Customer Reviews

Use Once & Destroy

5 star:		(43)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

With Pantera on hiatus, their frontman Phil Anselmo has unleashed yet another side project onto the metal scene this year, this time it's Superjoint Ritual. Joining forces with Jimmy Bower of Eyehategod and C.O.C. (and also member of Anselmo's DOWN), Hank Williams III, and Joe Fazzio, the band has crafted a demonic, borderline death metal sound showing shades of Venom and Celtic Frost. The only other way I can describe it is like a less talented Pantera with a lot more screaming than usual. Songs like "Everyone Hates Everyone", "The Alcoholik", "All Of Our Lives Will Get Tired", and "Creepy Crawl" are highlights here, but some of the songs sound too similar to one another, which isn't such a bad thing, but considering the album's 18 total cuts just clocking in at under an hour long, this could have been better. All in all, Superjoint Ritual may not be the best material these guys have ever put out, but if you are craving something really heavy but don't want to get into death metal, then check this out.

In 2001, after Pantera released "Reinventing The Steel" a year earlier, Phil continued work on two of his other bands, Necrophagia and Viking Crown, as well as starting a new group, Southern Isolation. Then Phil returned in 2002 with Down and Superjoint Ritual. Superjoint actually released their first demo in 1997, but they officially debuted in 2002. "Down II" proved to be quite a disappointment, but, fortunately, SJR's "Use Once And Destroy" is very cool. This album is much more hardcore-influenced and underground-sounding than anything released by Pantera or Down. The downtuned guitars, fast drumming, and Phil's constant, throat-straining, lung-stretching yells make this record a very raw, seething, dissonant, relentless, and sonically crushing assault. There are a few moments when a song will sound somewhat traditional or catchy, but then Phil's roaring voice will explode through your speakers and shatter that song's opportunity. Phil hinted at this type of extreme vocal style on Pantera's 1996 disc, "The Great Southern Trendkill," as well as "Reinventing The Steel," but he only fully lets loose on this album. Phil's performance isn't as great or expansive as it was on past releases with his name on it, but it is every bit as expressive and it helps to make these songs as intense as they are.

Most of "Use Once And Destroy" is very fast, but it does sound somewhat like Phil's other band when the tempos slow down. Two examples of this are "The Introvert," which sounds like a "Far Beyond Driven"-era tune, and "Superjoint Ritual," a slower, mostly instrumental track which sports a fairly big groove and blowtorch, jackhammer guitars, could be a b-side from "The Great Southern Trendkill."

"Oblivious Maximus," opens this album, and might be the best song on here. It's completely instrumental and boasts blistering, pounding guitars and drums, as well as a fast tempo change. In addition to the usual high pitched screams, "It Takes No Guts" puts low, constipated bellows on top of more scorching riffs. The walloping "4 Songs" is backed by machine gun drum patterns, and a few of Phil's patented, long shrieks. (It sounds like he just had his wisdom teeth pulled without any Novocaine.) Elsewhere, when "All Of Our Lives Will Get Tired" hits its peak, it's almost deafening, with squealing guitars and vocals, and "Drug Your Love" and "Haunted/Hated" are explosive, pounding squalls of prominent double bass work and fiery, careening guitars.

"Use Once And Destroy" surely won't cater to everyone's tastes. If you don't like melody and harmony deficient music with turbo charged riffs and vocals which could peel paint off of walls, you should not even consider this disc. And if you're a casual metal fan, you might enjoy this album only in small doses. But serious metalheads (like me) and hardcore fans (also like me) will think this stuff is pretty bad ass.

If you're a Pantera fan, avoid this. SJR is metal in its most filthy, grungy, disgusting pinnacle. If you want technical wankery, blazing solos, and orthodox vocals, go listen to Helloween or Iron Maiden; But for those who are looking for down-to-earth, straight-forward, crusty, old-school metal, pick this up at all costs. This is metal with tinges of old punk and hardcore, overshadowed by an obvious of bands like Celtic Frost, Venom, and Motorhead. "Use Once and Destroy" is the audio equilvalent of getting beat mercilessly, having your wallet stolen from a thief, and being left in a dumpster... Yeah, it's THAT furious. SJR maybe aren't the most talented metalheads on the block, but if there is one thing they have, it's ATTITUDE. The whole album has a DIY backdrop to it, discarding fame for ethics. SJR's music is the ultimate expression of saying you don't care about anything, and you couldn't care less about life itself! Another thing, these guys have a lot of GROOVE. Yes, groove. You could headbang to this all day, no joke! The boys alternate between stoner dirges, hardcore breakdowns, and furious punk-influenced speed metal, but never once does it get boring. There are a lot of catchy parts as well. Phil is a LOT different here. He has a visceral high-pitched scream through the whole album, but also does a lot of mid-pitched yelling, adding to the punk feel of this album.

