Track Listing:

1. Eat the Children
2. Crooked Spoons
3. Perfectly Flawed
4. Confrontation
5. Milk of Regret
6. Noose and Nail
7. Ghostflowers
8. Breed
9. March of the Martyrs
10. Invisible
11. Homegrown
12. Communion
13. Adrenochrome Dreams

Album Review:

 
The_Ascension is not a typical mindless droning metal album. Otep presents the listener with a great deal of variation in style, mood and attitude. This is a mature well thought out album... but still friggin raucous and rowdy as hell.

"...the ache I can't escape..."Adrenochrome DreamsFrom soft spoken to "scaring the balls off your daddy" screams, Otep's vocal performances are some of the best I've heard in quite some time. However, my one criticism is that the vocals on the interpretation of Nirvana's "Breed" are not heavy nor raw enough. Maybe I'm just too attached to the original, but it sounds to me like she held back.

This album is produced very well. There are some really cool sounds and layers mixed in, like on "March of Martyrs". I always enjoy when bands and producers are given some additional freedom to paint the musical canvas as they wish.

This is a great album. Don't let my one detraction deter you (I'm a picky bastard). The album closes with a spoken word piece named "Adrenochrome Dreams" (Hunter Thompson would be proud). My favorite tracks are "Crooked Spoons", "Perfectly Flawed", "Ghostflowers", and "Communion."

Type 3 Rating:

 
| 03.18.2007 | Review by J. Pierson |