Customer Reviews

HURT Vol.1

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Coming completely out of left field, what do we have here? A bold, diverse and original debut album. You may not know of Hurt yet, but you soon might. What "Vol. 1" brings to the table are detailed, textured songs that are often beautiful and bleak at the same time. Influences are abundant. Some will hear a prominant Tool influence at first, but it goes deeper than that. Make no mistake, Hurt are not your run-of-the-mill cookie-cutter act.

If you already know them from their unconventional first single, "Rapture," then you kind of know what to expect. To put it simply, Hurt don't fit in any category. Sure, they could share the stage with hundreds and thousands of different bands, but to nail their style down to a genre is useless. Songs like "Overdose" and the engaging opening track, "Shallow" make great use of orchestral pieces and truly help Hurt stand out among their peers. "Forever" is probably the hardest song on the album, but not aggressive, which is exactly what you can describe Hurt as. They have an edge. They are a bit heavy, but not really. They aren't aggressive. Not angsty. They are emotional without going emo. How many bands can pull off such a trick?

Hurt's debut is an incredible and professional piece. I think all rock fans could find something to appreciate here. It's not an instant hit for sure. It's a spacey, more mature rock album, and it definitely takes a few good listens to sink in. Surely, they aren't just "another one of those bands." It's hard to find music that is simply pure. A band that offers something new is tough to come by, so don't pass up some Hurt.

With only their first album, Hurt have proven to be a tremendously talented band, with tons of potential. And, like many talented bands, classifying them is very difficult. One might refer to them as grunge, alternative, numetal, maybe even progressive metal, but the truth is that they have a sound that is very much their own (I personally hate terms like "numetal" and "post grunge", especially when applied to bands that are actually good). Frontman J. Loren, who is a classically trained violinist well-versed in Vivaldi, brings a very stylish and unique approach to the band's sound, which I might clumsily describe as a blend of Tool, the Cure, and tastefully done (read: not cheesy) classical elements. Not to mention that Loren also has a very distinctive, emotionally powerful, and downright awesome voice.

The great thing about this album is its dynamics. This is the kind of thing that, with a lesser band, might become boring and monotonous, but these guys are tremendous songwriters who really know how to keep a song interesting. The whole album is full of subtle, intricate layers, brilliant rise and fall, and killer atmospheres. Chief among those are the mesmerizing ballad "Falls Apart", the hugely epic "Overdose" (which could almost pass as an outtake from "Disintegration"), and the more vicious "Rapture" and "Forever". The two acoustic tracks, "Cold Inside" and "Danse Russe", are fantastic as well, especially the latter, with its warm folky intonations and beautiful classical guitar outro. "Dirty" is consummate melodic rock with a powerful chorus, and "Shallow" and "House Carpenter" are excellent openers and closers, respectively.

The musicianship is uniformly great, as is the interplay between the musicians, and the way that they perfectly complement Loren's vocals. The music is complex and sophisticated, but never ostentatious. The lyrics are both intelligent and emotional, without ever being crude or over the top. Stylistically, they have a sound that is familiar, but never derivative. And, the violins are super cool too. And once again, Loren's vocals are awesome.

Simply put, this is a perfect debut. I can't wait to hear what this band will do next.

The first song I heard by Hurt was, of course, "Rapture." I was not hooked. I even heard "Falls Apart" and wasn't entirely satisfied. I liked the latter better than the first, but I noticed nothing too spectacular. Then my friend was listen to the CD (me thinking, "Oh, great, 'Rapture' yet again) when "Overdose" came on. For anyone who has ever taken prescription medication for a mental problem, you know the feelings of this song. I've taken pills for depression and anxiety, and without the lyrics "Overdose" expresses the feels perfectly. A very calm feeling at first, then frantic, insane bursts leaving you disoriented, wondering "Did that really happen?" I started downloading all the songs after that. "Falls Apart" became a favorite obviously, and "Rapture" grew on me. But the true gems of this album are the ones most neglect. "House Carpenter" was the one song I couldn't download, but it was oh so worth the wait to get the CD, which I ordered once I started downloading the songs. "Unkind" and "Danse Russe" are perfects contrasts, yet they flow seamlessly.
I keep hearing references to Tool when people talk about Hurt, but I never thought they sounded similar. I've actually yet to think of a band to really compare to "this" type of rock. Their name fits very well, though. The music feels of one injured and lashing out. At times the music brings to mind a man dying, and at others it feels more like the one doing the killing.
The real beauty of this album, however, lies in its lyrics. Like the best of writings, one cannot pick out one part of the whole to give an example. If I were to try, I would simply end up typing out the entire booklet.