The production is done really well, but holds the raw essence of all instruments, especially the drums, which are pin-point perfect, but simple. The smallest things here can be effective. Guitars hold a fuzzy quality, but have a lot of clarity. Kevin knows how to jam, that's for sure! There's an evident Black Sabbath influence thorughout the whole, almost making it a stoner album.

1. Oblivious Maximus- A great opening jam that gives the listener a hint of whats to come. 5/5

2. It Takes No Guts- Starts off with a nice drum intro before busting into a full-on assault of the senses with Phil's aggressive vocals. A blistering opener with a nice chunky breakdown. 5/5

3. Everyone Hates Everyone- Very catchy! This song has some good, fast drumwork, nice tempo changes, and Phil screams his guts out. The last section of the song focuses on a Black Sabbath-like jam, a nice dirgy part to headbang to. 5/5

4. The Introvert- My personal fave on the album. Has a nice groove to the breakdown, and the speedy parts are very catchy. The song structure is also fairly unpredictable and varied, adding an edge to this song. 5/5

5. The Alcholik- A bludgeoning groove with simple guitar work dominates most of this song. Most of it seems like a Black Sabbath garage jam, giving this song an especially jammable and groovy, stoner feel. 5/5

6. F**k Your Enemy- Simple, straight-forward, no-frills ripper. 'Nuff said. Addictive and catchy. 4/5

7. 4 Songs- This shows off the more technical side of SJR, while maintaining their grungy dirges. The guitars and drums twist through complex grooves, weird dirges, and technical fills. Huge marks for the drums. This song accurately sums up the feel of the whole album. 5/5

8. Messages- Starts off with a drugged-out beginning and builds into a speed metal frenzy. Nothing special, really, but it's still alright. 2/5

9. All of Our Lives Will Get Tried- A slower, stoner song with spaced-out guitars, a catchy chorus, and a chaotic verse. Phil does a good job on the vocals here, and the drums collaborate perfectly with the constantly changing guitars. However, this song is a bit forgettable... 3/5

10. Antifaith- Much like track 6. Straight-forward structure, fist-pumping chorus, and a brutal breakdown. On of my faves on the album. 4/5

11. Ozena- Another slow song, but VERY catchy. It's simple, but any metalhead could jam to this for days. 5/5

12. Drug Your Love- Now this is what I mean by "metal"! Truly brutal, with a pummeling rhythm complimenting Phil's in-your-face vocals. The guitars near the middle of the song are really cool as well. However, this song is a bit short.. 3.5./5

13. Haunted Hated- This song seems a bit too rendundant. The guitars aren't really that memorable, and the song seems to be stuck in the up-tempo punk speed, but there is some good drum work, mainly on the double bass. 2/5

14. Stupid, Stupid Man- Not bad, but not really great either... It's just kind of there. 2/5

15. Creepy Crawl- Back to the catchiness! There is a lot of switching between the downtempo and uptempo here, and the guitar line is really addicting. 4/5

16. Superjoint Ritual- The closing track also sums up the album nicely with an odd, stoner-like atmosphere complimented by disharmonic guitars and odd guitars. Pretty cool closing track. 4/5

The last two tracks are demos that would show up on "A Lethal Dose of American Hatred" as "Stealing a Page or two From Armed & Radical Pagans" and "Waiting for the Turning Point", respectfully. This shows the band's energy at its highest.

To say the least, this is like getting spit on, beat down... Anything violent. This is mercyless, no-frills, dirty metal for real metalheads. Definitely NOT for the weak. This album will pummel you into a pulp, spit all over your carcass, and smash you like a bug.

I love Pantera, but Superjoint Ritual is also good. SJR sometimes sounds like a heavier version of Pantera minus the longer guitar solos. The lyrics aren't exactly great, the voclas are mostly screaming, the guitar is pretty good, the drumming is great, and the bass is ok. Can't wait for their third CD to come out!

