Customer Reviews

A Lethal Dose Of American Hatred

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1 star:		(27)

 

 

If "Use Once & Destroy" was a kick in the teeth, "A Lethal Dose of American Hatred", the new album from Superjoint Ritual, is a punch to the gut. Musically, the band sounds a bit more evolved than on they're debut (even though both albums are only a year apart), but the true old school hardcore/metal with a punk vibe element remains. Phil Anselmo sounds better here than he did on "Use Once & Destroy", and the band as a whole is tighter sounding. Tracks like "Waiting For the Turning Point", the excellent "Dress Like a Target", "The Destruction of a Person", "Death Threat", and "The Knife Rises" are all headbanging cuts, but the album as a whole is too short. It leaves you wanting more, but just about anything featuring Phil behind the wheel, whether it be Pantera, Down, or even Viking Crown, has that effect. All in all, "A Lethal Dose of American Hatred" is one of the better metal releases this year, but hopefully the best from Superjoint is still to come.

So i was reading some of the negative reviews of this album and at first i couldn't believe what i was reading. I mean, how could so many people not like one of my favorite bands. Well, it's simple really. It seems like there are all of these expectations of what superjoint should or shouldn't be.

Some people think that they should sound like pantera because of phil... some think that they should sound like black flag since the flag were an admitted influence... still others think that maybe they should sound like eyehategod just because jimmy bower is in the band.

The fact is, they don't sound like any one band. They are doing their own thing, even if it isn't the most popular thing. Certainly, they aren't the most technically proficient band, and by no means are they the hardest band around. They do however, have attitude, energy, and some great lyrics(no, not profound, either you get it or you don't).

If you like bands like down, eyehategod, crowbar, black flag, acid bath, soilent green, or black sabbath, chances are you will like these guys. Just don't buy the cd expecting a copy of anybody else.

...by the way the production value is excellent on this recording. Dave Fortman produced "lethal dose" with the same clarity as with "confederacy of ruined lives" by eyehategod. (this is a good thing, for those of you not familiar with that album)

i think the folks who say his voice sounds bad or worn out are simply confused - his voice tone is deliberate - this isn't supposed to be melodic death metal or anything - its more hardcore punk influenced than anything - his voice is fitting to the music and this album is very high energy and fast-paced - its raw and its a hailstorm of hatred and angst - indeed, i like this album - phil screeches like no other - 'personal insult' is the best song - it crunches and scrapes and changes pace a couple times and on top of it all, makes fun of JIHAD - hahaha

Superjoint Ritual's latest album, A Lethal Dose of American Hatred,finally puts out a metal album in 2003 that true metal fans can enjoy. Its not the pseudo-metal junk you usually hear on the radio. Much of Anselmo's angered lyrics focus the current opinion of the world on America and America's attitude on everyone else. Somewhat introspective on religion and politics. Superjoint (aka Phil Anselmo's latest project) doesn't match the skill and power of Pantera or Down. If you expect this to reach the par of those bands, then don't buy it. But its like putting a local Kiss cover band together with only Paul Stanley. Just isn't the same level. Now its still a lot better than most of the garbage out today. I only bought two albums this summer, Metallica's St. Anger and Lethal Dose. And the latter is much better. A true metal fan will listen to this album straight through and headbang in your living room or rock out in the car.
... your best bet would be to buy it on Amazon. All in all a good metal album with plenty of quotable lyrics.

