Customer Reviews

Wasteland Discotheque

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

 

 

I know all the reasons why I shouldn't like Danish crossover metal band Raunchy. They're trendy, they have nu-metal elements, they have metalcore elements, they have clean vocals and aren't br00tal enough. The problem with that is that they're really freaking good. So good that the "genre tag" you stick on them really doesn't matter. All that matters is that they've been consistently releasing enjoyable metal albums, of which 2008's Wasteland Discotheque is their latest.

Wasteland Discotheque isn't far removed from earlier Raunchy efforts. It's still trendy in terms of heavily using gothic, metalcore and industrial elements. The clean vs. growled vocals is pretty formulaic as well. The album is almost tailor made for the latest incarnation of MTV's Headbangers Ball. The album has a great energy, some terrific melodies, and aside from some goofy lyrics is effective on just about every level. More so than the latest releases by Killswitch Engage and Soilwork at least. Highlights include "Straight To Hell", the 8-minute closer "The Comfort In Leaving" and a surprisingly good cover of the Rockwell tune "Somebody's Watching Me."

Raunchy strikes the perfect balance between metal aggression and mainstream accessibility. If that's your thing, then you need to check out Wasteland Discotheque. If you're worried that this might not be tr00 enough, it isn't. If you can keep an open mind, this is a very enjoyable crossover metal album.

Another reviewer stated about the lyrics on this album. He was directly on the money. These lyrics are severely sophomoric. The music is the same as Death Pop Romance with a little more edge to it but the lyrics are so cheesy at best. I can see someone stating how that reviewer feels. Some of these lyrics are down right stupid. This isn't Backstreet Boys, N'Sync, Air Supply or Jefferson Starship...lol(I'm dating myself here) this is METAL. I must say I agree 100%. It's going to be hard for me listen to this on the regular because of the lyrics. But all in all if you liked Death Pop Romance you will like this album musically. Lyrics are another story. Sorry guys FIX this lyrical lapse please.

If Raunchy were a band out of the U.S. they would easily be as big as a band like Killswitch Engage. They are one of those bands where you play their music and someone who is into metal will say - "man, who is that? that's freakin' awesome!" Buy this album - you will not regret it. We can only hope for a U.S. tour someday...

Finally, the divine incarnation of the Gothenburg death metal/metalcore sound (even though they're from Denmark). It bounces, it bellows, it soars. It's very emotional without being emo in any way, and minces current posterboys In Flames, Soilwork, and countless other screamed verse- sung chorus- blastbeats- interlude- repeat vanilla artists. Raunchy isn't as heavy as say Scar Symmetry and Wasteland Discotheque isn't so much industrialized as it is atmospheric, but only in sparse amounts. It has abundant concrete slabs of heaviness and the equally abundant melody doesn't sacrifice the hammer blows, and in fact compliments it. The vocals are hoarse and raspy and the clean vocals are urgent and slightly fragile but not weak in any way. The entire album is fast-paced and relatively upbeat but also dreary without being slow or mired in melancholy. These guys want to rock, not break your heart.

I get a strong feeling of "This is Love, This is Lunacy" era Still Remains when I listen to this. Imagine if that album, one of the best straight-up metalcore albums of all time, had been made in Sweden by metal veterans. Yet this album, while bearing very familiar footprints of a long-deflated sound, reaches the top of the mountain because of excellent songwriting and technical skills and heaps of emotion and sincerity. The formula is familiar but when it's done so well, it feels fresh and welcome. This is exactly what this species of metal should sound like.

This release takes the top spot for the best cd of 2008 so far in my opinion. Fantastic work by this band. Their releases keep getting better and better. Songs are very catchy, melodic, and moving around all over the place. I cant stop listening to this cd. This band should be huge. How about a U.S. tour guys?

My only problem with this cd is the lyrics. If you are a dedicated fan, you can relate when I say.. from Velvet Noise to Confusion Bay the lyrics went from typical metal - of heroics and stories and facing inner demons or just dark poetry written in 2 lined paragraphs leaving the imagination open to partying and love and relationships while parting.... Confusion Bay went... say Limp Bizkit (comparable to MY library) and seemed effortless... all about touring and on disc cheering to fans as if a damn concert is recorded, thanking them and celebrating getting laid and describing it. Death Pop Romance came and the lyrics were serious and even more hardcore than previous and the music was insanely heavy. They returned to their roots and were awesome.

The music and studio production doesn't change at all. For one thing I can say this band is thankfully one of those bands that takes, what you've grown to love music-wise and keeps going with it. They don't change their style and go acoustic or all mature with fatherly heavenlike material, or go Soilwork and have the guitars sounding like it's an amp inside of a cabinet.. It is the same riffs, the same speed and even though it sounds really repetitive to last time, it's the same style so rock on.. It's no Staind from Dysfunction to Chapter V......... Even though it's a pale comparison, but a good for-instance.

But the lyrics have totally reverted to Confusion Bay... part 2. If it's not Copenhagen, it's New York City. And if you're not partying with biker speed on the highway than you're dancing with the angels the devil calls the weekend... "... please..."

I think this is the reason why the last singer was kicked out right? His singing went from meaning to let's party and here we go again...

But the music quality is awesome. I'm just really confused why there is so much quality in the music, even in the cover song that kills the original and so much lacking in the lyrics... I mean I know this band isn't anywhere near or ever going to come to the states but is this their way of reaching mainstream in their land? I just don't understand how say.. "Thank you for all the times we shared, now you want it now you have it so tap tap tap your toes to the beat, like all the rest you're sweet sweet sweet and I've tasted all of them" - and that's the chorus of the title track, halfway through the cd and every song's lyrics and chorus is like that... To me, I can't sing that on the way home from work and totally envelop in it. Meanwhile the music is heavy and hard as hell... I just don't get it and really scratch my head hard thinking.

The music is definately evolved, from thrash to melodic almost Hopesfall like with pedals being used and still just as loud as we all like it but the lyrics just kill it for me. I've listened to it about 6 times through and through at this point and I felt forced to write this review. It's hard, and heavy and loud... and better if not more of the same but the lyrics just do not add up to the rest at all. I'm sorry. It gets a 3 from me, because it's just that annoying.. THE WHOLE CD!!!!!!!!????? Sorry for not disguising the band members names and faces to be approximate but music is all I care about and although it's new and improved the lyrics just ruin it.. Maybe I'll give it a four like I gave Confusion Bay, but that ^^^(lyrics)^^^ just seems like a tour bus Ipod demo crapper scribble.

This has to be the best 2008 album available. I can't stop listening to it, and if I do, I still come back to this cd. Awesome! I'd love to go see these guys in concert