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Парадокс оценки альбомов; если рассматривать иные из них исключительно в рамках дискографии группы, впечатление, как правило, оказывается совсем не похожим на то, как если бы они оценивались с точки зрения музыки своего времени и вообще, а так же вклада в свой жанр. Отсюда и следует, что иные альбомы, объективно более сильные, чем некоторые другие, имеют низшую по сравнению с ними оценку. Или, соответственно, наоборот, менее сильные - высшую. Отсюда и их неоднозначность: у одних фанатов такие релизы вызовут недоумение, разочарование и т.д., они будут плеваться и поносить подобные альбомы на чем свет стоит. Другие - напротив, будут расхваливать их налево и направо, причислять ко всевозможным шедеврам и ставить им высший балл.
К чему это вступление? Да вот, просто пытаюсь понять, какую же оценку дать «Force of Habit».
С одной стороны, если сравнить альбом с релизами других ветеранов трэша того времени, выходит, что данный релиз, помимо того что имеет с ними много общего (тенденция на увеличение мелодичности, снижение среднего темпа и умягчение звука в музыке налицо), он еще и ни в чем им не уступает, и более того, имеет свои определенные преимущества. На нем есть много весьма любопытных идей, как в композиционном плане, так и в плане записи, - к слову, среди вышеописанных работ, т.е. трэшевых альбомов периода начала 90-х, «Force of Habit» имеет, пожалуй, самое тяжелое звучание; кажется, здесь музыканты несколько продвинулись после «Impact Is Imminent», только, если на последнем в свою очередь качество самой записи несколько хромало (грохающие ударные, жужжащие гитары, чрезмерный гул баса), здесь же все приведено в идеальный порядок, звук вышел крайне мощный, зверски тяжелый и убойный.
С другой же стороны, если сравнить «Force of Habit» с иными альбомами в дискографии Exodus, то картина будет не столь впечатляющая. Вообще, материал данного альбома заметно отличается от того, что было раньше; трэша как такового стало меньше, больше элементов хэви (исключение составляют разве что такие песни как 'Count Your Blessings', 'When It Rains It Pours' или 'Feeding Time at the Zoo', которые звучат вполне в стиле коллектива). Музыка сильно изменилась, зазвучала совсем по-другому, но, вместе с тем, в ней еще можно узнать Exodus, не ушли и некоторые характерные черты команды, - первоклассная работа Team-H, риффы и соло-партии, вокал Соузы - кстати, на данном альбоме он поет несколько более спокойно и умеренно, нежели на предыдущих, что вполе идет, так сказать, новому лицу группы, и т.д. Но если постараться оставить субъективные взгляды на изменения в творчестве команды, выходит так, что «Force of Habit» не слишком выделяется рядом со своими предшественниками и, в общем-то, не столь силен по сравнению с ними.
Какие же следует сделать выводы? На мой взгляд, «Force of Habit» принадлежит к числу тех работ, которые вообще нельзя сравнивать с иными, применяя шкалу "лучше-хуже" - как, опять же, в рамках дискографии отдельно взятой группы, так и вообще. Потому что они слишком непохожи на другие релизы, стоят особняком. И справедливо, наиболее объективно было бы рассматривать их отдельно от всех остальных работ, коль скоро оценка дается альбому, а не всей дискографии команды.
Поэтому, когда я раз за разом переслушиваю «Force of Habit», наслаждаюсь превосходной музыкой, техникой музыкантов, атмосферой и целостностью работы, и т.д., так ли мне нужно понимать, как выглядит этот альбом по сравнению с тем же "The Ritual" Тестов, или "Черным альбомом" сами знаете кого? Вряд ли. Я просто получаю ни с чем не сравнимое (!) удовольствие. За что музыкантам и спасибо. |
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Последний перед длительной паузой альбом Exodus открывает нам новые горизонты в творчестве американцев. Что же выдала сия славная команда тогда, в 1992 году?
