Customer Reviews

Black Tape

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

this is amazing. matt changed up his singing a little bit on this album and is actually singing as opposed to yelling. the sound is a bit more polished and the songs have more structure, but its great. if you really love the explosion you're really going to love this, and if you've never heard the explosion get this.

Whenever i'm angry, stressed, or upset in any way I listen to this cd and feel instantly better. It's loud, it's angry but upbeat at the same time, it relieves stress. Cheaper, and probably more enjoyable than therapy. I highly recommend everyone get this cd, pop it into your cd player, and turn it up as loud as you can stand it.

I'm not sure why this band signed to a major but that probably has a lot to do with the direction of
their sound on this release. If you think of what typically happens when a band signs to a major,
they usually expand on their most radio friendly elements and "Black Tape" is no exception.
There's an emphasis on big sing along choruses and big melodic hooks accompanied by a big
polished sound that's perfect for the soundtrack of an MTV show (oh wait, they already did that.)

You can see this change most dramatically on the re-work of "No Revolution" which also
appeared on their last record. They slowed it down a bit, added a new guitar track ringing out the
chords along with the original guitars and ended it with a solo that's no where to be found on the
original. These type of changes are sure to piss some fans off but I think it really adds a level of
distinction and character to their sound that they only briefly hinted at on a few songs on their
previous album. This is pretty surprising as usually bands get more generic when they sign to a
major but I really think they came into a unique sound here.

Of course any punk band slowing down and trying to write better songs is usually asking for
trouble as Face To Face found out after their "Ignorance Is Bliss" album but The Explosion keep
enough of their harder edged past in place to satisfy most longtime fans. They also don't attempt
any ill-fated ballads or try to stretch into pure pop. Most of the cuts here are faster paced,
energetic pop punk songs that retain the spirit of their previous work but add a layer of stellar
lead guitar work atop a more dynamic, varied sound. This emphasis on more melodic leads and
a less frenetic, less generic punk sound makes all the difference in this band making the leap
from good to great. With "Black Tape" they went from being a pretty good punk band to an
exceptional punk influenced rock band.

Of course I'm sure this album didn't sell very well as it's too hard for the radio and maybe not
punk enough for the die-hards so it will be interesting to see what direction they take after this.
Will they retreat to their older, more punk sound like Face To Face or stick it out? Only time will tell.

Check out more reviews at ohboydestroy.

ok well dudes !!!!!!
this is one of those cds that you'll listen to once or twice and nothing will happen and the third time you'll pop it into your cd player and it will blow your whole house down !!!!

actual punk comin out of boston. it must be a miracle.

a more polished version of these guys, to be sure. a bigger label brings a bigger budget, which seems to have yielded some experimentation in the studio. and while that's not, in and of itself, a bad thing, it just didn't pan out here. the guitars have had their edges smoothed out, and the shouting has definitely given way to singing. that said, if you like these guys, you'll find parts in here that you still like, even if you can't handle the whole. for me, "i know", "mothers cry", and "grace" were these shining moments. the rest i can take or leave.
alot times, when a band i love puts out a mediocre record, those new songs sound great live and fit right in with the old standbys. and i say "oh, ok, these songs just didn't happen to translate well in the recording process, i guess". well, i saw the explosion last night, and these songs generally didn't have it live, either (thankfully, there were a handful of us over the age of 25 calling for the old songs, and we got a few!).
bottom line: i still love this band. they are hardworking road dogs that are (refreshingly) using their newfound major label status commendably, and i'm definitely not giving up on em, but i just wasn't very into this record. here's hoping they redeem themselves with the next one!

I will admit, some of the songs on this new album aren't as fast and ferocious as some of thier old FLASH FLASH FLASH songs, but alot of them are and even their slower songs are good. It includes NO REVOLUTION, one of my favorite songs of all time, and has some great songs like ATROCITY, I KNOW, HERE I AM, GO BLANK, and DELIVER US. If you like old school punk, then you'll enjoy this and anything else from THE EXPLOSION.

The Good
What better way to start off a punk album than with the strong political statement of "Deliver Us". Matt Hock establishes from the get-go that he is a pure punk vocalist. The track is infused with a pounding drum beat and a driving guitar riff. Hock delivers his vocals on "Filthy Insane" with all the angst he can muster. Walsh and Cave's riffs are just as punishing. The chant-like chorus is quite addictive. Somehow The Explosion manages to turn a song about police corruption into an enjoyable uppity track.

"I Know" starts off with a clean guitar lick with an amp dialed into a sweet seventies guitar tone. The song continues to gain more distortion as simple guitar licks are thrown in for good measure. "Atrocity" has a darker feel to it, as it explores a solider coping with the after effects of war. "Heavyweight" has a catchy riff pattern that's sure to burn into you brain, and "Grace" has Hock and company pulling off some dual vocal harmonies. This technique, along with the crunch of the guitars, makes them sound a little like the Rolling Stones, with a fire lit under their ass.

The Bad
Nothing

The Verdict
If you cut through all the black tape, you'll hear some great, politically charged, Boston-based punk rock.

Ignore the record company shills all around me! And people who all cap the song titles while reading the liner notes... ;)

All those things you loved about The Explosion: insane energy; rowdy, sloppy vocals, from a singer who sounded seriously pissed off; catchy, anthemic hardcore -- none of that can be found on Black Tape. I'd say this album sucks but I'm so disappointed right now, suck doesn't do justice to how lame this record is. The production is so polished it oozes, not exactly the sound you're looking for from a Boston street punk band. And to be completely unoriginal, they even regurgitate a four year old song ("No Revolution", given the same glossy, nu-metal treatment). Who is this, Face to Face? And what were they thinking? I smell a record company gone berserk (in this case Virgin). This album was clearly made for people who might be rushing out to buy the new Papa Roach album. It's that bad.

Great band, great live show, do yourself a favor and pretend this album never existed.

So, I was a huge fan of The Explosion's Flash Flash Flash.I like fingerpointin' sing-along style punk. I saw them once in their hometown, Boston. They were great.
I was on a long drive this weekend so I picked up some new CDs including Black Tape.
A bit before I listened to Black Tape...I noticed that the band was now on Virgin Records instead of their old label. My stomach started churning, but I kept it at bay, saying to myself "Don't be that girl that's eager to cry `sell-out'" Sweat started dripping as I heard vocal echoes on the song being used for the single. "They had more money to make this" I said "So they added a few bells and whistles, it'll be okay"
If I hadn't been driving by myself, and unable to switch CDs without pulling over, I wouldn't have made it through the CD. Everything I loved about The Explosion, the quick bursts of anger and energy that made up their anthems, is gone, stretched out to double the normal song length so as to make it meaningless. It seriously sounds like some guy in the control booth stretched their songs out electronically to make them slower. Most of the songs on Flash Flash Flash hovered around the two minute mark, the ones on Black Tape are almost all at three minutes and often over. They all have guitar solos thrown in. Guitar solos that would probably be half the length of one of their old songs.
Just compare the original "No Revolution" to the pale remake on this album. The original is an anthem, ready to make kids churn and pump their fists and point their fingers (It's an east coast thing, apparently). The new one is bare, and showcases singer Matt Hock trying something other than that chant that got audiences going. On this version, he sounds like someone told him to sound like that guy from Puddle of Mudd while the music beneath him is toned down far into the background, instead of being an integral part of the energy of the song. This album had the power produced right the hell out of it.
When "Let's light a match to these dynamite dreams" was sung in the original "No Revolution", it sounded like a real powderkeg was ready to go off. Now, it just sounds like that match would spark weakly a few times, and then leave the fuse lying there cold. C'mon Guys..."Make me believe."