I’ll be the first one to admit that I’m not a huge fan of the new/current/modern rock sound that’s all over the radio. For the most part this stuff all sounds the same to me; there’s not much that holds my interest. As a result, I don’t listen to the radio much. So, before I listened to Amok’s new CD, The Evolution of Chaos, I figured I was in for more of the same. Yet, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it has some distinct and unique qualities that you don’t hear much in today’s music.
The CD was recorded about a year ago (Nov. ’03) at Studio Z here in Phoenix and just made its way into my hands recently (Sept. ’04) and I wish I had come across this sooner - the way I see it, I’ve been missing out.
Track listing:
Rito Del Oro (2:08)
Face (4:36)
Center Yourself (4:30)
Unraveled (3:07)
Clairvoyance (4:38)
Hollow (4:30)
Blind Regret (3:20)
Marlington (3:30)
Blender (5:55)
Broken Glass (4:22)
SEG (5:51)
Transmission (3:59)
Total Time (50:33)
Overall, the CD has some very positive qualities - it’s well produced and has a great sound, great composition, thought-provoking lyrics, fantastic vocal work by Travis, and they do some very creative things with vocal effects, including the way they interlace the different vocal styles. I enjoyed Chammy’s double-bass drumming in the second track (the only place in the whole CD though) and I thought he had some really good use of the toms scattered throughout the CD. The talents and skills of all the members are obvious, and there were various places in the CD that caught my attention and made me take note of each of the members’ talents.
One of the first things I noticed about this CD is the use of what I consider to be "filler" - spoken words and other sounds not only layered on top of songs but even used as entire tracks themselves. The first track, "Rito Del Oro", is a good example of this. The entire track (2 minutes, 8 seconds) sounds like someone talking, but backwards. Although the last track, "Transmission", isn’t backwards, it’s more of the same non-music for another 4 minutes. There’s a part of me that thinks that there’s got to be a good story behind it. Another place this is used heavily is the fifth track, "Clairvoyance". It reminds me very much of the opening to "Shout at the Devil" by Motley Crue. This one’s pretty cool (maybe just because it reminds me of my college days, not sure) but I have to say "I don’t get it". I’d rather hear more music. Although its not just "white noise", I’m still undecided as to whether or not these fillers get a thumbs up or down.
This CD has several highlights. The second track, "Face", is somewhat catchy and I have a thing for songs that change pace. This song takes care of the slow and melodic as well as the kick-ass loud screaming. It integrates the two very well. The fourth track, "Unraveled", is one of my favorites. I would love to see this performed live. This track has some of those "spoken" parts, and they work very well with this song. They’ve also done some very cool things with vocal effects. Track seven, "Blind Regret" is probably my favorite track on the CD. They did a great job in this one of integrating the screaming vocals with the "normal" vocals. I enjoyed that quite a bit. It also had a great guitar sound, a very cool intro. I’d LOVE to see this one live! The ninth track, "Blender" could be radio worthy. Although it’s not my favorite, it’s up there and it uses some vocal effects that I don’t think I’ve ever heard before. These effects are well done, and there’s some good use of harmonies, making the song somewhat catchy. The tenth track, "Broken Glass", is on my list of highlights because it uses the word "fuck". It’s my favorite word but these days you can hear that listening to almost anything "rock" oriented. What I like it that it’s used in the proper context and not over-used. Any band that can use that word properly gets bonus points.
I’ve pondered the "non-musical" fillers more, I don’t dislike them, but they’re apparently important enough for me to think about, and mention again. I will admit that they have done some pretty creative things on this album and the fillers would fall into that category. I don’t necessarily need to understand them (although if one of the guys from Amok wants to email me and let me know what the story is behind that last track, that would be very cool!) and some of them are just downright neat! So they get a thumbs-up after all.
The tracks that didn’t make it on the highlights list weren’t bad; they just didn’t completely grab me. Track six, "Hollow" reminds me vocally of Suicidal Tendencies, which I’m guessing was completely unintentional but I "calls ‘em like I hears ‘em". The only track on the entire CD that I have a criticism about is track 11, "SEG". The vocals just don’t sit well with me. The harmonies just don’t sound as impressive as the rest of the CD.
So the fillers get a thumbs up and there’s one track that I can live without. Overall, this is an excellent CD and one that will probably stay in my rotation for a while. I don’t normally "rate" CD’s, like giving it so many out of so many stars, but I will say that just about anyone should enjoy this CD. If you like rock, and that’s a very broad term (intentionally), then you should like this.