Вообще, в начале 90-х редкий трэшер сохранял верность жанру и не пускался в эксперименты. Облегчение звука, коим характеризуется эта работа, дает понять, что экзодусовцы решили не отставать от времени и попробовать что-то новенькое.
"Force of Habit" хотя все еще по содержанию и трэш, но довольно мягкий и мелодичный, сдобренный хэви и блюзом. От последнего здесь потрясающая гитарная работа: соло в конце "Me, Myself & I", забавная мелодичная вещица "Bitch", эпичнейшая и намертво засевшая в моей голове "Architect of Pain". К слову, последнюю я считаю одной из лучших вещей, когда-либо выходивших под маркой Exodus. Однако, американцы не забыли и о трэшевых мотивах: к примеру, "Thorn in My Side" или "Count You`re Blessings" звучат довольно жестко.
Подводя итог, непременно следует отметить, что "Force of Habit" - это не просто шаг в сторону, а еще и шаг вперед, причем, в первую очередь, в плане гитарной работы. Жаль, что не сложилось услышать развитие идей, предложенных экзодусовцами на этом альбоме. |
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В период 1991-1992 годов большое количество американских трэш-групп выпустили альбомы с несколько коммерческим звучанием: Metallica выпустила свой "Чёрный Альбом", Testament - свой "The Ritual", Megadeth - "Countdown To Extinction" и пр. С Exodus та же ситуация: темп музыки в основном замедлился, агрессия исчезла, энергии мало. Но драйв, как и у других, остался. Альбом получился мелодичным, более сложным, продолжительным (13 песенок на 70 минут), а соляки просто потрясающие. Качество звука, к несчастью, фиговенькое, но это картину не портит.
В итоге имеем очень неплохой альбом великой группы, после которого она распалась на 5 лет. |
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Selfish disposition makes it hard
for me to respect anything you do
Then you tried to push me,
but you weren't strong enough to get the job done
Then you tried to hit me,
but the back of your hand just isn't quick enough
You are a thorn in my side,
all my life you never left me alone
Thorn in my side, in your mind you wish I never were born
Thorn in my side, through it all I think you pushed me to fail
Thorn in my side, it's about time you're recognized
for your lies and your worthless alibis
It's been a long time waiting for the judgment day
So I can cast away
The thorn that you stuck so deep inside of me
It's ancient history
You're always acting like a king of kings
Like you were a god
You wear a crown of thorns like a hat on your head
My firing squad will put an end to your facade
Like a thorn in my side
2. Me, Myself & I
Good Samaritans are something I can't stand
Suppressing their own needs to lend a helping hand
Looking out for number one is my only creed
Self-preservation runs deep in my breed
I, me, mine suits me just fine
I won't even give you the time
Go out and buy your own watch
I ask nothing of you but leave me be
Me, myself and I - Only these three apply
Me, myself and I - On these three I rely
Me, myself and I - My only true ally
Me myself and I - I'm greed personified
Thinking of myself is all I ever do
Not a single thought will I waste on you
My only concerns are things pertaining to me
Don't bother trying to find any generosity
I, me, mine suits me just fine
I won't even give you the time
Go out and buy your own watch
I ask nothing of you but leave me be
No charity, no one rides for free
No solicitors, can't you fuckin' read?
