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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Angry & Emotional Metal Album With Powerful Messages, April 28, 2003
Out of Washington D.C., Nothingface's latest album "Skeletons" clearly demonstrates a broad increase in range and musicianship for the band since their last album "Violence", which was also a great album. Stylistically, Nothingface is reminiscent of Mudvayne, but with a unique sound of their own, that combines very aggressive & intense metal with engaging harmonies and melodies. Overall, I rate the album with 5 out of 5 stars, whose songs are angry and highly critical of organized Christian churches and policies of the current U.S. presidential administration. My individual track ratings (out of 5 stars) are listed below:1. "Machinations" (5). Begins with several seconds of very soft instruments before awakening to aggressive guitar & percussion accompanied with whispering vocals from Matthew Holt. The song then blossoms with combination of both screaming and harmonic vocals that are accompanied by very intense guitar or softer instruments. This is a complex song, whose lyrics attack conformity and blind allegiance to government bureaucrats.
2. "Beneath" (5). A more melodic song with great harmonies accompanied by less aggressive guitar, with intensity waiting just beneath the surface. (An aptly named song that criticizes organized religion.)
3. "Murder is Masturbation" (5). Very hard hitting & emotional combination harmonic and aggressive vocals accompanied by aggressive guitar. Several changes in mood make this another complex song whose lyrics criticize war.
4. "Ether" (4.5). Non-aggressive, but emotional song with strong harmonies and good guitar. The lyrics criticize the current U.S. presidential administration and its policies in the Middle East.
5. "I Wish I Was A Communist" (5) Very fast, intense and aggressive song with screaming vocals that criticize the current U.S. presidential administration.
6. "In Avernus" (4). An intense song with less aggressive guitar whose energy comes from the unusual harmonies of two voices. The lyrics paint a less than rosy picture of organized religion.
7. "Patricide" (4.5). The song combines harmonic & soft verses with powerful and aggressive choruses whose lyrics discuss hate.
8. "Here Come The Butchers" (5+) Awesome beginning with percussion leading into very aggressive vocals and guitar. My favorite song on the album, which is an indictment of abusive priests within the Catholic Church.
9. "I Am Him" (5). A less aggressive but fast, very harmonic and melodic song with great vocals and lyrics that mock organized religion.
10. "Scission" (4). A melodic and harmonic song that is somewhat more aggressive than the last by using more guitar. The lyrics imply taking control of one's own life from religion.
11. "Big Fun At The Gallows" (5). A fast, intense and aggressive song with powerful, screaming vocals accompanied by aggressive guitar that includes harmonic choruses. Some very good guitar riffs and a very heavy ending. The lyrics describe the ability of organized religion to destroy.
12. "Incarnadine" (4). The song starts very aggressive, intense and fast with somewhat monotonic screaming vocals, but switches to very harmonic vocals before slowing into a much softer sound. The song is complex as it moves back and forth between aggressive and soft lyrics that criticize war and violence.
13. "All Cut Up" (4). A fast and aggressive song that again combines screaming vocals for the verses, but with more harmonic choruses. Lots of aggressive guitar accompany the lyrics that criticize current U.S. policies, which favor the military. Matthew Holt (vocals), Sickles (drums), Tom Maxwell (guitars) and Bill Gaal (bass & keyboards) did a fantastic job with "Skeletons". If you enjoy groups such as Mudvayne, Slipknot, Stone Sour and Disturbed, you should definitely check out Nothingface because you just might like them.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Bands Never Last, Do They?, January 29, 2005
Not much has been said about the demise of Nothingface, yet another band that develops a new genre, and never gets enough credit.
Put Tool, Government Issue, Bad Brains, and Slayer together, and you've got this D.C.-area band. Their musicianship is (should start saying was, they broke up after this album) at the level of a band like Tool: not many guitar solos and common strong structures, just great riffs, blazing syncopation, and thundering precision. G.I.'s early emo influence comes in when you hear the guitarist's and lead singer's melodies - songs like Beneath and Ether are completely captivating, and maybe even quite accessible. The band exhibits the energy of another D.C. band called Bad Brains, which just so happens to be the best hardcore band to ever grace this earth. And Slayer-quality thrash is thrown in for good measure.
But the one thing that distinguishes Nothingface is this sing-nice-and-clean-and-pretty one minute, and then growl profanities the next. Some call it a schizophrenic way of playing music. Play Scission, and then play Murder is Masturbation - get the idea? What the hell is that all about? It just shows the range that was Nothingface. Only now are bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Atreyu making it extremely popular. No, it's not "Screamo" like Thursday. It's a pure assault that was known as Nothingface. Woe is music ... if the band is reading this, get your act together and put out another album.
By the way, Violence is almost equally as good. I couldn't really get in to the earlier releases as much (Pacifier and Audio Guide), I guess some prefer them because Nothingface was rawer, and less polished in its early days.
I guess good music is just like art - they never appreciate it enough, until the artist dies (or disbands). Quick question, though - did the band take its name from another great, landmark, groundbreaking metal/punk/hardcore/prog-rock album called "Nothingface" by Voivod? I'd like to know.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Nice Farewell, October 28, 2005
After Violence, Nothingface's 2000 release, anticipation ran high in the hearts of many fans. This anticipation was prolonged no further when Skeletons was introduced in 2003. After a summer long stint on the annual ozzfest tour, Nothingface regretfully announced their separation as a band. If only one good thing could have come out of this separation, it is that the four members of Nothingface went out with a bang.
Skeletons proved to be a unique look into singer Matt Holt's mind, and the musical integrity of guitarist Tom Maxwell, bassist Bill Gaal, and drummer Sickles. This album can be best described as a roller coaster of metal, melody, and emotion. The melody of which is mostly concentrated on songs like "Beneath", "Ether", "In Avernus" and "Scission". On the other end of the musical spectrum, there are songs such as "Here Come The Butchers" and "I Wish I Was A Communist" that are brutal and unrelenting. To be sure things are not completely lopsided, there is a collection of songs like "Big Fun At The Gallows", "All Cut Up", and "Murder Is Masturbation" that combine intense riff driven versus with melodic choruses. One of the highlights of this album, "Incarnadine", happens to be down right schizophrenic, melding moments of calm, soothing collection and intense hair ripping anger.
The lyrics by Holt are well written and sometimes intriguing. The subject matter mostly deals with corruption in religion, government, and society. This corruption also seems to be the cause of a battle within Holts own emotions at times, causing stages of mental anguish in songs like "Incarnadine" and "Patricide". The musical theme of this album seems to state that a person's feelings aren't always angry, and aren't always calm, but should always be delt with. The music works well in conjunction with the lyrics to convey this message.
Be warned however, die hard metal enthusiasts might find some of this album slow and boring, while melodic metal and hard rock fans may find some of this album boring for the very opposite reason. For those who enjoy all kinds of metal this very well may be the perfect album to sink your teeth into.
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