A personal joke on unappreciated fans
Danny | Newport News, Virginia United States | 06/04/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"First a little history on Dismantled:
Dismantled is Gary Zon, and the first self-titled album is an apocalyptic, snarling and dark EBM/industrial album that was very popular in the scene because it was extremely akin to old Frontline Assembly, but Gary did have some of his own unique style developing. It was harsh and remniscent of old aggressive industrial.
Next he dropped the Fronline Assembly imitation act with "Post Nuclear" and really showcased what he was capable of. The sound of this album is like no one else, it is a unique sound, one that is Gary Zon and no other. On post nuclear, he really became innovative. It was an artistic exploration of many different things - pop melodies fused with grinding industrial breaking suddenly into dancey ebm, raspy howls and screams fuse with heartbroken singing choruses. it was very musical and tasteful, bringing out a piano here and or atmospheric strings there and the next minute barging into fury and heavy bass.
Dismantled made this eclectic album when everyone else was hopping on the futurepop bandwagon, and futurepop/ebm/synthpop was (and still is) invading dancefloors and record labels. when dismantled sounded like no other, other bands of similar genre all sounded alike. (sounding like either a. vnv nation/apoptygma berzerk or b. wumpscut
"post nuclear", however, although in my opnion his best album, was a little too chaotic for the club dancefloors
so unfortunately, this great album "post nuclear" was not a success for Zon. i guess to be a successful ebm/industrial act at that time you would have to sound like vnv nation, and not being appropriate for the dancefloor might as well have been totally forbidden
The label and fans thus pressured zon for a more typical album.
"Standard Issue" is the response.
Standard Issue is a joke on the whole scene. It is full of beats EVER so typical for this genre, and almost the whole thing is completely danceable. it is the anti-innovative, it is his compliance with the label and the fans. basically, it's a sell-out album. it is designed to be popular, and he recognizes all of this in the lyrics. most of the people who dance to these songs at clubs are ironicly ridiculed in the lyrics.
The song which embodies this joke the most is "get it through" (personally, I think this song is terrible - but sure to be a hit in the clubs!) "preset" is a joke on the cookie cutter types, or what I like to call goth-by-default.
A couple of the songs are a little more remniscent of "post nuclear" like feilds, and no effect.
"anthem" is the opposite of anything you'll find on "post nuclear"...having a redundant (though infectious!) dance beat and a single chorus that repeats the entire length of the track. very much unlike the more complex and chaotic tracks on "post nuclear"
I give it 3 stars only because I like "breed to death" (probably the best track on the album), "anthem", "no effect", and "feilds"...the rest is only good because of the joke they play on the scene and record label, otherwise they are cliche and purposely sounding like everything else out there.
In conclusion..if you like easily accessible modern ebm/futurepop/synthpop that is ALWAYS dancefloor efficienct with catchy hooks, "standard issue" is the album for you. just try to realize that Dismantled is laughing at you for liking it.
If you really want to hear what Dismantled is capable of, something as innovative as late 90's Nine Inch Nails, something still EBM, still industrial, and still pop while sounding like nothing else, I would recommend you buy "post nuclear" instead."
Addictive EBM
B. Klos | Oakland County, Michigan | 05/25/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"While the lyrics may either have a deep meaning or simply be a type of incoherent pseudo-poetry, I love Dismantled regardless. The music itself is just your standard EMB with some sonic spice thrown in there to keep you interested. But that's not the part of dismantled that grabs me.
The vocals are the real show, for me at least. Somehow I made an association between Dismantled's vocals and Trent Reznor's voice. While the music itself obviously isn't NIN, I keep thinking of NIN whenever I hear dismantled's vocals.
As far as the quality of the album, I think it's great. Listen to the samples and figure out if you like what you hear."
Track Listings (10) - Disc #1