Customer Reviews

Feersum Ennjin

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

 

 

After Tool's 1993 opus Undertow--propelled far forward with the help of Paul d'Amour's crunchy, post-Chris Squire bass playing--the bassist left the band amicably in 1995 and receded into less famous (but equally good) projects, totally disappearing from popular music soon after. His evanescence seems somewhat inexplicable in spite of his indie-like, self-deprecating attitude... His contribution to Tool's sound was big enough that he could easily "ridden the wave" on that piece of resume alone, for many years.

Finally we hear from him again with this EP. The project draws its name from one of Iain M. Banks's literary monstrosities, titled Feersum Enndjin (with a "d" here), and the songs take inspiration from the book. Tracks like "Lines" and "Dragon" are the sort of fare you might expect from d'Amour, both definitely hinting at elements from each of the projects he has previously been involved in, yet the electro-rock feel he generates is perhaps a few years fresher. Other songs such as "Solid Gold" and "U-Boats" see more of a new side of d'Amour's songwriting come out, something that is a little more influenced by bands like Lusk and Failure than Tool. "Thin Air" plays the album out, a sonic disappearing act. Unfortunately it seems to foreshadow d'Amour's trend to go back into hiding; not long after this EP's release, that's exactly what he did.

A little nugget of goodness for years of waiting is hard to sustain much of a fan base, but nonetheless this is a great work that any fan of Paul d'Amour's work really needs to check out. It's not as heavy on crunchy bass as you might hope, but it definitely rocks, both powerfully and intelligently. Check this out, and cross your fingers that d'Amour will resurface again, and soon...

Don't let the "eletronic" elements scare you away. This is not dance or new age. This is a blend of Rock and Electronic, with Rock being the main ingredient.

Ex-Tool member Paul D'Amour is the main one behind this, so fans of Tool should check into this. I enjoyed this as it was not screaming and overly harsh playing... but then again, Tool was not that way but they are considered Metal.

This is a 5 song ep and the songs are:
Lines
Solid Gold
U-Boats
Dragon
Thin Air

This is easily one of the best albums of the new millennium up there with Dredg's El Cielo and Mars Volta's Deloused in the Comatorium. It's too bad that Paul is a musical recluse because music this good should have a full length attached to it instead of this 5 track (4 songs + noise track) EP. His previous album, Lusk's Free Mars, is a good starting point for this development of sound but this album is cleaner, meaner, and much more psychedelic and aggressive like his previous band Tool. The big difference is that the music is not leaning towards prog riffs instead focusing on texture, groove, and overall electronic production that makes it sound more futuristic than a Tool production. The influence from Failure's Greg Edwards and Ken Andrews is very apparent. I think Paul has found a resonance in songwriting/production that matches Steven Wilson's work with Porcupine Tree. HEY PAUL IF YOU ARE READING THIS PLEASE RELEASE MORE MUSIC!!!!!!!!!!

This cd is one of the best cds i have purchased in a long time. Paul D'amour the ex bassist of the band Tool has really show cased his talents as a singer along with his usual bass playing prowess. It is a brillantly mixed recipe of pyschedelics, metal, and rock and has a sci-fi flair to it as well. It only features 5 songs so it leaves you wanting more. I was sad to hear he no longer is working on this project he truly is a waste of talent. Tool fans and people who really crave something different in music will love this cd. So happy to hear he continued on with this project...the next cd was even better.

Paul continues to break ground with this melodic masterpiece. Impressive vocal blends layered with his tell tale crunchy bass and wirey guitar riffs not to mention the Floyd like electro vibes that send you off to space somewhere between heaven and hell. He does everything on this EP save the drums. I'm getting goose bumps as I listen to it while writing this review. EEEEEEEEYEAH!