Customer Reviews

Cruel Melody

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We all know Wes Borland, Black Light Burns' guitarist/vocalist, best for his shape shifting days as Limp Bizkit's lead guitarist. But he left that gig in late 2001.

After a couple of failed attempts at reviving his career with Big Dumb Face and Eat The Day (and also reportedly turning down spots in Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle), then rejoining and leaving Limp Bizkit again, here he is with what initially appears to be a successful return in 2007 with Black Light Burns.

Since 2001 Borland has clearly been influenced by Nine Inch Nails and his pal Trent Reznor, because the sounds of Nine Inch Nails clearly come through in Black Light Burns. Adding to this is familiarity would be current NIN drummer Josh Freese and NIN bassist Danny Lohner both backing up Borland on Black Light Burns debut Cruel Melody. Rounding out the studio recording is--according to Cruel Melody's liner notes--some dude named Josh Eustis who did some keyboard work and programmed a lot of the 5th member of the band into the CD.

"Programmed a lot of the 5th member?" you ask? Well according to the liner notes the 5th member is Borland's own Macbook Pro. And the Macbbok Pro, again according to Black Light Burns, will be the only member of the CD recording that you'll see (hear) on the road; the rest of the touring band has been replaced by mostly unknowns.

As I said earlier, NIN's influence on Black Light Burns' Cruel Melody rings through loud and clear. I wouldn't be surprised if tracks 2, 8, 9 & 10 were written with Reznor back when Borland was contemplating joining NIN.

Track 3 is the radio-played Lie, and it's a rocker. In my opinion it's the best track on the CD, and the track that drew me in and got me to make the purchase (the video is pretty cool too). Mark is the name of the 6th track...another unique rocker and my bet for the next radio-rotation release.

The rest of the disk has that "sounds like" quality of...you know...sounds like NIN; or sounds like Marilyn Manson; or sounds like Mushroomhead. However, one thing's for sure, you never hear yourself saying, "sounds like Limp Bizkit."

What Borland does bring from Limp Bizkit is his guitar playing talent that separates him from the clutter of generic sounding Nu Metal bands that for whatever reason won't throw a guitar solo on a CD. I wouldn't go so far as to say that guitar solos are back, alive and well on Cruel Melody, but the guitarwork is very cool and helps separate Black Light Burns from being classified as a clone of some of the bands that I compared them to earlier.

So with Black Light Burns your expectations should be set for a sort of supergroup with a familiar sound. They are a supergroup less because all of the studio players are relatively well established names in modern rock, and more because those names brought the best of their talent to Cruel Melody. But you can also expect to hear a CD of songs that mostly just don't sound entirely new.

Fans of Goth Rock should certainly give it a spin.

Since his infamous exit from Limp Bizkit in late 2001, guitarist Wes Borland has spent his career in what seems like purgatory. Trying to get various projects off the ground, remixing other bands, contributing to soundtracks, turning down high profiles stints for established acts like A Perfect Circle and Nine Inch Nails, only to return to the band he once swore off, just so he could yet again find himself without a job when everything with Limp Bizkit fell to pieces. Thankfully for Borland, he had insurance. While recording Limp Bizkit's last studio offering, "The Unquestionable Truth Part 1," Wes had this little baby brewing, and when Limp failed to take off, Black Light Burns came to fruition, thanks to the studio assistance of Danny Lohner, Josh Freese and Josh Eustis. As if Wes didn't have a long enough journey already logged behind him, the album spent a year in limbo, before finally being released from Limp's label, Geffen, to find a home with Ross Robinson and his new I:AM/Wolfpack imprint. All the years and all the hype. Will Wes' troubles be worth it? What will his music sound like?