Many people are quick to judge this record based on Phil Anselmo's acheivements and sounds with other bands, and they shouldn't do that. Superjoint Ritual has its own sound, quite apart from Phil's other musical projects-- what he did in Down and Pantera should be irrelevant when discussing what he's doing here. Unfair judgment notwithstanding, this album is still weak. Pantera's end was inevitable, but I am sad Phil abandoned Down to focus on this muddled, chest-thumping mess. If the notorious Phil Anselmo were not at the helm of this racket, it would be mired in complete obscurity where it belongs.
The music is an unfocused barrage of one simplistic, hammering riff after another. I have no problem with intense, hammering riffs-- Slayer has made a living off them, and deservedly so. But this sounds uninspired and gets tough to listen to after the first couple of songs. The drumming is particularly irritating-- it's nearly the same amateurish banging every song. Great riffs and excellent percussion make up the backbone of legendary heavy music. "Lethal Dose" has neither, and the result is something much less than Phil's public claim that this heralds the rebirth of heavy music. It could be the rebirth of aging, declining musicians making a last desperate grasp at street credibility, but in that case Metallica has beaten Superjoint Ritual to the punch with "St. Anger".
The whole thing sounds suspiciously like a Phil Anselmo midlife crisis album. Let's be real folks: the vocals are terrible. If you didn't know Phil was singing, you wouldn't be listening. The tone of the vocals never changes, it just sort of plods along at a dull general roar, hammering away like every other part of the music. It's sad. Anselmo's vocal work was always inspired and distinctive, whatever the style. He sounds old, tired, and out of place here. All the macho huffing and puffing only serve to further weaken this frantic attempt at staying relevant.
I am absolutely not one of the now-many "Phil-haters." I will always respect and admire him as a musician. I grew up on Pantera's music, Down is one of my favorite bands, and he has worked hard to dig up heavy music diamonds. He single-handedly provided the excellent Crowbar with a viable career, and he consistently takes "risk" bands on tour with him to provide them with the exposure they need. Morbid Angel is a legendary band in death metal circles, but they are not even close to any of the styles for which Phil is known. Yet he took them on tour with Pantera and now again with SJR, a pretty magnanimous move.
Still, there is something to be said for aging gracefully. He had an opportunity to do that with Down. "Down II" was not an amazing record, but it was solid. It was the sound of several good friends in the music business getting older, but getting wiser. Now Down has been "put aside indefinitely" in favor of the anachronistic SJR and ridiculous tough-guy posturing to the press. Whatever he used to be, over the last year he's done a fine job of sounding like an aging, drunken blowhard, and this album manifests that in musical form. After years of hard touring, harder partying, and insanely hard drinking, Phil isn't capable of rocking like a nineteen year old anymore. The sooner he realizes that, the sooner he'll stop making a mockery of himself with efforts like "Lethal Dose."

Where to begin... Well if you are a die hard Pantera fan you must buy this album with a degree of understanding, There are no amazing guitars period, just thrash speed and breakdowns. The drumming although heavy could not lick Vinnie's balls on a bad day. Phil himself takes somewhat of a different yet amazing aproach to his vocals.

Now all this may sound somewhat negative but do not [freat]! In an era that is producing little to no quality heavy music Superjoint ethrals you with some bad ...thrash/punk/hardcore styling. Lyrically Phil takes a step back more to the roots of emotion and anger rather than just stating dominance in metal as Reinventing the Steel did. Overall, rock it, blast it get the juices flowing and love it for what it is.. blistering heavy music that is not afraid to spit in your face and kick you in the gut

First of all, its easy to come into SJR thinking you know what its about because Phil Anselmo is the frontman. This isn't Down or Pantera. Superjoint Ritual is its own monster.

A Lethal Dose of American Hatred isn't about song writing, musicianship, or production value. If you are looking for guitar solos, 808 hits, massive double bass, or anything along those lines stop now. If you are looking for some brutal music filled with hate, anger, and every other negative emotion this is for you. One of the interesting things about this album is it is diverse. Metal, grindcore, old school hardcore punk, there is a lot of influences going on here. The songs are just my style, some are a little more structured and longer but then there are a lot that are short, fast and mind blowing. Waiting for the Turning Point nearly made me trash my living room the first time I heard it and Dress Like a Target is a beast of a song. Its just good ol' southern drunken New Orleans style metal. Perfect.

A lot of people are quick to judge this band saying how bad they suck. You have to understand, SJR is just about pumping out raw untainted metal. There is no fancy production, no amazing mixing, mastering, effects. Its just pi**ed off in all its best forms. I wish more people my age would listen to these types of bands. They think Avenged Sevenfold and any band that screams and plays a keyboard is what started heavy music. No, this kind of thing did and it deserves respect. Granted Superjoint isn't for everyone and that is fine.

The lyrics cover all kinds of topics and while Phil's voice isn't as clear and precise as his Pantera days, I won't complain. I don't think any other type of singing would work with this music. Have you ever heard Pig Destroyer and liked it? This will probably be a CD you want then.

I say pick it up. A must have for any true metal fan. There are tons of guys bald in cut off blue jean shorts walking around the metal scene with their chests puffed up. Its Phil freakin Anselmo! Pay some tribute and get some fresh music out of it. PS live shows were awesome, pick up a DVD as well!

