Customer Reviews

Anthology of Dead Ends

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4 star:		(4)
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Botch are one band that will be sorely missed by avid noise freaks like myself. Words like "genius" get thrown around a lot, but these guys may well have deserved such a label. Even in a somewhat crowded noisecore/math-metal field (think Meshggah, the Dillinger Escape Plan, Burnt By the Sun, Converge, Coalesce, etc.), they more than managed to stake out their own ground during their all-too-brief career. Their inventiveness was immense, their songwriting ability limitless, and their musicianship nothing short of incredible. And they left us with a classic valedictory in the form of "An Anthology of Dead Ends."

What has always struck me first when listening to Botch is that utterly amazing guitar sound that Dave Knudson so effortlessly conjured up. Conventional riffage is almost nowhere to be found here; in its place is one of the most mind-warping displays of technical wankery in recent history. Knudson cranks out an unpredictable onslaught of astringent noise that lends itself perfectly to the band's freeform song structures without ever going over the top. Throw in some fearsome, screamed vocals and drumming that's all over the map and you've got everything noisecore is supposed to be on one little 20-minute disc.

Since the opener "Spaim" is only about 10 seconds long and the closing "Micaragua" is more or less a filler track tacked on at the end, the meat of this disc is found in the middle four songs. The first three, "Japam," "Framce," and "Vietmam," are all sonic roller coasters, suddenly shifting form just as you're starting to get a grasp of what's going on. "Japam" is probably the most fascinating, brilliantly exploiting dynamics as it slows down and speeds up for a true mental bludgeoning. "Framce" provides convincing proof of Knudson's spastic fretboard mastery, while "Vietmam" boasts a time signature that you'd have to send away to NASA to calculate.
What's more, after these three sonic brain-teasers the guys throw a major curveball in the form of "Afghamistam," a slow, eerie seven-minute mini-epic that actually demonstrates a keen grasp of melody and atmosphere. The vocals are all sung cleanly, and done very well if I do say so myself.

Perhaps the highest compliment I can pay to this CD is to say that I've listened to it about fifty times in the past three months, and I'm still picking up new details. If you're a fan of noisy, abrasive music, "An Anthology of Dead Ends" is a must. And while you're at it, pick up "We Are the Romans" as well.

I don't know how they do it...but Botch are simply incredible, being instantaneously catchy and technical with their amazing musical chops and songwriting abilities. I'm going to keep this review short just like this album...if you're into or just getting into the "scene" and haven't heard Botch do yourself a favor and pick up "We are the Romans" and "Anthology of Dead Ends", you won't regret it. Easily some of the best noisecore ever made.

Botch was one of the most amazing metal/hardcore bands of all time. Their guitar lines were mind-numbingly complex and the lyrics had a great black humor to them. There simply was no one else like Botch and very few bands (Coalesce, Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan, Cave In...) in their class. This EP is their final release ever as Botch played their last show over the summer in Seattle. Botch apparently decided to go out on top b/c this album is amazing. There are only 6 songs (only 4 of which have lyrics) but it's worth every penny. There are no lame breakdowns or chugging parts, there's no whiny singing, there's no tough guy posturing. This is hardcore/metal the way it should be done. The songs on this album feature Botch's characteristic time signature changes and complex guitar lines (their guitarist was called the best guitar player in North America by AP Press shortly before Botch broke up). If this were a full-length, it might even rival the awe-inspiring "We Are the Romans" LP. The last "real" song on the EP "Afghamistam" is a slow song with singing and even piano and strings at the end and it turns out to be one of the best things Botch has ever recorded. Botch went out like Michael Jordan, as the best ever in their field. Buy this album and you won't regret it.

I bought this completely on impulse and was not dissapointed. From the first note to slow, swelling, grinding finale, this lil' EP satisfies. It opens with what has to be one of the most disjointed riffs ever written (their guitarist is a genius) then immediately moves on to track two and procedes to stomp on your face with a track that has some of coolest transitions I have ever heard, it just goes from there, get the idea? If you like hardcore, you need this.

I think all bands wish they could go out with as much class as Botch did. These guys went out at the top of their game.

Sadly, I didn't hear about botch until after they had broken up, but after seeing guitarist dave knudson play live (with minus the bear) I knew that I had to listen to some of their stuff. This was the first cd of theirs I listened to and it just blew me away. This cd is amazing. Although yes, it is very short (and the song names are weird), it is still all encompassing and it is a great introduction into Botch's music. The first song, Spaim, is just a short 14 second intro and I don't really care too much for it. Next up is Japam, which is probably my favorite song on the album. This song is heavy yet melodic and the guitar just screams technical throughout the whole song. The same can be said for the next two songs, Framce and Vietmam, and although I would describe them similarly to Japam, all three songs are very different from each other. The one thing they share in common is that they are all very excellent songs. Afghamistam is the longest and slowest of all the songs, but even though its slow I still think that it is a great song. It just hits you in a certain way that the other heavier songs can't. The last song is Micaragua, and this song starts out by building up with a massive drum solo, and then just when you would expect it, it gets extremely heavy. Overall the cd is very good, and even though it is short I would recommend it to anyone as an ample introduction to the music of Botch. Give it a listen, I'm sure you won't be disappointed (if you can find it, amazon doesn't like to keep it in stock).

