An Absence of Empathy [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Frameshift

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 12, 2005)
• Original Release Date: April 12, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: ProgRock Records
• ASIN: B0007SME0E
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #160,097 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Henning's musicianship and writing style in this album have clearly set a precedent for all 21st century prog-metal! --Joel Glanfield, HP Forum, April 2005

Product Description

The basic concept of Frameshift s Human Grain was conceived by progrockrecords president Shawn Gordon. Several years ago he played keyboards for the band Zircadian and they had a partially written concept album under the name Prophet Savant which gave us the initial idea for Human Grain. In their storyline a man experiences different forms of violence because he becomes a kind of seer. They had written songs for an epic battle and two torture scenes.

In countless eMails and meetings (one including Stephan Kernbach from Chain) Shawn Gordon and Henning Pauly developed this idea into the storyline and concept that is now the new Frameshift album. They dropped the mystical approach and decided to move it closer towards a real situation, distancing the concept from being a story around a person and rather focusing on what that person experiences. In this respect the album actually does not have a real storyline, just like Unweaving the Rainbow, but a series of songs around the same topic. This time around Sebastian Bach, ex-lead for Skid Row was tapped for vocals thanks to an introduction by James LaBrie of Dream Theater who did vocals on the first Frameshift album.

Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent

This quote gives you a good idea what this album is about. It is about violence, human violence to be precise. It is ever present and, in varying degrees, ingrained in all of us. Viiolence is in all of us, but the question is what factors determine who lets it show through and how does it show itself. The same questions haunts the protagonist of Human Grain. He is a curious individual who wants to know why the media is filled with news about murder, rape and war and he is afraid that he might have the potential for violence himself. He starts to research the subject, but this is not enough because it can t show him what motivates the person that acts violently, what plagues them and it doesn t make him feel the pain of the victims. His desire to understand one of humanity s most basic traits leads to a series of vivid dreams that appear to be so real that he can t escape this dream world until it is all over. In them, he becomes the killer, he becomes the rapist, he becomes the soldier, he becomes the mother crying for her daughter who was raped.

The first song introduces the theme and illustrates how our main character is plagued by his questions about humanity s major flaw. He starts a journey into the minds of other people to experience violence first hand. At the end of the album he draws his conclusion and asks himself if there is nothing else to us than hurting each other and the answer he finds is worthy of discovery.

Human Grain takes you into the psyche of several different people who are either experiencing or acting out violence. Each form of violence is dealt with in two songs, each one shedding light on a different point view of the scenario. For example, one song illustrates a torture scene from the point of view of the torturer and the paired song takes you into the same room, this time from the point of view of the man being tortured. Another pairing is about violence in schools. One song deals with a teacher using psychological violence towards his students who then rebel and the other song is about a school shooting.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very strong successor to Unweaving the Rainbow, May 27, 2005

By	Murat Batmaz (Istanbul, Turkey) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Multi-instrumentalist Henning Pauly's second Frameshift album An Absence of Empathy is a very strong successor to his debut disc which featured James Labrie on vocals. This time around, the vocal duties are handled by another amazing Canadian vocalist: the mighty Sebastian Bach! Needless to say, hearing Bach on a progressive metal album isn't a very common thing, so I was very excited to hear when Pauly and Bach had joined forces to create the second Frameshift album. Henning Pauly, besides playing all instruments except the drums, has done pretty much all the songwriting with the exception of two tracks to which Bach made some lyrical changes. Pauly has also mixed, engineered and produced the album himself with some assistance from his friends Matt Cash and Adam Evers.

The subject matter explored on An Absence of Empathy is extremely intriguing! As its cover art suggests, the album is dark and very heavy lyrically. Basically it's a deep study on different forms of violence, be it the story of a serial killer in "Just One More"; a mother crying for her raped daughter in "In An Empty Room"; a soldier shooting people without knowing if they're soldiers or innocents on "Push the Button"; or simply a school shooting by rebelling students on "Outcast". I am thoroughly impressed by the depth of the lyrics on this album - the metaphors, wordplays and twisted imagery created are stunning. Each song depicts a different situation - not just sick-minded people taking the lives of innocents, but also normal people committing murder as on "I Killed You", which is about a man killing his wife for her act of betrayal in a moment of rage. However, the most moving songs lyrically are the 'torture' songs, "This is Gonna Hurt" and "How Long Can I Resist". Whilst the former tells a sick torturing story in a dark room from the torturer's point of view, the latter is told from the protagonist's eyes. Sebastian Bach portrays a wide spectrum of moods singing each song and takes you into the psyche of all these different people.

