Your "All I Was" Review Here

All are welcome at our free clinic for those whose faces have been melted. \m/
Post Reply
User avatar
Cariocawlad
Bought The CDs
Posts: 87
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:27 am
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by Cariocawlad »

Since some of us are receiving your All I Was copies, I'm creating a review thread. Share your opinions and coments here about the new Tremonti piece of art.

I haven't already listen to it, so I'll share mines soon or later, but not now.

One more thing: is good to be back this boards! :peace
Image

User avatar
phatnonphatness
Loyal Follower
Posts: 341
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:49 am

Re: Your All I Was Review Here

Post by phatnonphatness »

A few thoughts:
  • Easily the most pieced together album. By that I mean you can tell the songs were written in parts and some parts don't fit together so well e.g. the So You're Afraid pre-chorus and chorus.

    Not enough variety with way too much palm muted galloping rhythms in every song (although you can't fault Mark on this since it was intended to be a mostly heavy album). Still, the riffs don't really differentiate themselves from each other too much.

    The bridge section to Wish You Well is fucking awesome.

    Solos not quite as impressive, except for Leave It Alone which is sick.

    Typical Elvis.
I've listed mostly criticisms but I do like some of the melodies and instrumentation. I think I'll write a review after a week or so when I've had time to properly digest the music.

Josiah

Re: Your All I Was Review Here

Post by Josiah »

I love it. The only thing is that I can't stand all the fucking echos. Same story as AB III on that one. I've never been much of a music critic, so that's pretty much all I have. I've only listened through it once though. I'll probably be able to give more input after I've had time to listen more.

Alter Bridge 23
Bought The CDs
Posts: 60
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2012 1:11 pm

Re: Your All I Was Review Here

Post by Alter Bridge 23 »

Yeah I don't want to write much until I listen for a week or so.

But some of the songs are bad ass after one listen and some don't stand out much.

Wish he wouldn't have used Elvis. Elvis' production is meh.:\


Kick ass album for sure though.

Them Bones
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 872
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 10:34 am

Re: Your All I Was Review Here

Post by Them Bones »

As someone said, its easily the most pieced together album ever... There are good parts.. but no good songs... Mark can do way better than this imo.. its a very average album.. great riffs here and there, but not a single great song from start to finish... Very over produced.... Why Elvis?.... why?
The album gets boring to listen to from start to finish.. I do agree there are few riffs and solos on the album that are really awesome.. but the songs do sound pieced together.. there is a lack of old Tremonti passion imo... His voice is really good, but I don't think it suits the kinda music he is writing at present... His voice needs more room/dynamics and less of the instrument mash and less of those shitty vocal layers with effects...

Its a decent but forgettable album in my opinion..It is better than a lot of albums that have been coming out lately, but its far from Tremonti's potential..... Tremonti needs to really look at his past and atleast pick up the songwriting method that he was using.. it sounded much more organic sometime back than it does now.... most importantly, take time with the songs.. don't just put out albums in a rush to make some money...
Over thinking, over analyzing, separates my body from my mind..

User avatar
JaredWard
Blood Machines
Posts: 15716
Joined: Thu Jun 14, 2012 12:08 pm
Location: Ohio
Contact:

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by JaredWard »

Pieced together or not the album is pretty killer... Mark never disappoints. I have my nitpicks like everyone else though. Repeated song structures and the over-use of echo was there as usual but I did like the sounds Elvis got on this album. Guitars are huge and I like the drum sound a lot better than AB III. Overall I would give it a solid 8/10. So many great riffs & melodies!

User avatar
Timotheus
Little Belgian Waffle
Posts: 16842
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 3:52 am
Location: Belgium シ
Contact:

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by Timotheus »

Will do a review this evening. I'm at my second listen now, and it's a bit too soon to review this monster yet.

First impression: It's an amazing piece of work. After my first listen I've got 5 favourite songs. That says enough.
There are some parts that I would've done differently, and Mark has stated that if he had the chance, he'd change stuff. It's not perfect, but there 's so such thing as a perfect album imo.

Oh, and Elvis did a killer job.
Image
anguyen92 wrote:
Oh well. Deal with it.

chtimixeur
On The Rail
Posts: 1669
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 5:15 am

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by chtimixeur »

Quick thoughts :
- some REALLY nice riffs here and there (Wish you well, Giving Up, Decay, Brains). Also the shredding parts of Wish you well and So you're afraid are quite badass !
- the melodic choruses almost always sound forced and out of place. It's not Alter bridge, and these metal riffs didn't need that much cheesiness.
- a lot of songs sound like a bunch of parts added together (Brains is ruined by its chorus). I'm not sure Mark knows how to write a song from start to finish anymore.
- solos are forgettable for the most part. I've heard the album quite a few times, and no solo comes close to the ones we could hear on Down to my last, Blackbird or Brand New Start.
- not enough variety on the record...
- not enough long songs...
- ...but only one obvious filler (Doesn't Matter)
- Song structures are very predictable, even though some of them have a weird beginning (ex : the opening verse of Decay almost sounds like a chorus)
- Mark's voice is alright at best. I don't hear the heartfelt passion I could hear in My Own Prison or Words Darker Than Their Wings.
- the production still sucks. The part of Brains at 0:22 should have been MASSIVE, and with Elvis at the helm, it is completely squashed (just like the beginning of Slip to the void)
- Garrett is technical, but his playing lacks a bit of soul. I still prefer Flip's style, although he can't keep up a beat live

