Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Message From Opticon: Orgy Have Created A Masterpiece, November 9, 2000
I'll be perfectly honest, I wasn't a big fan of "Candyass." "Stitches" was perfect, but the rest was mostly lacking (especially their cover of New Order's classic "Blue Monday"). When I heard Orgy where making a follow-up, I didn't think much of it. Then I heard they were going in a heavier and more electronic direction, and that this time, there would be no covers. My interest was sparked. So after hearing the ridiculously catchy "Fiction (Dreams In Digital)," my mind was made up. I went out and bought "Vapor Transmission." And after finally tearing myself away from the single long enough, I listened to the CD all the way through. The result? As my title said, a masterpiece. It's like Depeche Mode covering Nine Inch Nail's "Broken" album. Not one bad song here, and "Fiction (Dreams In Digital)" isn't even the best song here. "The Odyssey," "Opticon," "107," "Eyes-Radio-Lies," and "Chasing Sirens" are all, in my opinion, the best songs here. Perhaps the biggest shock to me was that all (yes, all) of these songs are incredibly catchy. The guitars are heavier than on "Candyass," but I wouldn't call them aggressive at all, just distorted and heavy (just the way I like it). The more electronic diection that Orgy said they were taking is evident, especially on songs like "Fiction (Dreams In Digital)" and "Chasing Sirens." However, the biggest improvement on Orgy's sophomore effort is Jay Gordan. Let's face it, he didn't do a great lyrical job on "Candyass," and most of the songs were a bit uninspired ("Dizzy," anyone?). With "Vapor Transmission," however, he makes a huge improvement. On "Eva" (which I read was written as a tribute to producer Josh Abraham's late mother) Jay is completely touching. Others, like "Opticon" for example, Jay sings about fakes and religion (thankfully telling it like it is). Now, Jay's lyrics are on par with his amazinng vocals. Another complaint about "Candyass" was that Orgy were nothing but a studio band, that all the magick came from their producers. "Fiction (Dreams In Digital)" probably didn't convert the ones who believe that (I did with "Candyass"), but one listen through the whole album, and you can tell that's not true. Strip away all the studio ear candy, and you still have a band that can rock like %95 of these current "bands" wish they could (Papa Roach, anyone?). Perhaps the song that stood out the most to me was "107." The dark atmosphere practically commands you step up and take notice. There are dark melodies running throughout the vein of "Vapor Transmission" from "Vapor Transmission (Intro)" to the hidden gem of a song at the end, but none so magnificently strong as "107." I really hope this song is considered for a single, because it truly deserves to be heard. Another top winner is "The Odyssey," which has some great lyrics dealing with people who run from things. As I've said before though, all of these songs are amazing and extremely catchy. The lyrics and vocals are amazing, the music is incredible and infectious, and "Vapor Transmission" has the best production since Nine Inch Nails' "The Fragile." Orgy have created a masterpiece, and "Vapor Transmission" earns its spot as one of the three best albums of the year. Very highly recommended, just don't say I didn't warn you when you can't get these songs out of your head. Personally, I like them there. A perfect album.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Using past and present, Orgy have made the future of music., October 11, 2000
I've never given an album five stars on here before, but I believe I have finally found a more than worthy CD to take that honor. Orgy's "Vapor Transmission" is an absolutely stunning accomplishment -- a wild fushion of keyboards, hard rock, creative production, and great vocals. It blows away their debut album and just about any other hard rock CD released so far this year. What makes this album -- and Orgy in general -- so effective is how they take many elements of 80's music, like synths and keyboards, and weld them to catchy late 90's metal, an approach that produces some truly epic songs here. And in an age when nearly every modern metal band has a rapper for a singer and a DJ they don't really need, Orgy stand out for creating smooth, textured music than is nonetheless aggressive without lapsing into meaningless rap shouts. There really isn't a single dud on "Vapor Transmission". After the intro song, Orgy blast into action with "Suckerface", a heavy song with a catchy rhythm and subtle keyboards. From there, it's almost all gravy: the beatiful "Fiction", the gorgeous ballad "Eva", and the haunting "Re-creation" are among some of the best moments. All of the songs have memorable, interesting touches, and the whole thing closes out with a bang with "Where's Gerrold?", a blazing slice of perfectly executed metallic fury. Throughout the album, Orgy throw out every trick in the book to give the music maximum impact: weird vocal effects, string instruments, breakbeats, and moments of remarkable passion from singer Jay Gordon. At times, all the effects risk overwhelming the music and can seem gimmicky, but it's refreshing to see a band go too far to please the listener instead of not going far enough. All in all, if you're a fan of Orgy's first album, modern metal in general, or even some 80's music, you'd be insane not to pick up "Vapor Transmission". Unlike most CDs, it gets better the more you listen to it instead of worse, a great rarity in these times. And if you can, see them perform live some time. They are more than capable of producing this tricky, complex music live, and they put on one of the best shows you'll ever see.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Orgy have grown, lyrically and musically., October 28, 2000
After listening to Candyass for 2 straight years, I didn't think Orgy could top it. I was wrong. Orgy go beyond their glam rock image and deliver some real hi-quality songs. There are no cover songs here, just really well written original songs. Like the title states: Orgy have grown lyrically and musically.If you are expecting Candyass part 2, let me disappoint you. The songs on here are far more creative. Songs like "Eyes, Radio, Lies" and "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)" are the best pieced together songs and have a layered sound to them. "Opticon" and "Suckerface" are the two heaviest songs, and are also where drummer Bobby Hewitt shines his most. Upon listening to Candyass, I labeled him as a mediocre drummer, but in this CD, he proves to be one of the most talented in the band. "Eva" is a more emotional song, which I'm not sure quite what it's about, I know it's about someone Jay lost, maybe his mom or a girlfriend or someone he looked up to, but it is very well written and the timing is perfect. This is surely the album that will establish Orgy as their own, rather than just a band associated with Korn. Orgy have finally found where they want to and need to be, musically, and lyrically.
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