Customer Reviews

Suicide Pact: You First

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It seems like Troublegum was both a blessing and a curse. On the good side, it was the album that gained Therapy a worldwide following, and rightfully so. But it has also been a curse, as people constantly expect "Troublegum 2" with every album that Therapy releases. Well, if you are one of those STILL waiting for said record, you may leave now, as this is still not it. But the good thing is that Therapy aren't interested in making the same record over and over again, as this CD exemplifies.

Different from Semi-Detached, as SD was more of a refinement of Infernal Love (which was downright poor) and a sharpening of their previous abilities. Suicide Pact is so akin to a rocknroll Black Sabbath record that it really stunned me the first time I heard it. Very bass-heavy, very murky, very rambling in a classic rocknroll style. The raging alt-metal has been replaced by a chugga-chugga, swinging, dense, dark sound that seemingly has no history in Therapy's back-catalog. Though there are a couple of slower moments, one a decent folky ballad, the other a grumbling attempt at a Tom Waits style delivery. But the rest of the CD is filled with a straightforward rambling bombast that bears little resemblance to the agile, lean, mean, cutting machine that Therapy used to be tied to.

Make no mistake, there is quality stuff here, you just wouldn't think it would be the kind of quality stuff that Therapy would make. Give em credit for not being as obsessed with Troublegum as their fanbase apparently is.

Well, Therapy?:s latest album is not by all means a very easy bit to swallow. The songs are quite no like they were on the previous releases, and after listtening to "God Kicks", "He's Not That Kind Of Gilr" and "Other Peiople's Misery" you realise, that they have had no intesntion, whatsoever to take it the eay way. However, I've personally grown up to like this album, although I have one MAJOR complain: this release features the worst mixings I've ever heard. Andy Cairn's voclas drown way under the hard guitarriffs and othe noise. Still, it features many very interesting tracks, for example "God Kicks", which was recorded out in the woods, but ht ebest song of this album might as welle be the best song of the whole year of 1999. "Six Mile Water" is a truely majestic masterpiece, which, unlike many other ballads, isn't trying to be biger tha life, and just possibly because of that, it wirks so well. Very good indeed. One of the best bands of the decade. Without doubt.

Those of you only familiar with the more radio friendly Troublegum/Infernal Love/Semi Detached albums may be dissapointed and slightly miffed by the raucus 'Suicide Pact You First', which is a hugely different album to the aforementioned in many respects. Almost unlistenable to at times, persistence will be rewarded as you start to see where the group are coming from, and the 'songs' (or noisebursts!) will begin to make more of an impression (and more sense!). In the vain of Fugazi, a huge influence on frontman Andy Cairns, Therapy? offer dischordant, at times 'white-noise' anchored numbers reminiscent of earlier, equally brilliant offerings from 'Babyteeth' & 'Pleasure Death' (later released as compilation 'Caucasian Psychosis' in the US)and indeed 'Nurse'.

Standout tracks include: 'He's not that kind of girl', witty/stop/start/loud/quiet; 'Six Mile Water' a quite brilliant ballad inspired by Cairn's youth in Northern Ireland; and 'Sister', a schitzophrenic, yet magnificent closing song. Hidden track 'Whilst I pursue my way unharmed' is at once clever and stupid, yet unnerving and is driven by a slamming base loop and off beat drumming. One major gripe I have with this album (so it gets 4 instead of 5 stars in my opinion) is the (...) production, which is quiet hard to swallow after the very slick previous albums from the band when signed to A&M.

All in all, I thouroughly recommend this album to fans of the band, and those who love tuneless, dirty, heavy rock, such as Amen and Fugazi. If you like pop-punk in large helpings, you should go for Troublegum/Semi Detached/Shameless instead, or the best-of album.

Suicide Pact - you first! Can you go wrong with a title like that?

Let me say that this is definitely Therapy?'s weirdest album ever and the fact that it is released after albums like "Troublegum" and "Infernal Love" makes it even weirder than it already is.

