Written by Boxcar Willy on 01.06.2012 at 14:43

Such a fantastic album cover.

Nice review.

Written by a MasT on 01.06.2012 at 19:02

With members of such varied and impressive musical backgrounds I was hoping for a fresh mix of solid maybe even """heavy""" new material. But no. Instead someone here liked the band Tool enough to say "no I like their stuff enough to totally rip it off" and decided to throw originality out the window. Thats awfully unfortunate says this observer.

Written by tea[m]ster on 02.06.2012 at 19:32

Well shit, RV, I missed out on this one. Fuck. I will check it out, your review piqued my interest!

Written by hadriel on 07.06.2012 at 05:20

Hmmm. I'm torn on this album because I am having a hard time getting past just how toolish it sounds, but at the same time it's still an incredibly impressive album and one of my favorite sounding albums of the year. I can't imagine that this would be a very easy album to review for that reason, but I really like the approach. One of the better reviews I've read on this site.

To be honest I'm more interested in seeing where they go from here and if they branch off into their own more unique sound. The talent here is more than capable of doing so.

Written by [user id=106198] on 08.06.2012 at 02:28

A significant chunk of this album is undeniably Tool, but there are unique elements to it that you don't hear in Tool like the soft piano parts and the range of vocal styles. So once I got past the opening where I said "OMGWTF I'm listening to Tool" I really started to appreciate the band's talent. Good album, very well played, good songwriting and production.

Written by PocketMetal on 11.06.2012 at 11:38

Finally got the time to listen to this , loved it . not original but it brought back Tool memories
that band changed my life , my personality , everything !

Written by R'Vannith on 11.06.2012 at 13:47


It's interesting how this album appeals to those who like Tool a lot and those who aren't so keen. That's an indication of a good album I think.

Written by Mindheist on 30.06.2012 at 05:22

I've always thought that there was no better drummer than Axenrot to take up from where Lopez left off. But in all seriousness, when it comes to elegant, genuinely clever drumming, the latter has no equal. Opeth are Opeth, but without Lopez they seem to have delved into a whole other dimension, magic-less and dried-up.

Honestly, my Soen experience is still unripe as I have so far listened to only five songs out of ten; so I guess I'll have to listen to some more before forging my own opinion. However, it doesn't take more than 4 minutes to realize that these guys have what it takes to crawl their way up to the Tool land. I really enjoyed listening to their Tool-ish sound, although Cognitive has a special flair stuck to it that separates it from everything that has been done in the alternative territory. They're not gods but they're talented enough to cause riots. I expect great things from this band already.

As for your review, I really enjoyed reading it. You know, I spend most of my MS time prowling the review section looking for something interesting to kill time with. And rarely do I ever feel the need to comment, but when I do it's because the review was a joy to read. Kudos

Written by BloodTears on 02.06.2012 at 20:42

I like this album, I've been listening to it for a while now. It's definitely worthy despite some serious Tool worshiping and Akerfeld-influenced vocals here and there.

Quote:

I'm glad I wasn't the only one to notice some vocal similarities with Akerfeld. I really like this album, but I do hope the next one has just a touch more originality.

Written by BloodTears on 04.09.2012 at 20:00

Quote:

I'm glad I wasn't the only one to notice some vocal similarities with Akerfeld. I really like this album, but I do hope the next one has just a touch more originality.

Cool! I get that people are annoyed by the lack of originality, especially fans of Tool. But this was just their debut album and I think they can grow from here and find a more unique sound.

Written by DystopianWonder on 12.01.2013 at 00:20

For me, as a Tool fan from the beginning but also a fan of these artists other bands, I look at it as a genre that is defined by a band rather than a specific band being "ripped off". Tool has owned a unique niche throughout their career, and because of it I think that they have a very heavy dose of band worship that few, if any, other metal bands enjoy. No one has really tried to reach the same fan base- Chevelle, if I remember correctly, were compared to them unfavorably because they did it in a Tool- lite kind of way and it was just plain bad. It's funny to me, remembering the early days of thrash (yes, I'm old) where people were chomping at the bit and trading tapes at shows like crazy. You want to talk about copycat-ing? It was great, and we all ate it up. Just because Tool has been so royally revered doesn't mean someone should be scared to death to offend anyone by making "their music". Also, I LIKE the idea that the musicians are stretching into something other than what we expect...why do you think Tool themselves hold the spot they do in people's minds? they combined, stretched, and did things other bands didn't. Should Lopez just join some other prog death band to make everyone sleep better? I would also like to mention that- at the very least- Tool fans should be shouting with joy that someone else can step in and provide music that Tool themselves are either too busy or reluctant to do themselves. A fantastic cd that stroked a nerve that I had forgotten about for a very long time.