Glassjaw's debut full length album Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence was released in 2000 and was a breath of fresh air in the hard rock world as the watered down nu-metal fad was gasping its last breath. Gl... more »assjaw's crushing riffs and aggressive delivery sent a message to everyone who was listening and waiting for something to change their lives. Recorded with renowned producer Ross Robinson (At The Drive In, Slipknot) Everything
You Ever Wanted... captured the intense and powerful Glassjaw live shows as well as showcased the band's diverse and unique sound. While often misunderstood when the
album was released, this album is now often cited as an essential post-hardcore record while influencing many of the bands at the forefront of today's hard rock scene. The CD features the entire album, painstakingly remastered from start to finish plus the inclusion of two hard to find bonus tracks. The expanded booklet contains all the original content, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the
album and all of the chaos and controversy that ensued.« less
Glassjaw's debut full length album Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence was released in 2000 and was a breath of fresh air in the hard rock world as the watered down nu-metal fad was gasping its last breath. Glassjaw's crushing riffs and aggressive delivery sent a message to everyone who was listening and waiting for something to change their lives. Recorded with renowned producer Ross Robinson (At The Drive In, Slipknot) Everything
You Ever Wanted... captured the intense and powerful Glassjaw live shows as well as showcased the band's diverse and unique sound. While often misunderstood when the
album was released, this album is now often cited as an essential post-hardcore record while influencing many of the bands at the forefront of today's hard rock scene. The CD features the entire album, painstakingly remastered from start to finish plus the inclusion of two hard to find bonus tracks. The expanded booklet contains all the original content, plus a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the
album and all of the chaos and controversy that ensued.
CD Reviews
A beautiful soul-awakening experience
Robert L. Thompson III | Columbia, MO USA | 05/09/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Never before have I been so moved by a cd. Glassjaw's "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence" is an epic journey into the depths of a human's innermost feelings. It will leave you reeling from an emotional rollercoaster of that through which we experience in life.Musically, Glassjaw is emo-core at its best; a perfect blend of hard and fast, and melodic and beautiful, mixed with moments of punk/metal. The drums, bass, and guitars are all quite solid, no one instrument outperforms the others, as they play together in sync creating music that is defined and mature. Overall, the music is nothing that I have not heard before, fairly straightforward with little experimentation, but this is not really a problem as the music is merely a complement for the band's true talent: their emotional truthfulness.Vocalist Daryl Palumbo exhibits something that very few singers today have; raw, heartfelt, emotion. The true essence of emo-core. On these twelve songs Palumbo pours out his innermost feelings through poetic lyrics expressing his anger, hate, love, pain, desire, and loneliness experienced through life, all of which will sweep the listener along to places they have never before been, awakening that which they tried so hard to keep hidden. It is this unbridled release of emotions that truly make this music so special.There is no one song that shines above the others. Each song may speak a different tale but in reality they are all part of an epic ballad; at one point inciting such feelings where the listener just wants to fight the entire world, at other times evoking the listener to breakdown in a torrent of tears and unimaginable sadness. All I can truly say is that this cd is incredible, a masterpiece of human fragility. I'm still breathless.This cd is not for the public. I doubt it will get much airplay or ever become a staple on MTV, then again I believe that is what is best for this band. Glassjaw creates music that is honet, brutal, and ever so REAL. They do not deserve to have their music corrupted by the idiotic masses. So if you think you can handle music that is REAL, then definitely obtain this cd. Other emo-core bands: Deftones, Inkling, Far, Cleanse, Blind By Choice, Tenfold, Helen 55, Codeseven, and Will Haven."
Amazing and heartbreaking, a shattering debut CD
Michael B. Scrutchin | Pearland, Texas United States | 08/14/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Glassjaw's debut CD, "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence," can't be described in words. Anything I say here won't do it justice, because this CD is nothing less than a soul-awakening experience from the most emotionally honest band I've ever heard. At times, Glassjaw can be blisteringly heavy and aggressive, but the next second they're playing the most melodically beautiful and heartbreaking chorus you've ever heard. The album is a rollar-coaster of emotions; I've never before been so moved by a CD.People have compared Glassjaw to bands like the Deftones, Radiohead, and Far. There are slight sililarities to all those bands, but Glassjaw is really a band all their own.The vocalist, Daryl, has said that if you can't relate to this music, you've never had your heart broken. I would certainly agree. For everyone out there who feels depressed, heartbroken, or alone, pick up a copy of this CD. You're not alone."
Words cannot describe how good this album is....
driver_down | Toronto | 02/20/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"And I thought Taproot was emo-metal....This CD has touched me in a way I cannot even begin to describe. Ross Robinson pulls together another great production, again showing the world that he isn't a rap-core hack. The album artis bizarre, yet intriguing, and the music is f$3%ing beyond amazing. Daryl Palumbo's voice takes some getting used to (imagine Chino Moreno on a certain powdery-white stimulant), but once you're over that hurdle, it all falls into place. The guitars are heavy enough for Machine Head fans but diverse enough for non-metalheads. The bass is rumbly and earthy in tone, but also has a very independant feel. The music as a whole ranges from such angst-ridden screamers as "Siberian Kiss" and "Hurting And Shoving" to gorgeously melodic tunes like "Her Middle Name Was Boom and "Piano". Lyrically, Mr. Palumbo turns anger and spite into something beautiful. "Staring at a Parisian sex flick where the characters don't meet, the characters don't speak, the characters are like mirrors facing mirrors - space always expanding". He confronts broken relationships, his unfortunate affliction of Crohn's Disease, and other weighty topics unflinchingly and with intensity unmatched by any other lyricist in the business. Many women have objected to Palumbo's supposedly misogynistic lyrics, although I strongly doubt he would have written them if there wasn't something behind it other than pure bigotry.Overall, one of the most disturbing, compelling and honest records I've heard in a long time. Buy, beg, steal..."
