Search - Revolution Smile :: Above the Noise

Hardly a Revolution, but enough to make you Smile.

Andrew Estes | Maine | 04/20/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Revolution Smile caused quite a comotion when Fred Durst kidnapped them from his sworn enemies in Buddyhead (an independent label), who constantly tease and taunt Durst in the Gossip section of their website (they even snuck into his office and stole one of his red caps). Obviously since they share the same label as Puddle Of Mudd, people will assume there are similarities, but to the contrary, Revolution Smile possess a far more interesting sound. Lead by former Far guitarist Shaun Lopez, Revolution Smile's first (and only) album for Durst's imprint Flawless is a nice change of pace for rock music. Bringing back the melodic hard-rock style of early Filter, the gritty, start-stop of Helmet, and with enough weird song titles to make the Deftones jealous, Revolution Smile have created an album that will please just about any fan of (dare I say) nu-metal. The fact that this can be labeled as nu-metal does not make it bad at all; It is one of the best nu-metal releases of 2003. Surely with all of the wretched clones out there, it's refreshing to hear a band do the genre justice. Fans of Far might feel a little alienated, as Lopez has a far different singing style than that of his former boss Jonah Matranga and the music in general is a little more rough around the edges. But all in all, Revolution Smile has an engaging sound. They know how to rock and they do it well and with some great hooks. It's a wonder why this disc never got it's fair spin when it came out. Unfortunately, they have been dropped from their label not even a year after the release of this album. Too bad. Fred Durst had a gem here. I guess he can fill up his Flawless roster with more Nirvana impersonators instead?"

These guys deserve their "Payday"

oldsklheman | Jefferson City, Missouri United States of America | 08/01/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's damn near impossible in music now a days to inspire people or get them to be honestly excited about something. These are people that haven't heard The Revolution Smile. What I find so interesting about this band is their sheer talent. I mean for a brand new band to come out with such an incredible debut is damn near impossible to the level that Above the Noise is. This band brings the rock, simply put. Forget all that "return of the rock" crap. Forget all those "the THE" bands that are being labeled as saviors of rock music. It never went away, it just got really horrible. I honestly believe a band like the Revolution Smile could bring rock music outta the stump it's been in. This is no bull to this band, just honest and whole hearted music. Standout tracks on this album include I Wish I, The Gift, the Ride of Los Angeles and my personal favourite - Payday. I urge anyone to get this album, it floored me and it'll do the same to you. It'll be one of the most pleasent breaths in the music air you'll take in all year. Why you may ask, Above the Noise is just that: above everything else medicore and bland in music today. This band has guts, balls and heart. The Revolution Smile is the REAL DEAL."

Deffinately a good start for the radio.

Nick | Round Rock, TX United States | 02/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the guitarist from Jonah's (yeah, yeah, yeah; Jonah's this, Jonah's that) former band Far. This is a really good footing for the radio in it's current state. I have a question though: WHEN THE HECK IS THAT QUICKSAND TRIBUTE ALBUM SUPPOSED TO COME OUT?! K; bug the heck out of this band if you ever see them and ask them about the Quicksand tribute album that was supposed to come out like 5 years ago (it was also supposed to have Ray Cappo from Youth of Today and Shelter, Chaka Malik from Burn and Orange 9mm, Glassjaw, Biohazard and a bunch of other incredibly talented people). Ta ta."