Customer Reviews

Versus

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

 

 

A band who it seems have been overlooked for far too long, The Panic Division's blend of aggressive, punchy rock and blasting choruses are not to be ignored. "Versus," the album originally recorded and released by the band themselves almost a year from its re-release on The Militia Group, compiles 11 shimmering rock songs. Electronic loops and blasting guitars find their way through the breed of rip-off bands out there, with rather ordinary but nonetheless catchy vocal stylings and melodies.

The title track, "Versus," rips. As the drums blast away and the song kicks into full gear, you can't help but be suprised at the way the song sinks its teeth into you. The electronic looping is done suprisingly well, and breaks the band out of its shell, shining through on tracks like "Paradise" and "Sweet Devotion" especially. Truly, "Sweet Devotion," with its atmospheric intro and mad riffing guitars, sounds huge, enormous. Key tracks "Songs Of A Dead Poet" and "Paradise" all expose the insane catchiness and passion of the band, and while at moments the production might sound a little weak, overall it's obvius this band is meant to and do sound enormous, especially in their impressive live act.

Noisy and intense, "Versus" is what happens when a band who know their favorite styles in rock and hardcore make an album that is purely driven on melodies and original, interesting electronic synth looping. This album is absolutely insane, and incredibly underrated, and will undoubtedly pump up anyone's day. Go grab yourself a copy already.

I've been listening to these guys for years now, back when they were 'Carbon 12 Theory', I've even lived with two of the members, and can say they are very hard working, and extremely dedicated when it comes to their music. This band deserves to finally get out there and be heard by a much larger audience. This is their first national release, but they've made so many other great songs, a few of them have made it to this CD.

1. Versus: 5/5 Great opener, starts off fast, and strong.
2. Goodbyes: 5/5 I love the opening of this song, and the rest doesnt dissapoint.
3. Automatic Synthetic: 3/5 The original version was excellent, Its hard for me to listen to this one and not want to play the old version. It still brings a lot to the album.
4. Paradise: 5/5 Another strong, emotionally charged song.
5. Songs of a Dead Poet: 5/5 I actually enjoy this one much more than the older version, the keyboards added a great touch.
6. Little Child 4/5 Good song, its more of a "break" between songs, sets a good mood.
7. Sweet Devotion: 5/5 Great song, fast, loud it even has some screaming.
8. Easy Target: 4/5 Starts a little slow, dark sound to it, but the chorus is great, catch.
9. Questions and Answers: 5/5 I love this song, great lyrics, great sound to it.
10. Delta: 3/5 Not as good as the original, but its still a pretty good song.
11. DWI: 5/5 One of my fave's on this disc. Great drums, just an all around good song.

Overall, I'd say this is a really good disc, and a great band. If they come to your city, you have to go see them. I've seen numorous shows and they've all been excellent.

Let's do a little mind experiment, shall we? Take The Jealous Sound, de-indie-fy them, inject them with a 300% dose of hard, heavy rock, heap layers upon layers of dark, atmospheric, electronic textures on the band's palette, and marvel at the product: The Panic Division. The band's Militia Group debut, Versus, is an exceptionally crafted, melancholy, dark, electronic-based, spacey, heavy-hitting, pop-tinged rock record; yes, it's as good as it sounds.

Whereas many bands these days scatter electronics throughout their songs simply as an afterthought, The Panic Division actually writes their songs based off the electronic loops they create. Such a process results in a very genuine sounding record: the electronic loops and keyboards weave in and out of the songs gracefully, never coming or leaving abruptly, but always setting the mood and helping to carry the songs where they need to go. Weaned on such artists as Aphex Twin, DJ Shadow, and Snapcase, singer Colton Holliday says the band tries to combine electronic and rock music "the right way." Well, Mr. Holliday, The Panic Division has succeeded. With flying colors.

When I listen to Versus, I am immersed in a world all my own. The mood the album creates is one I empathize with: melancholy, and a sense of loneliness. Err, I guess that makes me sound like I'm depressed, but I'm not. It's just a warm feeling to know that other people can create music that sounds the way I feel at times-after all, isn't that what music is about? Whenever I listen to the album, I feel like I'm wandering around in a desolate, urban, city late at night, just walking and thinking. Yeah, that's pretty weird, I know, but the album does that to me. And I love every second of it.