Take your social clauses and your empty pleas
Me, myself and I is the only thing for me
3. Force Of Habit
Can't overcome it, it's what I do best
I'll pick your pocket for your last red cent
It's a disease, I'm stricken like the rest
Never return anything I'm lent
It wasn't me, yeah you know it wasn't me
It must've been someone who looked like me
Innocent until proven guilty
And you ain't got a thing on me
Your possessions, your worldly possessions
Mean more to me than your protective obsessions
You wanna hide 'em, lock 'em up inside and
Throw away the key so I can't find em
It's a shame, it's a god-damned shame
I'm the culprit but you're the one to blame
I'll take another lesson from my mother
It's better to take than get took
Steal a dollar, steal a dime
Force of habit will hit you every time
In your pockets, invade your space
Force of habit anytime or anyplace
Pay attention keep an eye on all your cash
Force of habit will deprive you of your stash
If I do it, yeah, if I get caught
Force of habit is the problem that I got
Mama told me look but don't touch,
but that only made me want it more
Doesn't matter if you're a friend or foe,
'cause your house is my candy store
I admit I know I got a problem,
but temptation is controlling me
I can't resist a five-fingered discount,
everything for me is free
4. Bitch
[Originally performed by The Rolling Stones]
I'm feeling so tired can't understand it
Just had a fortnight sleep
I'm feeling so tired, oh, so distracted
Ain't touched a thing all week
I'm feeling drunk juiced up and sloppy
Ain't touched a drink all night
Feeling hungry can't see the reason
Just had a horse meat pie
Yeah when you call my name
I salivate like a Pavlov dog
Yeah when you lay me out
My heart is beating faster than a big bass drum
Yeah you got to mix it child, you got to fix
It must be love, it's a bitch
You got to mix it child
You got to fix it must be love
It's a bitch
Sometimes I'm sexy, move like a stud
Kicking the stalls all night
Sometimes I'm so shy, got to be worked on
Don't have no bark or no bite
5. Fuel For The Fire
There's a terrorist, he's at the door
Says he's gonna start, the third world war
Justifies his illegal acts
The land he says that's his, he's takin' it back
Blood will spill - in desert sand
The people kill - barbaric land
A war for peace - I understand
Obtain the fuel - the master plan
Blood will spill - in desert sand
The people kill - barbaric land
A war for peace - I understand
Obtain the fuel - the master plan
All my life I've spent believin' what I'm told
I'm not a crook, I don't recall, excuse is getting old
But this time I believe that the cause is justified
So those that burn the flag should be hung until they die
I'm sorry bout the casualties you can't avoid in war
They knew what they were doin' when they signed up for the chore
And to all the people who protest aggressive act
The world's not a happy place, a sad but true fact
Now they find our allies far and wide
And now a force of one and will not be denied
When will they finally realize
Our taxes pay for war and that's no surprise
Strong survive - in desert sand
???- barbaric land
???- I understand
???- the master plan
Strong survive - in desert sand
???- barbaric land
???- I understand
???- the master plan
All my life I've spent believin' what I'm told
Those excuse, you know, the ones that're getting old
But this time I believe that the cause is justified
So all those people that burn the flag should be hung until they die
Yeah I'm sorry bout the casualties and people dying in the war
They knew what they were doin' when they signed up for the chore
And to all the people you know the ones who protested what went on
This world ain't a happy place, and this ain't a happy song
Fuel for the fire
There's a terrorist, he's at the door
Says he's gonna start, the third world war
Justifies his illegal acts
The land he says that's his, he's takin' it back
FUEL - for the fire
6. One Foot In The Grave
Why do people sell their souls away
Just to ride the horse another day
They're all slaves to the heroin
But it's a war they'll never win
They'll never live to see the error of their ways
One foot in the grave
Ruled by the drugs they crave
It all began as a need for kicks
Now they'd sell their lives for a fix
Powerless to break those chains
There's only losses and there's never no gains
They only live and die as a slave
With one foot, one foot in the grave
It promised an escape but only lied
Master of the world they're trapped inside
The needle and the spoon only gave
A one - way ticket leading to the grave
And suffering until the day they die
7. Count Your Blessings
Power fortune and fame
Only a delusion inside your brain
But those who got it all
Fuckin' piss me off they got a lot of balls
To sit there and complain
That affluence is a tremendous strain
Use some common sense
Take nothing for granted, not a fucking cent
A word to the wise, you should realize
If you don't count your blessings, you're in for a surprise
That you got it so hard, but life dealt you all the cards
You better count your blessings, you better let down your guard
