The All Devouring Beast review thread

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"Bitches Leave" has replaced "Theme from Shaft" as my theme song as I walk down the cold, hard streets of Billings, MONTANA.

And a nice twist of fate (raises and bonuses for wife and myself) may soon enable me to purchase the three PKG albums I lust for.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled discussion...

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I can't give an in depth review just yet but I wanted to congratulate all of you on an absolutely fantastic effort, my car's CD player thanks you.

Do you do mail-order? I'd like to buy a copy of this when I get paid at the end of the month, but I have no credit card and that's all the US site takes.

Got this in the mail last night... unfortunatly, this is an office week and not a set week, so I usually don't listen during the day, but what I did hear during car time was damn fine.

This is, so far, among the best stuff I have heard from you guys. I'll get into a track to track once I get a little more one on one time with it.

And yes, the packaging is tres sexy.

U.S. Postal Service: ASSDRINK.

Only on the first listen, but I love it.

The packaging is great. One minor complaint about it though, there is no band or album name on the side. Besides that, minor, complaint it's great.

It's cool. I like it. It's just hard for storage reasons, but of course I can easily work around it.

I'll go for the full review as soon as the album sinks in. I've only listened to the first five songs so far. I will say this though: "New Kind of Therapy" is better than eating peanut butter ice cream while getting a blowjob from Monica Bellucci. Incredible song.

And the spine of the packaging is one of the coolest looking ones in my entire collection.

Full review this weekend.

Track by Track.

Aw, I've been missed. . .

I finally got a chance to sit and listen to this today; it's came Monday but it's been a weird, folk music kind of week.

The streak of excellent discs remains unbroken. Very cool packaging. About the only complaint I could make is the almost microscopic font for the lyrics, and that the sunset wipes out the last column. Minor gripes, but I had to find something to complain about.

And just some ramblings on the tunes; more detail will come with a few more listenings.

Fade me out -great tune to start off with. Love the opening.

Goodbye Picture Show - the boost in the vocals really make the song go from great to fantastic. It especially hits home for me, mainly due to some personal things this year. Easily one of the best songs you guys ever did (at least so far).

New Kind of Therapy - loved the song since the first time it was posted and comes across even better on the disc.

more later. . . .

Ok, I ordered mine. I'll review when it arrives.

An ADB disc and an Exploder are on their way to me now. I will comment on them, with my miniscule amount of musical knowledge, when they arrive.

Monday.

I promise.

Works killer and I haven't had time to listen to it all yet.

Track by Track just like I said.

Funny you should say that.

Typing track 3 right now.

1. Dig the beginning. Dig the vocals. Nice song. Oh and guitar rocks this song.

2. Vocals rock ass. Dig the lyrics. Dragged for a little bit, but otherwise nice song.
3. Fan-fucking-tastic. Seriously, this song is amazing. Reminds me of a Beck meets JSBX type thing for some reason. Great song.

4. Can’t really get into this song. But I do dig the vocals and guitar. The end was kinda cool too. But overall, not to my favorite.

5. Whoa. You hit emotions. Your vocals shine. The lyrics are, for lack of a better word, fucking great.

6. Dig the bass. Don’t really dig the song as a whole. But again I must say, Nick your vocals own.

7. Like the beginning. Dig the temp. Dig the riff.

8. Keyboards? Nice. Really dig the beat/tempo and backing vocals. Not to mention, again, your king vocals.

9. Guitar. First 40 seconds. My ass was sold. The drums rock.

10. Love the keyboard(?) work. Really great song. Keeps the flow really well.

11. Fun song. Love the chorus. Vocals are king. Guitar owns it. Great fucking lyrics.

12. Drums. Rock. Lyrics are fun. Vocals, backup shines here too, rock.

13. Dig the lyrics. Really like the guitar. Great song.

14. Guitar owns. But not my favorite.

15. Too heavy for my taste. But again the guitar is really good.

16. Good ending. Captures the tempo perfect. Great flow.

Overall, I gotta say, great flow. Really this thing feels like a album not just a bunch of songs slapped together.