Overall, it's my least favourite album of Mark's career. It's not bad, but unless he starts writing songs organically instead of adding parts together, I'll probably stop caring in the next couple of years.

Bob_BleedItDry
Neon Impossible
Posts: 426
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:40 am

Re: Your All I Was Review Here

Post by Bob_BleedItDry »

Them Bones wrote:As someone said, its easily the most pieced together album ever... There are good parts.. but no good songs... Mark can do way better than this imo.. its a very average album.. great riffs here and there, but not a single great song from start to finish... Very over produced.... Why Elvis?.... why?
The album gets boring to listen to from start to finish.. I do agree there are few riffs and solos on the album that are really awesome.. but the songs do sound pieced together.. there is a lack of old Tremonti passion imo... His voice is really good, but I don't think it suits the kinda music he is writing at present... His voice needs more room/dynamics and less of the instrument mash and less of those shitty vocal layers with effects...

Its a decent but forgettable album in my opinion..It is better than a lot of albums that have been coming out lately, but its far from Tremonti's potential..... Tremonti needs to really look at his past and atleast pick up the songwriting method that he was using.. it sounded much more organic sometime back than it does now.... most importantly, take time with the songs.. don't just put out albums in a rush to make some money...
Gotta disagree with everything you have said. The only thing I'm dissapointed in is the solos are to short and not his best solos apart from leave it alone. It seems like mark has focused on singing and melodies and solos have took a back seat but I do enjoy the solos. I think Elvis has done a great job the guitar sounds just huge. Maybe that's due to a new amp mark has used let's hope he uses tge same amp on the next album

Bob_BleedItDry
Neon Impossible
Posts: 426
Joined: Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:40 am

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by Bob_BleedItDry »

Also I think mark should of done some growling it would of suited the songs well

User avatar
Cariocawlad
Bought The CDs
Posts: 87
Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2012 8:27 am
Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by Cariocawlad »

I can't do a full review right now. I need a few more listens. But I can say somethings about All I Was:

- The songs sound a bit repetitive;
- I love the Leave It Alone solo. Specially the blues initial part. I'd like to see mark doing more blues solos;
- The drum are very goog. Thats the kind of drum I would like to see in some AB songs;
- Marks voice don't get me: I prefer he stands as a backing vocal;
Image

Ruy
Brand New Start
Posts: 30
Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2012 2:03 pm

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by Ruy »

After listening to the CD more than 10 times :-) :peace :rockon :mtrocks

Here goes my review:

First of all, I would like to state the production work here. Elvis really did an amazing job! I don't know why most of you guys are used to criticize his work, the guitars are sounding HUGE, definitely, since My own Prison, this is the best guitar sound ever.

Regarding all tracks, honestly Mark just kept writing music in the same way he was used to do with Creed/AB, that's why I think some of you are disappointed, expecting something "Prog" like DT, Symphony X, and so on... but this is not Mark's style...

I really do appreciate his vocals on this record. That's the only thing I believe Elvis exaggerated a little bit, too much echoes on his vocals, but it doesn't mask his voice.

And yeah, Leave it Alone, Thing I've ever seen, Wish you well, Decay, Brains... I believe this record fits all tastes! :-)

Jaded Rescue
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 647
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:00 am
Location: New Jersey
Contact:

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by Jaded Rescue »

I'm generally enjoying it. Like Jared said, nitpicks here and there, but I'll always love Mark's music. Elvis didn't totally kill the album. I think everything sounds great except for some stuff with the vocals (effects, of course). The mastering is also horrible, but that's not necessarily Elvis' fault. He wasn't the mastering engineer, as far as I know.

I will agree the guitar solos aren't glued to my brain like something from early AB, but they're still sick of course. I think with this heavier vibe comes more shreddy solos, which aren't so easy to remember like something melodic from Down to My Last or Brand New Start.

prslover
TABN.com Citizen
Posts: 198
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 8:57 am

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by prslover »

After streaming it all day yesterday and buying it this morning and listening on the way to work, I have to say this is a top notch effort from Mark.
The vocals: They are POWERFUL and full of soul. Elvis does his thing with the effect on some verses and that was cool, but Mark seriously belts it out ALL I WAS, are you kidding at the end thats just awesome.
He sings some great hooks all the way through on the choruses, SO YOUR AFRAID!
The Guitars: OH my , the riffage on the heavy stuff is ODR era with a little Blackbird. You can tell that Mark worked on a lot of this back in the 03-04 era where he was trying to go super beast on the metal and shred side. Then you have songs like Leave it Alone that go all over the place with clean parts and really heavy parts. The solo in that song is amazing BTW.
Lyrics: This is where I really hear the ODR era stuff and I love it. Mark has that yearning feeling in his writing that gives you the chills but also has anthemic shouts from mountain tops type choruses that he likes. I havent analyzed all the lyrics but I can tell they mostly fit with the vibe of the songs they are in.