Surprise 1: Out of the box, Vol. 1 is not quite what you'd expect from "Rapture", and I wasn't even sure what I thought about it on the first listen through. Surprise 2: I simply couldn't turn it off! If you like your music just a few keys off mainsteam, Hurt Vol. 1 will easily be one of your favorite picks of the year.

Last week I bought this CD after looking in many stores for 2 weeks. Well worth the wait. It has its well earned hard rock moments but always well supported with musical talent not just making loud noise with a beat. Even the meters are shaken up a bit on a couple of songs. All songs are original, all sound different, but all have a distinct flavor of the band leaving the listener wanting more. Completely awesome in concert too.

You'll see a lot of comparisons to Tool with this band, and to some extent it rings true, but Hurt has a different style than Tool. Most of their songs, while longer than the average 3:30 made for radio play, always seem cut well, and always wrap up before they get stale.

The progressive elements never seem to extend too far beyond strings and the abandoning of the traditional verse/chorus songs. Some might even label the band a more aggressive brand of alternative, as opposed to hard rock. In either case, the focus here is more on songwriting and lyrics, meaning that while Hurt's songs might not make the transition to radio as well as some other bands because of the progressive elements, they're still accessible to a large audience.

The music itself simmers with restrained emotion, coming to a boil that is epitomized in many songs, like Rapture, Overdose, and Shallow. It's poetic, but never condescending or snobbish in the attempt, and the relational and slightly religious themes running under many of the songs will help cement that idea of an Everyman's thinking rock group.

The reason I wrote this review in the first place, however, is that I bought the special edition digipak only to be totally disappointed with the packaging itself. The imitation leather of the outside of the case looks very nice and ties into the "volume" motif, but the CD itself, instead of being placed in a plastic CD holder, is slid inside a cardboard sleeve that is attached to the sides of the outer case, and can only be accessed by pulling it across the booklet and the inside of the case. This method of storing the CD means that the bottom of the CD will scrape against the cardboard and booklet every time you remove it from the case, and occasionally, when the CD refuses to come out on its own, you have to pry it out using your fingers, which can leave annoying smudges or even scratches on the CD.

Artistically the album looks beautiful, carrying off the feel of a gothic tome rather well, but I would have preferred to see a plastic holder actually within the case, as many other digipaks have done, both for my own peace of mind and for the safety of my purchase.

Not much I can say about this band that hasn't already been said. I'll give you my input of it though. Just like everyone else the first song I heard was "Rapture," what an amazing song. Starts off with a mellow Tool kind of sound to it then breaks down to what reminds me of a David Draiman sound vocally. I have fully listened to the disc numerous times and it is an emotional trip. Like I said it does have a Toolistic sound but, then it doesn't. It's almost on a totally different level, as far as being original. Which today we have many Tool sounding knockoffs which confuses me whenever I have on the radio cause they all sound the same and can't decipher between them. I'm more of a Hardcore music fan. Hatebreed, Throwdown, Terror, and bands of that nature get the most play in my player but, it is very good to keep a diverse collection cause not everyday I can listen to the same stuff and not be burned out from it. That's when music like this comes in, something we all can relate to as far as emotional vocals and moody melodies.

I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this disc to anyone that wants something more original. Yes it rocks and yes it is also mellow at the same time. Definately one of the better buys I have made this year. Can't wait for a Vol. 2!

Alright I love this damn album. How ever you have to go into this one wanting a alternative album not some much a metal album. There definately are some metal over tones but thats not what the album is built on. There are alot of different facits here. If you don't like a broad range of stuff in your music you may not like this.... and there for you might suck... i mean it happens.

Most heard the album first, from what I've read. I first heard Hurt open for Alice in Chains at the Warfield in S.F. "Awesome band" We will all hear more from these guys in the future...

AV

this CD is worth getting. every song is great. you can fall asleep to it or rock out to it. i recomend this to any one who likes NIN, tool, audio slave, and matallica.