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░█▒█ Artist ■ Skyclad █▒█░
░ █▒█ Album ■ In the... All Together █▒█ ░
░█░█ Year ■ 2009 █░█░
█░█ Release Date ■ 2012-09-30 █░█
█░█ Genre ■ Thrash Metal █░█
█ █ Label ■ Rubicon █ █
█░█ Source ■ CD █░█
█ █ Type ■ Album █ █
█░█ Quality ■ VBR, 44.1kHz, Joint Stereo █░█
█ █ █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ While every fart from washed-up bands a la Metallica seems █ █
█ █ to have to be carefully dissected and discussed thoroughly █ █
█ █ here and there, the so-called originators of folk metal █ █
█ █ release their twelfth full-length album in an almost █ █
█ █ complete indifference. Musicians, follow your own path and █ █
█ █ donÆt compromise: after a five years absence be sure youÆll █ █
█ █ end up being completely forgotten. Now I seriously wish █ █
█ █ this was the ultimate Skyclad record, just to throw it in █ █
█ █ the face of everything trendy those days, including most of █ █
█ █ the folk metal genre they contributed to create. However █ █
█ █ IÆll be honest. This isnÆt the best Skyclad. Can it still █ █
█ █ kill though? Yes it can, and more than once. █ █
█ █ First thereÆs no Skyclad record without a great opener, and █ █
█ █ to this respect Words Upon the Streets lives up to any █ █
█ █ expectancy. Once the first thirty seconds of awkward █ █
█ █ computer sounds have elapsed, what follows is in the pure █ █
█ █ tradition of the æCladÆs most direct, uncompromising first █ █
█ █ tracks in the lines of Thinking Allowed or Civil War Dance. █ █
█ █ Indeed, thatÆs what may be the most striking: though the █ █
█ █ production has been updated to keep in touch with the style █ █
█ █ of the day, the song in itself doesnÆt really differ from █ █
█ █ typical 90Æs Skyclad. And perhaps whatÆs the most █ █
█ █ significant, KEVIN RIDLEY SINGS IN HARSH VOCALS. Of course █ █
█ █ harsh shouldnÆt be understood as growls or anything of the █ █
█ █ genre, and even in his later days Martin Walkyier most of █ █
█ █ time still sounded more aggressive. But now think about the █ █
█ █ following: even on the heaviest tracks of A Semblance of █ █
█ █ Normality (letÆs say, Ten Little Kingdoms) RidleyÆs voice █ █
█ █ stayed perfectly clean. This is all but anecdotal. █ █
█ █ Still I donÆt think thereÆs any conscious will from the █ █
█ █ British band to return to its roots or anything. First, a █ █
█ █ complete return to the roots would imply Skyclad playing █ █
█ █ thrash again, and this will most probably never happen. █ █
█ █ Second there wasnÆt any valuable reason for such a return █ █
█ █ to begin with as A Semblance of Normality (note the highly █ █
█ █ ironic title), while different from the rest, was █ █
█ █ nonetheless one of the æCladÆs best albums. But with its █ █
█ █ overall slower tempo, its additional orchestra and the █ █
█ █ lesser importance given to folk elements, it now appears to █ █
█ █ have been nothing but a dead end. Who knows, perhaps had it █ █
█ █ been intended as such from the beginning? Now with the █ █
█ █ disappearance of the orchestra and the violin coming back █ █
█ █ to the front of the scene as a direct consequence, with the █ █
█ █ return of the harsh vocals and the folk elements, the story █ █
█ █ begins again where it had stopped û before A Semblance of █ █
█ █ Normality. Alright, theyÆre now singing about cell phones █ █
█ █ and laptops. So what? In 1996 they were singing about █ █
█ █ French nuclear tests. WeÆre no longer in 1996, weÆre in █ █
█ █ 2009, France is no longer testing its nuclear arsenal, and █ █
█ █ new technologies have invaded our lives. LetÆs sing about █ █
█ █ new technologies. The title says it all, times might have █ █
█ █ changed but weÆre still in the same **** all together. █ █
█ █ And Skyclad, as well, is still the same. At its best █ █
█ █ moments this release can compete with almost anything from █ █
█ █ the old material. Still Small Beer is an upbeat number █ █