I'm sad to see Botch go; they were one of the few bands who have been recently tagged with the "math metal" label that seem not to have lost the art of writing memorable, catchy songs in the process of creating some of very rhythmically and harmonically interesting riffs and fills. While I'm a big fan of the Dillinger Escape Plan, Candiria, Meshuggah, and some Coalesce, Drowningman, and Light is the Language, Botch really soars to the top in the songwriting department. Who, having heard We Are the Romans, could forget the pounding climax of "Mondrian Was a Liar," the sly, tongue-in-cheek lyrical wit and tapped harmonic guitar interlude of "C. Thomas Howell as 'The Soul Man'," the stuttering introductory riff of "Saint Matthew Returns to the Womb," or the Monty Python-esque faux-Gregorian Chant of "Man the Ramparts"? While not necessarily as rhythmically complex as the Dillinger Escape Plan or Meshuggah, or as harmonically dense as Drowningman, Botch has created a perfect balance of musical complexity, lyrical sarcasm, and catchy songwriting; as pioneers of the "math metal" genre, they will be remembered for years to come.

Sadly, "An Anthology of Dead Ends" is quite short for a band whose career has spanned a decade; I forget the exact length, but it clocks in at under 20 minutes. "Spaim" and "Micaragua" are merely filler tracks that open and close the short aural affair.

The lyrics of "Japam" peer into the story of a family whose parents felt their crop of crystal methedrine more important than their kids; a short song, "Japam" only introduces a few riffs tightly woven with Tim Latona's trademark drum patterns before subsiding. "Framce" features some ultra-heavy bass distortion coupled with RATM-esque whammy pedal work courtesy of Dave Knudson. "Vietmam" is arguably the most "mathy" song on the disc. "Afgamistam" is quite a surprising track; featuring all clean guitars and actual singing -- Though the mood is somewhat destroyed towards the end of the song with a string section obviously played with a synth.

I guess my only real complaint is the short length of the album! Surely a band wishing to go out on a high note would at least give us more than 20 minutes worth of material to remind its fans of them. Otherwise, this is a well-written disc sure to hold its own as a reminder regardless of its disappointingly short length.

According to Alternative Press, Botch is somewhat responsible for the modern hardcore sound that has brought us the current bands in the limelight such as underOATH. The 'breakdown' was crafted to perfection by Botch and thanks to them, hardcore evolved just a little bit more and it's still with us. Their Pacific Northwest noise conquered the underground of the western United States and is still an under-appreciated band to this day.
An Anthology of Dead Ends is personally my favorite work by Botch. Each song has so much energy and the E.P. will leave you dumbfounded in amazement. Dave Knudson's guitar work is superlative to all of Botch's previous work. Although the first album I'd suggest a new fan to get is We Are The Romans, but you can't fully appreciate Botch's energy until you either see them (via-dvd or youtube, seeing that they broke up in 2002 soon after Anthology was released) or unless you hear this E.P.
Although I'm not sure what is up with the titles of placing a 'm' where a 'n' should be in country names (e.g.: "Japam", instead of Japan) it's still a fabulous cd. Sadly, there are no samples for this cd on amazon so you'll have to search the web or itunes if you want to listen for yourself before committing. There are, however, samples of other Botch albums on amazon so if you listen to those picture about 300% more energy and you have An Anthology of Dead Ends.

I'm not usually a fan of EPs. I've always thought, "They should have just waited another month to write/record a few more songs to make a full length album." Having said that, this album is perhaps the best EP I've ever purchased. Some of Botch's best songs are contained on this album. However, it doesn't get a full 5 star rating from me for the simple fact that it's already a short album, and the first track is a short noise lead-in. But it's definitely worth the investment for the rest of the tracks.

I still listen to Botch like it's brand new. They were THAT far ahead of their time in my opinion. Few bands were so technical while retaining a true punk/hardcore sound.

That being said, I feel that this EP is not a proper send-off. It doesn't come close to "We Are the Romans" or even songs from "American Nervoso". I'd say the only song that grabbed me was "Vietmam" which, ironically, I consider one of Botch's best songs.

I suggest the listener plays it straight through as it blends rather well from track to track. It's not a bad record, but it only leaves me hoping for what could've been.

I haven't gotten it yet, I haven't heard any of it on the radio (yeah right, Botch on the radio) but it shreds because it's BOTCH! I now have gotten ahold of it (not thru Amazon, sorry to say) & I was not at all wrong with my initial review. There is no other heavy band out there that comes close to the originality displayed here. Brutal. Beautiful. Game over. Long live BOTCH.