STYLE: Hard Music RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 45519-17495 LABEL: Tooth & Nail 5099950622627 FORMAT: CD Album RELEASE DATE: 2008-05-09 RRP: £10.99
Reviewed by Andy Shaw
Following the release of the fairly straightforward alternative rock album 'Age Of Reptiles', the world was left wondering if Showbread would continue in the same vain or return to the darker, heavier sounds of their Tooth & Nail debut 'No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical'. I'm pleased to say that the former is true as 'Anorexia' sees lead singer Josh Dies bringing back his scream and sees a big change in direction musically. This album was released along with 'Nervosa' as a two part concept album and comes with a story designed to be read along with the songs containing time markers to instruct you when to read each section during the album. This is a clever concept and produces a great multi-sensory experience. The real strength of this album is the great depth and range of emotions covered throughout. "The Sky" shows the energetic, intense and industrial side of their sound before being immediately followed by the beautiful, gentle and heartfelt "The Sky (Alpha)". The use of synths and samples is present throughout and adds real depth to the music with sounds ranging from soft strings to the sound of a child laughing found right at the start of opener "The Journey". An album which showcases the massive amount of talent present in a band finally finding their feet and more importantly their sound.
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not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed
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Product Description
Showbread prefers recreating the band’s musical tone with every album, this album is no exception.
The first thing that makes this record special is the
fact that it is TWO records.
When the release date finally comes in the spring,
Showbread will be releasing TWO new albums on
the same day, each with twelve completely different songs. One album is called “Anorexia” and the other is called “Nervosa”.
The second special thing about these records is that they are soundtracks to a story called “Anorexia Nervosa” which is split into two, ten chapter segments, one segment comes included with one record and the second comes with the other.
As you read the story, the album acts as a musical
accompaniment to the text. Musically, the sound is
some of the most lush, organic as well as some of the most harsh, synthetic material we’ve ever done.
It’s sweeping and ominous, then jagged and
screeching.