Flash back to 2003: Pantera is officially defunct, Down is on hiatus, and Phil Anselmo has put all of his other projects on the back burner for the foreseeable future in order to be a full-time member of Superjoint Ritual. So now that he can make the kind of music he wants to 24/7 without being tied down with obligations to anybody else, is this thirty-four year old frontman content, and could he possibly start taking it easy finally? Absolutely not -- you should have known better than to think that. He's still as nasty, maniacal, and livid as ever. But, as Superjoint's sophomore effort demonstrates, he is clearly having a lot more fun than he's had in several years.

The band is comprised of a group of experienced, well-known, and talented musicians -- including Jimmy Bower (of Eyehategod and Crowbar) and country music star Hank Williams III -- so it should go without saying that "A Lethal Dose Of American Hatred" is pretty awesome from a musical standpoint. The band sound a lot tighter and more realized than they did on 2002's debut, "Use Once and Destroy," and they pack these thirteen tracks with dissonant, blistering riffs, Slayer-worthy leads, meaty, pronounced bass lines, deft (and often rapid-fire) drum beats, and rock hard, skull-cracking rhythms.

For the most part, though, this is Anselmo's show. This man is a bottomless well of anger, aggression, and, uh, "hatred," and there seems to be nothing he loves more than letting the world know it. Lyrically, a variety of ultra sweet and pleasant topics are addressed here, such as friends who died from drug addiction, injuring people who disrespect Americans, hatred towards the media, the spread of AIDS, and going to war with religion. Yes, they can sometimes be inane, silly, or even stupid (see the rants against religious "cowards" and "elitists" in "Stealing a Page or Two from Armed and Radical Pagans"). But even if they're not meant to be deep or thought provoking lyrics, the power and inspiration behind them is undeniable. Plus, most of the time Phil delivers them in such a way that makes the listener not even care what he's talking about. Phil is in very fine voice here, and he turns in his best performance on the microphone since the time he recorded "The Great Southern Trendkill" with Pantera back in 1996. "A Lethal Dose" is essentially a vocal tour de force -- Phil can switch between his world-renowned bellows, ever-present "tooth pulled without novocaine" screams, and surprisingly supple croons at the drop of a hat. In addition, he flirts with weird, almost perverted moaning, vocals that have an almost grindcore-worthy intensity, and he can also dig extra deep and channel black metal influences with piercing, skin crawling shrieks.

"Waiting for the Turning Point," the surprisingly catchy and rhythmic "Dress Like a Target," and "Permanently" are but a few of the album's full-on, steamrolling thrashers that will give even the most practiced metalheads whiplash. Here, Phil gets sick on the mic over driving, inexorable, groove-based riffs while skinsman Joe Fazzio pummels away on his trapkit like he's trying to crack open oil cans. Elsewhere, "The Destruction of a Person" (which features almost deafening shrieks and a strong, snaking bass line), the old-school Sabbath-esque "The Knife Rises," and closer "Absorbed" (which has a two-minute outro consisting of one repetitive, loopy, groaning bass riff) are slower, doomy songs with tons of ominous, brutal riffs. Also of note, "Sickness" and the mosh-intensive "Stealing a Page or Two from Armed and Radical Pagans" boast catchy, sludgy, lurching grooves that sound tailor-made for getting everyone's head banging and fists pumping at one of Superjoint's shows.

Lastly, "Personal Insult" and "Never to Sit or Stand Again" are the album's two biggest highpoints. Both of these tracks crush anything on "St. Anger." The former boasts great, churning, almost buzzsaw riffs; and the latter features a career-defining vocal performance. Anselmo is just awesome the whole way through this song, and the 20 second-long, monstrous, roaring, larynx-shredding, ascending and descending bellow/shriek around the midpoint is amazing even for him!

Even though "A Lethal Dose Of American Hatred" is slightly hindered from a fairly thin production job, it is still a very strong, satisfying release, and a sheer blast to listen to! So, if you need a dose of American hardcore and/or Phil Anselmo to satisfy your cravings, and you don't yet own this album...what are you waiting for?!

