Customer Reviews

Definitive Act

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow! I was introduced to Tsunami Bomb about a year ago when my best friend bought 'The Ultimate Escape' and I've been hooked ever since. I bought 'The Definitive Act' the first day it came out and searched for about an hour for a store that had it. It was well worth the trouble! I've been listening to it ever since. M's voice has really progressed since 'The Invasion From Within' or even 'The Ultimate Escape'. This CD is a bit more darker than the other ones, I really like it though. Out of the tracks, I've been hooked mostly on: Dawn on a Funeral Day, Being Alright, My Machete, Tetanus Shot, and EXPECIALLY Epic! But I absolutely love the whole CD. I'd recomend this to anyone! This is one of those CDs that you dont have to get up to change a song to one that you like. All of them you love!

Hands up, who remembers the Ultimate Escape?
Who cares, this cd is totally different from the Ultimate Escape, only similar to songs like 20 Going On..., Russian Roulette, and Say It If You Mean It. Agent M's voice has become an indestructible weapon, her vocal capacity surpasses a vast majority of the other vocalists out there these days. There are some very sweet harmonies, riffs, and even melodies, which is smoething Tsunami Bomb is known for, but on this album they are just awesome. The whole album has a very AFI/Alkaline Trio touch to it, morbid, sad, and very angry. The lyrics impressed me first and foremost having not been very touched or interested in previous Tsunami Bomb lyrics. The addition of a different bassist to the band is so smooth, the transition of the previous bassist only makes this record sound much smoother, and the bass playing isn't choppy like it was before. The drumming is just classic Gabe-style drumming, a little less crashing, but hey, drummers grow up too.
Overall, the best Tsunami Bomb release to date. If you don't buy it, at least go see the band live.

I usually don;t listen to a lot of punk rock. But a friend turned me on to Tsunami Bomb and we saw 'em live at this little dive bar near me. I became a fan, and i think that the lead singer Agent M is totally sweet.

Anyhow, i was excited as hell when I found this album. But as I listened to it, I didn't get into it as much. Something about the earlier ones was really catchy, sing along stuff..this album doesn;t have as much of that. It's still good, and I do really like the song 'Being Alright' (which is real positive), but the rest just felt less polished or structured to me. I still recommend it for punk fans, tho.

I know there are people out there that hate punk, dismissing it as childish and immature or simply dont put the effort into hearing some of the better bands instead of just generalizing the whole genre from the bands the media markets like to force down peoples eardrums. But as someone who loves every variety of music out there, to the uninitiated Tsunami Bomb is an excellent punk rock band with one of the best female vocalists I've heard this side of R&B, Gwen Stefani has nothing on her. When she does her solo accapella's and then right after comes a nice whiff of guitar and beatwork it will get you two looks everytime you're stopped at an intersection, first WTF then the second time around "hey thats pretty good, who is that?"

I was in the record store today and was getting pretty frustrated that they didnt have anything I was looking for but when I picked up this album 'The Definitive Act' used I thought I would give it a go since I loved their first cd 'The Enemy Within..' that I picked up way back. On my way to work, not even having the volume at very high, I was simply blown away by the first two songs, very addicting punk melodies. I came to find out nothing on this cd is horrible, there might be some subpar songs but they are certainly listenable and far from annoying. In my opinion 'A Lonely Chord' is the pick of the litter, coming off with a modern style beat of old school big city jazz infused with melodic guitar riffs and of course Agent M's ever so highlighting voice orchestrating it altogether. They have more of a poppish feel to their music on this then previous albums, not radio friendly just something thats more appealing to the ear then a good majority of the punk bands out there.

Normally I dont recommend music to others since everyone has such a pathetic undertaste for dismissing certain bands/groups/singers for not being their type of music. But I would think their style transcends, at the very least, all of the harder elements of rock. If you like Metal, Hard Rock, Punk Rock, or anything with a nice attitude to it I would definately recommend Tsunami Bomb to you.