Track ratings:
1. Oblivious Maximus-(2:33)-10/10
2. It Takes No Guts-(2:06)-10/10
3. Everyone Hates Everyone-(3:49)-9/10
4. The Introvert-(3:46)-9/10
5. The Alcoholik-(2:30)-10/10
6. F**k Your Enemy-(1:40)-10/10
7. 4 Songs-(6:18)-10/10
8. Messages-(2:01)-9/10
9. All Of Our Lives Will Get Tired-(3:21)-9/10
10. Anti-Faith-(2:14)-8/10
11. Ozena-(3:56)-10/10
12. Drug Your Love(2:51)-10/10
13. Haunted Hated-(2:40)-10/10
14. Stupid, Stupid Man-(2:33)-9/10
15. Creepy Crawl-(1:54)-10/10
16. Superjoint Ritual-(6:34)-10/10
17. Starvation Trip [Bonus Demo]-(1:23)-7/10 (Production sucks)
18. Little H [Bonus Demo]-(2:05)-7/10 (Production sucks)

Overall:
A great CD. Also, pick up their second CD; it also rules.

I was sceptical at first after hearing down 2 but this one is nothing like it this is more like Great Southern Trendkill. It gets my vote so far for best album yet this year. If you like hardcore Pantera you'll love it as much as I do.

The ignorance of people never ceases to amaze me. I am looking through these reviews and seeing people bash this CD like they were music critics. There not music critics, there a** holes that have nothing better to do than to trash talk an album that they no nothing about because there so pathetic and have no musical talents. Who the hell are you to judge this cd you pricks. Now look here, don't buy or not buy this cd based on what people say because for all you know these people could be some retard nerd siting at his computer typing with one hand if you know what I mean. Download a song or two and make your own choice about the music. And people stop comparing this cd to Pantera and Down because there is no comparison. Pantera is a heavy melody type sound, Down is southern metal, and Superjoint is just a hardcore thrash metal. When SJR decided to make this cd they didn't care about singing, they didn't care about a crisp clear sound. They just wanted to make something that you could bang your head to and get the hell beat out of you in a pit. And if you don't like Phil go back to your little trendy gay boy band and stay out of the pits because you don't know a danm thing about music. And about Pantera's past, it's like the song says, "YESTERDAY DON'T MEAN SH*T"!

This album is full of killer guitar hooks that are catchy yet brutally heavy. Phil Anselmo prefers screaming over singing on this album and it fits the heaviness perfectly. The rest of the band lock into some serious grooves that will make you bang your head. Though the whole album rules, I recommend "The Introvert", "4 Songs", "The Alkoholik" and "Everybody hates everyone". If your a fan of dark,angry and creepy heavy metal, buy this album now. Your ears will love it. It's still getting heavy rotation in my stereo.

This album was the first album that introduced me to Phil Anselmo and the likes of Down and Pantera. Not only that, but it also got me away from b******t bands such as Staind, Korn, the Murderdolls and Marilyn Manson.

Before I bought this album I read about Phil and his past involvements with Pantera and his current efforts in Down at the time of its release. So I went to the steaming pile of garbage known as FYE and bought it.

Upon first listen, I was amazed at the intensity and the energy these guys had while recording this thing. Phil's screams were a bit unsettling at first, since I was used to the more melodic nu-metal bands and the rapping. But I got used to it quick.

And then it hit me. I was like "Disturbed and Staind ain't got nothing on this". From there, I got into Pantera, Down and lots more true heavy metal bands (i.e. Morbid Angel, Death, Soilent Green).

Thank you Phil Anselmo, Kevin Bond, Jimmy Bower, Joe Fazzio and Hank Williams III!

This record is rad. Like the second Lamb of God record,this is a riff feast, and any metalhead worth his horns WILL bang his/her head...end of story. Same goes for the second Superjoint record. Phil hasn't done us wrong yet, and fer chrissakes, it's got JimmY f'n Bower...who are you to criticize?

This is Superjoints best album so far. if you're new to superjoint, start off with this cd. their other album is good but not half as good as this one. I listen to this cd daily for a week. it's that good! Buy it along with The Haunted's new album rEVOLVEr!