AlbumsNovember 29, 201112,001 views

Soilwork Stabbing The Drama


Stabbing The Drama
01. Stabbing the Drama 02. One with the Flies 03. Weapon of Vanity 04. The Crest Fallen 05. Nerve 06. Stalemate 07. Distance 08. Observation Slave 09. Fate in Motion 10. Blind Eye Halo 11. Wherever Thorns May Grow
2005 Nuclear Blast Records
Our score 3

3/19/2005

Damn... I don't even know where to start. This is a hard review for me to write, because I want to explain how irritating this album is, but all I can really come up with is: this is garbage. I have been a fan of Soilwork for a long time now. They were one of the bands, from Sweden, that I checked out, because I really liked At The Gates and In Flames. I still listen to The Chainheart Machine on a regular basis, and to me, it represents a great part of the Swedish metal scene. However, Stabbing the Drama doesn't seem to represent anything, except mainstream aspirations. I guess if that's what they want to do, then fine, but I won't sit here and pretend this is a good metal album. Granted, Soilwork has used clean, melodic singing for many previous albums, but this is just flat-out cheesy. These vocals sound straight out of some bullshit nu-metal record. While I was listening to this again, my fiance walked in and asked me why I was listening to "The X", which is a local nu-metal garbage radio station. Half the riffs on this record sound like they were lifted from a Slipknot record. I've seen Slipknot on TV, and heard their music, and when I listen to Stabbing the Drama, all I can picture is guys wearing jumpsuits in the background, banging on beer kegs and trash cans. The slap bass (or maybe it's just a sloppy performance) on "Observation Slave" sounds like Korn, and is unbelievably irritating. To be fair, there are a few moments where Soilwork bring up some decent thrash riffs, but even these moments are nothing to get excited about. The production on this album is excellent, and really sounds larger than life. Every instrument is balanced, but quite powerful. It's a shame such a good recording was wasted on completely dumb-downed mall-metal. Bottom Line: Soilwork knows what they are doing, and they do it well, but if they think they are fooling metal fans, they are sorely mistaken. It's really hard for me to come up with much more, because, other than the production, there isn't much I like about this record. Do us all a favor guys, trash the Slipknot records, pull your spiked arm-guards out of the closet, and write a real metal album.

40 comments

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MR_sp00ns_ 3/19/2005 3:59:40 PM

first post.

kenwregget_ 3/19/2005 4:09:30 PM

Horrible, HORRIBLE review. It's not supposed to be a riff album. You just don't get this album. It's great rock.

man_ 3/19/2005 4:20:13 PM

posts like the one above scare me. people are deaf.

anonymous 3/19/2005 4:57:31 PM

yeah, this shit sucks and bores me to tears

anonymous 3/19/2005 5:05:23 PM

dumed-down*

anonymous 3/19/2005 5:06:04 PM

dumbed*

SeveredInTwo_ 3/19/2005 8:17:52 PM

this is very disapointing

vegans_taste_good_ 3/20/2005 12:19:29 AM

well after the toiletbowl, that was figure number five, i have given up hope on this band, i'm not even going to check out this record.

Its Tragic_ 3/20/2005 2:43:51 AM

I HATE people that say someone doesnt "get" an album, or band or whatever, shut up. If you write music that people need to "get" then youre a pretentious f*ck and should stop playing music and express yourself with something less intrusive like painting or a sculpture. Because i dont need to worry about accidently hearing that.. f*ck YOU.

anonymous 3/20/2005 2:11:49 PM

no...f*ck YOU

Mark_ 3/20/2005 2:31:19 PM

It's catchy as f*ck. That's all that needs to be said.

wyatt_ 3/20/2005 2:56:39 PM

i took a big stank as shit today

ossiaprojects_orator_ 3/20/2005 3:59:06 PM

Catchiest album ever, those looking for another Chainheart Machine are missing the point. I have listened to this album every morning on the way to school for the past three weeks, and if you aceept what they're doing, its approaching flawless.

Alex_ 3/20/2005 4:33:37 PM

hahahahaha! Thank God! I'm finally not the only one that thinks this band sucks!

yourcityliesindust _ 3/20/2005 5:04:50 PM

Some solid catchy riffs and really good sung choruses...I actually liked Figure Number Five so to me this is more of the same

gay_ 3/20/2005 8:52:28 PM

gay

gay_ 3/20/2005 8:52:44 PM

gay

gay_ 3/20/2005 8:52:55 PM

gay

tomgilk_ 3/20/2005 9:27:50 PM

105.7 the X. Best radio station ever... not.

Nick0s_ 3/21/2005 12:50:54 AM

You f*cks have no clue. This is 100x better than Figure No. 5 and right up there with Natural Born Chaos. Different from their old stuff, but still awesome. No mention of the insane drums?!?!? You lost f*cker

mario lemieux_ 3/21/2005 1:21:22 AM

hang on...is ken wregget really posting on lambgoat now?

kenwregget_ 3/21/2005 2:41:09 AM

Yes you wetback.

