Reviewed by:
Ian_Milton, on november 25, 2005
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Sound: Every so often, you will purchase an album that will strike you as truly remarkable. This is exactly how I feel about this album. The Australian drum 'n' bass outfit have seemingly come from nowhere to do to me exactly what the Prodigy's 'Experience' album did to me all those years ago; throw me face first into a relatively underground music scene, opening my eyes to a whole new range of sound and energy that I needed to discover. The album starts with an epic prelude, building you up to a perfect introduction to the world of Pendulum with the track 'Slam'. 'Slam' starts with a hip-hop vibe, continuing to build up to the start of this drum 'n' bass odyssey. Suddenly the drums pick up and there you find yourself knee deep in Pendulum's universe. The pace of the album is consistent throughout, but that does not at all mean that every song sounds the same, far from it. The track 'Tarantula' to me is the 'heaviest' song on the album, with a strong reggae vibe, executed excellently with volatile MC'ing.
'Fasten Your Seatbelt' is a little less typical of drum 'n' bass, in fact it really it isn't drum 'n' bass at all; it is hard to nail this song to a particular genre. An excellent track nonetheless, and one that definitely stands out. There are little hints of Prodigy scattered in this song, especially at just over 2 minutes in the song, which for me, being a Prodigy fan, is nice to see. Another highlight of the album is the song 'Girl In The Fire'. This is another song that takes parts from different genres, away from drum 'n' bass, and throws them into the melting pot with a typically drum 'n' bass hard looping drum beat. This song makes use of the many great sounds and effects available to electronic music and has been masterful been created, making even the most frigid of music lovers feet dance. The song 'Another Planet' is another one of my favourites, starting with a degree of ambience that builds up to another epic Pendulum classic. Pendulum have certainly crafted a trademark sound with this album. // 9
Lyrics and Singing: Drum 'n' bass is mainly instrumental, lyrics would only get in the way. Although there is a small amount of singing and MC'ing on this album, there isn't enough to judge really. // 6
Impression: Being a massive phenomenon in the English underground scene for a while now, drum 'n' bass has been vastly overlooked for too long. However with this album being a fantastic attack on the mainstream for drum 'n' bass, hopefully eye's will be opened to other drum 'n' bass artists such as Andy C, Hype, Brockie and events such as Slammin' Vinyl and One Nation. To me this is one of the albums of the year. An album expertly crafted to incorporate a vast range of music genres such as reggae, ambience, electronica, and even rock at times. A great album for hardcore drum 'n' bass fans and newbie's alike -? if you're looking to expand you're taste in music, get this album. // 9
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