I am so pumped for the concert tonight !!!!!

User avatar
Dayviewer
Isolated
Posts: 484
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:57 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by Dayviewer »

Ruy wrote:Regarding all tracks, honestly Mark just kept writing music in the same way he was used to do with Creed/AB, that's why I think some of you are disappointed, expecting something "Prog" like DT, Symphony X, and so on... but this is not Mark's style...
No, we did not expect Prog, we expected a metal record and something that was WAY different than he has ever done before, why? because we were told tons of times and was so hyped to be that by everyone who had an early listen.
Now it all turns out it wasn't, that's why we are dissapointed on that aspect
Image
Formerly known as Benjami

User avatar
phatnonphatness
Loyal Follower
Posts: 341
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 1:49 am

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by phatnonphatness »

Yeah, I don't think anybody here was expecting anything progressive (how many people here even listen to progressive music?), just maybe something a little less predictable.

User avatar
psycosquirrel789
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 824
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:15 am

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by psycosquirrel789 »

There are some great melodies on the record for sure. I really like Leave It Alone and Wish You Well. Decay chorus is crazy catchy. The Things I've Seen is great.

But it's like everything we've been complaining about for the past couple years is full force on this one. And of top of those things, this one is very boring with no dynamics. It doesn't have the ebb and flow that most of his records have. The songs are so repetitive and structured that they just melt into one another. Things seem very out place at times, especially So You're Afraid. What a waste of an awesome riff. The loss of potential due to radio songs and awful production is very frustrating - once again. By far my least favorite record he's been a part of. 4/10 for me. I'm hoping this was the purge of his old ideas, and isn't what the future will hold... oh boy.

User avatar
psycosquirrel789
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 824
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:15 am

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by psycosquirrel789 »

Timotheus wrote:Oh, and Elvis did a killer job.
:wtf

KaceMN
Brand New Start
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2012 10:44 am

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by KaceMN »

First, let me say that I'm pretty stoked about the album. I'm enjoying it greatly and glad it's finally here!! I think Mark's voice is very suited toward this kind of record, and--with a great deal of help from Elvis--he pulled it off nicely!

However, I must agree in part with some of the many critics. My biggest complaints come from Mark's longing to create brutal metal verse riffs and uplifting melodic choruses within the same song. This simply hasn't ever worked 100% for me. I wish he'd just separate his anthems and his ballads from the metal. The songs would have more authenticity from start to finish.

The attempts to incorporate anthemic choruses with metal verse riffs is equally to blame as his mix-and-match songwriting technique which has been evident since the Blackbird days. "One by One" was the first song where I noticed something was goofy with the flow of his songwriting. I'd really like to see him abandon the "mix-and-match" in favor of embracing a great song "section" and then building something unique and spontaneous around it.

I do feel it necessary to respond to a couple other repeating themes of negativity...

"The songs all melt into one another" = Just like any album that you've only run through fewer than 5 times...your memory prevents you from being able to distinguish all of the songs individually until about 10 listens. This holds true for every album I've ever familiarized myself with. Please find me an album written 100% by one man in which none of the songs can be accused of sounding similar to others.

"Why Elvis?.... why?" = Flavor of the decade...everyone loves to bash Elvis. You may not care for his style of production, but obviously Mark does. Personally, I would prefer a more organic sound, but Elvis's overproduced style doesn't completely destroy a record.

Overall I'm digging the record. Plenty of meaty riffs and singable melodies to keep me entertained for a while.

User avatar
psycosquirrel789
Hardcore TABN'er
Posts: 824
Joined: Mon Jun 18, 2012 12:15 am

Re: Your "All I Was" Review Here

Post by psycosquirrel789 »

Just like any album that you've only run through fewer than 5 times...your memory prevents you from being able to distinguish all of the songs individually until about 10 listens. This holds true for every album I've ever familiarized myself with. Please find me an album written 100% by one man in which none of the songs can be accused of sounding similar to others.

It only takes one listen to hear things he's done time and time again. Cut the hard riff in the beginning and end - it's very similar. Not that I agree with you - but in general, just because an issue is common doesn't mean it isn't still a criticism... There's plenty of records that are unique.

And besides, you agree with me that it does melt together, so I don't see what the problem is.

Post Reply