2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good!, September 21, 2009
if you have not followed Crossbreed since the Synthetic Division days, to bad, because they have changed. As the previous reviewer noted, the electronic elements have been scaled back. Where as Synthetic Division was built around the synth lines, KE 101 uses them more as companion flourishes. Which does beg the question, why still employ two keyboard players? Soley to make sparks with the angle grinders on tour?
This is still a great CD. I have listened to it about a dozen times since getting in in the mail. My only complaint, their cover - Stevie Wonder's Superstition is an odd choice, and truth be told, not that cool. For an industrial/rock/electronic band something more akin to what Orgy did with Blue Monday would have made more sense to me, i.e. take a song from the industrial/electronic genra, and cover it.
Also, I've got no problem with the revisions to the New Slave Nation material. My only complaint there, why not put on 48 Grave? I'd have gladly taken an update of it over Superstition.
If you have not followed Crossbreed since Synthetic Division this will be a departure. If you have followed them through the New Slave Nation EP, this is more of their evolution.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not up to par, February 3, 2010
Synthetic Division was a kick in the keister, although its sound was firmly rooted in nu millennium nu metal. New Slave Nation brought a more thrashy, heavy-hitting sound that promised to catapult the band into the new wave of American metal. I was disappointed however with KE 101. The production is a bit muddy (which is saying something for Crossbreed, who are known for cramming as many sonic elements as possible into their songs- only Strapping Young Lad makes this kind of busyness work) and the chords and riffs seem recycled from 2001. Many of the songs on KE 101 are rehashed versions of tunes from New Slave Nation, which is fine, but the original versions often outdo the remakes. Check out NSN's "Saints of Grey" and then listen to the new edition. No comparison.
I know Crossbreed can bring the ruckus, and their live show is a rockin' good time, but they should spend more time on tightening the songwriting craftsmanship instead of filling every nook and cranny with futuristic noise.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Full-Length Follow-Up, September 22, 2009
I was a huge fan of Crossbreed after seeing them multiple times living in Florida. I loved everything, from the spectacle of the live show to the electronic synth used in the music. A few years after Synthetic Division, I heard New Slave Nation, and was a bit scared that this was how the new full-length CD would sound. The vocals had gone from the nice range shown on SD to raspy whispering or screaming, and most of the synth was seemingly gone. Thankfully, Crossbreed's signature sound is back on this album, albeit a bit heavier.
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