Nailbunny_ 3/21/2005 9:38:38 AM

I'm all in favor of experimentation or writing music you have to "get" (look at Sigh, or Voivod for great examples of that) but this album is terrible, just like the last Soilwork album. Natural Born Chaos showed infinite potential for changing their sound to a sort of atmospheric death metal and then they just decided to shit on that and pretend they're a metalcore band, or worse. Anyone who listens to metal (I mean for real, not just listening to Iron Maiden because As I Lay Dying said it wa

tommy_ 3/21/2005 10:52:04 AM

HAHA!!! Rob, when you mentioned the X, I thought there must be two dozen stations called the X. Then I realized it was you reviewing it and that you were referring to the X that I know and loathe.

Behran_ 3/21/2005 12:24:40 PM

Just because it's better than Figure Number Five doesn't mean that they're getting any better. They're reaching to a fan base that spends more money. It is so catchy that I will buy this an listen to it occasionally as a guilty pleasure...but this is not "good music" and there is so much "good music" out there. If you select your music based on some type of innovation or some type of nod to the music that got the "genre's" to this point, get the new Enslaved. the end.

meh_ 3/22/2005 2:47:14 AM

soilwork have gone to the shitters with there latest albums. And who ever said that this comes close to chain heart machine is a f*cking dick head. None of their new shit comes within a f*cking mile of their old albums. I have now lost entire faith in soilwork. thanks god dark tranquility are still pumping out some awesome albums.

William Jennings Bryan_ 3/22/2005 10:30:39 AM

Best album of the year. So sorry it doesn't have breakdowns to keep you nerds interested.

insideyou_ 3/22/2005 10:57:52 AM

this CD does have breakdowns, and it sucks.

David_ 3/22/2005 10:59:04 PM

i gotta say that I do like this album.. I am not totally in love with it like I was with Natural Born Chaos, but for what it is, I like it. its just catchy and for metal its easy listening. and no, I am not a mall metal head, but I don't mind this kind of stuff every once in a while (its a guilty pleasure)

xdaretoscreamx_ 3/23/2005 1:24:12 PM

this cd is not hardcore. half of the retards posting on this thread are not hardcore. lambgoat is loosing it. why am I looking at a slipkunt banner right in this window? f*cking mall metal kids. pieces of shit.

SMokeOutLoud_ 3/24/2005 11:32:37 AM

this is not hcore, or dmetal, or bmetal, it's horseshit......i actually heard chaos from these retards and thought they had something, when your wrong, your wrong, SW suck, talk about zero originality

SteveO_ 3/25/2005 4:27:26 PM

there's no Isis worship on this album, so everyone on this site has to hate it...

Brendan_ 3/27/2005 10:06:53 PM

do you people listen to yourselves when you talk?

godlessheights_ 3/31/2005 5:47:32 PM

Best album of the year. So sorry it doesn't have breakdowns to keep you nerds interested. posted by William Jennings Bryan () on 3/22/2005 10:30:39 AM Because they were ever about breakdowns, right? f*cking gay.

Brian_ 4/1/2005 9:47:26 PM

i thought every Soilwork album was kick ass, my favorite one a predators portrait. i havent heard "stabbing the drama" yet, but i hear a lot of people are bashing it saying its sounds like crap. well i do have to say that the previous albums all sound true to its nature, im sure some people out there like their new record, if i bought it and it dissapoints me i wont bitch about it like everyone else, sometimes you got to learn to like a change, and i know it doesnt always work like that...

T.J._ 5/22/2005 5:43:20 PM

Cool album much better than the last In Flames and Figure Number Five.

logan_ 9/11/2006 8:04:28 AM

"I HATE people that say someone doesnt "get" an album, or band or whatever, shut up. If you write music that people need to "get" then youre a pretentious f*ck and should stop playing music and express yourself with something less intrusive like painting or a sculpture. Because i dont need to worry about accidently hearing that.. f*ck YOU. " ^^^ wtf ? you have to "get" an album you chimpbitch... thats how your taste in music is formed. if you dont "get" a band then you dont listen to them. i

logan_ 9/11/2006 8:05:43 AM

"no...f*ck YOU" ^^^ hahaha... i agree but seriously ?

logan_ 9/11/2006 8:08:06 AM

there's no Isis worship on this album, so everyone on this site has to hate it... ^^^ dont bother son, its lost on these dicks. ive commenting on 5 reviews and every person ive read a post by excluding me and you seems to have the mental capacity of an empty pea-pod.

logan_ 9/11/2006 8:08:54 AM

"do you people listen to yourselves when you talk?" ^^^ id hazard a guess that would be "no".