Customer Reviews

Stabbing the Drama

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I really don't understand how people can expect a band to play the exact same type of music throughout the entire course of their career. With time comes change and growth, which means that has a band matures they gradually start to find new things that they want to tweak in order to better their sound. I think that Soilwork really improved upon the overly melodic approach they used for Figure Number Five, and combined that with some of the heaviness from A Predator's Portrait to make a really good album. Their are some misses on the album, but overall I thought that Stabbing the Drama did an excellent job in mixing melodies with heavy riffs to create some really quality tunes. Highlights of the album include the title track Stabbing the Drama, Weapons of Vanity, Fate in Motion, and the Crestfallen.

This cd is like coccaine rolled in sugar and dipped in choclate, it is addicting and you cant stop listening to it. To all you fools that say "sold out" put down the Crue album and wake up it's 05' not 85. After seeing these guys on tour recently with Mnemic (also awesome) they are even more amazing and really cool (met them after show). So don't have any doubts about buying this cd you will no regret it one bit. And P.S. don't listen to most on the F*ckin idiots that say Soilwork is a "sell out".

There has been a lot of competition among metal bands these past few years, and so many of the bands offer nothing at all new to the metal scene. Plus, it doesn't necessarily make it easier if your band is from Sweden, because there are also several Swedish metal bands (i.e. Arch Enemy, Meshuggah, In Flames, etc.)

Before I heard their music, I had Soilwork pegged as just another metalcore band; but then, on an impulse buy, I gave "Stabbing the Drama" a listen. And when I did, I was very pleasantly surprised. This C.D. isn't 100% new or innovative, but it's melodic, and that's quite refreshing in this day and age.

The guitars are fiery and crunchy, but the vocals are what make these songs pleasing to the ears. Singer Bjorn Strid doesn't quite have a soulful voice, but it is tuneful and quite impressive. He switches back and forth between angry and aggressive to harmonic and clean. Sometimes, as is the case with tracks five and six, he can sing melodically even when the backing music is heavy.

The title track is a personal favorite because it has rapid stop-start riffs and drumming which is vaguely reminiscent of a jackhammer.
"One With the Flies" is a punching rhythm with cascading riffs, and a nice, melodic guitar solo.
"Weapon of Vanity" has scorching, blowtorch riffs, and "Nerve" begins with thunderous guitar noise and dreary vocals.
"Stalemate" has a sprinting rhythm with running riffs and fast, thumping drums.
"Observation Slave" has a lot of clean singing (some of the vocals sound distant), alongside riffs which are extra crunchy.
"Blind Eye Halo" features grooving riffs, fast snare drumming, and back-to-back guitar solos.
Finally, "If Possible," has more fast, surging, stop-start, punching riffs, but it ends with some light guitar plucking.

There's one thing that drags this C.D. down, which is that most of the songs follow the same structure: raging vocals in the verses and singing clearly for the chorus. This structure becomes quite repetitive and predictable, but all in all, I'm very glad I decided to give this C.D. a shot, because it is much more than typical metalcore. Soilwork deserve to have much success with it, because "Stabbing the Drama" makes the band stand out among other modern metal bands. So, if you've given up on In Flames, and you're not sure which other metal bands to listen to (since there are so many), I definitely recommend you give "Stabbing the Drama" a shot.

After spending the past few years getting all the nu-metal trash thrown at me, it seems that that fad has finally waned down. This new "metal-core" fad in metal today will most likely suffer the same fate, but for bands like Soilwork, this passing fad may find them mainstream success. After the disappointing "Figure Number Five", Soilwork return with "Stabbing the Drama", which is a vast improvement, and while it may not harken back to the "Natural Born Chaos" or even "Steelbath Suicide" days, this album still manages to be a more than solid headbanger. The title track features an incredibly catchy chorus, while "One With the Flies", "Stalemate", and "If Possible" are great as well. However, there are times on "Stabbing the Drama" that it sounds too mainstream aimed, especially on "Distance". Despite that, and many of the negative reviews featured here, "Stabbing the Drama" is an intelligent metal album, which is something the genre so desperately needs with all the Killswitch Engage's and Atreyu's running around today. All in all, if you've never heard Soilwork before, check out "Steelbath Suicide" or "Natural Born Chaos", and then give "Stabbing the Drama" a stab.

