Following an EP, a full-length, and a split EP with labelmates ZAO, Training for Utopia finally releases their second full-length CD. However, unlike the 3 previous efforts, this one will most likely not be found in your local Christian bookstore, as it has no such distribution. Don't take that as a negative, however, as this is an awesome CD. I'll start by attempting to describe the sound. Solid State Records had been calling this electric hardcore, or something along those lines. I didn't know exactly what to expect from such a description, and I only partially agreed with it after giving the disc a few spins. My feeble attempt to classify this CD requires me to invent a term: "electro-industrial / chaos"-core. The music is still primarily hardcore in nature, but Training for Utopia makes use of sampled sounds and effects, and they rely heavily on techno beats and programmed drums for the more industrial feel. As for the chaos portion of my description...well, that pretty much sums up what the sound is like on this CD. This may be one of the most chaotic, most frenetic albums I have ever heard. The listener never knows what is going to come next, as the band performs lots of speed and style changes, almost without warning. One of my favorite tunes, "Burt Reynolds Vs. Godzilla," showcases this perfectly, as the band switches back and forth between acid techno with "normal" vocals and a super-ultra-distorted wall of sound with screamy hardcore vocals. Lyrically, this is a bit different. Most songs are short as far as the lyrics go, and many of the lyrics seem a bit enigmatic to me. "Burt Reynolds Vs. Godzilla" says: "I can't be your everything / I could be your anything / My world is dead / Our world is dead," and the line "Our world is dead" is repeated a lot throughout the song. Perhaps the strangest song on the CD, "Everything, Including the Stars, Is Falling (Baby)," due to the fact that it is a slow, beautifully played and sung song, carries a sad feel: "Hey...have you lost the will to be? / Hey...Did you take me for a fool? / Was that you inside of me?" One of my other favorites is "New York City Is Overrated": "Big nights / Big city / Bright lights / No Life," and it ends with a continual chorus of "New York City is overrated!" Reading into some of the songs, I believe the band may be speaking of spiritual themes, but it is hard to know for sure. Overall, this is a very unique CD. Though I won't understand why any hard music fan wouldn't like it, I can imagine that a person would fall into one of two categories; either you'll like it or you'll hate it, just due to its uniqueness. I have yet to hear a band that melds sounds together like this. I absolutely love it, and I hope that Training for Utopia continues to mold this sound.
Other coverage for this album
Decapolis 2000Reviewed by ConradIndustrial Metal. Hmm. The closest reference I can give for this band is Ministry. Ministry though had vocals and melodies you could follow. These vocals are next to unintelligible and on top of that they add distortion to the vocals pretty much the whole time. As far as the songs go, this to me seemed more like an experiment in the studio than actual songs. It's like they were going more for a…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by Tom BastianThese guys are not exactly what I expected. But I also hear this CD is a little bit of a departure from their other stuff. Some parts of this CD I could actually get into, and not being a fan of hardcore or much metal thats saying something. I can now understand why a lot of kids are into this band. They like to mix in a bit of a rap feel to some of their songs, at least as far as beats go. So…Decapolis 2000Reviewed by TimThis recording is really horrible. On top of that, the melodies aren't that great either. I will admit that the arrangement of all the songs are pretty good, but overall, it doesn't change the fact that the songs aren't very strong this time. C-Bandoppler 1999Reviewed by Treble BandopplerHere comes the shocker of the year. Mark your calendars for October 19th, and then keep checking back every Tuesday after that until it actually comes out, because Solid State is about to throw The Wrench your way. Most people know by now that Training For Utopia are the kings of chaos, but their chaos has always been at least a predictable hybrid of their trademark thick, pulsating sound. The…
