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THE GREYEST OF BLUE SKIES
SONG REVIEWED: "Sick Of It All"
THE NU-METAL SNOREVOLUTION ROLLS ON LIKE A DERAILING FREIGHTRAIN. FINGER ELEVEN DEFINITELY HAS A DARKER FEEL THAN MOST BANDS OF THEIR ILK, WHICH IS COOL, BUT UNFORTUNATELY THATS NOT ENOUGH FOR THIS JADED MAN TO STICK AROUND AND WATCH THE PLOT UNFOLD. THE MUSIC IS RANK AND FILE BASIC, ITS ALL BEEN REHEARSED AND WE'VE ALL HEARD IT BEFORE. THE SINGER, WISH I KNEW HIS NAME, HAS A DECENT VOICE, I'LL GIVE HIM THAT. HE'S DONE HIS RESEARCH. I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF THESE GUYS HAD SOME DECENT ROOTS AND INFLUENCES.
THE WHOLE PACKAGE HAS A REAL MINIMALIST FEEL. YOU GET NOTHING BUT SONG TITLES AND SOME GENERIC PAINTINGS OF A MARIONETTE. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY WERE GOING FOR THE SCARCE, MINIMALIST FEEL OR IF THEY JUST STRUCK THE BARRELS BOTTOM WITH IDEAS. UNFORTUNATELY, I THINK ITS THE LATTER. THERE WASN'T MUCH EFFORT PUT INTO INTO THIS PACKAGE AT ALL.
I'M CHECKING OUT THE SECOND SINGLE, "SICK OF IT ALL", RIGHT NOW AND IT SOUNDS LIKE CREED (who, incidientally are on the same label - Steve). I JUST HIT ANOTHER TRACK AT RANDOM AND I'M HEARING SOME VOCAL PATTERNS LIFTED FROM THE POLICE. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A COMPILATION OF GENERIC BITS AND PIECES OF SONGS YOU'D HEAR ON WSOU (89.5 FM - New Jersey College Station) ALL DAY.
I'LL ADMIT WHEN ONE OF THESE NU-METAL BANDS HAS SOMETHING THATS COOL AND CATCHY EVEN IF I HATE IT. FINGER ELEVEN DOESN'T REALLY HAVE ME HUMMING ALONG HERE AND THEY AREN'T BLOWING ME AWAY WITH INTENSITY EITHER. THE WHOLE PACKAGE COMES OFF AS QUITE PASSIVE, FROM THE SONG WRITING TO THE RECORDING AND THE ARTWORK.
ALL IN ALL I WILL SAY, THERE ARE A FEW SHINING MOMENTS HERE BUT ITS A NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK. FINGER ELEVEN EMBODIES THE OPENING BAND. YOU SPEND YOUR TIME EITHER HOPING IT WILL GET BETTER OR WISHING IT WOULD JUST END.
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