Although I was initially disappointed with this cd, it's really a pretty solid project worth checking out for anyone who digs Circle of Dust or X-Propagation.
"Live" starts us out on the right foot with a cool instrumental piece that reminds me of "Exploration" from Circle of Dust '92, only with less of a techno bent to it. "Subside" follows that up with a similarly guitar-driven, up tempo crowd pleaser. Track 3, "Frustrate", is the reason this project at first let me down.
Allow me to explain. This is the same track that starts off Escape the Furnace Volume 1, and this is what led me to order TWSB in the first place. It begins with those scary layered keyboards we've come to love, setting up a powerful simultaneous entrance of crushing power chords and the drums (ok, drum machines). Dark, slow, and plodding, this sets the mood for the rest of the song. The guitars drop out again when the vocals, close to a whisper in effect, enter. Heavy distortion returns right on cue, however, to paint the emotion on the lyric "frustrated" that begins the chorus. Woah!!! It's so cool! You just gotta hear this song. Towards the end, we even get a cool scary sample ("It will undoubtedly continue to kill unless we stop it"). The best song on the disc, and one of my all time favorites. And that's the problem. This track built my expectations too high. There's just nothing else on here that can compare, as I'd come in hoping. There are other cool songs, but this is the money track.
Although there are indeed a couple more guitar oriented tracks to come, things really do drop off at this point. The title track is next, and the acoustic guitars and "campy" vocal melody make this sound almost like a sunday school song, or maybe something that your youth group would sing around a campfire. "Under My Skin" follows that up sounding a lot like X-Propagation, a band I could never really get into (mostly due to the absence of guitars). Eventually, things pick back up, but never re-capture the magic of "Frustrate".
A non-musical item that I appreciate about this cd is the letter to the listener. Before it tells the unbeliever about the beauty of Christ, it addresses the Christian listener. "It's time to stop being depressed about persecution and about our world and how bad things are. If you know the Lord then you know the joy of the Lord and the promises He has for you." I've always liked a band that can be true to their dark and angry music without being dark and angry about all of life, and particularly the Christian life.
If you have any affection for industrial music and haven't heard The Way Sect Bloom, Flaming Fish has reduced the price to just $8, and I highly recommend it for that pittance. If, like me, you've heard "Frustrate" on ETF (or elsewhere), it's still worth your time. Just lower those expectations a little.
7/10
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #74Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovernBloom where you're planted. That's sort of a theme that's presented here, in the Way Sect Bloom's latest release. With better production than I've heard in a while from Flaming Fish, this project takes thumping electronic bass, drums, guitars, and distorted vocals, and systematically produces some good songs. Eerieness surrounds the CD, but, I surmise, that's merely a stylistic thing. Fans of…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Joe RockstrohThe Way Sect Bloom, one of the most highly touted offerings off the Flaming Fish roster, does not disappoint if you know what to expect from it. Almost all the reviews and articles I've read about TWSB have them billed as an industrial band, but I really don't think they should be described that way. I would be hard pressed to describe the band as industrial; I think a label of aggressive techno…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Shari LloydThe Way Sect Bloom is a techno-industrial band from Long Island, New York. They name the following as influences; Mortal, Circle of Dust, Front Line Assembly, and Skinny Puppy. Around since 1993, they've previously appeared on several compilation CDs, including Artcore Volume One and Volume Two, Electro-Shock Therapy, Escape the Furnace, and Full-Frontal Lobotomy. This is their first full-length…Dead Zine 1997Reviewed by LarvaeEffloresce - to flower, become full, bloom. The message is clear. This project was to help us in the path of our walk. We as Christians should be blooming everyday! For such a bright subject as the title and band name, you might expect some music for the wimp. Think again. It's very driving, hard, and dark music, well laced with perfectly timed samples to get the point across. As for the guitar…Similar sounding releases
1999A Different Kind of CopAnother Everyday Occurrence
1998Cult of Jesterfunkatron
2003Torn SkinViolence & Technology
1998Gathering of SoulsNeither Moth Nor Rust Corrupts
2000Argyle ParkSuspension of Disbelief
2000Temple of the TimesRequiem For The Lost Children
