You might need the Painkiller after this one...
Greeting devoted readers, and
welcome back to Rave Up Music! I am your host Barius, and for the second time
this year, I ended up with computer problems that have delayed this blog, and
for that I am sorry for having all of you wait as I fix this issue. But, all
issues have been taken care of, so now I can get back to work on this blog. And
for today blog, let us talk about musicians who try to reinvent themselves
within their genre.
In the heavy metal community,
there seems to be this stigma against artists who try to do something new to
their music. If a band tries to add a breath of fresh air to their sound, the
fans like to cry foul, and like to say they have “sold out.” Some prime examples include Metallica adding acoustic
instruments on Ride the Lightning, or
even as recent as the recent Korn album, The
Path of Totality, in which the band adds a bit of dub-step to their music.
…Huh. I might need to look at
that album a little more closely another time…
Anyway, the point I am try to say
is that the metal brotherhood has a hard time dealing with change, hence why
there are a few bands out there who are consistent in their sound, and rarely
deviate away from what their fans want.
However, there are times that
some bands need to let their creative juices flow, and try to play music that
makes them happy, even if it means playing music from a completely different
genre.
However, as a community, we
metalheads will welcome change in a band or artist’s sound if it is good one,
and still can give us that pumped up attitude we thrive on. With all of that
said, there are times that we metalheads know when the “musical expression” a
band or metal musician does is a true misdirection, and we pull a Captain Jean-Luc
Picard on them.
And perhaps, one of the weirdest
changes in music comes from the legendary heavy metal frontman, Rob Halford.
After leaving the world-renowned
heavy metal band Judas Priest in 1992, Rob Halford jumped around to different
music projects, including the moderately successful band Fight, which combines
the classic metal sound with the edgier sounds of bands like Pantera. But, to
this day, the most bizarre musical venture that Halford has done was his foray
into the genre of industrial metal with the band, 2wo (yes, it is pronounced
“two”).
Halford teamed up with guitarist
John Lowery, who many of you know as John 5 of Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie
fame, to produce an album mixing Halford’s vocals with the electronic elements
of industrial rock. To accomplish this sound, they hired Trent Reznor’s Nothing
Records to produce the album. In 1998, 2wo released the album Voyeurs¸ which turned out to be the only
album the band would release. The album was a commercial failure and the band
dissolved not too long after that.
Even though it did not sell very
well, it makes me wonder: is Voyeurs
by 2wo a bad album? Well, let us take a listen and find out.
THE
ALBUM COVER:
Before I get into the album cover
itself, I need to address the title of the album, Voyeurs. From the French work meaning “one who looks,” a voyeur is
a person who gets pleasure of watching people perform in very intimate or
private activities (I will let your own imaginations run wild on that one). The
key thing about this act of voyeurism in that the people being watch are
unaware they are being watched by someone, as the voyeur does not interact with
the subjects being viewed, and usually does this act is a secret location. To
put it in modern terms, it is a “Peeping Tom."
So, based on that information,
the album cover suggests that Halford and company are watching you privately
while you are riding the subway. Um…okay…As for the cover itself, it is a bit
bizarre, and does not really tell a lot about what I might be getting into when
listening to this album. I do like the image of Halford on the front cover,
though I am wonder what or who he is watching…or maybe I should not ask…
THE
TRACKS:
“I
Am A Pig”
Well, if that is not the greatest
title for a song ever, I do not know what is. All joking aside, this is a
decent track. The songs main riff has a nice groove to it that propels the song
forward, and some of the electronic samples blend nicely with the guitar and
other real instruments. If there is a downside to the song, it is the lyrics,
which are too vague and does not suggest what theme of the song is. However,
judging by the title of both the song and the album, I will take a guess and
say it had something to do with Halford watching people in private, and being
perverted about it. Halford’s vocal work is very restricted here, and does not
display his vocal abilities. However, it is the first track, so I will give him
the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it will improve in the later songs.
“Stutter
Kiss”
This is a little bit more laid
back, but still has that industrial edge to it. Unfortunately, that is the only
thing I like about this track. The song follows a very basic rock formula of
intro-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-breakdown-chorus, and does not really try to
deviate from that formula or add something different to each section. Like “I
Am A Pig,” Halford’s vocals lack energy and does not display is musical chops.
As for the lyrics, what does a broken record playing Halford’s favorite song
have to do with a stutter kiss? Heck, what the heck is a stutter kiss? Would
that be stuttering while you are kissing? I imagine that would not be a fun
make-out session. Overall, “Stutter Kiss” is a song that lacks energy and
excitement.
“Water’s
Leaking”
The drumbeat at the beginning has
a nice groove to it, and once the rest of the instrumental parts kick it, the
song has a nice dance feel to it, like something you would hear in a club when
you need a nice, slow jam song to dance to. I actually like how Halford uses in
the lyrics of “water’s leaking” as an analogy of crying and drowning in our
sorrows and fear, and how we have to keep our heads afloat through hard times.
That, or it is a about a leaking faucet.
