Grounded

Xcarnation | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 13, 2005)
• Original Release Date: 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Muse Wrapped
• ASIN: B000ALZHLQ
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #370,664 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Personal Antichrist

2. Everlasting

3. Without You

4. Desperately Sad

5. Reason to Believe

6. Lucky Day

7. Take a Deep Breath

8. Coma White

9. Willing to Wait

10. Pictures

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You're Out Of Your Mind!!, October 21, 2005

By 

Elton Lee (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grounded (Audio CD)

Your Kidding Aren't you when you give one star??? How could you say it's not good!!! You are missing a whole lot.. When I heard the first time...I was instantly hooked.. I didn't expect a Winger sound nor a hard rock sound.. I went in without any expectation but I know that Kip was singing.. And also how could you say he sang backup vocals and played bass only.. He sang lead on most of the songs. His voice can be heard on all the tracks...This album yes is a project by Cenk Eroglu. His melodic song writing with catchy choruses mixed with a little bit of electronics is so refreshing to listen to.. I have most of rock and metal bands' album that's so inpactful with their sound.. it is so calm and relax to listen to XCARNATION because the enegy that it generates differs from an all out rock or metal band. You could imaging yourself in a different space and time because of its spacey electronic effects...This is one hell of a cd man!!! I will pay for 10 more without any questions asked!! I've always love Kip's melodic song approach.. Whever he is I will be there...If anyone of you are looking for a melodic songs with not much heavy guitars or a full band output..this is the album for you!!! Otherwise look elsewhere but remember this is not a HEAVY METAL outfit here!! Breathe the new sound in and digest!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best CDs available with Kip Winger - Review from Music Morsels, November 1, 2005

By 

S. Serge (Marietta, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grounded (Audio CD)

Highly respected Turkish guitarist/vocalist Cenk Eroglu has created an intense debut, injecting his talents into various incarnations of futuristic modern rock with a few choice wafts of prog and World. Think of the electronic based throb of Marilyn Manson and NineInchNails, twisted with the snarling rock power of Velvet Revolver and a subtle inflection of Waters era Floyd. Enlisting some collaborative assistance from notable U.S. musicians including Kip Winger, Pat Mastelotto, Rod Morgenstein and Reb Beach, Cenk's prowess in songwriting, vocals, and multi-instrumentations bursts forth like a supernova, augmented by thought-provoking lyrics. The feverish rock pulse of "Personal Antichrist," powerful soul grasping ballad "Without You", and the Mid-Eastern tinged synth pop of "Lucky Day" are just a few examples of why this is an imaginative modern rock force to look out for. URL: (...)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cenk is an impressive one man show, October 26, 2005

By 

George Dionne (Cape Cod, MA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grounded (Audio CD)

The Good
I feel it is my duty to inform you that if you are expecting something that sounds like Winger circa "Seventeen", you won't. You will however be getting more of sound that mixes Kip Winger's solo releases with Stabbing Westward (on NIN, but everyone has used that comparison). Don't misinterpret what I said to mean you will be disappointed, because you won't be. Unlike NIN, you don't have to solve a mathematical equation to figure out what the songs are about.

On "Personal Anti-Christ", Cenk uses effective songwriting techniques to covey his message that you may just be your own worst enemy. It's all Cenk on the industrial sounding melodies that accompany him too. A pulsing electronic drum sets the pace for "Everlasting" and is soon met with some fuzzy guitar riffs. Cenk's vocal delivery on the chorus is full-of emotional pain (as is the subject matter). Give Cenk some touching lyrics and a piano and you have yourself the killer ballad "Without You". It doesn't have too many words, but it doesn't need too.

"Reason to Believe" was penned by Kip Winger and he shares vocal duties with Cenk. Sonically, the music arraignment uses more of Cenk's Eastern influences. "Lucky Day" also draws upon the same influence in the way it employs Turkish string and percussion instruments. It still manages to keep an epic industrial feel to it. "Willing to Wait" has Kip Winger returning as the main songwriter and bass player. The track has darker tones and themes as compared to previous ones.

The Bad
Sadly, as good as this album is, it would have been better received ten years ago when industrial was the sound of the moment.

The Verdict
Okay, so industrial music is tough sell in these modern times, but it doesn't mean there's not some good industrial music out there. Xcarnation combines that sound with Eastern musical elements that blend perfectly with Cenk's melodic delivery. Although they are used as selling points, the members of Winger are not very prevalent, and it's Cenk that steals the show. Whether he's laying down the rhythms or the vocals, Cenk is an impressive one man show with a flair for the unique and uncommon.