One of my favorite albums of the past few years
Dr. Dude | 02/03/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For recent fans of Hella and this group of musicians the vocals and more structured/coherent songwriting might take a while to get used to. For longtime fans who might have thought of Hella as 50% of Legs On Earth this is the album you have been waiting for since the year 2000. LOE member Josh Hill is back on guitar and better than ever with incredibly technical staccato lines that are the perfect contrast to an offering that could almost be considered conservative for Spencer Seim. On bass is longtime collaborator Carson McWhirter who does an impressive job of tying the band together; sometimes doubling the lead guitar part but more often than not taking to the low end to dual Zach Hill's onslaught with complex Levinian lines that show his background and interest in more straightforward prog/math rock. The new kid on the block in this group is Aaron Ross who takes on a task few people would envy: adding words to a very successful instrumental band with fans that have historically been resistant to the addition of vocals. I've come to really enjoy the work done by Ross on this album. I've already heard comparisons to Claypool, Cornell, Bowie, Plant and others, but even though I can hear them in certain areas for me the vocals as a whole are a unique element that compliment and help shape the overall sound of the album."
Minus half a star
01/31/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The first release for the new 5-piece band, this is not the Hella of yore quality/consistency-wise, but still a very unique and ambitious release that grows and grows on the listener. The most insidiously listenable track "The Ungrateful Dead" may sound a LOT like Mars Volta (albeit with tighter structure and more conspicuous drumming), but most of the rest of the album is much harder to pigeonhole, often coming across as a funkier, electronics-addled take on Trout Mask Replica. The main element that old Hella fans are bound to focus on is the singing (the first to occupy an entire Hella release). Aaron Ross unfortunately is lacking in stylistic flair and even invites occasional comparisons to such established singers as Chris Cornell, Billy Corgan, and Les Claypool. That said, he does a adequate job of keeping up with Hella's hyper-rhythmic onslaught.
As this CD will divide the old fans, I recommend it to completists and the uninitiated looking for something adventurous but more traditional sounding than two-piece Hella."