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BLUE GILLESPIE
www.bluegillespie.co.uk
Handily, 'Seven Rages of Man' has seven 'acts', or movements that are designed to explore, I suppose, the human condition with regards to how, you know, angry we are and stuff. However, the track listing has nine tracks. And the CD itself actually has thirteen tracks. Basic counting problems aside, Blue Gillespie try very hard at the progressive metal thing. Except it's not really progressive. That is, the music does indeed twist and turn a bit, and the concept is certainly lofty, but this is at its core just a down-tuned heavy metal album. Now, I'm led to believe that the influence for the themes present on this album were drawn from such sources as Shakespeare and Greek Mythology all centred on the concept of being a bit ggggrrrrrrr. Crikey, that's highbrow stuff. Which is all the more head-scratchingly irritating that they sound like Disturbed trying to write Gilbert and Sullivan; don't try and think what that might sound like. But, credit where it's due, these boys can play. Particular attention should be given towards the drums and bass. The bass in particular is both funky and serpentine, while the drums flit between cymbal-heavy jazzy themes and full-on metal tub-thumping. Playing alone though will not a good album make, and it's disappointing that the album lays so heavily on down-tuned chugging and Dave Draiman levels of irritating stop-start phrasing. Moments of Tool-like guitar melodies creep in, but they seem tired and deliberate. It's perhaps a shame that the insistence on focussing their press release on the intelligence of the concept (in actual fact the lyrics are no less clever than your average metal band) combined with the technicality of the music. Had they pitched this as a common or garden post-nu-metal album, then perhaps you could call this a success. As it is, I had a high expectation that was ultimately a let-down.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Self-released
Album
SEVEN RAGES OF MAN
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Review by Steve Cowan
RUNNING TIME:
64:09
RELEASE DATE:
4th May 2012
TRACK LISTING
1) Prologue
2) Act I: The Mewling
3) Act II: Messianic/Interlude/Effervescent Youth
4) Act III: Sullen
5) Act IV: Impiety
6) Act V: Impiety
7) Act VI: Medieval/Interlude II/Hydraslide
8) Epilogue
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
UK
"The bass in particular is both funky and serpentine, while the drums flit between cymbal-heavy jazzy themes and full-on metal tub-thumping."
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