When Tantrum of the Muse's first record came out a big deal was made about how they were innovative, blending Built to Spill type indie-rock with metal, but since this is a sophomore effort there is no need to dwell on that. With a heavy emphasis on the metal side of things, Tantrum of the Muse is definitely one of the most interesting bands I've heard playing metal influenced music. Where as most heavy bands just seem to fall into a formula of repeat riff, repeat riff over and over again with screaming lyrics that just give you a headache, Tantrum sticks a big middle finger to convention in any sense. Modern Music 2000 continues into somewhat confrontational ground, sarcastically sticking the middle finger to the "Christian industry," and candy-coated religion. In between tracks there are often sound bytes that mention masturbation, religion, and one in particular a segway into a song where a pastor asks his congregation to turn their hymnals to song 302, called "Screw the Music Industry." The segways help make sense out of the songs, especially when the lyrics are almost impossible to make out. The word kill is used a number of times on the record, including a song where the word kill is connected to religion, and a quirky Modest Mouse sounding number asking a question about a serial killer. What is interesting to note is that with all its sarcasm and almost self-indulgent attempts at pissing people off, the record is more than just a novelty, proving Tantrum of the Muse to be a band that, like or not, won't be going away any time soon.
A-
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #86Reviewed by Aaron WreckinthangsAllow me to introduce you to the newest form of chaos known to man, woman, and child. Yes, Tantrum of the Muse is back with their second release; and, of course, probably the most controversial release of the year. With song titles like "$Screw the Christian Music Industry$," they pull no punches addressing the different problems and topics of music, life and Christianity. Musically, this is hard…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by Tom BastianHands down this is one of the best Metal based albums to be released in quite a while. I'm not much of a hardcore/metal fan, but some of the songs on this album are just amazing. Although these guys would not really be considered a straight up metal band, they do have quite a bit of a metal influence. Another influence seems to be indie rock (like Built to Spill and Modest Mouse). On this release…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by MarkThis is probably my favorite heavy record of the year. Tantrum of the Muse have successfully blended ideas from different genres and combined them into a sound all their own. There's parts that are thrashy (ala metal kings Believer), crazy (ala Today is the Day), and just plain weird (ala Mr. Bungle) but never does it sound just like the aforementioned bands. Tantrum knows how to control the…Dead Zine 2000Reviewed by WoodensoulWelcome to one of the most cutting edge confrontational cd's you will ever listen to. From the land of Takehold records comes this sophomore release from a very interesting trio. I'm sure TOTM has had their share of criticism, but the fact is that they love Jesus, and just decide to tackle topics that the church won't come close to. The first TOTM release was titled The Heart Is a Two-Headed…Similar sounding releases
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