"It's not often that I can say a cd has dramatically affected my life. However Glassjaw's "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence" is one of them. When I first heard this cd almost five years ago, it really did change my life. I do credit this album for getting me through my teenage years, and really giving me a genuine connection to a band. Even now that I've grown up and gotten out of my adolescent phases, I still love this album just as much as I did the first time I heard it. There are so many things about this album and Glassjaw that are so unique. This band was ahead of it's time in so many areas, and even can be credited as starting movements that are prominent today like "screamo". There is just not enough praise I can give to this album.
"Pretty Lush" starts the album off. I could think of no better way. The lyrics of the album have always been something of critical scrutiny. Either you love them because you see the symbolism and metaphors in them, or you hate them because of the dark and violent pictures Daryl is painting. I find myself on the first end of that. When I was 16 years old, I really felt like this album spoke to me. Much of this album is about Daryl's hatred for a particular woman out there, which we still do not know who, but rest assured she must of done something wrong to him. The chorus of "Pretty Lush" boasts the lines of "You can lead a whore to water/and you can bet she'll drink and follow orders", basically giving you an idea of what Daryl has to say on this album. Sometimes it gets rather dark, like on "Lovebites and Razorlines" ("just suck on the end of this d*ck that cums lead") and "Motel of The White Locust" ("get on your knees and make me your god"). However if you take the lyrics literally you are missing the real beauty of this album. This is a guy pouring every ounce of emotion in his body into these songs. You can feel every note Daryl sings on this album because he's so genuinely honest. Not many bands can come across being this genuine, but Glassjaw really gives you the feeling that they love what they do, and they believe in their songs. I think most can relate to the lyrical content found here, because we've all had someone who has done something very wrong to us at one time or another, and Daryl is not ashamed to sing about it. This cd contains one of my all time favorite lyrics, found on "Motel Of The White Locust", which says "as long as your mouth is shut, you'll still be f*cking beautiful." I still love that line to this day.
The thing that I've always believed about Glassjaw is that they represented the total package. I really don't think these guys have ever made a bad song. They can do anything. They can go from something so blisteringly angry and aggressive like "Lovebites and Razorlines", to something soft and beautiful like "Her Middle Name Was Boom". They can play slow songs and pull them off, they can be experimental, or they can go heavy, and it all works. Most importantly it all sounds like Glassjaw, not like they are trying to be something else. Let's remember this album came out before the big "screamo" trend hit. That's what really makes this album revolutionary. Daryl and company were doing the things that bands are doing to death now almost 8 years ago. Musically everyone in the band does their job perfectly. The trade off guitar playing between Justin Beck and Todd Weinstock works perfectly, and creates some beautiful moments on songs like "Piano" and "Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence". Manny's bass playing is something extremely overlooked and underated, because it's a cut above most of the other bassists in the same genre who just seem like backing pieces. Sammy Siegler (ex CIV and Rival Schools drummer) provides the perfect backbone to the band, as the drumming is an such an important aspect of the music. However the most important instrument on this album has got to be Daryl's voice. Daryl gives his most diverse performance on this recording, as he can go from bellowing screams to beautiful melodies in a matter of seconds, a style that is the most common in screamo and hardcore today. Many songs show Daryl showcasing his ability to sing as well as scream in a number of different ways, and in quite a unique fashion in some places. Daryl's voice is instantly recognizable, and anytime you hear a glassjaw song, you always know it's Glassjaw. There's no confusion.
This album is still in my top five of all time, and has more than changed my life. Five years after it's release, I still listen to it all the time. I've never seen a band make this strong of a debut. Glassjaw is now kind of inactive (with Daryl being involved in Head Automatica, Todd playing in Men, Women and Children, and Beck doing his own thing), but nothing could ever take away anything from this album. It's perfect. Start to finish, I can could listen to it all day, everyday, and never get bored. It's just that good. If you don't have this album and you like Glassjaw, then I don't know why you don't already own this. If you're into the newer movements like "screamo" or "melodic hardcore", then you owe it to yourself to listen to one of the bands largely responsible for what most of these bands are doing now adays. I guarantee if you listen with an open mind, and don't interpret the lyrics literally, you'll find there is so much to love about this album. I could go on for days about how good this album is, or how much I love it, but I think you get the picture. Pick this up immediately."
An honest and compelling reason to not give up
anaflict | santa monica, ca United States | 09/22/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"it is very seldom that in heavy, guitar laden music you happen upon a group of intelligent, emotionally mature, young men (boys?) that express themselves in an articulate, concise, meaningful manner. however, in this popular era of unoriginal clones, testosterone driven drivel, and (dear lord forbid) that completely talentless idiot ..., we have a true beacon. an oasis amid these foolish sands. glassjaw. i wouldn't dare to delve into a critique of this record, as i am sure it would do their creative bent no sort of justice. but i will say this: if ever you need to be bolstered by something that is entirely empathetic and knows exactly "how it feels", turn to this record. it speaks to the soul and heals....."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1