowering, but are varied enough to allow for bits of emotion, with hints of that sweet southern soul.
"Intelligent riffs intertwine and bounce off of each other, and the songs seem to have a self-propelling life of their own." The band remains heavy as fuck, like a weighed down grindcore band, but this is tempered by moments of Down-inspired groove. Due to everything that’s going on, subsequent listens just make the album that much more impressive, and I think that this will make it on quite a few top ten lists come the end of the year.
Of course, the disturbing part of this is that I agree with Rolling Stone magazine, so I’m going to end this review here and jump in the shower. One word review: Awesome.
Death's Review:
A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down is a serious contender for my year-end list of the top ten albums of 2001. Soilent Green was a band I liked before--in fact they were a band I liked a lot. Almost shockingly, I'm here to report the unexpected: the new album is even better, surely their best work to date. The production is crisp and professional yet the band's extreme and underground "vibe" remains intact. The artwork is incredibly detailed, darkly psychedelic and involving, both on the front cover and the CD itself. But what is most important to note about the new Soilent Green is the abundance of killer riffs. They are everywhere. Total headbanging riffs abound, both of the fast and slow variety. It appears that Soilent have listened to the primary criticism of their prior efforts: that they never took the time to let the music maintain the groove they were so adept at creating. Now don't get me wrong, A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down is incredibly complex, varied, chaotic, extreme and full of "out of left field" type changes. Distortion and feedback are used as bludgeoning weapons and are intricate to riffs where appropriate. The band certainly does not shy away from speed. But you can hear all aspects of the music with this mix, and trust me, you're gonna like what you hear.
"A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down is incredibly complex, varied, chaotic, extreme and full of 'out of left field' type changes."
For those who don't know the band, Soilent Green play southern-influenced, grind/thrash. Think Pantera meets Celtic Frost meets Acid Bath meets a slew of death and grind influences. Blues-y riffs are interspersed with chaotic grind. Extreme vocals and raw-sounding Frost-distortion-style guitars are mixed with C.O.C. and Pantera-style riffing and Dillinger Escape Plan -style complexity. Vocalist Ben Falgoust mostly sticks to the extreme-style vocals on Deleted Symphony, sometimes death-style, and sometimes somewhat "blackened". And this fact, combined with the complexity of the changes and the fact that the music is complex, with many fast parts and many changes, means that the release is far from "accessible." But for the experienced metalhead or for the newbie looking to take a bold step toward the underground, this is the perfect release. I'd be surprised if this album doesn't end up on a lot of top ten lists this year--there is a lot to like here, and one can come at it from a lot of different directions. Bottom line: If you wish Pantera was way more underground and extreme, with blast-beats, crazy changes and an affinity for a mythical southern-styled Celtic Frost as reinterpreted by early Cannibal Corpse, then this is the record for you.
"For the experienced metalhead or for the newbie looking to take a bold step toward the underground, this is the perfect release."
Hel's Review:
Favorite Tracks: "Afterthought of a Genius" and "Swallowhole"What can I say? I like quirky music. Just as much as the homogeneity of nu-metal annoys me, the fast-and-slow back-and-forth of Soilent's wacky variation on sludge-grindcore intrigues me. I enjoy music you need to pay attention to in order to understand. And in addition, what's not to like about the little extras, like the nah-na-nah-na-nah riff at the core of "Afterthought of a Genius"?
I'm that odd type of person who is happiest while simultaneously reading a book, watching tv, and listening to music. If I'm not doing at least two things at once, I'm probably really bored. And I get bored easily. So I appreciate the complex, perhaps more than your average person. I find Soilent Green vastly entertaining, and downright fun.
"If you want a truly brutal, intense metal experience, check out Soilent Green." Remember last week, when I complained that Deicide was too short? Well, at only 2 ½ minutes longer, Soilent may be pushing it, but I like the record too much to hold this against them. A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down is a fitting title, as idiosyncratic as the lyrics and the music. It is in a similar vein as their earlier work, so if you are familiar with the band, expect more of the excellence you've experienced in the past. If you want a truly brutal, intense metal experience, check out Soilent Green.
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