This is going to be a briefer review, since I already gave a First Impression on the album.
First Impression article can be found here:
http://www.metalmusicman.com/forum/index.php/topic,88.0.htmlLyrics: 7
Vocals: 8
Instrumentals: 8
Replay Value: 7
Overall: 8
Summary: Savior Sorrow has about 5 really
amazing tracks, and all of them are on the first half of the CD. The album seems to fall off towards the end, which is dissapointing, because if it kept up the kind of pace that the first half of the CD had, this would be a top ten for sure. Every track on the CD is "good", but the "amazing" tracks are mostly in the begining.
<From the First Impression Article> It should be known that since the last release, one of Mushroomhead's vocalist has left the band and been replaced. The previous vocalist definitely had more power, but no harmonic capabilities whatsoever. Although I do miss the power of thier previous vocalist, this new secondary vocalist still has great power to his voice, and in addition, can sing melodically very well. This gives the band a bit of extra depth, as the secondary vocalist contrasts the primary as he did before, but now also compliments him.
Mushroomhead's sound has changed a bit, at first I thought that they had become more generic, which would have been bad, but the songs all actually have quite a bit of depth to them, it just doesn't jump out at you right away. There is alot of complex mixing, layering, and studio production going on here (and the usual Mushroomhead piano use)-- something that you except from Mushroomhead, but it's a more... subtle mix here. Through and through, the first half of the CD is simply spectacular, nearly every song is fantastic. There are some amazing slow songs, and some really good power singles as well. I think that as a CD, I'd still rate XIII higher, but Savior Sorrow is no slouch.
Key Tracks12 Hundred: A great opening track, this song has some marching drums at the intro, and a very unique guitar riff throughout-- the guitar is singled out quite often in the song, and has about 10 or 15 seconds by itself, just plugging the same riff, which is then followed by the return of the galloping drums. It's a very progressive song that uses strategically placed large drops in the bass at various points later in the song to emphasize the lyrics. "I hope you like what you've done to me..." followed by a huge bass explosion. Good stuff.
Simple Survival: My favorite song on the CD, because of (here's a shocker) the lyrics!
It's not just the lyrics, though. This song has extreme vocal talent between the two singers. Mushroomhead's new secondary vocalist can sing like a MUTHAFUCKA. Hell, he might actually do the vocals better than Jefferey Nothing, the band's primary vocalist. Better or worse, what's important is the way the the two singers compliment each other. Generally, you'd expect the benefit of having two singers to be a contrast, but these guys really know how to accent one another's vocals. The song also uses a piano fantastically, meshed into the metal.
" What's your name? Who do you love? I wanna hate you, kill you, treat you like I've had enough. I'm gonna make you give up. Keep breaking the shame / Take away all i wanna say / Regretting the day / You dont believe in me? Ill show you just what you wanna see: The end in me." Man, if there's one thing that I love about Mushroomhead, it's the overlay of spoken word.
Save Us: A slower song, again very much showcasing the vocal talents of the two singers. "Humanity, I hope you're out there somewhere..." I can't really do this song justice with words, because the power in this song is in the vocals. You really need to hear it. I have to say,
Erase the Doubt: The new secondary singer takes the front stage in this song, his throaty vocals are quite enjoyable. I don't know the guy's name yet, but he seems to be a tripple threat. Throaty singing, Spoken vocals, and Melodic singing as well. This guy is a real gem. I've gotta say though, for some reason, I hear the slightest hint of a country influence at times when this guy sings... it actually sounds very good, and adds a certain uniqueness to the lyrics. I know that sounds insane, but you've really gotta hear it... he has a ... "twang" at times... haha, it sounds phenominal though.
Just Pretending: I use this song in the credits for my fourth Zerabitu WoW PvP video, I'd call this a single, but Mushroomhead will never get radio play. Ever. Why? Because the radio is for fucking idiots, that's why. They don't suck, and therefore you will never hear them on the radio.
Embrace the Ending: This song is pretty interesting. It's not so much a song, but rather, a strange combination of various lyrics from other songs off of the CD (mostly "Save Us"). It's pretty slow, and possibly not even a song, but it was too nifty for me to not include here.
This album is "pretty" fantastic. Not "officially" fantastic, since it the quality falls off towards the end of the album, but still a worthy purchase for sure. Recommended.