The vocals were awesome. Really great. The guitar work was tops. Really good. Same goes for all instruments, they all had their time to shine.

Fun album. Love the pop culture references, delivered in the normal Chud fashion

This will be in my car, next to my Nightsticks album. And it will play just as much.

Thanks Nick, Micah Steve, and Andrew. Your love of music shines through.

And thanks Nick for sending it to me. Much thanks.

P.S.: Sorry it's not super indepth, but my musical knowledge is pretty much zilch.

Although I’m running the risk of sounding terribly predictable, I gotta say...I LOVE IT. A lot. Such a tight, face-punching album. Solid as hell from front to back. The progression level from “Beast” to “Chains” is a lot more obvious than the transition from “Sea” to “Chains”. I can’t really seem to put it into words, but the sound just seems more evolved and experimental...and impressive. It took me at least three or four listens to even realize that there aren’t any “joke songs” on the album, which is odd, considering that I love ‘em. And the other big step up is that sexy, sexy, packaging. Love the cover, and I’m happy to see that you didn’t use the “baby” picture. The “play it loud” underbelly pic is a nice touch, and that anonymous spine is first-class. You’ve topped yourselves yet again.

And as for the tracks…

“Fade Me Out” – I love the fact that you guys come from the Faith No More School of Opening Tracks. Every album starts off like a Tiger Uppercut to the taint, and this is certainly no exception. Nick’s best and most aggressive vocal work to date. The drums sound fantastic, and the rhythm riff is killer. But the solo fucking OWNS. I loved putting on this album for the first time, sitting back, and waiting for the Micah payoff. As soon as it kicked in, I could hear my internal monologue saying “Yeah, there it is!” Magnificent work. One of my top ten.

“Starscream” – I was sold on the title alone, and the fact that it’s a cool-ass song doesn’t hurt either. The electronic bleeps and synth work add A LOT to the song. Backup vocals sound perfect on headphones. The bizarre, futuristic, mariachi-electronic ending is wonderful. Strong track, solid chorus. Not one to skip often.

“Sunspots” – Now we’re talking! Nick’s voice sounds great, the bassline is great as usual, and the guitar work is the tops. Perfect tone. My only complaint would be that the “All you do is glance away” seems to blend a little awkwardly. Not something you would notice too much in a car or on a stereo, but it picks up a bit on the headphones. No big shit. One of my faves.

“It’s Only Pain” – Reminds me of some good ‘ol Sabbath, Sabbra Cadabra in particular. Love, love, love the lyrics. Headbanging chorus that sounds like it was pulled right out of 1978. The scream (bad-ass!) and solo are a great “cherry-on-top” addition to the song. I dig the fact that right after that, it comes back with a lovely little dickpunch for a closer.

“Goodbye Picture Show” – Lovely little groover. Lyrics are obviously some of the best on the album. Keys sound real damn good, and the vocal work is tops.

“Forget To Breathe” – I’m all about that bassline at the beginning. Also gives off that Sabbathy vibe. The synth work during the verse is nice, and the chorus is especially strong. The vocals sound marvelous; love the echo effects. The foggy solo sounds very nice. Love it.

“Eyes Don’t Deceive” – Drums sound great, lyrics are awesome. Love the little punkish breakdown at the beginning and end. This is one of those songs that I know is going to wind up being one that I listen to a lot. Reminds me of something by Deleverance/Wiseblood era COC, which is NEVER a bad thing.

“New Kind of Therapy” – Oddly enough, my favorite on the album. I can’t find a flaw on this song, and I have been singing it since I bought the album. I told Nick that this song is better than eating peanut butter ice cream while getting head from Monica Bellucci and after a dozen more listens, I stand by that statement. Ambient as all hell, with some great electronic work. This song solidified the fact that I HAVE to buy Micah’s darker album.