A word to the wise, when will you realize
If you don't count your blessings, you're in for a surprise
The roles will be reversed, and you won't be the first
To wish he counted his blessings
Substantial amounts
Of their money lies in Swiss bank accounts
And more in stocks and bonds
They should consider if it were gone
Just what the hell they'd do
They might have to work to pay for their food
Like every one of us
They'll count their blessings without a fuss
Power fortune and fame
Only a delusion inside your brain
But those who got it all
Fuckin' piss me off they got a lot of balls
To sit there and complain
That affluence is a tremendous strain
Use some common sense
Take nothing for granted, not a fucking cent
8. Climb Before The Fall
He was just a poor boy livin' down by the railroad tracks
His father worked so hard to provide that he died of a cardiac
He made himself a promise to leave the poverty behind
Now climbing up the corporate ladder
is all that matters in his grand design
You can forget about friends in your climb before your fall
The climb before the fall
Alone at the top you feel the pressure pulling you
And you try in your mind
to repent your sins in your climb before your fall
The climb before the fall
Change your ways or you will pay in your dying days
In the end, in the end, in the end
Sunrise now and he has to get to work,
he's gotta tell someone what to do
Lives his life thinkin' how to get ahead,
kickin' of his corporate shoes
Throws his credit cards in everyone's face,
name droppin' 'cause he thinks it's cool
Doesn't realize he doesn't know how to act,
he's just lookin' like a complete fool
He left everyone he loved alone out in the cold
His mother was standing in the welfare line
while he was up to his neck in gold
Now he's become a millionaire
and he's sitting right at the top
But he found that the higher up the mountain
means the longer that you're gonna drop
9. Architect Of Pain
Let me paint you a portrait of a man
whose very name would define in times to come all things profane
Born unto privilege child of aristocracy,
so tender the young mind, yet so unclean
His was a heart of darkness that beat within his chest
Breasting life into the crimes he'd manifest
Imp of the perverse on a bloody path he trods
Scribe of the unthinkable the marquis de sade
Outraging the laws of hate and narcissism
That to fight the incubation's but in vain
Nature inspires our tastes bizarre
She paints them only as they are
From the darkest corners of the mind as real
as the morning sun shall rise, just the same
He wove his written word with threads of flesh throughout
He promised things so frightening they'll turn you inside out
When terror's grip has set your soul is set aflame
Behold the architect of pain
Unearthing fantasies too savage to reveal
Twisting your world with visions centuries concealed
Was he philosopher or was he just insane?
Behold the architect of pain
Each tale black as pitch dressed in the colors of hell
Your dreams will fill with the sounding of the knell
Feel the looming shadow of the hungry guillotine
And you'll be blinded by the blade's fatal gleam
Outraging the laws of both nature and religion
Subjugation in behalf or her domain
Or so he believed with all his hate and narcissism
That to fight the inclination's but in vain
Nature inspires our tastes bizarre
She paints them only as they are
From the darkest corners of the mind as real
as the morning sun shall rise, just the same
Nature cannot bind you, you only need to serve unto her
Harming without stint or cease at the expense of whosoever may be
Their pain becomes your paradise, your lust their demise
Forced you to recognize
The beast within, he helped you to visualize
No desire to torment flesh and bone
The mind can cause far greater destruction alone
When the seed has taken root
It grows impure, your thoughts pollute
All things please nature, she has need of our misdeeds
We serve her as we sin
The bloodier our opus
The greater her domain and her esteem for us
Outraging the laws of both nature and religion
Subjugation in behalf or her domain
Or so he believed with all his hate and narcissism
That to fight the inclination's but in vain
Nature inspires our tastes bizarre
She paints them only as they are
From the darkest corners of the mind as real
as the morning sun shall rise, just the same
10. When It Rains It Pours
Got out of bed about 3 PM thought it was a holiday
Then my boss called just to tell me
I'm late and he's giving my job away
Well I took me a walk to the liquor store
so I could drink away my blues
Spent my last ten bucks, then I dropped the bottle
and I broke it all over my shoes
So I got home to find the power's shut off,
there was someone knocking at my door
It was my landlord serving an eviction notice
'cause my checks are bouncing off the floor
I pounded my head up against the wall
thinking what else could go wrong
But this was only the beginning to a real bad day,
it wasn't gonna be a lot of fun
I knew I should have never gotten out of bed
'Cause of the rain cloud above my head
I'm down on my luck and it's plain to see
So tell me why does this happen to me?
