Topsy-Turvy

The Apex Theory | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 2, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Dreamworks
• ASIN: B00005MK9T
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,085 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An album that cant be compared to any other album!, April 3, 2002

By 

Erik (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Topsy-Turvy (Audio CD)

First of all let me start by saying that the first time I heard the Apex Theory was in March of 2002. I saw them live in Indianapolis and I was hooked. The sound that i heard at the concert was that of something I have never heard before. I was knocked off my feet. Anyways I bought Topsy-Turvy yesterday April 2nd, which was the release date. This album is absolutely incredible. It mixes a techo sound with a metal, and has a flowing feel. The verses flow easily and the choures hits hard. Drown Ink starts off with an incrdible feel and then the lyrics hit and it gets even better. Bullshed starts off with over a one minute interlude that starts off slow and gets hard. After the interlude comes a hard hitting mosh pitting sound thats turns into a groove. "Thats All" is one of my favorite tracks. It has a creepy techno feel that I loved the first time I heard it.
Overall this album is an exceptional debut that anyone one that has open ears when it comes to music will fall in ove with. I highly recommend this album. You will love it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This album is the tops, November 10, 2003

By 

Geoffrey S. Hineman (Traverse City, MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Topsy-Turvy (Audio CD)

Like System of a Down, The Apex Theory is comprised of four musicians of Armenian descent. That's about where the similarities to SOAD end, however. Smart, unique, and energetic, you'll not find another band like The Apex Theory and once you've heard them, you'll know them anywhere.

A mish-mash of techniques are cultivated under a distinctly Eastern-European umbrella. Drum Sammy Watson spits out one drum 'n' bass groove after another, pushing the tempo, but not changing it. Layered over that are Byzantine melodies and syncopated rhythms of guitarist Art Karamian, who has learned the age old lesson of top notch-musicianship: a player is defined by what he doesn't play just as much as what he does play. Jon Bon Jovi once said that a song isn't really a song unless you can sit down and play it on an acoustic guitar. A few listens to Topsy-Turvy and you get the impression that these songs would be right at home strummed on a balalaika.

The first single from the album was "Shhh... (Hope Diggy)". And while, I dig the song, I would've chosen another place to start. The single spits alliterative lyrics in a whirling dervish delivery of soap box approximations. By the time you attune your antennae to the technique, the message is missed. On CD it's great, simply push the repeat button. On radio: no dice. My vote for lead single would be the punky, yet smart "Bravo". It's equal parts loud, political, and catchy, just like good punk should be.

With asymmetrical riffage and dazzling vocability, these Armenians are some wild and crazy guys. And while they may not sound like System of a Down, a tour with them might be just the break The Apex Theory needs.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Actual music and the problem with today's musicians, July 28, 2003

By 

Ryan P (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Topsy-Turvy (Audio CD)

There are a lot of bands out there that include people who call themselves musicians but are really people that just picked up a guitar. Then there are those that understand it, that know the difference, and don't play the same [stuff] over and over again. Now, no offense to the bands out there, but a majority of you don't understand music, and therefore shouldn't be making it. I grabbed this cd off the shelf because I felt like buying a cd one day. I listened to it once, and put it away for a while. Then, while going through my cd's, I picked it up again and started listening to it. I loved every second of it. I'd never heard of them, no one ever talked about them, and I wondered why bands like Blink 182 got so much hype for their music that never changes, when there was bands like this out there to where every song has it's own unique aspects. The first song is a definate attention getter. If the lyrics don't get you, then the notes will. Then you go into the next song, mucus shifters, and you are blown away by the skill that these guys show throughout this song. Then every song after that is unlike the first, and just as good if not better. Apossibly is in my favorite songs of all times list. And "That's ALL!" is a perfect example of musicianship at it's best in todays music industry. This CD has it all, no matter what genre you listen to. Whether it's for a party, or you're listening to it as you go to sleep, it's gripping, it's musical, and the musicians in it "especially the drummer" are extrememly gifted. I would suggest this CD to anyone who likes good music, and understands the really meaning of musicianship. My hats off to Apex Theory.