“Grappling With Skeletons (The Rising)” – I’m torn between this and “Fade Me Out” as my favorite rocker. Really, really torn, cause this song is just…..fucking…..awesome. I see why HMT has so much love for this one now. That chorus….whoa. Some of my favorite guitar work on the album as well. Love the little nod to eruption at the beginning, but I’m more fond of solo in the middle of the song. If you guys ever get together a live thing and don’t play this, you’re all food for the creature from Deep Star Six.

“Mongorr The Impressionable” – Strong instrumental that flows really well. The little wah-pedal/electronic part at around two minutes or so is good shit. The instrumentals are always some good shit….

“Smacked With Motorcycles” – This song will constantly make me smile. Catchiest song on the album, with some kickass vocals, nice guitar work, and a well-done bassline. The thing about this song that I love so much is that despite the fact that the musicianship is first-class, and the production is damn good, there’s still something about it that’s just goofy as shit. You guys’ sense of humor SHINES in this one. This is one of those tracks that I’ll soon be putting on for a friend with the “You gotta fucking hear this” speech preceding it. If Andrew W.K. put a little more thought into his lyrics, I’ve got a feeling it might sound a bit like this. “Kawasak-it to me!” Jesus…..

“Who Goes There” – It’s growing on me. It’s a groovy, head-bobbing kinda track, but it hasn’t hit me quite yet. The lyrics are my favorite aspect of the song. I remember reading them a long time ago and imagining them sounding like sounding like something by the Misfits. Perhaps that’s what threw me off a bit. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good shit, especially the little breakdown/solo toward the end, but it’s not “The One”. Then again, I’ve had the album less than a week…..

“Little Bird” – I dig. Lots. Lovely little Weezer-ish riff, nice vocal performance, and some cool little breakdowns here and there. One of the best choruses on the album. There’s something about this song that I REALLY love, but can’t seem to put my finger on. There’s a lot of elements working here and there on this track, and they just seem to come together very well, particularly the solo. Fits like a glove.

“Collecting Mrs. Chonks” – The only track I heard before I bought the album, and god damn I love it. Ballsy, no bullshit rocker. Opening riff is gold. Chorus vocals sound quite good, as does the tone of the solo. All that AND it’s a nod to GTA 3. Love abounds.

“Nurtured To Extinction” – Yet another chorus that sound like it could have come right out of the late seventies. KISS love shines through, and that’s a great thing. The vocal tones are perfect, and I love the part where the guitar (almost) drops out. The robotic voice effect that leads into the solo: BAD ASS. Oh, and the solo? Not too much to say other than a big ‘ol fuck yeah. Love it.

“Last Transmission” – One of those songs that just works perfect as a closer. If anything, you guys are really, really great at picking a proper track order. For someone like myself, who often listens to albums in their entirety, it’s always great to hear something that just seems to move well. Song is incredible, especially on headphones. My best friend said “This is some of the best ‘chill music’ I’ve ever heard.” The electronic work is stellar. This track just works well, and holds your attention no matter how hard you try to ignore it. EASILY my favorite instrumental.

I’m currently of the opinion that Package gets better every album. You guys always seem to sound more accomplished and polished with every record, and The All Devouring Beast is an excellent addition to the full catalogue. Like I said before, everything just seems to fall together really well on this one. I love what Tony said, that you guys don’t make records, you make albums. Keep ‘em coming mutants....I’ll be there.

I have a quart of peanut butter ice cream, and though I'm not Monica Belluci, I have some lip balm and some knee pads.

All I need is a destination address and I'm on the next plane to you to make sure you have the best day of your life.

NOBODY reviews Package stuff like you do, Outlaw Torn. Fucking nobody. I swear all of the weeks of work and sweat is worth just for these moments where you sit down and dissect our stuff oh so well.

Thanks so fucking much, pal.

Tony....no disrespect to you. I thank you very much as well.

Track-by-track breakdowns RULE all, and I love them so dearly.

Thanks so much, sir, for taking the time out to care.

Good crimes, Tony and Outlaw! Thanks a million!

I'll be reviewing this bastard some time next week. Yes! That's right, I finally managed to order some PKG albums. It only took me a damn year.