Well, thankfully, "Cruel Melody" introduces a refreshingly interesting sound that compliments Borland's preferred style best. Yes, it's a bit heavy on the Nine Inch Nails influence, but there's more than just a Reznor carbon-copy in Borland's work. "Mesopotamia" is the album's quirky, Queens Of The Stone Age-esque opener and sets the somewhat unpredictable, schizophrenic mood of the album. Elsewhere, Wes brings his knack for hooky riffs to meatier cuts such as "Animal," "Coward" and the first single, "Lie." Vocally, Wes is surprisingly up to par. True, there are moments where he comes across a bit unnatural -- which we'll get to later -- but for the most part, he has a unique delivery that serves the music perfectly. Wes may want to forget his past with Limp Bizkit, but unfortunately he can't help but revisit it more than a few times. He doesn't resist the urge to throw a few lyrical barbs at his ex-bandmates on "Lie" and "Stop A Bullet," and ironically, a track by the name of "I Have A Need," which features Limp bassist Sam Rivers, was a song that was scrapped from Limp Bizkit recording sessions. Fear not, though. Wes avoids the meatheaded delivery of Durst, for the most part, and even when he's not singing, creates some of the most unique and emotionally moving music of his career. "I Am Where It Takes Me" is a haunting and beautiful little epic that is unfortunately marred by Borland's vocals. It's not that he has a bad voice, but in all honesty, it doesn't fit in with certain portions of the album. "I Am Where It Takes Me" is probably the most unfortunate case here, as it's an incredibly hypnotizing and moving piece of music -- until the vocals kick in.

Having said that, though, "Cruel Melody" is still a strong effort that will most certainly please the average Wes Borland fan, and maybe even make him a hero to a few straggling "limpsters." It took him six years, but Wes has finally made his mark, proving that he is more than just the guy in goofy outfits, delivering chunky riffs to Fred Durst's frat-boy rants. While it should be noted that the live band is completely different from the studio band, it will definitely be interesting to see what Black Light Burns has to offer on the second album.

Simply put this is an amazing album and with such excellent muscians such as Josh Freese and Danny Lohner helping in the recording process how could it not be. After listening to this album I think that Wes has found his true calling. Every song on this album is excellent in its own way but one song that deserves special recognition is the title track "Cruel Melody." To me this is a beautifully crafted track, very melodic and hauting and Wes' vocal style and delievery make it perfect, this song will stay with you all day. I also repect that Wes openly acknowledges that he uses a computer to do alot of the stuff on this album even going as far as to call his macbook pro the fith member of his band in the linear notes and taking it on the road with him and having it in full view during live preformances. For any fan of Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson and other gothic, electronica rock give this album a try.

Finally out from under the thumb of Fred Durst, Wes Borland is at last getting a chance to spread his creative wings. This new project, Black Light Burns, brings an experimental industrial metal sound to the table that leaves the bad taste of Limp Bizkit far behind.

If there's one thing that really stands out here, it's Borland's guitar playing. Here, he's more eclectic than ever before, from jagged heavy riffage, to spacious melodies, to bizarre jazzy solos and Tom Morello-like effects. Definitely a far cry from the detuned "fart chords" he was reduced to playing with Fred Durst. And of course we also have the mighty Josh Freese contributing some stellar drum work, playing with the kind of perfection that should only come from a machine. There's also the occasional keyboard to add some nice atmospheres, from the almost horn-like synths of "Stop a Bullet" to the gentle pianos adorning the ambient instrumental "Iodine Sky".

The music is largely heavy industrial, tempered with plenty of gothy melodies, and Borland's distintive style to add just the right amount of eclecticism. Of course, the album does venture out a bit, with the title track, a bizarre offbeat ballad featuring acoustic passages and cool female backing vocals. "Mesopotamia" stands out the most, sounding like some sort of weird Queens of the Stone Age parody. This song is actually kind of borderline annoying, and doesn't really fit that well with the rest of the album, but it's a good energetic opener, and if nothing else adds more diversity. My favorite song would have to be "I Am Where It Takes Me", a hypnotically beautiful and minimalist epic, featuring more female backing vocals, this time from the amazing Johnette Napolitano from Concrete Blonde.

If there's anything wrong with this album, it's that it's extremely derivative of Nine Inch Nails. Borland's vocals and lyrics throughout most of the album sound as though he's trying as hard as possible to emulate Trent Reznor. Songs like "Animal", "New Hunger", and "One of Us", which boast great memorable melodies, come off a bit less original sounding than they could, which hurts them just a little. Then there's "Stop a Bullet", whose lyrics and vocals are pretty blatantly Trent-like. Only Borland's distinctive guitar style saves this album from coming off like a full-on ripoff.

