You guys are making progress. In fact, a weekend or so back, I threw on "Chains" at a party, and a minute or so into "Unbreak Me", a guy that I see often but barely know looks up and says, "Is this Package?" Obviously, I told him that it was, and to get his ass over to CHUD and order a copy. Thought you might like to know that...
"Unbreak Me" - The guitar work is outstanding, the drums show massive improvement, and the vocals leave me feeling like I've just been raped by the Kraken. Hard drivin'? You bet your ass. This is one song that the Faith No More influence shows BIG TIME. And the line "Save me from myself...." just before the solo; very Pattonish. Nice.
"900lbs" - At first, I enjoyed it, but it didn't really seem like a big time, stand out track. After a few listens, it grew on my in a huge way. The general flow and melody of the song is just fantastic. It's one of those songs I just grin and bob my head to. Oddly enough, my friends seemed to really dig this track. The electronic flute and the backgroundish acoustic guitar MAKE the song.
"I Like Spikes" - The minute I heard this, I thought of Bill Murray's character from "Little Shop of Horrors". Seriously, everyone else had some sort of bizzare, doo wop theme song, shouldn't he get one too? All kidding aside, this track is a blast, silly, fun, and pretty damn catchy.
"Bastards Have Landed" - Oh God yes. From the opening riffs, I just knew that this one was gonna be all killer, and it damn sure delivers. The guitar heroics are nothing short of enormous, and the chorus is one of my faves. The drums kick a fair amount of ass as well, and the lyrics are too cool for words.
"Takes" - This one caught me a bit off guard. It can honestly say that ONLY Mr. Bungle fans would throw in a peculiar Mariachi-piano-wah instrumental in between two kick ass rock songs and it still manage to work.
“Hot Corner” – This one is tied with “Unbreak Me” as my second favorite track off the record. This is a remarkable song. Sounds like it could have come right off of “Dressed To Kill”. It’s a short track, but it still rocks my socks just fine.
“When Chains’ Attack!” – Yessir! This is Package at their best. The vocals KILL. They are the absolute best yet. I can’t say anything even close to bad about this song. Easily my favorite of the record.
“Rearranging You” – Excellent comedown off of the face-smacking of “Chains…” This song manages to remain solemn and melodic, but at the same time is still a pretty head-bobbing, groovy little jingle. Chorus is love. The solo is MARVELOUS. Probably my favorite on the album. And the little bass lick at the end is a nice touch.
“O.P.P.S” – Strange, yet somehow fitting. It’s as though it’s a theme song for James Bond, as played by Larry Drake.
“Magic Baby” – Reminds me a lot of early Incubus (This is a compliment). The intro and the guitar work just before the lyrics are first-class. I’m loving the lyrics to this! The vocals sound great on this as well. The guitar work, as always, is precise.
“Weequay” – Fun track. The verse is kickass, but the chorus tends to be a tad on the repetitive side. The “weequay chant” drowns out the other vocals a bit, but other than that, it’s a damn solid song. I dig the absolute hell out of the “Oh YEAH!” and the scream at the end.
“Manpower” – Nick describes this one as a good track, but maybe not “The One”. At first I agreed with him, but after many, many listens, it’s WAY above that. It’s an engaging song that has some fantastic harmonies on it. Every time I put on this album, this song gets a listen. It probably wouldn’t make my top five Package song list, but it would damn sure ease into the top ten. Lyrics smash cities.
“Riding” – From those opening riffs, you just sorta know that one’s a keeper. Very cool song. I love the way it moves from poppy and catchy to sinister and evil. The way the distortion feeds its way into the chorus is perfect. The guitar work is beautiful.
“The Hit Points Song” – Goddamn hilarious. I keep seeing Nick on a porch somewhere with overalls and a cowboy hat singing this to a group of very confused elderly people. It’s frightening how often I catch myself singing this. The outro was an excellent lead in to….
“Howard Phillips” – The most menacing song on the album, and a fitting theme Mr. Lovecraft. Wasn’t there something in the liner notes to “The Sea of Problems” about not appealing to certain genres, on of them being Death Metal? Coulda fooled me. The lyrics are nothing short of wicked, but it’s the delivery that devours souls. The double picking riffs are right up my alley too. Excellent closer.
Now, for the burning question: Is it better than “The Sea of Problems”? As of right now, I think it is. But if so, it’s not by much. It manages to stay in the same realm as “Sea”, but there’s still a certain level of progression and newness. My friends dig it, my band likes it, and I love it. I eagerly await “The All Devouring Beast”.