I listened to lo-fi streamed versions of ...Beast and Sea... all day yesterday. I'll reserve judgment for the proper releases, but I'll tell you right now I loved what I heard.

A quick legend for the guitar fans:

1) Fade Me Out - all guitar/Micah
2) Starscream - all guitar/Steve
3) Sunspots - clean guitar/Me, all leads/Steve
4) It's Only Pain - Rhythm Guitar-all leads/Me, Rhythm Guitar, guitar fill before solo/Steve
5) Goodbye Picture Show - Clean, Heavy, leslie-chorus guitar, end solo/Me, Semi-distorted guitar on second chorus, middle solo/Steve
6) Forget to Breathe - all guitar/Andrew
7) Eyes Don't Deceive - all guitar/Steve
8) New Kind of Therapy - all guitar/Me
9) Grappling with Skeletons - all guitar/Me
10) Mongorr - all guitar/Steve
11) Smacked with Motorcycles - all guitar/Me
12) Who Goes There - all guitar/Me
13) Little Bird - rhyhtm guitars/Steve, solo/Me
14) Collecting Mrs. Chonks - all guitars/Steve
15) Nurtured to Extinction - all guitars/Me
16) Last Transmission - all guitars/Me

So, it's you robbing Steve of his rightful credit, eh? wink

He did the "Parasite-ish" and lovely bass for "Fade Me Out."

We can't have anybody shorting Murph. As the guitar legend shows, he indeed got his rocks off on this record.

And last but not least, here's a triangle legend for all the fans of our great subtle percussion instrument:

Fade Me Out - Nick
Starscream - Micah
Sunspots - Steve
It's Only Pain - M. Reeves
Goodbye Picture Show - K. Roksak
Forget to Breathe - J. Slobotnik
Eyes Don't Deceive - Lt. B. Krakenface
New Kind of Therapy - H.L.B. Kippelstein
Mongorr - P. O' Neill
Smacked with Motorcycles - J.M. Vincent
Who Goes There - W. Tambor
Little Bird - Pete and Sue Botanik
Collecting Mrs. Chonks - "Fightin'" Liam O' Reilly
Nurtured to Extinction - Andrew
Last Transmission - No triangle on this song. Just didn't seem to fit.

Where does mp3.com ship from? It says my order shipped today and since I'm an impatient fuck, I want it tomorrow. Of course, I picked cheap shipping so it'll show up some time next millenium.

BTW, Tambor plays a mean triangle on Who Goes There.

Carl?

HMT?

Dennis?

McAllister?

Listening now...

I've had a fucked up work week, but the plane rides to and from DC this weekend will be PKG filled.

I will say this though, my words will be positive.

1. Fade Me Out - Awesome intro. I got thewhole 80's arean metal vibe. I felt like Rokken with Dokken for sure. A good opening track. It rocks it's fast and it has simple enough lyrics that one doesn't get confused right off.

2. Starscream - I like the lyrics, but I think the song needs work. The vocals are way up front, hiding the guitars and bass line. I couldn't make out many of the parts. The vocal harmonies seemed awkward to me too. I think the lyrics are great and most of the ideas are there, but the final product doesn't seem as powerful as it could be.

3. Sunspots - I love the guitar work on this. It's beautiful. The vocals are also great, but the delayed repeats are distracting. It was hard to stay focused on the whole song, because the vocals were bouncing all over the place.

4. It's Only Pain - This one picks it back up again. It's got a great groove in the verse, and the chorus melody is strong but also catchy. The guitar is heavy and edgy with a kind of Deep Purple sort of Space Truckin' vibe. Great stuff. The outtro is a nice touch.

5. Goodbye Picture Show - I listened to this one when you guys put it up earlier. It's a beautiful, beautiful song. It's haunting and sad, but hopeful and so, so well written AND performed. I love everything about this song. I think it's in the right spot on the album too. Good change of pace.

6. Forget To Breathe - Great intro. heavy, dynamic and deceptive. The vocal entrance is perfect and this time the second vocal part works. The chorus has a great, simple melody. Nick sings it nice and powerful. Cool stop at the end leading into the synth part, which is also really cool.

