Customer Reviews

Level

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Level was a band from El Paso, TX. While I was living there I heard one of their songs played on the radio while I waited in a parking lot in 1999. The song was called "About Life". It caught my attention and really drew me in. The song seemed to be a perfect melding and transition between what rock in the 90's was meant to sound like through and after the change made by the grunge movement into what was becoming the shift for listeners of the genre at the end of the decade and moving into the new millennium. In regard to the 90's representation it reminds me of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, and strongly The Smashing Pumpkins. It contains grungy guitar riffs and drawn out vocals with touches of agony. It also uses electronics effectively for a very soothing atmosphere at times while providing a pop sound at others. In regards to the transition into a new era of music where hard rock and metal started to blur the lines the vocals really bring about this idea with a large amount of clean vocals on top of the singers unique sound. At times he can switch to a very abrasive and satisfying growl. While the sound and effect conveyed is not comparable I would liken it to the style used by Stephen Richards of Taproot though you might call this an early version of that.

I really enjoy this album and the mood it puts me in. I can still sit back with my eyes closed and feel enveloped in the music on this album. I would recommend it to hard rock fans in their late 20's - early 30's because this will feel right at home in your collection and for teenage fans of grunge who are maybe trying to branch out to some obscure offshoots of what they are currently familiar with you should put this in for a spin.

This is an excellent album. It makes me sad when I discover a band that is no longer together. This is one of the best albums I've heard in a long while and I wish I could look forward to more music from them. They sound kind of like a cross between Incubus and the pre-Minutes to Midnight version of Linkin Park. So I would tentatively label them as Nu Metal. I especially enjoyed the songs Shattered, Surrounded, and ATV, but there isn't a song on this album that I wouldn't carry around on my ipod.