 "A Dance Down Memory Lane." | 2008-06-20 |
| - Reviewed By vampryixie |
A23 is definitely among my all time favorites. This album and Defiance mark a period of time for me thats indescribable sadness and joy. Great rhythm, meaningful lyrics. A great nostalgic walk down memory lane without the standard sympathy bitching.
I gladly put this entire album on my repeat playlists time and time again. |
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| "Stunned" | 2008-04-20 |
| - Reviewed By User: A26Z6585PR7XZZ |
I've been listening to industrial for many years, and the past 6 or 7 years to EBM as well. For some reason I never really gave Assemblage 23 a try until last year when his new album 'meta' came out. That album was my favorite album of 2007, especially after seeing A23 in concert last fall. This even though Tom Shear (and his live band) didn't quite impress me as much as VNV Nation live (seen them a few times). Nevertheless, I've been slowly working backwards in time buying A23 albums (first Storm, and then Defiance).
But... I bought Failure off Amazon just a few days ago. I am completely stunned. This is the best EBM album I have heard in a long, long time. Such emotion and poetry displayed by Tom Shear is what good music is all about. |
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| "The best Assemblage 23 to date....." | 2006-11-30 |
| - Reviewed By pvodogaz |
'Failure' is Tom Shear's best Assemblage 23 album out to date and most emotional. Released in early 2001, 18 months after his father passed away in October 1999, he channels all his sadness, anger, frustration into his music and his pain and confusion is shared a many by his listeners. 'Naked' is the opener for this dark, sad-filled album where Tom Shear's emotions are laid out and naked for all to hear and feel. This is one great song and probably can be correctly judged as one of the best songs by Assemblage 23.
Personally for me 'Disappoint' the original album version is my favourite album where Tom asks the most important question 'Is there nobility in suicide?'. This is a sad reference in how his father took his own life. In the heartfelt lyrics that many listeners can relate to as it strikes a chord in all of us who have lost loved one's tragically, he asks his father if he had done something wrong. He grapples with the why, why would a person resort in killing themselves. In 'Silence' Tom Shear realises that the questions he wants answered will always be met with silence and he concludes that he must return to leading his life for his family as best as he can.
The last song of this album is another brilliant song 'King Of Insects' that is a ode to the disease that was Nazism under Adolf Hitler. A rather perfect video was made using this song in YouTube. In this song Tom realises the badness in man can mutate and one only needs charisma and the perfect words to gain followers. He sings about a man who had nothing going for him but his own putrid beliefs and inane convictions and how a nation was suckered in. Tom saw Hitler as a insect, a king of his own decaying venom. It is another great Assemblage 23 song.
Overall this album is a work of art. It is a must buy for any keen and avid Assemblage 23 fan. This album is by far the best by date. Tom Shear should be applauded for showing us his humanity and wanting listeners to gather some hope from his own ordeals. |
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 "DARK" | 2006-07-23 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1LYY1EFK016W2 |
| want something dark and danceable? this cd is sweet. there are only like 2 or 3 slow songs on it. the rest is just pure Assemblage 23 ebm at it's finest. |
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| "Just a lttle too miserable" | 2005-08-25 |
| - Reviewed By alienmagnet |
| This is a good cd, but the gloomy depressed atmosphere is a bit smothering. Two songs do stand out, though, "Disappoint" and "Awake". The rest are ok, but heavy and not as danceable. Sometimes this sounds a little like Gary Numan. The vocals sometimes go monotone and flat. If you like depressing EBM, this is for you, but if you want something a little more risky and adventurous, try either Covenant--"The United State Of Mind" or In Strict Confidence "Holy" |
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| "Failure isn't." | 2005-04-28 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2NX2PY77FE33N |
"Naked" will be forever the standard by which I judge other EBM/synthpop/TI music, and it's only one of the delicious aural treats that Tom Shear has in store for avid listeners on this album.
Along with being a highly congenial and very patient person with his fans, Mr. Shear is both an accomplished vocalist and an excellent composer. He avoids the traps that many TI groups--even VNV Nation, which I also love with all my heart!--fall into on Failure and indeed all of his albums of keeping his songs from becoming the same set of beats and loops with different lyrics expressing the exact same message. The brutally honest self-affirmation of "Naked" progresses to the counterculture warning of "I Am the Rain" to the heart-wrenching, elegiac "Disappoint" to "King of Insects" and its hauntingly personal warning over a gorgeous piano line. While there are some tracks I like less on this album, in large part because Shear cloaks his magnificent voice in fuzz and static ("Silence" and "Tried" come to mind), they're still enjoyable listening, and the true message of the lyrics still hit home.
Buy this. Then go buy the rest of Assemblage 23's albums. |
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| "Naked in a field of flowers crying tears of blood" | 2004-11-11 |
| - Reviewed By beaumandp |
That's how i'd describe this CD. I was plastered- PLASTERED- to my floor after hearing this. I had heard the samples on amazon, read reviews, and heard good things, but this turned out to be incredible.
I think this is the most incredible example that i have seen of a person channelling their pain, confusion, and anger into a form of art that could be enjoyed countless times by anyone. And the art form he chose was music, and it literally vibrates with emotion. This music feels like it's almost alive. The feeling penetrates the veil of the normal coldness in electronic music, and the result is something... just incredible.
"My eyes divide the sky, as sirens sound in heaven
My will brings down the moon, and shatters it to pieces"
Tom Shear is a genius. He wields stainless steel while others are mashing together cheap bronze. |
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| "phenomenal" | 2004-10-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2DXCSU9VSTGHE |
| This album is phenomenal. This is their 2nd studio release, and while I loved Assemblage 23's "Contempt" album, "Failure" surpasses their previous album as sheer musical genius. This album is a bit more upbeat and dance-oriented than the previous album. Assemblage 23's sound is often compared to VNV Nation, although the band has its own unique sound. Tom Shear's father committed suicide before he started working on this album, and his lyrics reflect the pain and confusion he went through regarding his father's suicide. Assemblage 23 has become one of my favorite bands and I highly recommend this album. If you dont own it, I suggest you go buy it. |
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| "good" | 2004-07-08 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
Wow, ebm that is justifiably sadening. Ive just about had it with the 20 yr old Ikon Of coil whining about some forced depression. This is real emotion on this album. Though the production is somewhat muddy and the programming isnt groundbreaking, its a powerful release.
The only other complaint is the vocals never reach a climax on any track. In shedding the pain you would expect him to really gut some lyrics out. I guess some musicians handle their feelings differently. Nice to see the following album is a totally different work of art. keep evolving! |
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| "Blown Away" | 2004-03-03 |
| - Reviewed By Anonymous |
| Wow, what a truly fantastic piece of music. I'm new to the genere (although have always had a great fondness for electronic music), but discs like this will keep me coming back for more. Great stuff. |
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