01. Fooled You
02. Slam Time
03. Bolitics
04. Sulk
05. Breaking Point
06. Kittens and Unicorns
07. Filth
08. Do or Die
I've seen Pulverise a few times over the last couple of years, and they've always struck me as an excellent live band. They have consistantly been a tight outfit and sizzle with energy, winning crowds over with ease. Musically, what they do is about as unfashionable as it gets at this current point in time. Rap Metal and Nu Metal are genres that have taken a beating in the mainstream, and you don't get many up and coming bands flying the flag for this style anymore. I thought Rap in Metal was making a bit of a comeback with artists such as Hacktivist making waves a few years ago, but it didn't really take a hold.
Fortunately, I fucking love Rap Metal and Hardcore. The mainstream may be hostile turf for this kind of music, but I always welcome bands like Pulverise onto my stereo. My love of acts like Downset, Biohazard, Dog Eat Dog, Shootyz Groove, Stuck Mojo, and of course, Rage Against The Machine has never left me since my teenage years, and Chaos Games harks back to those days.
Weighing in at eight songs and just 28 minutes in length, there's no fat to be trimmed here. Personally, I prefer an album to be short and strong throughout than to be dragged out by the occasional filler, so hats off to them for taking this approach. Song-wise, if I had to choose favourites, I'd have to go with Slam Time, Fooled You, and Breaking Point. Having said that, I'd have thought that anyone who liked one of their songs would enjoy all of them, as they all sit well together on the record.
My only real criticism with Chaos Games is the production. I'm sure to some ears it passes as raw and live-sounding, but it sounds like a demo to me. It doesn't sound bad, but with a better production, Chaos Games could have been a real force to be reckoned with, and I have no doubt that it could have made serious waves. I was listening to the latest albums from Otep and Madball in the car today, and I remember thinking that if Pulverise had a production like that, they'd be unstoppable.
Chaos Games is certainly a success, but I think that in the future it may be remembered in the same way the first Biohazard album is. A great introduction that's full of promise, but the best is yet to come. With the heavy-duty gigging that Pulverise have done, coupled with their relentless enthusiasm, they deserve to see some real success in the not-too-distant future.
Weighing in at eight songs and just 28 minutes in length, there's no fat to be trimmed here. Personally, I prefer an album to be short and strong throughout than to be dragged out by the occasional filler, so hats off to them for taking this approach. Song-wise, if I had to choose favourites, I'd have to go with Slam Time, Fooled You, and Breaking Point. Having said that, I'd have thought that anyone who liked one of their songs would enjoy all of them, as they all sit well together on the record.
My only real criticism with Chaos Games is the production. I'm sure to some ears it passes as raw and live-sounding, but it sounds like a demo to me. It doesn't sound bad, but with a better production, Chaos Games could have been a real force to be reckoned with, and I have no doubt that it could have made serious waves. I was listening to the latest albums from Otep and Madball in the car today, and I remember thinking that if Pulverise had a production like that, they'd be unstoppable.
Chaos Games is certainly a success, but I think that in the future it may be remembered in the same way the first Biohazard album is. A great introduction that's full of promise, but the best is yet to come. With the heavy-duty gigging that Pulverise have done, coupled with their relentless enthusiasm, they deserve to see some real success in the not-too-distant future.
No comments
Post a Comment