7. Eyes Don't Decieve - this one made me nervous because the riff is kinda similar to a Sacrament tune! But it's all good. This track also grooves well, and has a great driving feel. For some reason reminded me of Soundgarden. I think it's Nick's vocals and the fluid guitar riff. Very fantastic. One of my favorites on the album.

8. New Kind of Therapy - RAD. This is definitely my favorite.

9. Grappling With Skeletons - heavy Metal Magic. Killer soloing, and then the band hits so HARD. Nick's vocals are classic stuff. A perfect metal performance. Lots of great riffs, intense vocals and great lyrics, pounding beat and over the top soloing. Judas Priest go home.

10. Mongorr the Impressionable - Sweet bassline! I love the synth solo too. All of the keyboards on this album are good stuff, but this song really makes em stand out.

11. Smacked With Motorcycles - This reminds me a lot of Poison. Just as good, or better if you hate them. This one is just a lot of fun. Every record needs a fun track or two.

12. Who Goes There - A great sing along track. Great vocal performance, Nick. I love the guitar tone too. I could barely make out the bass parts though. The rhythmic/percussive keyboard lines underneath "We had questions..." is very nice. It gives the song some weight. Then when it gets heavy going into the guitar solo...good show fellas. That's cool. Another favorite.

13. Little Bird - A radio friendly tune. Good stuff. Great lyrics and the vocals are mostly good, but a little pitchy in some spots. No worries. This one is also very singable. It hops. Good one.

14. Collecting Mrs. Chonks - SHIT! Whatta riff! That's why I love big fat guitars and amp stacks; Riffage. This song moves. I've never played GTA3, so I don't really get it, but...I can imagine.

15. Nurtured To Extinction - The chorus is perfect, but that's about all that really struck me with this song. That, and the breakdown clean part. That was also cool. The rest of the song just seemed far too busy. Vocals didn't mix well with the riffs.

16. Last Transmission - This is a good one. Everything mixes well, the sounds are great, and the parts are interesting. It's definitely your best instrumental.

Overall, ADB is really good. A few songs need work (IMO) some things get lost in the mix, but it's mostly, as you can see by my review, an extremely enjoyable album. One thing I also notice with PKG and LN albums though, is that they sometimes end up with a little overkill. I realize that you're going for value, but 16 songs can be a little much. On this album, I think one intrumental would have been good. It's not my business, but I thought I'd share that.
It's never good to finish off with negativity, so I'll say again that the songs ADB are great, and the record as a whole relaly moves and it has sing-able stuff, tap(stomp)-your-toes(feet)-able stuff, headbang-able stuff and emotionally moving-able (!?) stuff. And, the packaging IS pretty badass.

Nice work fellas. You never fail to impress me.

Thanks a lot for the positive and, more importantly, constructive criticism, HMT.

I really appreciate it.

On the "too many songs/value" issue, I think we try to make them 14-16 keepers because we always have more than that number of songs either recorded or in progress by the time we release an album. So we try and choose the best of the best, pick a good cross-section of stuff to keep things diverse, and release them the best way we can.

But maybe the next record will have less songs. Maybe not. That's really Nick's decision.

I hope the small criticisms didn't overshadow the praise. I think it's a really great album.

I'll be busting out a track-by-track review shortly after I get the actual CD. I've formed somewhat of an opinion from listening to the streamed version from mp3.com, but I don't think it's fair to judge on that because the sound quality is in the shitter. I want to give the real deal a couple of spins. I just hope the package wasn't on that FedEx plane that went down this morning.

I'll probably tack on a shorty review of Sea of Problems just for shits, too.

If it means anything, I lent me mate my copy and he loved it. He's a big music geek. Said it sounded like Mr. Bungle/Patton mixed with JSBX.

"Fade Me Out"- Christ, the package tells me to play it loud, but I wasn't expecting to wake up the apartment complex with the first three bars of the song. Excellent song. The driving guitar and drum lines kick you square in the giggleberries and let you know this is gonna be your grandma's Package album, it's PKG. Strong vocals seal the deal.

