Customer Reviews

Fiends

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

 

 

These guys put out their best album yet (possibly last, as they have recently broken up). It's very dynamic with songs covering all the different regions of heavy music and at the same time has memorable and catchy songs. They improved their sound, which is huge, and dropped the cliche screamo vocals of their earlier work, replacing it with a less-forced and more honest tone. Also notable is their ability to include horns in rock music that ISN'T SKA, which is a rarity and near impossibility to pull off. These southern gentlemen manage to do just that.

Key tracks: "Fiends," "Queens," "Chemicals," and "Carnies."

I've been listening to Chasing Victory since their EP was released a couple of years back. It's amazing to see the progress that the band has made over the years. This new album is a mixture of old and new. The band has taken a more melodic approach toward their music by combining their signature guitar riffs with Adam Harrell's Jeff Buckley esque vocals. This is no longer a screamo outfit, but more a defined alternative band. Highlights of the cd include, "Zombies", "Wolves" and the unforgettable "Fiends" which is a track that takes a shot at phony music fans and kids that tend not to listen to music, but listen and act upon the trends. CV has made a huge stride from their debut album and this is a strong sophomore effort. This is a very good conceptual album that should be given a chance by all. Even all you old CV fans. You just might find something that you like.

I wasn't that interested in CV's first album, I Call This Abandonment, but when I heard Fiends (Selling Out Ain't Easy) I had to look into the band's new album and found that I quite liked several songs on it. I'm not much of a fan of screaming in music, but this time CV has put a damper on it in favor of just plain old good music. Queens, Fiends, Wolves, Janus, Kings, and Barbarians I like. The others on the CD I often skip, but that's only a few songs. The majority of the CD is good in my opinion.

It's good that Chasing Victory found a sound that suits them. I really like when you can hear the occasional trumpet in with the rest of the instruments. Sadly, this is probably the last album by CV, since they announced on September 24, 2007 that they had broken up. It's really a shame, because I was looking forward to another album and for their music to advance even further. But hey, it happens.

All in all, a four-star album for me. If you don't mind the occasional screaming then it might be a five-star for you.

This album veers off the course set by their first album and enters into a more experimental zone of rock rather than just plain emo. And its a perfect fit for them. The singer can sing high and weird and the guitars and tones used in this album swirl about with a beautiful ambient effect remenicent of Mars Volta. I also like this album because the lyrics are more practical than in the last. Each album title deals with a sin that must be faced. Great effort.

A truly remarkable album that sounds like 'My Chemical Romance' and 'Fall Out Boy'. Even rock fans that don't like screaming shound'nt turn this one down.I personally hope this band makes it big. 'Fiends','Janus',and Queens are some of the best tracks on this album. 'Chemicals' has a catchy chorus:"C-c-c-chemicals and cannibals!/This kiss b-b-becomes medical,yeah!" I know it does'nt look catchy in review form,but it is very catchy in music form. I have'nt heard this CD in a few hours,and I can still hear it in my head! A 'must' for fans of rock and catchy tunes.

"Fiends" by Chasing Victory is much different than the band's wonderful debut album "I Call This Abandonment", but it is good nonetheless. As mentioned by other reviewers, CV have decided to head in a brand new direction, musically speaking. On this album, you will hear similarities to bands such as The Classic Crime (in The Skeleton Key to a Skeleton), Matchbook Romance (in G.O.B. vs. Tony Wonder), or even The Bled (in the lead-in to Rapture Raptors). Though CV have cut out much of the screaming, it is still present in spurts. The first four songs on this album are solid, then the quality declines a bit. Overall, however, this was a very good effort.

This CV album differs from their first one in the way it sounds like a readymade EA sports NASCAR soundtrack from the heart of Dixie. Take that for what it's worth. It's not bad, but it sure isn't great either. These guys reached too high too soon. I doubt it's their own fault. Perhaps it was an overzealous manager or a lousy label (Mono. VS. Stereo) - a big check in that category. Record labels ruin bands and in this case, Mono vs. Stereo squandered the dreams of a talented group of guys. If these guys were given the time to really dive into good music and find their own aural desires we wouldn't be left with this abrupt end to a band that sounds like something you'd hear from a shiny SUV in the church parking lot. For more on this band I will cite the following review of their first album because it all applies to this album as well:

Really? Really? Most of the "reviews" on here don't actually review the album in question and if they do, their claims aren't backed up by any serious musicological thought.
So seriously, on with the band in question. Here we have some young boys with good hearts trying to "make it" with their own interpretation of the music they like. It sounds like they found some music that was "different" than the country and alternative rock crap on the radio back in South Georgia and they latched onto it like the life buoy it was. Lots of teenagers do this. Perhaps they were turned onto this "cool" music buy some cool older guys they knew or something who were into different stuff. There is also a clear spiritual element to this album, again much like many small town teenage bands; they found a creative outlet and were able to evade small town scrutiny by saying they were a "Christian Band."
Theses guys took that first critical step in actually doing something creative and different from what others were probably doing in their community. Problem is, there are others who did it just as well and many many others who overdid this genre before these boys came galloping out of nowhere with high hopes and a yearning for accomplishment.
This is teeny-bopper music for the musically unlearned. Had these boys branched out and truly explored "punk" and "indie-rock" history (which they claimed to be) they would have found some fantastic musical voyages waiting for them. Who knows where they would be musically now if they would have taken the time to branch out and play different styles before putting all of their eggs into one lousy basket (labeled "mono vs. stereo")?
The production values on this album are excellent. By excellent I mean "pristine" and "clean." The thing is, anyone can record a good sounding album in their home now and it's been going on for the last decade. There is no real feeling captured on this album. This album isn't a document for anything other than maybe what the lead singer was probably feeling late at night with his pen and notebook strewn across his bed in his tidy suburban house. Sure there is plenty of raw emotion on here, but every teenager is full of that. Nothing special there. The thing is, this band is all style and no substance. I'm sure they believe what they are saying but what exactly is their message? Is this a message worth hearing? Haven't we heard this all before?