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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Given time, you will appreciate., November 15, 2002
I've read various things about this album -- that it was "deliberately made lousy" to spite David Geffen; that because it was recorded at a time when the band was shopping for a new label "their hearts weren't in it"; that the band has lost it's political edge and the hard-rock fury of earlier days. Perhaps no other album by Warrior Soul has encountered so much criticism. I will agree with the other reviewers up to a point -- I do consider the punk tracks on this album ("Shock Um Down", "I Want Some") largely unimpressive, lyrically and musically, and they can hardly be compared to the raw brilliance and ferocity of "Wasteland" (Drugs, God and the New Republic) or Space Age Playboys, which is in my opinion perhaps one of the best postmodern punk albums of all time. Even so, other tracks -- the slower numbers like "Song In Your Mind", "Concrete Frontier" and "Soft" -- still appeal to me. Haunting vocals, hypnotic guitars and an intoxicating, rumbling bass combine with Kory's soft spoke-word speech to cultivate a psychedelic ambience laced with melancholy. Kory's lyrics are chilling -- no pun intended -- and predominantly sorrowful. The visionary optimism and revolutionary spirit that fueled earlier classics like "We Cry Out" and "Hero" is hardly present on this album, replaced by a dominating mood of skepticism, loss and desperation. I can't think of another song by Warrior Soul that is as achingly beautiful and saddening as "Let Me Go." (In short, those looking to lift their spirits should be encouraged to look elsewhere). I think that if given time, even those fans of Warrior Soul who were initially disappointed will come to appreciate this album. Even under the circumstances -- major tensions between band members, a disintegrating relationship with the label -- Chill Pill has a hell of a lot more passion and sincerity than the majority of what's on the radio these days.
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