Search - Systematic :: Somewhere in Between

Excellent

The Deac | Bristow, VA United States | 11/06/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"At first listen (which was live), I wasn't too into this band. But then I heard them again after a little while and realized that they deliver the goods.I am a big fan of hard rock...you don't find many "rock" bands anymore. They were either rap-rock, extreme metal etc...Systematic is just a flat out rocking band. Riffs, solos, riffs...and catchy, meaningful lyrics. Plus Narducci actually SINGS! He doesn't have to growl, and his screams are in a manner along the lines of James Hetfield...he maintains his vocal brilliance. It is a shame more bands don't take an approach like this. Good old rock is what this world needs!"

Noise rock and its best

Ryan M. Fisher | Longview, WA USA | 04/11/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I know that some people will wonder what I mean when I say noise rock. Well a couple of years ago I was trying to think of a way to classify the sound of bands like Systematic, Trust Co. and Skrape. What I came up with was noise rock. Noise rock means that it is a CD that you put into the stereo for a lack of something that sounds more appealing. You play the first song and get into the album, but by the third song you are only aware that the album is still playing, but you aren't really listening to it anymore. What this does is create the feel of a good album that you can listen to from start to finish, with only a few standout tracks. It is those songs that make you pay attention again that are those standout tracks. Anyways I think that Somewhere in between is a prime example of this definition. I've had the album for a couple years now, and I drag it out from time to time, normally when I'm going to sleep or playing a videogame or something. What Systematic does to create the feel of noise rock is this, the song construction is based on a format of repetitive riffs, normally two or three chords, for the verse of the song. What this does is cause the mind to wander, granted it is still an enjoyable experience, but not memorable. However through my definition I must include these things. Often time on CDNOW I have read people make refernces to bands that don't quite fit, or saying that someone can sing, when in reality they just howl well. I can say with supreme confidence that this is an album with a definite melody and vocal talent. Some songs are more up tempo, but I would not say they have an edge. To say Systematic as edge is like saying a butter knife has edge, sure it's true (They play in drop D with some screaming, distortion, and darker subject matter) but it is skewing the common sense of the definition. The stand out tracks, or the songs that break you out of your comfort coma are "Deep colors bleed" "Pitch black" and "Thick skin". My personal favorite song on the record is "Glass jaw." If this record sounds like something you are interseted in I would suggest you sample these songs as well "dopesick" and "of a lesser god" to get a good feel for the album. I'm not sure whether or not I reccomend this album to anyone, if anything if you consider buying this album realize that it is more likely to fill a hole in your collection then become a staple of it. Thank you for your time."

When does death follow?

incubus1 | 01/26/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was introduced to Systematic through a show HBO used to air that showed live shows of rock bands (can't remember the title), I was impressed so I rushed out and picked up Somewhere In Between. The best way you could describe Systematic's sound is just that of a good rock band, the riffs are heavy while the vocals are reminescent of the grunge era. The songs are nothing more than straight-forward rock anthems which is actually refreshing to hear because they do it so well. Systematic came out during a time when they really should've hit it big, their sound is radio friendly, but somehow they were looked over which is sad because they have so much more potential than most of the radio bands out right now.



Each and every song on Somewhere In Between is good, they just don't stray from the treaded path much, there's not a lot of experimentation going on. Dopesick is just an all around rock anthem, I mean it's got the great vocals, sing-a-long chorus and very good beat. Glass Jaw show a lot of depth however, and proves to be one of the CD's true highlights. Bedsores is just a classic rock song, something everyone is sure to like. The vocals show such depth and the lyrics are quite deep and I also like how the band plays throughout. Of A Lesser God is another great song with good vocal distortion and a nice chugging riff throughout. It's actually really hard to put this CD down, it's solid in every sense, but when all is said and done it feels kind of incomplete, like something is missing.



My favorite songs are Dopesick, Beginning Of The End, Glass Jaw, Bedsores, and Of A Lesser God. I think the only people who won't like this are the people who don't like rock, afterall this is good clean fun right here. Besides, this has been out for quite a while so you can probably pick it up dirt cheap, I got it cheap and it hadn't been out but maybe a month or so. If you're in the mood to listen to some good rock songs that are sure to remind you of days gone by, look no further than Systematic's Somewhere In Between."