The rich, textural electronic samples perfectly complement the heavy, hard-hitting guitars, and though I've said this before, the fusion of the two really is remarkable. The synth loops are deep and expressive, the swirling, oft-delayed guitars are full-bodied and ready to smack you in the face, and the vocals and harmonies are smooth and melodious. The production is nice and thick with the guitars, but allows for some breathing room too-it fits the music perfectly. If you were reading this review to figure out whether or not to buy the album, the answer is a resounding yes. Well done, The Panic Division, well done.

--Rohan Kohli/AbsolutePunk.net

This album is full of energy and flavor. It has driving guitars, drums, and bass, great vocal melodies, and synth parts which blend together to make something very solid and very powerful. The entire album easily paints an inspiring environment. I do not find the music on this album to be generic either, because the pictures this album paints for me are something definately fresh. Here's my rundown...

1.) "Versus" - Great opening song. Has a lot of energy and flavor. 5/5
2.) "Goodbyes" - Another fast paced song with cool snyths (this album has a lot of those). There's a lot of feeling in the vocals too. 5/5
3.) "Automatic Synthetic" - A little more of the same. Not as good as the first too, but a good song. 4/5
4.) "Paradise" - More feeling then the songs before it. Nice driving chorus. Still fast. 5/5
5.) "Songs of A Dead Poet" - Still fast. Great song. If you liked the tracks before it, you'll like this one too probably. 5/5
6.) "Little Child" - The album changes pace here. Slower electronica song. Very relaxing. 5/5
7.) "Sweet Devotion" - Perfect jumping beat on this one. The guitars are heavier on this one too. The bridge is crazy, with screaming and whatnot. You could say this song "rocks". 5/5
8.) "Easy Target" - Another change of pace, which is a good thing. Very catchy. Radio song? I hope so, this stuff is way better then screamo crap. 5/5
9.) "Questions and Answers" - Back to the speediness. Very catchy chorus. Yeah, you get it by now. 5/5
10.) "Delta" - Another slower song. Perhaps the highlight of the album. Cool stuff. 5/5
11.) "DWI" - Ends on a fast note. Nothing you haven't heard already on here, but it ends the album well. 5/5

Wow. Way cool album. I hope you buy it. CAUSE YOU SHOULD. Modern hard rock music done very well. It's got everything I need... vocal melodies, energy, and enough flavor to keep me coming back for more!

It's the best and still my favorite album above all of the other ones, almost all the songs from this album are very enjoyable!!

If you haven't listen to it yet and you're not sure if you want to buy it, give it a try on Youtube even though they don't have all the songs in a good quality but still you won't regret it.


Do I Recommend This Band To A Friend: "YES"

The complete album gets a 5/5 Star

I'm always stoked to hear a band that is doing something different and doing it well. Case in point with these guys. The electronics incorporated into the songs is great, great stuff but I agree with the other review in that it is a bit too inconsistent. I disagree with his opinion of "song's of a dead poet"...which is one of the top tracks. A few tracks in the middle just didn't do it for me like "Sleep" and "Little Child". But overall an awesome debut. Very well put together and clearly lots of talent here. By the sounds of thier new album they have gone even more towards that 80's sound that they hinted at in 'Versus'. I look forward to it simply for the fact that there is really nothing else out there like it. By the way, the last track on this album, entitled "DWI" is disgustingly good. It has become one of my all-time favorite songs and I listen to lots of music.

i really want to like this group alot. The inventive and compelling keyboards,the ambient porudction, massive wall of sound guitars, but the band lacks in variety. Songs like "goodbyes" "delta" and "sweet devotion" and "paradise" are brilliant, while others like "songs of a dead poet" lag without the same kind of drive as the aformentioned. The atmospheric and inventive keyboard parts are good throughout so all in all im intruiged and wanting back for more

This band seems to not want to acknowledge that their music is basically generic commercial power-pop emo. They add some keyboards, and the production is great, but most of this album is just like if you love every band that sounds like Taking Back Sunday, you'll love this, and if you don't you won't. But there are two songs that really stand out from the rest. Delta and Sweet Devotion. They're so cheesy, but they're two of the best pop songs you will ever hear. Delta reminds me a lot of Wilson Phillips and of Devin Townsend's Ocean Machine album. So cheesy, so good. If they made an album of songs of that calibre I'd buy it in a second.