Well...yet another new year arrives without the world coming to a catastrophic end. Maybe I'm calling it too early on this one, but I think we'll all be just fine :)
I thought I'd start things off with an album that came out at the end of 2011. Ya, it's not appropriate to review "old" material, but Puscifer is completely new to me. A lot of buzz has been surrounding Maynard James Keenan and his Puscifer band mates, so I thought I'd give their latest effort CONDITIONS OF MY PAROLE a spin. After giving the album three solid listens I have to say that I'm impressed, but not totally captivated. I prefer the power and weight of a TOOL record or even the esoteric mystery of A PERFECT CIRCLE but Puscifer definitely serves up creativity.
The synth heavy music twists and turns in every direction, so the listener really doesn't know what to expect. I think this is the point, but it also means that CONDITIONS OF MY PAROLE comes off sounding a little disjointed and poorly executed. To compare PUSCIFER TO TOOL is unfair and one should definitely judge the band in its own right. As such, PUSCIFER prefers ambience over shear brutality, but is still capable of throwing down a heavy groove as "Telling Ghosts" indicates. "Horizons" serves up a gentle beauty that remains captivating once the album has faded to black...
This record reminds of the brilliance of RADIOHEAD'S KID A at times, but lacks the same depth of character that made that record a classic.
3.5 Stars out of 5.0
