Videodrone - Videodrone (12 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

What WAS that!?

David Baker | Nosgoth | 11/23/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Talk about innovation and originality! I haven't heard anything quite like Videodrone. Comparisons to both KoRn and Orgy are popular, but only warrant a laugh. Videodrone are not Metal, Nü-Metal, or Hard Rock--Videodrone are barely even rock, as guitars are only used in a few songs. They come off like something of another realm. Put it this way: If Trent had made "Pretty Hate Machine" today, had a (slight) Jane's Addiction influence (in the sense of oddness), and a (slight) flirt with Sisters Of Mercy (vocal-wise), throw in some of the best keyboard work since The Cure's "Disintegration," and you might have something like this. Maybe. A big maybe. "Videodrone" is caught somewhere between Synth-Pop and Industrial, but the band seem more willing to rock--except they rarely use guitars. Songs like "Closer To Coma" (personal favorite song) are more daring than anything Depeche Mode has ever tried (that's not a knock on Depeche Mode, as I think they're a great band, as well), while "Ty Jonathon Down" sound better than anything Orgy has to offer (that's not a knock on them either, as I love that band, too). "Ty Jonathon Down," in particular, has a very dark tone to it. Not evil like Slayer, but more akin to the hopelessness that Bauhaus carries (who? Go look up your Death-Rock, kiddies). In fact, your local undead DJ might get away with playing "The Devil's Sweepstakes" at your local Goth-Industrial club (Lord knows I wish my local DJ would...oh, wait, I don't even have a Goth-Industrial club in this lame town. Aaargh!). Videodrone even cover an old (well, I guess they're all old, now) L.A.P.D. song (featured members of KoRn before KoRn had taken shape), "Jesus (Lord Of The Apes)." That doesn't come as a surprise considering that A. Videodrone are friends wth KoRn. B. They're signed to Korn's label. And C. Fieldy produced this album (and he did an amazing job, I might add). "Jesus (Lord Of The Apes)" is an amazing cover, easily outshining the original. "Power Tools For Girls" is an interesting song, if only because of the serial killer-like lyrics Ty sings (hint: power tools and girls). It's definitely different, and ultimately fun, if not odd. "L.S.D. (Lucifer's Stained Dress)" is not unlike "Power Tools For Girls," but not as lyrically morbid; rather, the song is funny (the woman yelling at the guy to get out of her apartment). Despite my highest praise for the album, "Videodrone" isn't without its faults. The first two, and biggest, faults are "Human Piñata" and "C.O.B. (Silent Night)." The former has rappers in it. Granted, I'm not a Rap fan, but if I MUST listen to the stuff, at least have rappers that aren't as dumb as Juvenile, please. "Human Piñata" fails to do so. "C.O.B. (Silent Night)" is a cover of, you guessed it, "Silent Night." For obvious reasons, the song is horrible. It drifts on and on after the "song" is finished with odd noises. Another small fault is the guitarist and bassist, David File and Mavis. They're rarely used, which is ultimately a good thing considering how things worked out on the album, but fail to do much when given their moments. It's not that they're bad musicians, they're not at all, their parts just needed more emphasis to make a lasting impression. The other members of Videodrone, however, are nothing short of brilliant. Ty Elam's voice sounds like a cross between Peter Murphy's (Bauhaus) and Jonathon Davis' whispers and yelps (or whatever he calls it). Very, very nice. And lyrically, Ty never ceases to amaze. Rohan is one of the best, if not the best, keyboard players in recent memory (minus Trent Reznor, of course). Rohan creates lush and dark sounds so beautiful I'd love to see him make a solo album. Kris Kohls though is unbelievable. His love for Hip-Hop and Trip-Hop are evident throughout the entire CD. There's never a beat out of place; the guy just makes you want to dance, dance, and guess what? Dance. All in all, "Videodrone" is a very unique CD that was sadly overlooked by mainstream buyers. Perhaps it was the way the band was marketed, as, like mentioned earlier, Videodrone are not Metal in any way, shape, or form. You can't mosh to music that makes you dance, ya know (well, you could, but you might look a tad out of place). Of all the neo-Industrial bands, Videodrone is easily the best, as they not only add something to the genre, but do so magnificently. "Videodrone" is very much worth checking into, even if you hate KoRn and Orgy. Not perfect, but so close it counts, as their originality makes up for that. If you liked this CD, I recommend checking out Orgy's "Vapor Transmission;" Nine Inch Nails' "Pretty Hate Machine;" and if you're feeling brave, Skinny Puppy's "Too Dark Park.""

