Customer Reviews

Ox

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

 

 

I am not sure why this is coming up under the OX EP. I did not write the review here, but under the full-length. Something is wrong with Amazon's review thing-a-ma-jigger.
*******
It seems like a lifetime ago when 012: Revolution in Just Listening, a masterpiece of a swan-song, was unleashed on the unsuspecting public. Rumors of the bands demise prior to the release were swirling and we were greeted with 'What Happens on the Road Always Comes Home'. Ten years have passed and we have been blessed with another release from hardcore juggernauts Coalesce. There is no other band in music that can make a song that is nearly impossible to tap your foot to, but is still so addicting.

With their new release, OX, we get more of the expected, the tried and true Coalesce. But they have thrown several surprises in to the mix including a swagger of a country song and less distortion on Jess' guitar. All in all this is a fabulous release and a breath of fresh air in a hardcore/metal scene that seems to have an inbred sound as of late.

Check it out and get ready for even more music when the OX EP is released later this year.

Give them Rope is an album I have listened to consistently since 1997, I still say its the heaviest album of all time. I love every other album Coalesce has ever done but not like that first full length. The 2 songs they released last year were good but I thought it would have sounded better with more distortion. OX is incredible. In a time where so few bands fail to make something unique and truly new OX is amazing. They have captured all of there progression on every album with the intensity of Give Them Rope and somehow managed to step in to uncharted territory. What a band and what a surprise. Best hardcore album since Colors by BTBAM and Pig Destroyers Phantom limb. Buy this.

The comments posted so far appear to be about OX. This isn't OX. This is the OX EP that came out after the full-length. If you liked OX, you won't be disappointed.

it was a surprise to me when I went on the Relapse website and saw that these guys released a new album. I was wondering when they were going to come back after releasing 012: Revolution In Just Listening. song no 3. is a definite surprise. it starts out slow and strummy and then starts rocking. the lyrics booklet is awesome. it has a bunch of patterns in it along with the lyrics. song no. 5 is an instrumental. a lot of bands have started including istrumentals in their song lists, and Coalesce is no exception. the instrumental in question is called "Where Satires Sour" and it is 47 seconds long. I recommend this to anyone who appreciates metal and hardcore

Coalesce was one of my favorite technical hardcore bands back in the late 90's. I hold them up there with Botch, Converge, and the Dillenger Escape Plan. Their last CD Revolution was ridiculous and then they broke up. This cd takes the brutality of their last cd and adds a little melody and different sounds to the record. Don't think you are gonna find a lot of clean vocals here but at the same time what they have added to the brutality makes this cd that much better. I couldn't have hoped for a better come back cd cause it has been 10 years too long. All the songs on here rip and if you are a fan of Botch, Dillenger Escape Plan, or Converge do yourself a favor and pick this and some of their past work up. I feel like this is the most complete cd they have done it is sick.

1. The Plot Against My Love 9/10
2. The Comedian in Question 4/10
3. Wild Ox Moan 7/10
4. Designed to Break a Man 8/10
5. Where Satires Soar 5/10
6. The Villain We Won't Deny 9/10
7. The Purveyor of Novelty and Nonsense 7/10
8. In My Wake, For My Own 5/10
9. New Voids in One's Resolve 8/10
10. We have Lost Our Will 3/10
11. Questions to Root Out Fools 9/10
12. By What We Refuse 9/10
13. Dead is Dead 6/10
14. There is a Word Hidden in the Ground 6/10

Coalesce is a hardcore band from Kansas City, Mo. They were part of an explosion of great Hardcore/Metal (sometimes known as metalcore) bands in the early to mid-90s that revolutionized hardcore and metal. Coalesce along with Converge, Botch, and Dillinger Escape Plan put out hardcore/metal that defied time signatures, and stretched the limits of heaviness. Their album Give Them Rope, which was released in 1997, is considered one of the greatest hardcore albums of all time. Band after band have tried to imitate it, but no one has come close. Coalesce have broken/gone on hiatus several times, but they are now back together writing music and touring.

Ox is an extremely uneven album. Some of the songs are great. They sound like the Coalesce we have all grown to love. But there are several songs that are so out of place they baffle the mind. They completely kill the flow of the album. It sounds like Coalesce wanted to add a bit of old time folk blues to their sound, but had no idea how to make it work with the rest of their music. So they just dropped it randomly into the album. The Comedian in Question sounds great until the Screaming turns to bad singing and the heavy riff turns into Nu Metal, and Where Satires Soar isn't a bad song. It's a quick instrumental that has no point or place on the album. The experimentation on those songs and others sounds awkward at best. However all is not bad. There are some amazing songs spread out throughout the album. The Plot Against My Love, The Villain We Won't Deny, Questions to Root out Fools, and By What We Refuse show that Coalesce still has the ability to write brutal hardcore that can compete with anyone. The question is, What were they trying to accomplish on this album?

The song by song review comes to 68%. However when you factor in the lack of flow and other intangibles the album comes to a 60%.

Similar Artists/Influences: Botch, Deadguy, Converge, Norma Jean, Cursed, Crowpath, Dillinger Escape Plan, The Red Chord, Breach