Stolen Babies - There Be Squabbles Ahead review
| Band: | Stolen Babies |
| Album: | There Be Squabbles Ahead |
| Style: | Dark cabaret, Extreme avantgarde metal |
| Release date: | October 2006 |
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.
 | Written on 02.11.2007 by With Metal Storm since 2002, jupitreas has been subjecting the masses to his reviews for quite a while now. He lives in Warsaw, Poland, where he does his best to avoid prosecution for being so cool. |
Comments
Comments: 13
Visited by: 170 users
| Bararey Winter is Coming Posts: 3139 From: Kuwait  |
I heard the band live, and not much of an impression was left. I have not heard of the band before the gig, and it was the first time hearing their music, the vocalists screams were good, other than that I can barely recall the songs. I should keep an open mind and check this CD out.
---- "Rhaegar fought valiantly, Rhaegar fought nobly, Rhaegar fought honorably. And Rhaegar died." Ser Jorah Mormont
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| Doc G. Full Grown Hoser Posts: 9718 From: Canada  |
Just got it, its so weird....yet great. My only problem with the album is the lyrics, some of them seem pretty lame to me, but the vocals are so great they make up for it.
---- "I got a lot of really good ideas, problem is, most of them suck." - George Carlin
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| iaberis Advice Troll Posts: 1698 From: Greece  |
This must be one of the weirdest albums I've heard. It's quite experimental from what I can tell... I've never heard something like that... I'm not sure if it's more metal than electro punk, but I guess it's nice and the most original record I've heard, although there are for sure more bands playing this music...
---- Bitch! Please
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| Talvi Posts: 825 From: Spain  |
Recently heared it, and wow, it's one of the catchier avant-garde metal albums out there, which is why they aren't usually so good: too much crazyness, not enough catchiness. This has both.
---- My account on other musical pages: http://www.last.fm/user/Pozito/ http://rateyourmusic.com/~Talvi
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| iaberis Advice Troll Posts: 1698 From: Greece |
Written by Talvi on 20.02.2008 at 21:44 I told ya about em kurwa! If it ain't me you ain't be aware of em! Gimme some credit! xD
---- Bitch! Please
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| Sigyn miaregine.com Posts: 1024 From: Norway  |
I like this album. Not a big fan of female vocals, but I like the way she "plays" with her voice. My fav songs are So Close (reminds me of an old nintendo-game), Tall Tales, Lifeless and Awful Fall.
---- www.miaregine.com Delirium and Delight
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| Elio Red Nightmare Posts: 4920 From: Italy  |
Written by iaberis on 24.10.2008 at 05:47 And I knew it thanks to him, so I give you some  Great album indeed, avant garde metal is always interesting.
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| Paradox0 Unasuming Madnes Posts: 592 From: USA |
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| Fat & Sassy! Posts: 3857 From: USA  |
After a year, I have come to the realization that this album is fucking genius. It has grown to be one of my favorites. :O
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| INÆRIS Posts: 204 From: USA  |
I bought this album back in 2008. It's one of my favorites for sure. "Lifeless" is one of my very favorite songs. I'm super excited to see what their new one will be like.
---- Still Life, Still Death
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| .:Nataras:. .:Saratan:. Posts: 103 From: Germany  |
One of a few good albums that i heard!!  AVAT-GARDE | ORIGINAL | CRAZZZY
---- .:Saratan:.
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| Atna Posts: 5 From: Canada |
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| silenius Posts: 527 From: Sweden  |
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