“My
Ceiling’s Low”
Honestly, I have no idea what the
heck kind of message this song is trying to get across, with the exception of
his actually ceiling is being low, and seeing as Rob Halford is only 5 feet 11
inches tall, it means his roof is probably collapsing in on him. Yet, the
lyrics really do not suggest this at all:
I’d
like to offer you a drink
Don’t
mind if it goes down the sink
Don’t
hesitate
Don’t
even look
I
know what’s floating
In
my soup
What does that even mean? Actually,
given the title of the album…ew…
“Leave
Me Alone”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AERt8EX8FrU
(The video would not embed for some reason)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AERt8EX8FrU
(The video would not embed for some reason)
This one is a pretty good track. There is sort of a Middle-Eastern feel throughout the song that really gives a good dance feel to it. Though Halford’s range is limited on this one, it works well with the arrangement of the song. Honestly, there is not a lot to say about this song. It is a good track, and one I recommend from this album.
“If”
“If” you think “If” is a good
title for this song, then you would be very wrong. “If” you think a better
title for the song is something “If I Only Cared about This Song,” then you
would be on the right track. Honestly, I have no idea what they are trying to
accomplished musically or lyrically on this song. There are some interesting
musical ideas going on in here, but I feel like they are not fully developed,
and really do not push the song forward. It is “If” they had no idea where they
wanted to go with the song, and abruptly, the song just ends, leaving you
wondering “If” there was more to it. Okay, enough of the “IF” jokes…
“Deep
in the Ground”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27q8a6m813o
(Again, the video would not embed. Just follow the link)
(Again, the video would not embed. Just follow the link)
Right away, the drums set-up a
nice little groove to the song, and once Halford’s vocals kick in, you are
entranced by the song. From what I can gather from the lyrics, it is about be
true to yourself, and finding your place in the ground, or other words, this
world. It may seem scary at first, but you will fit right in to who you really
are. The sounds they used in music blend nicely together, and work well
throughout the sound. I especially like the outro, as it just grooves and fades
out. Though, it is not the mostly complicated song, “Deep in the Ground” is a
nice entry on the album.
“Hey
Sha La La”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTKhZjG_maY
This is a ridiculously catchy
song, especially the chorus. However, it is a rather simple, repetitive song,
and does not take a lot of risks in the samples and electronic sounds. It comes
off to me as being “ALBUM FILLER.” To me, the song is worth one, maybe two
listening before you can just skip it when it comes up on your mp3 player, or
if you are old school, on your compact disc copy.
“Gimp”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMP5Mb6KGpc
I think there is a recurring
theme throughout all of the songs on this album. Though there are good tracks
here and there, the rest of the songs are pretty bland for industrial metal.
However, with the song “Gimp,” I feel that 2wo are overcomplicating things. The
song has a lot of sounds and bits in the background that are competing too much
with the vocals, and it is a bit grating on the ears. Honestly, it is another
song to skip.
“Bed
of Rust”
With the last track of the album,
Halford and company try to end the album on what seems to be a more serious
note. The song builds up from suspenseful strings and other electronic sounds
with Halford quietly singing before the drumbeat kicks in. Once the tempo kicks
in, my interest in the song fades, for like a lot of other songs on this album,
the ideas presented are not well-developed, creating an unfocused sound in the
music. Halford’s vocals are very restricted, and still do not demonstrate the
abilities that Halford has. Sadly, the end of the song is anti-climatic, and
ends the album on not a very high note.
OVERALL
IMPRESSION:
As a fan of both Rob Halford and
John 5, I was very excited to hear the kind of music the two of them would make
together. Both musicians have a lot of respect in their respected areas of
metal, so collaborating together would have resulting in a stellar album.
Sadly, Voyeurs as a whole is not
exactly an industry changing album.
While there are some good songs
here and there, as an industrial metal album, it is too generic and does not
really stand out among the dozens of industrial album being released at the
time. The electronic sounds and musical ideas used throughout most of the
sounds either do not blend well together, or they are under-developed. The
guitar riffs of John 5 are not that memorable, and will not really leave you
humming or air guitar-ing along to them. Perhaps the biggest issue with this
album is how limited Rob Halford’s singing is. With the range and ability that Rob
Halford is known for, he sounds like he is using maybe a fifth of his range and
power. The singing on the album is a far-cry from his work with Judas Priest,
and really feels like there is very little effort in them.
As mentioned in the beginning of
this blog post, 2wo’s first and only effort in the industrial metal was not a
very successful one and the band disbanded not too long after Voyeurs was released. John 5 continued to have success in various other bands, most
recently with Rob Zombie. Rob Halford returned back to his musical roots with
his own solo group, known as Halford. By 2003, Halford returned to playing with
Judas Priest, and continues to perform with them, as well as release new albums
with his solo group.
As an industrial album, 2wo’s Voyeurs had a lot of potential to be a
good one, and could have been a standard album found in every metalhead’s album
collection. However, it lacks a lot of the musical elements that has made
groups like Nine Inch Nails or Marilyn Manson successfully in the music
industry. If you are a fan of Rob Halford and/or Judas Priest, I do recommend
checking it out to see what Halford could have potential be doing today instead
of Priest. As a casual metal music listener, it is worth checking out, but
really only once, maybe twice.
Well, that brings us to the end
of another Rave Up Music review. Come back again next time as we consume “A
Little Slice of Metal.” Until then, I am Barius, and as always, keep on rockin’.
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