Band:	Stolen Babies
Album:	There Be Squabbles Ahead
Style:	Dark cabaret, Extreme avantgarde metal
Release date:	October 03, 2006
A review by:	jupitreas

01. Spill!
02. Awful Fall
03. Filistata
04. A Year Of Judges
05. So Close
06. Tablescrap
07. Swint? Or Slude?
08. Mind Your Eyes
09. Lifeless
10. Tall Tales
11. Push Button
12. Gathering Fingers
13. The Button Has Been Pushed

Every now and again, no matter how hard one tries to hear all of the good albums that are released within a year, some gems ultimately pass under the radar. In my case, one such gem is Stolen Babies' There Be Squabbles Ahead - a highly original and adventurous record, which really should have been nominated for an award or two back in 2006.

Coming from the same label responsible for releasing the likes of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Ulver, Head Control System and Sigh, it is not surprising that the Stolen Babies are another band specializing in what is usually referred to as avant-garde metal. Initially drawing comparisons particularly to Mr. Bungle's debut LP, the Californian band also incorporates plenty of elements that make their sound unique. Therefore, to the Bungle-esque hybrid of carnival/circus sounds with all kinds of genre hopping and unpredictable songwriting, the band adds elements of (quasi-)black metal, Alice Cooper theatrics and goth sensibilities. The vocalist, Dominique Persi is not only talented but also obviously did her homework - her mixture of melodic, flirtatious singing and throat-ripping screams never seems forced or inappropriate. The rest of the band also performs well, with drummer Gil Sharone (currently also in Dillinger Escape Plan) being perhaps the most impressive. Most importantly, the band never fails to come up with innovative arrangements while keeping them within the confines of accessible and memorable songwriting, which allows for There Be Squabbles Ahead to be a fluid and cohesive album, regardless of all the crazy ideas that it contains.

Although all tracks here offer something interesting to the listener, among the highlights are the single-worthy "Push Button", the aggressive opener "Spill!", the anthemic "Tablescrap" and the haunting "Lifeless", the latter of which showcases Dominique's beautiful voice.

It is a shame that I didn't hear this album when it was first released since it is definitely one of the best releases of 2006. Everyone should hear it.