█ █ showing the typical folk punk vibe the band regularly █ █
█ █ adopts, as well as another highlight. The Well-Travelled █ █
█ █ Man has to be reminded as one of the few slow æClad tracks █ █
█ █ which does NOT suck (the mandatory this is still no Isle of █ █
█ █ Jura tag has to be inserted here), gently beginning as an █ █
█ █ acoustic ballad to progressively build up into a more █ █
█ █ ambitious, majestic number. And yes, Ridley is using his █ █
█ █ rough voice again. Insisting on this may sound childish to █ █
█ █ the outsider; but for someone whoÆd heard the █ █
█ █ Ridley-fronted Skyclad so far, thatÆs just INCREDIBLE. By █ █
█ █ contrast the following Black Summer Rain has to be the █ █
█ █ heaviest track here though probably not the most █ █
█ █ interesting, a bit too modern-sounding for my taste, but a █ █
█ █ solid song nonetheless. Eventually for something completely █ █
█ █ different thereÆs the highly swinging Babakoto, a dark, █ █
█ █ haunting track which doesnÆt find much equivalent in the █ █
█ █ whole Skyclad discography (now tell me, who the fuck is █ █
█ █ that guy, assuming itÆs a guy?). █ █
█ █ But wait, itÆs Skyclad. A Semblance of Normality was a very █ █
█ █ consistent album but, as stated before, it was an █ █
█ █ exception. It wasnÆt really Skyclad. Skyclad is THE █ █
█ █ inconsistent band by essence, the band who dared recording █ █
█ █ A Well Beside the River alongside The Silver CloudÆs Dark █ █
█ █ Lining, or The One Piece Puzzle alongside Cardboard City û █ █
█ █ and now Modern Minds alongside Words Upon the Street. █ █
█ █ Indeed, with the exception of the somehow twisted, broken █ █
█ █ title track, the second half of the album is offering █ █
█ █ little worth a sustained attention. Not to say there isnÆt █ █
█ █ anything salvageable. Again itÆs Skyclad so it canÆt get █ █
█ █ complete **** (the Outrageous Fourtunes EP doesnÆt count); █ █
█ █ still this album reminds me of Irrational Anthems, slowly █ █
█ █ running out of steam after a pretty strong debut. If Hit █ █
█ █ List shows a nice acoustic break, the rest of the song █ █
█ █ isnÆt really noticeable. Superculture may hint to █ █
█ █ Mid-Eastern music but it doesnÆt prevent it from sounding, █ █
█ █ well, dumb (Superculture weÆre living under! Superculture █ █
█ █ weÆre going under! Superculture weÆre living under! █ █
█ █ Superculture weÆre going under! Wait...). Which is Why is a █ █
█ █ slow track with strong Irish influences, but - itÆs a slow █ █
█ █ track by Skyclad, hereÆs the problem. Eventually, Modern █ █
█ █ Minds is nothing but the bandÆs latest addition to its alas █ █
█ █ a tad too lengthy fillers list. Nothing surprising, in █ █
█ █ fact. █ █
█ █ Yes, itÆs a frustrating release, thereÆs no need to █ █
█ █ prevaricate. Would have it been recorded at the height of █ █
█ █ SkycladÆs productivity boost there wouldnÆt have been █ █
█ █ anything to complain against as first it still carries its █ █
█ █ load of excellent songs, then another album would have been █ █
█ █ following the year after anyway. Here weÆve waited for five █ █
█ █ years for those mere forty minutes of alas unequal music, █ █
█ █ and maybe weÆll have to wait for another five years for the █ █
█ █ sequel now. But what? This album just provided me with what █ █
█ █ I wanted. Meaning, some genuine music from MY Skyclad. IÆm █ █
█ █ a happy man. █ █
█ █ █ █
█ █ Highlights: Words Upon the Street, Still Small Beer, █ █
█ █ Babakoto █ █
█ █ █ █
█░█ █░█
█ █ 1. Words Upon the Street 4:39 █ █
█ █ 2. Still Small Beer 3:13 █ █
█ █ 3. The Well-Travelled Man 4:40 █ █
█ █ 4. Black Summer Rain 3:52 █ █
█ █ 5. Babakoto 3:46 █ █
█ █ 6. Hit List 4:43 █ █
█ █ 7. Superculture 3:23 █ █
█ █ 8. Which is Why 4:01 █ █
█ █ 9. Modern Minds 3:32 █ █
█ █ 10. In The... All Together 3:45 █ █
█ █ 11. The Antibody Politic (Live) (Bonus Track) 3:19 █ █
█ █ 42:53 █ █
█░█░ █░█░
█░█░ █░█░
█░█▒ + G R a v e W i s h + █░█▒
░█▒█▒ - est.2000 - ░█▒█▒
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