I don't mean to sound too harsh, as this is an extremely well-made album. I just think Wes needs to continue working on crafting a more fresh and original sound, which he will hopefully do on subsequent albums. He's good at sounding like Trent, but he really needs to find more of his own sound. Either way, this is way better than Limp Bizkit, and I'm glad he's finally making some good music. I look forward to hearing more.

I brought this because I fell in love with "Lie." After listening to it I also realized that the music playing in Underworld (the movie) during the "Lycan cops dragging Michael in to the car" scene was the instrumental to "Coward," I got even more excited (been looking for that song ever since the movie came out!). The music is everything I would ever want however; the lyrics aren't up to it. I had to stop listening after a while because I thought the lyrics to a few songs were a little too corny ("Stop a Bullet"). I may not know how to write but I know what it should sound like.

Over all I am a fan and if you are, the music is worth it (which is why I gave it a 4 instead of a 3)

Having little success with Big Dumb Face and Eat The Day, in addition to Limp Bizkit ending up in shambles, Wes Borland has brought forth a rousing gothic endeavor. Bafflingly, he passed on opportunities joining respectable bands Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle, but Black Light Burns sounds like it could be influenced from either band. Perhaps Borland wanted something he could have more control of? This could be the case, since he handles vocals, guitar, bass, programming, percussion, synths, piano, rhodes, violin, cello, and even drums (on just one song, "I Am Where It Takes Me"). Black Light Burns is also Danny Lohner (producer, additional guitar, additional bass, programming, sound design), Josh Freese (drums, percussion), and Josh Eustice (synths, sound design). Both Lohner and Freese have Nine Inch Nails ties, so it's no surprise Cruel Melody has a few similarities to the `Nails sound.

The vocals fit the style of music well - they're gritty, gloomy, and dark - although sometimes monotonous. At times Borland is Marilyn Manson-esque (but not sounding as deep or corpse-like), and at other times he is Trent Reznor-esque. As expected, he brings catchy riffs, along with a handful of solos which are carefully placed and not overdone. Drums and percussion both aggressively attack and calmly lull, and the programming adds electronic flavor. Give Wes Borland's Black Light Burns a chance, because you may be surprised with what a face-painted rocker can bring to the table.

I listened to this album long after it was released because I hadn't heard anything about it. I really liked Wes Borland guitar playing and thought that Limp Bizkit could have been a much better band free of Mr. Durst's influence; so I was really looking forward to hearing what Wes had come up with. I have to admit that I was pretty bummed out by what I heard. If Wes is playing guitar on the recording, none of his technique or ingenuity shows through in this very simple CD. I have to go with what a lot of people said here: it's pretty much a different spin on Nine Inch nails with a little Perfect Circle and maybe early Filter thrown in. I found the riffs uninspired and the vocals flat. The lyric verses have depth but often become repetitive and at times a little over dramatic.

Pros:
If you love anything Trent Reznor you'll probably like this CD.
Good production and clean recording.

Cons:
BORING! I like a little Industrial influence here and there but generally find it lethargic and too mechanical.
Wes Borland is a much better guitar player than a vocalist.
Has a slight hint of emo angst and that doesn't work for me.

Bottom line:
I won't trash this CD and say it sucks from top to bottom, I'm just clearly not the audience it was intended for. For the right listener it's probably pretty good. I'll even go as far as to check out this band's latest attempt to is if there is something there.

This album is really a great album. there are a few songs that are a little below the bar of most of the CD, but over all it is a good buy. Much better music than what he was kicking out with Limp Bizkit.

To anyone curious as to whether Wes Borland made the wise move in distancing himself from Limp Bizkit and forming his own band, I say yes indeed he did. This is a solid debut album that features a heavy NIN influence. And I will also admit that Borland's songwriting is pretty strong. This is not a rap-metal album, so anyone looking for one should go listen to Limp Bizkit instead.

This is way better without any Freddy Durst, He's a way better musician than Fred as well "if you can label Fred Durst as a musician", He's still one hell of a guitarist, he doing better than ever buy the album support the artist..