"Starscream"- I've said before that this is a haunting tune and I think it still is. A tough subject that is tackled and executed very well. The work on the keys really brings this tune together for me. The outro is flat out creepy.

"Sunspots"- One of my very favorite songs by any band. Everything blends together so beautifully. Musically, I do not find anyone stepping into the spotlight and overpowering any other part, which I like. The vocals are the best ever on this track, and they are what really pull me in. I could put this on repeat all day and be happy.

"It's Only Pain"- Guitars laying a heavy groove, rhythm section laying a rock-solid foundation, cocky swagger in the vocals. What's not to like? Excellent rocker.

"Goodbye Picture Show"- A very nostalgic and seemingly personal, introspective song. Great musicianship on this track.

"Forget to Breathe"- The hard chorus pulls this track together. Good work done here, but nothing really pulls me in.

"Eyes Don't Deceive"- Personally, the intro and outro kind of pull me out of the song. Otherwise, I like the rhythm the guitars establish and the vocals and drums really grab me and throw me back into the track.

"New Kind of Therapy"- Eerie feelings of dread pervade this track for me. Listening to it right now, I can't type, the music is just so great. The work from the keys is spectacular, but the drums demand attention, too. The guitar solo is indeed loved.

"Grappling with Skeletons (The Rising)"- Sweet Christmas, the guitar intro punches me in the ears! And when the rest of the band jumps in, the song kicks into overdrive. Guitars and vocals take the stage and don't disappoint.

"Mongorr the Impressionable"- A solid instrumental piece. I particularly like the bass, but it's all good.

"Smacked with Motorcycles"- Hell yeah, what a fun song! The shout chorus is great, I find myself singing along more often than not. The lyrics are the best part of this track for me. The guitar part is good stuff.

"Who Goes There"- I love the drums on this track. One of my favorites on the album, although there are so many. This song flows great, with cool vocals and great work from the guitars and keys. I could see this as being a single.

"Little Bird"- Another guitar line that I flat out LOVE. VERY strong vocals. The chorus is fantastic. I get a cool Chili Peppers vibe from this song, I don't know why. You guys should be extra proud of this track.

"Collecting Mrs. Chonks"- Any song about blazing a trail through organized crime is tops in my book. Seriously though, once again the chorus is great stuff. A little too much distortion on the vocals for my taste, but otherwise a very good song. Nice guitar solo, and the rhytym guitar is laying a very nice track as well. Is Mrs. Chonks the wife of the dog food guy?

"Nurtured to Extinction"- The driving force to this track is cool. Another chorus that demands you sing along. Cool vocals, syncopation during the verses is good stuff. The guitar solo owns. The preceding verse lets you cool down and prepares you for the rocking to come.

"Last Transmission"- Much like a workout, this instrumental acts as a nice cooldown after an hour of kicking ass. Excellent musicianship on all fronts with this one.

Random thoughts by me: Overall, an great album. As I listened again while writing these ramblings, I see just how many good tunes are here. For there being so many tracks, they are ordered very well. I like that there is a solid hour of music to the album. Short albums piss me off. Although the only other PKG album I have is Sea of Problems, it's clear to see you guys have improved by leaps and bounds. The All Devouring Beast is more impressive on every front, from presentation to musicianship. The packaging does kick ass, by the way.

Special Bonus Review: The Sea of Problems- I like this album a lot, also. This record falls into the category of "Albums to play for fun." Lots of great tracks on here with very good work on melodies. Not sure exactly where this album falls in the PKG timeline, but I see a lot of experimentation on different styles. I like that. It's a good album that can go from rocking hard ("Nails") to a goofy saloon-styled romp ("Sarsaparilla") to Isacc Hayes-like greatness ("Bitches Leave") and everywhere in between. Based on the picture of Nick's eye, I would hazard a guess that he is the son of Satan himself. Y'know, with the arched eyebrow and all...