Search - Nothingface :: Violence

Apt and Important

Miller Truby | Escondido, CA USA | 05/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When a band are really firing on all cylinders you can tell. It makes no difference what type of music you're listening to, be it classical or jazz or metal or pop; the key is that the album will be easy to listen to all the way through. "Violence" is an excellent example of an album where everything is working perfectly. From the first driving riff in "Make Your Own Bones" to the voice-shredding, headbanging final strains of "Piss & Vinegar", this is an album that amounts to more than the sum of its 12 tracks.



I was originally drawn to Nothingface by Matt Holt's stunning vocals and they remain the most important thing about this band for me. There are other vocalists who are more technically proficient and there are other vocalists who are more adventurous, but seldom have I heard a vocal performance with the sheer weight and intensity that Matt delivers. You can hear it in every scathing lyric and every screamed obscenity; this guy means what he sings. Not every lyric makes perfect sense to the listener, but they all must make sense to Mr. Holt because you feel the vocals as much as you hear them.



The guitar and bass work on this album are also not to be missed. Tom Maxwell has one of the most ridiculous right hands in the guitar world. His riffing is technically proficient and very fast, but it never sounds thrashy or uncontrolled. There are a few short solos (or solo-like moments) but they're only for accent. It's all about the riff for these guys and there are some big, groovy monsters on this disc. Think southern rock played at 2x speed, that'll give you and idea. Bill Gaal's basswork only adds to the groove-heavy vibe, acting as an excellent compliment and contributing an almost stiflingly heavy bottom end.



And then of course, there's the substantial wall of drumming coming from behind it all and really driving the music on this album. Chris Houck throws more fills on this beast of a record than seems possible. The first few times I listened, I was actually a bit annoyed by it, but it grew on me because it's done differently than most other spastic metal performances. How so? It isn't driven by heavy reliance on staccato double bass. He does use some, but it's more of an accent than the backbone of the rhythm section. Instead, the fury and intensity of his performance is driven by his snare. If you're wondering what the hell I'm talking about, just listen to "Everlasting Godstopper" (especially the first minute).



So there are excellent performances all around. That still doesn't guarantee a standout CD. You also need good production and execution. "Violence" has both. The production is tight, just a tiny bit dirty, and thickly layered. There are little electronic elements thrown in everywhere, voice samples (a Nothingface tradition), even a few momentary acoustic breakdowns. On the execution side of things, the presentation of the lyrics in the liner notes is both entertaining and properly disturbing. Read the lyrics along as you listen to the disc and you will get an excellent feel for the emotional road this album is taking you down.



All of the above are great reasons to buy a cd, but none of them are really why you should buy this particular cd. Here's the real reason: this is an album that dropped right in the middle of the "Nu-Metal" movement and right at the beginning of the post-hardcore/metalcore/emo/mallcore clone-fest that has become modern hard rock. Going back to 1996 and the "Pacifier" days, Nothingface has always been one of the only bands to successfully take little pieces of all those genres and turn them into something unique and refreshing. Yes, you will hear screamed verses that lead into singing choruses but it won't sound anything like Killswitch Engage or any of their clones. And yes, you will hear electronic elements and sound samples, but it won't sound like Fear Factory or Rammstein or Mudvayne.



In the end, I recommend buying this album because it's full of honest-feeling, genuinely angry, uniquely delivered, make-you-want-to-drive-fast hard rock/metal. It's an important release that will (or at least should) be remembered as one of the only good things to come of the Nu-Metal era. Pick it up.



Standout Tracks:

Bleeder

Same Solution

For All The Sin

Can't Wait For Violence

Dead Like Me

Blue Skin

American Love

Everlasting Godstopper

Piss & Vinegar



(So...basically all of them!)"

I can't wait for this Violence. It's that good.

Lukas J. Running | Wisconsin | 04/12/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nothingface bows to no one. In my opinion, Matt Holt has the best voice in heavy music today. Right up there with Maynard from Tool. This cd is probably the best example of the diversity of Nothingface's music. There are brutally heavy songs where Matt does an awesome job of screaming and growling, and there are some more melodic, progressive moments. "For All the Sin" is my personal favorite Nothingface song, and I sing this one all the time. It hasn't left my head in seven years since this was released. No other song has had this much of an impact on me. If you love heavy music, buy this and their other cds immediately. It may take a few listens to get into it, as it is not for the faint of heart. This is not nu-metal, rather, they prefer to call themselves extreme rock. And I think that is a good term for them. They belong in their own category because they have aspects of so many styles evident in their music."

Immature

Clyde J. Shurtz | hell usa | 06/17/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"at the age of 14-16, this album was the best. i spent an entire summer listening to it. i met nothingface at a tattoo the earth show and they were one of the nicest bands i've ever met. rediscovering this album recently i find that it's so hollow, it's almost unlistenable. if you're an angry 15 year old (nothing wrong with that) or you're discovering.... whatever type of music this could be classified as, then by all means RUN to buy this album, but if you're thinking of rediscovering this album like i did at a more mature age and mindset, don't.... and move along"