2008 letdowns...

What CDs were you really anticipating this year that just did not meet your expectations? Maybe it was a new group that you bought into the hype about. Perhaps it was an old favorite that released new material but you just did not like it. What were your biggest letdowns this year?

(I put this in the regular music room so that everyone could vent.)

For me:

Saint - Crime Scene Earth A decent listen, but I rate this one down there with the "A Perfect Life" EP. With Josh not doing much of the vocals, I would rather have had the singer from that EP--would have been much better.

X-Sinner - World Covered In Blood Good songs, but the production just sucks. Sure, they were going for a live sound and got it. But, when you are used to their back catalog from '89 & '90, you expect a little more clarity. Heck, even the Angry Einsteins project had that slick production we're used to. This could have been my favorite disc for the year, but won't even make it in my top 20 now.

I was really disappointed in "When Angels and Serpents Dance" by P.O.D and "This Time of Year EP" by Project 86.

What did you not like about them? Please elaborate without totally bashing the bands.

I think I had unrealistic expectations for the P.O.D album. I didn't like the overall feel of a lot of the songs such as Addicted and End of the World. Also, the vocals weren't quite as melodic as I had hoped. As far as the "This Time of Year" EP, it sounded like the majority of the music was computer generated and the vocals were a bit too dark for my taste. I think what it came down to was I just set my expectations too high, too early.

Can't really think of anything that was a letdown to me.

Yes, Crime Scene Earth wasn't Saint's best album, but I pretty much knew that it wouldn't beat The Mark, and it still had some great tunes on it.

Disciples "Southern Hospitality" wasn't as good as some of their earlier stuff, but it was just as good as Scars Remain, and Lay My Burdens Down is such a good track that even if the rest of the album were boring, it still would be better than expected.

X-Sinner..... well, I'll just have to wait and see!

Fundy

I was really disappointed that The Violet Burning didnt put out a new album this year

Quote :

Disciples "Southern Hospitality" wasn't as good as some of their earlier stuff

I'll have to disagree with this. I think it is one of their best in a long time.

Well I'm still missing close to half of the albums I wanted to get for 2008 but as for disappointments I can't say that I have really had any, except for maybe Fires of Babylon. Even that wasn't a "bad" release, it just doesn't hold up to any of Rob Rock's recent work IMO.

I was fortunate enough to get Saint's "Crime Scene Earth" a bit later than everyone else, and all the grumbling made me lower my hopes considerably. By the time I actually heard it, I liked it much better than I expected to. I am more than a little leary of actually getting the new X-sinner disc as I have only heard one person say something positive about it.

X-Sinner - World Covered In Blood.
I was so enthusiast after listening to some songs of this new X-Sinner album.
The longer I had to wait before I finally could listen to the CD the more curious I was how the CD sounds.
How terrible dissapointed I was when I listened to the CD.
I expected a CDs with a quality similair to the "Peace Treaty" and "Get It."
Maybe X-Sinner will think about a rerelease with the quality we are get used to from this band.

Saint - Crime Scene Earth.
Maybe Saint is not the band with my favorite music style.
I've listened again and again to this CD and decided I like it enough to trade this CD.
Nuff said about Crime Scene Earth.

Quote :

I'll have to disagree with this. I think it is one of their best in a long time.

I agree! I absolutely loved this album. I think Kevin could've showed a little more variety in his vocal range, but other than that I think it was a solid effort.

I'll admit that so far this year I have been pleased with what I got that came out. Can't really think of any bad ones. Thou I liked X-Sinner back in the day, I quickly got tired of em so I have no interest in obtaining WCIB. I will be gettng in the next couple of weeks : Stricken,This Fires Embrace, Overkast & Nailpoint. I know the Stricken and TFE I like what I have heard from the samples so I am not expecting a let down. Overkast and Nailpoint for sure won't let me down

But by far the best release of 2008: Disciple "Southern Hospitality"

The Fundy Rating System..........

1 - Back Again
2 - By God
3 - This Might Sting A Little
4 - Southern Hospitality
5 - Scars Remain
6 - My Daddy Can Whip Your Daddy
7 - What Was I Thinking
8 - S/T

Fundy

I wonder if there's something wrong with me.
Most disciple fans love "Back Again" and that's their favorite CD.
I love the S/T because there are no light cookie monster music vocals to hear on that album.

Saturday nigth I'm going to listen how Disciple unplugged sounds.
I'm curious what the guys will play unplugged.

I think my main problem with the S/T album was that the lyrics were very vague compared to the up front in your face lyrics of Back Again. That was what I really loved about that album. Also it is their heaviest!

Fundy

The lyrics were more obscure on the S/T, and a lot of us thought Disciple was selling out. The shift in music + the shift in lyrical approach looked like they were about to be the next band to go secular. Maybe that was their intention--who knows? But, on "Scars Remain", they mixed their previous style with the sound of the S/T. It worked, and the message became a lot more prevalent. With "Southern Hospitality", they have swung even more back towards their more metal sound. Lyrically, they are as strong as ever. They did, however, learn to write a more mature lyric so that they aren't just saying the same thing over and over.

I think I have to study a bit more on disciple, the music is absolute great.
The only problem I sometimes have are the vocals.
That's why I love their S/T.

Fires of Babylon (Rob Rock)
Murder By Pride (Stryper) Because it didn't come out!

Stryped Forever wrote:

Murder By Pride (Stryper) Because it didn't come out!

Yup

Stryped Forever wrote:

Fires of Babylon (Rob Rock)

Listening to this right now.... It's not the instant classic I had hoped for. More of a grower than a grabber, but I like it.

I think that if more people would approach Fires Of Babylon as a "grower", then they wouldn't rag on it so. It doesn't have the hooks that some of Rob's other works have, but it is stil an awesome disc.

alldatndensum wrote:

I think that if more people would approach Fires Of Babylon as a "grower", then they wouldn't rag on it so. It doesn't have the hooks that some of Rob's other works have, but it is stil an awesome disc.

That didn't work for me. I actually liked it better the first few times I listened to it. After about the 12th or 13th listen I was getting kind of bored, and skipping some of the songs. Still it's not a terrible relase IMO.

Another disc I wasn't to thrilled about after I got it:


D.O.G.S of Pray

alldatndensum wrote:

Another disc I wasn't to thrilled about after I got it:


D.O.G.S of Pray

Wanna sell it?

Make me an offer. It's in a stack that I am going to be getting rid of soon.

Sent you a p.m.