Musically the album is equally challenging. Although I've never heard Henning Pauly's solo album, out of all the Chain and Frameshift stuff, An Absence of Empathy is his most progressive creation to date. Also, it is slightly heavier than Unweaving the Rainbow. Though 74 minutes, the album is an incredibly quick listen. All songs flow into each other seamlessly, giving you no other option but hit play again after the last track. Pauly's songwriting skills are top notch. He gives each song character, style and passion. "Just One More", reminding me of Porcupine Tree's In Absentia due to its lyrical content, kicks in with a slightly electronic vibe that quickly transforms into a guitar-driven song with a fantastic chorus sung by Bach. "Miseducation" merges classic Hard'N Heavy grooves of bands like Skid Row with symphonic prog rock and has a modern "Youth Gone Wild"-like overall vibe.

The album's centrepieces are the two 9-minute monster tracks "I Killed You" with its ever-present changes of tempo and melody, going from ballad-like passages to experimental stuff to unbelievably complex harmonies that put Bach's brutal screams under the spotlight. Analog keys and fantastic synth solos permeat the song that are eventually complemented by a terrific guitar run that gives me goosebumps every time. "Blade", the other long number, is the hidden gem of the album. I thought it an average track after the first couple of listens, but now, I consider it one of the best on the album. It's a huge, epic track with masterfully crafted symphonic touches that evoke the movie Braveheart for some reason, and contains a killer Barbarian choir consisting of Bach himself, Henning Pauly, Matt Cash, Adam Evers and Jody Asworth from Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Not only does the choir lay down fantastic harmonies, but the chorus of this track is quite possibly the most beautiful and haunting vocal melody Bach has ever sung. Hearing that "In the end they may take all I love away, but not today!" line will send shivers down many a listener's spine. What a fantastic melody, what a fantastic song, what a fantastic vocal performance!

"In An Empty Room" and the closing track "What Kind of Animal" are the slower tracks on the disc, but they're far from cliche ballads. Actually I've never heard Bach sing the way he sings on "What Kind of Animal"; his vocals are so fragile on this track and he sings the lyrics with tons of emotion and conviction that will easily translate to the audience. From packaging to lyrics to overall concept, this is one of the best releases of the year so far. I can't recommend it enough. Now my only wish is that Henning Pauly teams up with Devin Townsend, another godly vocalist, for a future Frameshift release. Wouldn't that rule the world?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good cd with great vocals, January 13, 2006

By	Halldor Freyr Sturluson (Reykjavík, Iceland Iceland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

been listening to this cd for some time now in the car and it grows on you, its much better then i thougt the first time, wich is sometimes very good because that means it will last longer. the first song and 4, 9 and 11 are the songs i like the most now. the cd is a blend of metal and slower ballad metal or whatever you may callit, doesn't matter. Sebastian does a great job at the vocals and great riffs from henning, the music is also very varied and complex, sometimes like dream theater and you will always discover something new, just buy it and you wont be dissapointed. but its not like skid row or some other mainstream band for that matter, just something completely different for Bach so be prepared for that. thanx

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars simply great music, May 28, 2005

By	Frameshifted (Schererville, IN) - See all my reviews

Overall the musicianship on this album is very strong. Parts of this album will have you head-banging \m/ ,parts are so beautifully moving, and other parts are just neat. Top to bottom this album brings the goods. Sebastian Bach delivers an outstanding vocal performance (his best in years) that's full of emotion and beautifully conveys the intent of the music that was so wonderfully written by Henning Pauly and Matt Cash. Given Bach's tradition of rocky relationships with other artists, it's not surprising that this album is surrounded by controversy, but none of that deters from the fact this album is amazing. Techkid gave a very one-sided report of the situation. Anyone who has investigated both claims will have a very clear understanding of what went down and why. In any case, this album shreds. No prog, rock & roll, or metal collection is complete with out this CD.