Some things are better left unsaid, but I have to say this

Cesar Miguel | El Paso | 06/16/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As you may or may not know, Videodrone I the second band signedto elementree records, the KoRn founded record label, and it seemsthat KoRn really know about music, because Videodrone is nothing short to breathtaking, the self titled debut is filled with industrial music in the vein of Nine Inch Nails and Orgy, but still they do it in a way that its very original, Ty Jonathan Down is a very haunting song, featuring in the vocal line one Jonathan Davis, Face Plant is a very weird song (Actually every song is weird) having some weird guitar and sampling, Human Piñata is a rap-techno-industrial-metal feel, and has appearances of Fred Durst and Mr. DJ Lethal, Jesus Lord of The Apes is a cover of L.A.P.D., the group that Munky, David and Fieldy had before KoRn, the song Closer to Coma is also an excellent song with some very good guitar work and good bass playing, Power tools for girls has Korn's head playing guitar over some dense sampling and strange vocals. It seems that Fieldy can be a very good producer; his producing in this record is excellent, nothing more to say but buy this ( ). END"

Videodrone's pulsating music and haunting lyrics...

reptilian | Binghamton, NY | 04/19/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you're a music fan looking for something different- then this album surely is it. With a combination of styles such as rock, techno, rap, and industrial, there's practically no going wrong. Featured on the album is Jonathan Davis & Head (Korn) as well as Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit). If you like Orgy or Korn, it's likely that you'll love Videodrone. Even those who despise Korn & Limp Bizkit have found this album to be a pleasureful change from the norm. The song 'Faceplant' is similar to a club track, and the song 'Ty Jonathan Down' is an instant eargasm. I recommend checking out some audio clips first, and if you like them, then purchase the album. Also check into Cradle Of Thorns (their old name) & the compiliation CD 'The Hard & The Heavy'."

Cradle of Thorns/Videodrone/Karmahitlist

ruinfix | Toowoomba, QLD, Australia | 04/09/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Videodrone was the new name of the band Cradle of Thorns. However it no longer exists. When I first heard this album I was addicted to Ty's vocals as it was very similar to the singers from Marilyn Manson, Orgy, Deadsy and Full Devil Jacket. However I hadn't heard anything from the Cradle of Thorns albums "Download This!" and "Feed Us" prior to this self-titled release. Then later when I heard those other 2 albums I then fully appretiated the extent of Ty's amazing voice and the full potential of the band. This release isn't as good as the later IMHO, but it is still a good album. The problem I found with this album was the appearance of too many guests. It would have been much better if the songs were just all Videodrone' with no guest singers. Fieldy producing the record didn't bother me too much but I felt he didn't give them enough justice. Unfortunately for us Ty fans Videodrone/Cradle of Thorns is no more... HOWEVER there is still hope as he has started a new band called Karmahitlist. I have already heard 3 songs from them and I'm impressed. Still not as good as CoT but expect to hear big things from these guys."