Many music fans are quick to dismiss Phil Anselmo's side projects because they hastened Pantera's break-up. But once you really give Superjoint Ritual a shot, and realize that this band's sound is quite different from Phil's other bands (like Pantera), you will probably come to enjoy "A Lethal Dose of American Hatred" quite a bit. This is a good hardcore album; it's full of meaty, Sabbath-y, doom-y riffs, pounding drums, and howling vocals. Several of these tracks (i.e. the blistering and ultra-heavy "Permanently") crush anything on "St. Anger," and are easily among the best metal songs of 2003. Songs like "Dress Like A Target" and "Stealing A Page Or Two From Armed & Radical Pagans" (catchy title!) feature lurching riffs which sound tailor-made for headbanging, thumping drums, and Phil's constipated grunting. Other highlights include the heavy, grooving guitars and strangulated howl on the album opener, "Sickness," the almost buzzsaw riffs on "Personal Insult," and "Never To Sit Or Stand Again" (which has a few really long, tortured yells and a pounding rhythm). The album, as a whole, is too short, and many of the songs begin the same way (with Phil counting "One, two, three..."), but all in all, it's a very solid release. And if you're craving a dose of Phil, and you don't yet own this album...what are you waiting for?!

SJR is a band you either love or hate. People either praise them for staying true to their DIY ethics and putting out consistent, blistering metal, or bash them for not sounding like Pantera or being "talentless". Yeah, they can't play light-speed solos, so what?! These dirty southern rockers know how to carry a groove and to jam away. With that being said, SJR trimmed some of the fat from the previous release, "Use Once and Destroy". There is less punk influence, and a huge overhaul of speed metal with savage breakdowns. Simply put, it's more straight-forward, pummeling, and has more of a "middle finger in your face" type of approach. The guitars focus on Celtic Frost-like rhythms backed by Joe Fazzio's simple but effective drumming. Phil's vocals have shifted from high-pitched shrieks to a gut-punching Tom G. Warrior-esque yell/growl. If "Use Once and Destroy" didn't please you due to a bit too much filler, this album will bring a smile to your face.

1. Sickness- One of the only "punky" songs on the album. A good aggressive opener with a nice moshing tempo. 5/5

2. Waiting for the Turning Point- A SJR demo song reincarnated, being much faster, tighter, and a lor more aggressive. Short, sweet, and a punch in the gut. Probably the most well-known song on the album. 5/5

3. Dress Like a Target- Nice drumwork here, and a very catchy chorus as well. Also a promo single for the album, one of the standouts. 4/5

4. The Destruction of a Person- A slower song with Phil's agonized screams layered over sustained power chords, a trippy atmosphere, and brooding tempo. It later picks up into a full-on Black Sabbath-esque jam. Another highlight on the album. 5/5

5. Personal Insult- My personal favorite on here with its direct lyrical message, amazingly speedy tempo, and sheer ferocity. Hey, you've gotta love that message in the middle of the song... Hehe. 5/5

6. Never to Sit or Stand Again- On of the longest songs on the album, at a little over 5 minutes, I believe? Sounds like it could have straight off of "Use Once and Destroy" with its maniacal tempo changes, ever-changing mood, and we see Phil doing more high-pitched screams here. A typical SJR track I'd say, average. 3/5

7. Death Threat- Straight-forward thrasher. This will rip your spine out. Clocks is at a little over 2 minutes. If this isn't metal, I don't know what is. 5/5

8. Permenantly- Another addictive chorus, although the lyrics are quite ridiculous. The guitars are really good as well. This a favorite of fans at live shows, and with good reason. Pummeling! 4/5

9. Stealing a Page or Two From Armed & Radical Pagans- Another old demo track that's been redone over time. Much better, more groove-laden, and a nice and catchy punk-like guitar line. Another highlight on the album. 5/5

10. Symbol of Nevermore- The beginning here is nothing special, and seems to go on FOREVER... It busts into a stoner dirge, and kind of stays like that for the whole song. Nothing too special... 2/5

11. The Knife Rises- Another awesome song. Amazing riff at the beginning! The verse and chorus is really catchy, and the breakdown is pounding as well. The guitars later on shift into some semi-melodic, almost dischordnant rhythms. A great song, accurately sums up the album. 5/5

12. The Horror- Very short, but makes the time worthwhile. A nice straight-forward ripper. 4/5

13. Absorbed- Starts off a bit weird, and builds into a slow, dirgy tempo. The song ends with some weird sound effects. ends the end on a fair note, but this song isn't really outstanding. 3/5

So, this album will either be one that is in constant rotation, or one that you'll throw out the window. But I appreciate SJR's effort for making consistently savage metal with attitiude. Reccommended to fans of speed metal or hardcore.