Anybody who bought this and expected another CD like The Ultimate Escape... well, you didn't get what you expected. The Definitive Act is a perfect example of how change is good. The song "20 Going On..." from The Ultimate Escape hints at what The Definitive Act sounds like. They got serious w/ this album and really pulled it all together. The Ultimate Escape was the band testing the water and The Definitive Act is the band diving in head first. Agent M has the voice that every other female vocalist tries to emulate but never can. The lyrics are so much more in-depth and thought-provoking. The sound is darker, but it only goes to prove that Tsunami Bomb is versatile and you can't stereotype them. Their other CD's leave a good impression on you, but this newest one leaves a brand you won't forget.

I couldn't wait for the release of this CD; I saw Tsunami Bomb in concert a few months ago and they were mind-blowing amazing! The club was ultra small and they were just mingling among 'us little people' Anyway, amazing show; they played 2 songs from this up until then unreleased CD; My Machete and Negative One to Ten. I knew; right then and there; I needed the CD asap. Finally the day arrived; I went out and bought it and again are mesmerized. It is such a beatiful, smooth work of art. The lyrics are so good; it's overwhelming. The melodies/the ins/the outs. M and Gabe and Matt and Mike have just put down in history an exquisite treat. Gotta share my faves: A Lonely Chord (heartaching-ly good) Tetanus Shot, Epic, Dawn on a Funeral Day...actually the whole CD, I like!!

Wicked album, not sure why I didn't review it before. I have had it for years.

The are just good.

While this new album is not as good as the other two, expect to hear more of M's awesome vocals, Mike's raw guitar, Gabe's fantastic drumming, and Jay's debut album with the band. The album does not seem to have as much drive and ambition as its predecessors, its still fun to rock out to.

I stumbled upon Tsunami bomb's first record "the ultimate escape" at a local music store last year, and after hearing 20 going on... (which left me floored), I bought the record. It was simply amazing. To make a better record than "the ultimate escape" seemed impossible to me, but a year later TB arrived with "Definitive act", which could almost be, dare I say, better? If you like music, you must hear Agent M's killer vocals combined with TB's signature dark melody. it's freakin' spine-chilling man! I can't imagine my life without tsunami bomb in it. I can't wait until they come to my town! Please, PLEASE find someway to get both of their records. they'll change your f**king life!!! Highly, HIGHLY advised for purchase.

I had liked Tsunami Bomb for a while before this album, but when I got it I was absolutely floored with how far they have come. The Ultimate Escape was a fun CD, but suffered from a little too much filler and production that was a little too clean for my taste. The Definitive Act is light years ahead of TUE.

The first thing you'll notice is the album has a much darker feel to it. With the exception of "Negative One To Ten" (which is actually one of two songs I'm not super hyped on), and "Jigsaw" (the love song that closes the album), the mood is angry at times ("Four Robots and an Evil Scientist") and morose at others ("Dawn On A Funeral Day", "My Machete"). "I Bought You" stands out, with a much heavier riff than the average TB song leading into a mournful sounding scale on the verse, where M sings about watching an unrequited love from across the room. Even "The Safety Song", which sounds catchy and upbeat, is actually about self-destruction. Agent M's songwriting is very straightforward and blunt, and I can see at times why the producer wanted her to be in his words "more poetic", but that is how she writes and has always written. The album flows by very quickly, 12 tracks in around 35 minutes. According to M in an interview, the album was rushed (6 weeks to write and record), and she sounds regretful of this, but I'll say this much: if this is what they were able to do in a month a half, imagine what they could do next time with 3 or 4 months!

The final thing I'll mention about the album is the production. Like I said before, TUE in my opinion suffered from the production being way too clean, almost like Kung Fu wanted to market them as a pop band. Well, this time is different. The guitars ROAR, the distortion is abrasive as hell. The drums and bass sound much better too. Apparently Kung Fu was unhappy with the album initally and wanted it mixed again, but it seems like all the new mixers really did was add some reverb to the vocals (which does sound good). I think KF just wanted The Ultimate Escape Part 2 and were pissed when they didnt get it. Well, GOOD. Because this album is by far light years ahead of the previous, and if Kung Fu can't realize that then Tsunami Bomb needs to find a label that will appreciate them for what they are: one of the most promising melodic punk bands of today.