a trendies loss is my gain! (An Education In Rebellion - Union Underground)

Member Name: strange_child

Product:	An Education In Rebellion - Union Underground
Date:	23/04/02 (156 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: read on

Disadvantages: none, well maybe a bit unorginal

I had never really taken much notice of The Union Underground. They just seemed like another uninspired band that had recently jumped onto the nu-metal bandwagon, and during the Ozzfest I used their set to do a bit of Village of the damned shopping! Then came a shock revelation. One of my friends, a boy who like all little boys into the metal scene boasted of how he knew everything about metal- EVER and was the biggest Slipknot fan in the world had turned to trance and garage! So when he was giving away all his unwanted metal albums, I agreed to take this one, and give it a chance, what a good thing that was!

This band is different to what I expected. I anticipated Slipknot-like vocals, guitars that had distorted beyond good metal and no tune. But what I got was a heavy industrial band with catchy, and dare I say it ? poppy ? tunes. They are not among the breed who are too scared to use keyboards and instruments more commonly associated with DJs, and use them to their best advantage.

An Education in Rebellion
This isn?t a song, but a spooky, ghostly introduction, reinforced by vampiric industrial noises and a distorted voice. It conjures up images of walking alone in a dark alleyway in a black cape on your way to a Goth club. Very atmospheric.

Revolution Man
?One more time and you?ll be dead, at least I think that?s what they said??. The song starts with fuzzy singing and backed by what sounds like a radio playing in the background, then with a shiver of cymbals changes into a smooth sound. When this gets going it?s a very strong song, with a catchy, sing-a-long tune, however it still keeps hold of the dark Gothic undertone. I can?t tell you what it?s about though!

Drivel
This is one of the best songs on the album. As soon as it starts you know it?s going to be a massively catchy and dynamic song, with the big guitar riffs and bashing drums. At this point in the album I realized that the singer sounds very like Marilyn
Manson, I don?t know whether this is intentional or not, but The Union Underground do sound vaguely similar to Portrait of an American Family era Marilyn Manson. Again the voice is distorted, but the tune is hugely catchy, and if I knew the words I would sing along, but I just have to content myself with humming!

South Texas Deathride
I had heard this song before I obtained the album on some free CD or another, and wasn?t particularly impressed. However this song is a grower, and while it?s not one of my favorites, I do manage to pass it without skipping! It starts with what could almost be a silly pop song, with faint female humming, and then changes to the heavy guitars, playing the same riff and this time with the male vocals. The verse doesn?t give a strong tune at all, but the chorus is quite catchy, with a cheese grater voice!

Turn me on Mr Deadman
This has a gradual beginning, and doesn?t sound as though it will be promising until ?TURN ME ON, TURN ME ON MR DEADMAN!!!? The song erupts, with dynamic vocals and guitars, after ?Drivel?, this is the best song. It experiments with turning between atmospheric and really heavy like Tool, but doesn?t really get to it; instead it turns into a nu-metal anthem! Sweet!

Killing the Fly
A keyboard beginning, giving a poppy but industrial start, and then slightly couldn?t care less vocals in a gentle tune. This is another really good tune, with whirring guitars, spinning keyboards, stuffy vocals. It would sound brilliant in a rock club, as would most of these songs.

Natural High
From the beginning this could be any metal band, churning out a massive but uninspired riff. But coupled with the less nu-metal, more Goth vocals this song is saved from me skipping on! It?s probably one of the least good songs, as I think it?s a bit ?nothing?, maybe just an album filler. But all the songs here have a really thick atmosphere, I can?t explain it, you have to listen to it in a dark
room, I can?t get dark underworld clubs out of my mind haha!

Trip With Jesus
Now I don?t know The Union Underground?s stance on religion, but I can imagine that it?s pretty anti-God, anyway, you can?t tell from this song ? the vocals that I can here don?t seem to have much meaning! This has yet another catchy tune (I?m beginning to sound like a broken record here!). I can imagine it?s one of those songs that get all the crowd singing along ? ?God is Gay!?

Bitter
Now the beginning of this really does remind me of ?Portrait of an American Family?. I don?t know how many people who are reading this have the album, but the introduction is a reading from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in a per-occupied, maybe druggy voice. Anyway, this is what the start to this song sounds like. Then comes an interesting link, from Marilyn Manson, comes Godhead (who are very similar to MM anyway) in a start and stop industrial keyboard beat. It?s not as bad as it sounds, and then turns into a distorted guitar riff. I did think that the singing did let it down a bit after this different start, but it?s heavy and loud and that is what I like!

The Friend Song
And this one starts straight away with a good, distorted riff and shouty cheese grater vocals! A brilliant end to a brilliant album. As you can probably guess, this album has been so different to what I expected, I like this style, along with early Marilyn Manson and Godhead, and hopefully I can find more artists in the genre. It?s not serious industrial, but catchy rock with obvious Goth influences. Very good.

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