Package: Still King.
"Unbreak Me" - The guitar work is outstanding, the drums show massive improvement, and the vocals leave me feeling like I've just been raped by the Kraken. Hard drivin'? You bet your ass. This is one song that the Faith No More influence shows BIG TIME. And the line "Save me from myself...." just before the solo; very Pattonish. Nice.
"900lbs" - At first, I enjoyed it, but it didn't really seem like a big time, stand out track. After a few listens, it grew on my in a huge way. The general flow and melody of the song is just fantastic. It's one of those songs I just grin and bob my head to. Oddly enough, my friends seemed to really dig this track. The electronic flute and the backgroundish acoustic guitar MAKE the song.
"I Like Spikes" - The minute I heard this, I thought of Bill Murray's character from "Little Shop of Horrors". Seriously, everyone else had some sort of bizzare, doo wop theme song, shouldn't he get one too? All kidding aside, this track is a blast, silly, fun, and pretty damn catchy.
"Bastards Have Landed" - Oh God yes. From the opening riffs, I just knew that this one was gonna be all killer, and it damn sure delivers. The guitar heroics are nothing short of enormous, and the chorus is one of my faves. The drums kick a fair amount of ass as well, and the lyrics are too cool for words.
"Takes" - This one caught me a bit off guard. It can honestly say that ONLY Mr. Bungle fans would throw in a peculiar Mariachi-piano-wah instrumental in between two kick ass rock songs and it still manage to work.
“Hot Corner” – This one is tied with “Unbreak Me” as my second favorite track off the record. This is a remarkable song. Sounds like it could have come right off of “Dressed To Kill”. It’s a short track, but it still rocks my socks just fine.
“When Chains’ Attack!” – Yessir! This is Package at their best. The vocals KILL. They are the absolute best yet. I can’t say anything even close to bad about this song. Easily my favorite of the record.
“Rearranging You” – Excellent comedown off of the face-smacking of “Chains…” This song manages to remain solemn and melodic, but at the same time is still a pretty head-bobbing, groovy little jingle. Chorus is love. The solo is MARVELOUS. Probably my favorite on the album. And the little bass lick at the end is a nice touch.
“O.P.P.S” – Strange, yet somehow fitting. It’s as though it’s a theme song for James Bond, as played by Larry Drake.
“Magic Baby” – Reminds me a lot of early Incubus (This is a compliment). The intro and the guitar work just before the lyrics are first-class. I’m loving the lyrics to this! The vocals sound great on this as well. The guitar work, as always, is precise.
“Weequay” – Fun track. The verse is kickass, but the chorus tends to be a tad on the repetitive side. The “weequay chant” drowns out the other vocals a bit, but other than that, it’s a damn solid song. I dig the absolute hell out of the “Oh YEAH!” and the scream at the end.
“Manpower” – Nick describes this one as a good track, but maybe not “The One”. At first I agreed with him, but after many, many listens, it’s WAY above that. It’s an engaging song that has some fantastic harmonies on it. Every time I put on this album, this song gets a listen. It probably wouldn’t make my top five Package song list, but it would damn sure ease into the top ten. Lyrics smash cities.
“Riding” – From those opening riffs, you just sorta know that one’s a keeper. Very cool song. I love the way it moves from poppy and catchy to sinister and evil. The way the distortion feeds its way into the chorus is perfect. The guitar work is beautiful.
“The Hit Points Song” – Goddamn hilarious. I keep seeing Nick on a porch somewhere with overalls and a cowboy hat singing this to a group of very confused elderly people. It’s frightening how often I catch myself singing this. The outro was an excellent lead in to….
“Howard Phillips” – The most menacing song on the album, and a fitting theme Mr. Lovecraft. Wasn’t there something in the liner notes to “The Sea of Problems” about not appealing to certain genres, on of them being Death Metal? Coulda fooled me. The lyrics are nothing short of wicked, but it’s the delivery that devours souls. The double picking riffs are right up my alley too. Excellent closer.
Now, for the burning question: Is it better than “The Sea of Problems”? As of right now, I think it is. But if so, it’s not by much. It manages to stay in the same realm as “Sea”, but there’s still a certain level of progression and newness. My friends dig it, my band likes it, and I love it. I eagerly await “The All Devouring Beast”.
Package: Still King.