Quite possibly THE most underrated band

ruinfix | 12/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Videodrone, as the second band signed to Korn's Elementree label, may quite possibly be the most underrated band of the last 10 years. For some reason Korn chose to support Orgy more than they did Videodrone, who is obviously the more talented of the two groups and the one with the most creativity. It's a terrible thing that they're now disbanded and working on other projects. Videodrone creates an atmosphere that has not been captured by any other band up to this point and will probably go unparallelled for a long time, if not forever. That atmosphere is one of dark, drug-induced, trippy, heavily layered industrial rock with a sound close to no other artist ever on the music scene. At a surface glance this album is amazing, but when looking behind the forefront of the music, such as when one is....well.....under the influence of something, the album takes on a whole new undiscovered atmosphere. This is truly an amazing piece of work here and the fact that few people have discovered make it even more of a privilege to own it.Ty Elam, easily one of the eeriest aspects of the group, has an impressive vocal range which can sing a beautiful melody line in "Faceplant" one minute and then resort to a crushing scream in "Jesus (Lord Of The Apes)". His vocals take on a sinister whisper in "The Devil's Sweepstakes" and then soar on the addiction-based "Alone With 20 Bucks". His lyrics compliment his trippy vocals, addressing anything from drug abuse to religion to sex, although the drug influence is very highly obvious here. Backing Ty's downright oddness and emotion are a band fueled by apparently just as much acid as their frontman, as Rohan, the keyboardist and sampler, takes the front seat right next to Ty. Easily responsible for most of the eerie atmosphere created, Rohan lays out a dark, disturbing soundscape, most notably on "The Devil's Sweepstakes", "L.S.D.", "Ant In The Dope", and "Jesus (Lord Of The Apes)". He is easily one of the most talented keyboard players on the scene behind Trent Reznor and to see a solo album from him would be an absolute delight. Mavis does an awesome job on bass, as almost every note he plays follows the keyboard, and any bassist knows what a difficult job that can be, all backed by the pulsing rhythm section of Kris Kohls, whose trip-hop influence is plainly seen. He comes up with some truly original and complex rhythms in "The Devil's Sweepstakes", "Power Tools For Girls", and "Closer To Coma" and it brings sadness over me to know that hes now wasting his time and talent on a mistake such as Adema. David File, the guitarist, seems to be the least used member of the band on the surface, but once again, with that "second glance", he shines, playing a funk rhythm one minute in "Ant In The Dope" and a crunching rock riff the next in "Human Pinata." I believe every song deserves recognition now so I might as well review."Ty Jonathan Down" - A great opener with a rumbling bass line and powerful lyrics. Don't be fooled by the fact that Jonathan Davis guests on it. He doesn't ruin it (surprisingly), but actually contributes to the song significantly. A song about the frustrations of one's sex life."Closer To Coma" opens with a screeching synthesizer and pounds on through the distorted walls of the verse right through to the melodic chorus. Extremely powerful."Alone With 20 Bucks", which is a story about Ty Elam's previous addiction to crack cocaine, shows off Rohan's eerie keyboard style at its best. You can hear the pain in Ty's voice when he breaks into the soaring chorus."The Devil's Sweepstakes" is one of my favorites off of here and the drums are the real focus as Kris Kohl's uses some of his best work on here. Very little guitar or bass, mostly drum and synth dominated, but Ty''s vocals about drug addiction will send a shiver up your spine."Faceplant" is the most "normal" rock song on here, whatever that means, which is probably why it was chosen as the single. It's not as strangely bizarre as the rest of the album, save for that intro sound effect which plays throughout the background of the entire song (turn your treble up and see), but it does shine just as much as the rest of the songs. Ty proves he can sing melody beautifully while David File uses his guitar to lead the band on the foreground one of the few times."Human Pinata" was the first song I ever heard by this band. The lyrics are hip-hop for the mostpart while the chorus completely rocks out about how the human race is leading their own destruction, and the song is amazing until the horrendous appearance of Fred Durst, who ruins the song like he does just about everything he gets involved in."Pig In a Blanket" - The weakest song on the CD. Rap lyrics with guests from a Cypress Hill side project that have no decipherable meaning other than something about L.A. At least Ty makes up for it with the chorus."L.S.D. (Lucifer's Stained Dress)" - Wow. Now this is sick. Nothing beats that female vocal sample. Truly eerie. Again, Rohan continues to amaze with sampling. Ty's vocals will put fear into you."Ant In The Dope" is one of the best tracks with its aggressive, desperate sex lyrics and soaring funk guitar line and rapid-fire keyboard and drums. One of the best."Power Tools For Girls" is bizarre, explicit, and downright dirty, but I love it. Head from Korn offers a guitar performance which actually sounds good and the rest of the band rocks out in an under-the-table, screeching, synth-based metal assault. You've got an ear if you can pick out where the female vocals are.Now "Jesus (Lord Of The Apes)" may be a cover of an old LAPD song, but damn does it sound original. After hearing the original, Videodrone did a much better job. Rohan really makes it his own with that chilling piano and those guitars and sampled choirs are just breathtaking. Another of the best."C.O.B. (Silent Night)" is essentially a cover of the old Christmas tune on acid, after which it turns into 12 minutes of sampled sound effects and machine destruction. Fascinating.You shouldn't need any more convincing. Fans of metal, rock, industrial, hip-hop, goth, or anything dark, eerie, and suspenseful need this in their collection. I've had it for years and still listen to it frequently. It's quite amazing and blows Orgy out of the water."

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