Customer Reviews

Pine/Cross Dover

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

 

 

I don't know why people have to compare past releases to present releases. The beauty
of each new release is just that it's new. I listened to these two reviews for the
longest and held off purchasing it. I happened to be in an obscure cd shop and what
do you know there it was, so I took a chance on it. Music shouldn't be so critiqued
if you like the band then your pretty much going to like what they produce. So all in
all if you like Masters then I don't see how you could be disappointed at all. Hell
I'm just glad they made some new music.

Wasn't immediately impressed by the the first few tracks but by the end of the last song on the album I was wanting more.. and thus put it on again from track one. This is not a bad album. Many of the tracks are straight up rock n roll with a slight industrial sound, but by the end seem to branch into something more free form or semi-improv that kind of grabbed my attention and started getting me paying attention. The last 12 minute jam is the only song that does that though.. may be the turnoff for some, but for me it was the last few tunes that compelled me to write this review as the album is certainly no one star effort. Some of the songs are catchy.. and as I may have mentioned, the last one could've been lifted from a Grateful Dead "space" jam. Best track on the album IMO. But some of the other tracks were good as well.

Masters of Reality is one of the few contemporary rock bands that I make a point of getting every release that they may issue (I remain stuck in a time-warp of music that came out from 1965 through 1975). It's "OK", certainly not as good or as catchy as some of the tunes on Deep In The Hole (their last studio outing), and definitely not even close to the band's penultimate release, Sunrise on the Sufferbus (a modern rock classic, and how about those mellotrons?), much less their two prior superlative live outings. Chris Goss is an amazing talent, he has the most melodious voice and is a very creative guy, but this outing just didn't make me say "wow". The last track on the CD, "Alfalfa", is a meandering 10 minute instrumental that may have been great for warming up the band's fingers but which should have been left off of the final product. You keep waiting for something to happen in the course of the jam, but it doesn't. Better luck next time, I hope.

I have most of the Masters of Reality cds. For my money, "Deep in the Hole" is an absolute masterpiece. The 1st Masters cd is wonderful. Both live cds are terrific. THIS CD IS ONE OF THE WORST YOU WILL EVER HEAR BY ANYONE IF YOU LIVE TO BE 10,000 YEARS OLD. Chris,if you read this, I, and many of your faithful followers are deeply disappointed. All the long wait for this boring trash is unexcuseable.
If you're a Masters of Reality completist and have to have this, let some other poor sucker buy it 1st and then burn a copy. But even if you listen to it a hundred times (Masters of Reality is an acquired taste), IT WILL STILL SUCK. And I dare you to listen to the whole thing once.
Good Luck and take speed. It may be the only way to stay awake listening to this one.