It's about friggin' time, too. For a stretch there, I thought Soilwork were done for, caught up in the mediocrity and mundanity of 75% of today's metal. With "Stabbing the Drama," these guys bring back the Soilwork of the beginning, when they were still creative and interesting. But, you have to cut them some slack. Afterall, Soilwork are in a sub-genre of metal where its probably most difficult to succeed or stand out. This album is full of plenty of consistantly cool riffs, throat-wrenching vocals, and provocative drumming. Even though there is a lot to say that is positive about this disc, for me, there is just a little too much filler. Tracks such as "One with the Flies" and "Fate in Motion" don't have anything about them that stands out. Sometimes I even find myself not listening to them at all. Notwithstanding, here are the classic favorites :

1. Stabbing The Drama - "Im waiting, for something to show my punshiment, for being down so low," sings the chorus of the attention-grabbing title track.
5. Nerve - I like the intro, where the riff follows the unique double-kick pattern. Another song where the chorus shines.
6. Stalemate - Boy, do the riffs pull this song together, here. Aside from my favorite track, "Blind Eye Halo," this is the heaviest onslaught of the CD.
7. Distance - Wait, maybe this song has the best chorus, I'm not sure. Even though I love it, this song becomes a tad repetitive upon its ending.
10. Blind Eye Halo - Absolutely punishing. It will pick you up and throw you down the stairs. The best drumming and guitar solos on the disc, in my opinion. Blown away by this track.

If you're a metal fan, you should probably check this out, because it is rather entertaining. However, make sure you don't put it at the top of your list, for you may be disappointed. Thank you for your time.

If you're looking for some real metal with some keyboards and electronic samples in the background, along with some heaviness and intensity, then Soilwork's "Stabbing The Drama" is the cure for you. It is a little bit better than "Figure Number Five" and it sounds so much louder. I could not stop listening to that record because it is so good! I definately give it 5 stars and recommend this record to any metalhead out there in the USA!

This cd is a step back in the right direction. The only cd of soilworks i could say i dislike (hate actually) is Figure Number Five, other than that all of their albums are great. Natural Born Chaos took a much much more melodic step, and a big step back from the more thrash/death sound heard on The Chainheart Machine/A Preditors Portrait. Stabbing the Drama however takes a step back to the more thrashy days of soilwork, but keeping the same melody and clean vocals heard in Natural Born chaos.

Personally I think this cd is great. Even though we would all like to hear another The Chainheart Machine, its not going to happen. Soilwork seemed to have found their sound. It is a step back in the right direction, but I only wish they would break the formula of the harsh vocal verse/clean vocal chorus once in awhile.

Well, I just got this cd and like the guy above me i was considering skipping it...but i have been jammin all the great old soilwork recently and those guys have really got my respect so i had to. First off its still not everything we have ben longing for in the bands recent efforts, (lengthy articulate solos etc) but i think the band has really found there sound on this one. The song writing is very solid and most of the chorus parts are very memorable and thank god not cheezzzy. voclas from "speed" are his best ever. The solos suck for the most part...I think there's like 5 on the whole cd but like i said these songs are still for the most part solid. The riffs are very good but right when your expecting a huge expolding solo from witchers or frenning you get a mini scale or nothing but another riff. With all that said this is a great album for a new fan of the band to get into but like many fans of the old sound, we are still waiting

well, i was pleading for soilwork to do something a bit more creative and less predictable after hearing FNF, and it seems they did at least try to do SOMETHING... Unfortunately, all it was, was play a bit faster and harder. This is definitely heavier than FNF was, but the way they write the tunes hasn't changed all that much. The songs, dare i say, have actually gotten more predictable... the structure is no different from your average pop tune, and because of that, there is no way i can rate this higher than 3 stars, and even that is a gift.

I listened through this album a couple times, and there didn't seem to be anything at all that made my ear perk up and my eyes widen like they did the first time i popped on The Chainheart Machine. The riffs are all 4 bars long, and they all repeat 4 times, and then they all go into a verse for 4 bars, repeated 4 times, and then they go into a chorus.... it's exactly the thing i've come to despise about pop music, and they aren't fooling me. Yes, it's done in a metal context, but these are essentially fluffy formulaic songs that go nowhere, akin to pop. Granted, Soilwork never were THAT adventurous to begin with, but they did what they did so well, that it still sounded great... they came up with great riffs and lead ideas. Now, the riffs are so "standard" and the choruses so "regular", i'm not sure really what's left to be admired about Soilwork. This is the third stroke downhill for them, even though it is a step up from FNF, and i don't think i have the time to give them another chance. Too much other, more adventurous and unique music to be heard. After all, i still have their first 3 albums which i thoroughly enjoy if i want to hear Soilwork. Sorry guys, I don't think you have it anymore.

I can't explain how blown away I was when I first heard this CD, especially after FIGURE NUMBER FIVE, which I found to be a little disappointing. STABBING THE DRAMA starts out with the title track, which is a great pounding heavy song. This track sets the pace for all the remaining songs on the album, which are either good or GREAT. Soilwork has definitely dropped some of their melody and moved on to the synchronized bass drum and riffs type of metal (like Fear Factory and others) but have managed to keep an incredibly high degree of melody through their solos and Strid's awesome clean voice. I would completely ignore any negative reviews of this album. Chances are, any negative reviews are coming from old-school Soilwork fans who miss the same old formula: fast thrash, blazing melodic solos and non-stop growling vocals. With STABBING THE DRAMA, Soilwork has found a new sound that brings them up to the next rung on the ladder. I can't wait for the next release. I just hope it lives up to this one.