When it rains it pours, when it rains it pours on me
When it rains it pours, and there's a storm moving in on me
When it rains it pours, raining down on only me
When it rains it pours, when it rains it pours
I drove across town to go see a friend
when I heard a siren on my tail
It turned out I had a warrant for my arrest
and I couldn't even post the bail
So I'm sittin' in a cell for 48 hours
keepin' company with thieves and drunks
I'm free to go but my car's impounded
and I'm thinkin' 'bout becoming a monk
So I'm wandering aorund in a catatonic daze
now barely a shell of a man
I look like I live out of a shopping cart
and I'm picking up aluminum cans
I staggered my way to an overpass
and fell to the dirt asleep
I figured out tomorrow is a new day
and maybe I could buy myself a life real cheap
11. Good Day To Die
Woke up this morning and he,
he took a look to the sky
The sun was hot and glowing
decided today is a good day to die
He wasn't sure just how, no he didn't know,
but he knew the reasons why
No one saw this coming because he kept it all inside
Out of control like a runaway train
desperate to end all his pain
You've got to understand there's
a better plan if you can open your eyes
You told yourself on your road to ruin
Today is a good day, a good day to die
Life to you is such a heavy burden
Today is a good day, a good day to die
So that's what you wanna do?
Take the easy way out
Suicide's only for cowards,
is that what you're all about
Are you afraid of the world around you,
are you afraid of what might be?
Think of the ones who love you
all the things you'll never see
Out of control like a runaway train
desperate to end all his pain
You've got to understand there's
a better plan if you can open your eyes
Friends all around, yet you feel so alone
Today is a good day, a good day to die
Carry on and you'll find the peace you've never known
Today is a good day, a good day to die
12. Pump It Up
[Originally performed by Elvis Costello]
I've been on tender-hooks ending in dirty looks
Listening to the muzak, thinking 'bout this 'n' that
She says that's that, I don't wanna chitter chat
Turn it down a little bit or turn it down flat
Pump it up when you don't really need it
Pump it up until you can feel it
Down in the pleasure center, hell bent or heaven sent
Listen to the propaganda, listen to the latest slander
There's nothing under hand that she wouldn't understand
Pump it up until you can feel it
Pump it up when you don't really need it
She's been a bad girl, she's like a chemical
Though you try to stop it, she's like a narcotic
You wanna torture her, you wanna talk to her
All the things you bought for her,
could not get her temperature
Pump it up until you can feel it
Pump it up when you don't really need it
Out in the fashion show, down in the bargain bin
You put your passion out under the pressure pin
Fall into submission, hit and run transmission
No use wishing now for any other sin
Pump it up until you can feel it
Pump it up when you don't really need it
13. Feeding Time At The Zoo
Can you hear the roar? I sounds like a war
It's feeding time at the zoo
When their stomachs start growlin' the wolves start to howl
For a bite of what's on our menu
As they pick up the scent they grow violent
And they stampede to the feast
No matter where you're at, you're in their habitat
And they're bound to be disturbing your peace
Your last meal left you dissatisfied
Now the zookeepers have arrived
First come, first served, you better get in line
'Cause it's super time
Yeah, it's feeding time at the zoo
If you get too close you'll lose a finger or two
Soothing the savage beast in you
Is the last thing we wanna do
Yeah, it's feeding time at the zoo
All the stories you've heard, every one is true
The time has come for our rendezvous
It's feeding time for me and you
See them sweat as the tables are set
And the frenzy's about to begin
Eagerly they await the chance to swallow the bait
And their patience is wearing thin
When they no longer bare to delay this affair
We serve it up, thick and raw
We only cater our way, thrash fuckin' fillets
A banquet if you're hungry to brawl