Starting off with "He's not that Kind of Girl", your first listening impression of this record will be granted painful or at least very suprised. Where are the Therapy? you know and love? you will ask. Right here Baby! Andy's sounds better than ever, his vocals aren't harmonized at all, it's like listening to them live. "Wall of Mouth" comes next. That song alone rocks more than anything that was released in a LONG time! Since there are no Lyrics printed in the booklet, you can only guess what they mean by screaming "SIX SIX SIX" right in the middle of the song. "Jam Jar Jail" is in the same vain, containing noisy guitar solos en masse, based on a very cool bass riff. You should have got used to the fact that this record isn't for the faint of heart, so hopefully, "Hate, Kill, Destroy" won't damadge you seriously. It does anyway, this song is like having your head trashed against a stone wall numerous times. Definitely unlistenable to many people out there, but I wouldn't want to live without it. The mayhem goes on with "Big Cave In" a tension-filled instrumental piece. At the End of this song, you expect the world to come down. What you get is "Six Mile Water", a beautiful, non-bombastic ballad. Andy seems to sing about his youth in Ireland ("we come from across the border, we drink the six mile water, this morgue needs new hope" - as far as I understand ), in the chorus, he is helped by beautiful female vocals. The song ends with a tearjearking noisy guitar solo, Andy repeating the words "I'm sorry". What a moving song. "Little Tongues first" follows, it's the most Troublegum-like song, but more edgy. Nothing to say about this one, just how great it is. Same goes for "Ten Year Plan", a straight-rocking song with nods to "Paranoid" at the Riffs. "God Kicks"... well, "God kicks". Just listen. "Other people's Misery" is a fast, hardcore/noise/punk song than would make Black Flag proud. The last Track "Sister" has Andy lighten his voice to a great effect, a haunting chorus and kicking guitars. The album ends with an eleven-minute, lyrical Acid-extravaganza called "Whilest I pursuede my way unharmed"

Buy this record if you're a Therapy? fan. If not, this will make you one!

This album was a welcome surprise after the decent (but unexceptional) SEMI-DETACHED. However, Therapy? have really veered off into a new direction again. The style of this album seems looser, funner, less structured, but also a little less consistent than much of their earlier work. While this album is different, it is also their strongest since TROUBLEGUM (if you're reading this and don't own that album, buy it now! It is THE definitive post-modern metal album of the 90's). While this album lacks the hooks and punch that made TROUBLEGUM both catchy and heavy at the same time, and the stylistic diveristy that made INFERNAL LOVE interesting, it manages to kind of take a middle ground, and come across as a deeper album. "Jail Jar Jail" is a great punchy rocker. "Six Mile Water" is an effective ballad. "Sister" is also a great mid-tempo rocker. Any fans of bands such as Soundgarden or Stone Temple Pilots should like this album, although it could drive away many of those that loved TROUBLEGUM (as is the case with every Therapy? album, it's totally different than those before it). Therapy? fans: this is a great return to form for a insanely underappreciated rock band. For new fans however, TROUBLEGUM is really the album that should be bought first, as it is more tuneful and accessible.

Therapy? albums are always a pleasure to listen to, no matter in what direction they go! This one goes directly in your face and is a bit of a middle finger for the record industry and the people that thought Therapy? would sell out and become a standard Rock-Group like one million others. They couldn't care less about what the "music business" expects them to be and they show it on "Suicide Pact" from start to finish! Not one song that you understand when you listen to it for the first time, not one second of pop music, and this is sooo great! If you ever have the chance to see them live, do it, they are one of the best-live bands ever. Andy Cains and his friends rule again on this record which was done "live" in the studio, the instruments were not recorded seperately, that's why you may complain about Andy's Vocals. But that doesn't matter, they didn't it to sound clean. All the songs have a big part of deeeeep black humor like "God Kicks" or "Hate Kill Destroy". Buy this record and all the others from therapy?, you simply can't go wrong!

I love it... and you will too! Therapy? have gone back to thedays of Nurse and the two CS EPs. Pure sounds of PRE-TroubleGum Noisemixed in with a bit of Elvis and funky early rock 'n' rollriffs. Buy it!

Okay, I've spent my teen listening to Therapy? and they did some really Killer albums, like Troublegum or Infernal Love. Then their drummer left and they got a new guitarist as well. When I bought semi-detached I knew that something has changed. I think that Semi-Detached was a kind of good bye to the "commercial" Therapy? and this one show us the brand new Therapy?. I just miss the good old lyrics and voice (! ) from troublegum....But don't judge this album the first time you hear it, take the time to listen to it and try to understand the lyrics (which is not the easiest part ...)

After the ( for Therapy? ) weak Semi-Detached, they returned with this absolutely asskicking effort. Songs like Wall of Mouth or Little Tongues first will make you bounce around to the pure and genius noise while Hate,Kill and Destroy or God Kicks will make you worry about the Sanity of this Group. But if you listen to it deeper you will recognize what they intended with this album. A very couragous Step to put out this absolutely "Commerical-Radio-TV-pissoff" record after their huge success with Troublegum ( a genius album as well ).

SPYF is a great albumn. For all of you that have other T? albumns this one will catch you off guard. It sounds nothing like anything they've ever done before but that's T? If you liked Troublegum you'll find alot of similarities in SPYF. Songs like Little Tongues First, Sister & Wall Of Mouths make this worth listening however Other People's Misery and God Kicks make you want to break the CD in two. The vocals I didn't find so bad although they're drowned out by the gtr in several songs but that seems to me how T? wanted the albumn to sound.