Customer Reviews

Ultraphobic

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Critics will slap this with one-star and push it aside just because of the fact that it's a Warrant album. I am giving it 5 stars, not because I'm a Warrant fan, but because this is a fantastic album. Hard as hell and very crisp...this is Warrant's best effort to date. Who would have thought they had it in them? As a test, I played this album for a bunch of friends, both male and female, without revealing the artist. The reaction was the same from all...they loved it. When I revealed that the band was Warrant, they were blown away. Don't judge an album by its cover, folks. You might be pleasantly surprised.

This album was Warrant's "comeback" album in 1995 with a new lineup. The new guys shred on here. There is no glam/party stuff on here but rather more personal songwriting. The singer, Jani Lane, went through a ugly divorce while writing this. He states that none of these songs have anything to do with it, but by listening and reading the lyrics, you know they do. A stripped down back-to-basics album. Quite diverse and has the fair share of ballads for everyones taste. The first 3 tracks are the heaviest this band has ever done! "Sum of one" has some great guitar riffs, "Stronger now" is a heartfelt acoustic ballad, the single that you probably didn't hear on radio was "Family Picnic" a tune about child abuse. While not ALL the old fans will like it, I'm sure the majority would after a couple listens. This is some of the bands finest work, bar none!

After a hiatus and line-up shake-up, Warrant return unrecognizable. Back in their hair-metal pop days they always said they wanted to be heavier, and here's where they proved it. This album can hold its own against any of Seattle's grunge heavyweights: all it needs are unbiased ears that can put aside "Heaven" and "Cherry Pie" long enough to dig the first three tracks. They can make a believer out of any hard music fan. The other material maintains this level of power and quality, but the album definitely starts off with a bang.

This album is incredible--that's the bottom line. Unfortunately, by the time this disc came out, bands like Warrant were no longer cool. MTV wouldn't dare play a Warrant video, rock radio forgot about them as well, and most casual fans fell by the wayside.

This album was a real departure for Warrant. The cheesy, sing-along ballads and anthemic, everybody-shout-the-chorus tunes were gone (so were the awful, matching white leather outfits, by the way). In fact, the drummer and guitarist were gone, too. But in their place were better players, with much stronger material to work with.

Warrant is realy just one guy: lead singer/songwriter Jani Lane. He's one of the few vocalists of his era that could really sing, and this record is Lane at his finest. Just check out the album closer "Stronger Now" (it's an acoustic ballad with some amazing harmonies). But there are some monstrous songs on here, too. Check out "Undertow" or "Family Picnic." There's not one bad song on here.

If you expect the same glam-metal material of the first 3 albums, this one will surprise you. If you go in with an open mind, this disc will not disappoint.

This 1995 release was a huge departure for Warrant. Founding members Joey Allen and Steven Sweet had left the band, and with them went the guitar riffs and backing vocals Warrant fans loved. The new comers, Rick Steier and James Kottak from the band Kingdom Come, bring with them a new sound. The album was released right in the middle of the grunge invasion and Warrant was attempting to update their sound and image. What transpired is an album that doesn't sound like classic Warrant, but is a great hard rock album. The first song 'Undertow' is a heavy, bass driven rocker that leaves you out of breath. Family Picnic was released as a single and a video was made for play on MTV/VH1. It features disturbing images and lyrics relating to child and spouse abuse. It's a big departure from the tongue-in-cheek 1990 single 'Cherry Pie'. 'High' sounds more like classic Warrant with its acoustic guitar and sing-a-long lyrics. 'Ride #2' has an industrial sound, but is catchy at the same time. 'Stronger Now' is the real hook of the album. It's a true Warrant ballad showcasing vocalist Jani Lane's singing and acoustic guitar talents. Beau Hill, the albums producer and mixer, does a fine job with the producing, however some songs seem too bassy. He helped produce a great hard rock album that deserves to be in your collection.

This album is much different than albums by Warrant before it. No glam whatsoever. Even Dog Eat Dog, which took on a more serious attitude had some glam, this has NONE. Very hard edged. If you love Cherry Pie or DRFSR, you probably won't love this. If you like Warrant, but you thought at times they were a bit too much of a party band (like me) you'll love this album. It has its rockers and its ballads. Undertow is a great hard rocking opener, one of the best on the album. Sum of One and Chameleon are very good ballads, not just the cheesey ballads of Warrant's other albums. High is a very good song, a slow song, one of the best on the album. The title track is great, Ride is also good. The album ends with Stronger Now, a great acoustic ballad, a different song. If I had to compare it to anything I'd compare it to Sad Theresa on Dog Eat Dog, but a lot better. Critics may jump on this album and say that it's just a washed up hair band trying to fit in with the grunge that was popular then, but even if they are trying to get popular, this album kicks major booty nonetheless.

The 1990s brought some major highs and also some major low points to the career of hair metal heavyweights Warrant. By 1995 the Cherry Pie glory days were a distant memory, and the band had to struggle to be heard by an audience who would rather hear distortion-heavy expressions of angst than slick party anthems. They gave it their best shot with Ultraphobic, but you could tell their hearts weren't in it.

Ultraphobic was the halfway point between the smart melodic rock of 1992's unfortunately overlooked Dog Eat Dog and the band's 1996 full-on alternative album Belly to Belly. They toned down some of the hooks and the partying image, instead trying to emphasize their serious side and fuzzier guitar sound. The problem is that Warrant was too good at what they did to really pull off the alternative rock sound. Ultraphobic ended up sounding like an unfinished gem - a really good melodic rock album buried under a layer of grunge.

You can tell by the number of 5-star reviews here that at least some fans loved this album, but it's hard to see Ultraphobic as an essential Warrant album. It has its moments, but for the most part it's just too unfocused and lacking in the rocking spirit of the first three Warrant albums. Buy it if you're a major Warrant fan, but not if you're expecting to hear songs like "Cherry Pie" or "Heaven."

I honestly didn't think this album would be so good. At first I never even knew it exsisted. Warrant does a great job. You've got to give this a listen, then buy it because you will not be dissapointed, if you can imagine an album with all the hooks of pop-metal combined with a harder, rocking edge, which I've always thought the band could use in spades, and you've got ULTRAPHOBIC.

Of course mainstream will never pick this up but you won't believe all the great music that's in my CD collection that I've found without the help of MTV or MuchMusic or the press. This album has very little weak spots and once again I will say how shocked I was that this is so good.

"Chameleon" and "Sum Of One" should have been huge radio hits, but because this is Warrant, there was no way radio programmers anywhere were going to play this and end up sounding dated. Actually these songs would have fit very easily on either one of their 80s cheesy albums. The rockers, like "Family Picnic" and "Undertow" show off some great emotion as well and make you believe that rock n' roll, good rock n'roll, is actually timeless and era-less, if I can just make up that word.

This album has more consistantly good tracks than the previous DOG EAT DOG, which is major accomplishment as few 80s bands actually tend to improve the further they move away from their roots/original sound. But Warrant, you can find them at the top of the heap. There is a mild amount of retundancy in some of the tracks in the second half (avoid "Ride #2" and "High") But Jani Lane shows off enough melody, ferocity and musical ability to make this one of the best CDs of the 1990s...yeah its that good. Do yourself a favour and get it. 9/11

this stuff is much more heavier than any of the other works of warrant. it is so mesmorizing. i must list the tracks and a short review for each song..

1.UNDERTOW- WHAT AN OPENING TRACK, STRONG AND HEAVY.

2.FOLLOWED-MUCH LIKE UNDERTOW A HEAVY TRACK THAT STAYS WITH YOU.

3. FAMILY PICNIC-A DEEP SONG ABOUT PARENTAL ABUSE

4. SUM OF ONE- A SONG THAT GOT ME TO THINKING, IS JANI GAY, BUT NO, IT JUST HAS A DIFFERENT FEEL LYRICWISE

5.CHAMELEON-SAME GREAT STUFF

REST OF ALBUM- STILL KEEPS UP THE GROOVE. (I JUST COULDN'T KEEP LISTING TRACKS)

A different style than previous albums, but outstanding anyway. If you like Dog Eat Dog, you should like this as well.