AlbumsNovember 29, 201127,074 views

Every Time I Die Gutter Phenomenon


Gutter Phenomenon
01. Apocalypse Now And Then 02. Kill The Music 03. Bored Stiff MP3 04. Easy Tiger 05. Tusk And Temper 06. The New Black 07. Champing At The Bit 08. Gloom And How it Gets That Way 09. Guitared And Feathered 10. L'astronaut 11. Pretty Dirty
2005 Ferret Music
Our score 7

9/18/2005

Of all the groups playing this style of music, Every Time I Die have always been the most overtly obvious piss-takers. From their wickedly funny interviews, penchant for dressing up or the hilarious promo video for "Ebolorama," the group are notorious wind-up merchants to the extent that occasionally the group’s wise-cracking overshadows their music. With this in mind, it seems that Gutter Phenomenon is an attempt to firmly establish the group’s presence in the field and during the writing period the musicians made much of the fact that they were keen for this album to be taken seriously - focussing on memorable songs instead of memorable parts. But have the band achieved their goal Well, yes. And no. The production by Machine has given the band their fullest sound to date, backing the guitars with a thick rhythm section. However, the new production has had a detrimental effect on Keith Buckley’s vocals: his bluesy howl now a thing of the past, his voice now guttural, abrasive and unfortunately, less distinctive. Similarly the vocal cameos from Gerard Way of (My Chemical Romance) and Daryl Palumbo (Head Automatica/Glassjaw) feel like a strange inclusion, as all three singers sound so similar it’s difficult to tell when it’s Buckley delivering a melody or a guest. Palumbo in particular seems like a strange choice as in the past Buckley has been accused of aping his delivery. The cynical might suggest it’s an attempt to draw in curious fans from those more melodic acts. Ironically, for an album that was so clearly concerned with memorable songs, sections of Gutter Phenomenon fail to capture the frantic urgency that made Hot Damn such an enjoyable listen. The songs "Easy Tiger" and "The New Black" feel like forced attempts to delve into a Southern Rock direction whilst the last two songs on the record pass by without impact. It's not to say that this is a weak album by any means. Tracks like "Kill The Music" and "Tusk & Temper" showcase the band’s reckless abandon, whilst "Gloom & How It Gets That Way" is quite possibly the best song the band has ever written. A master-class in dynamics, it’s proof (as if it were needed) that guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams are two of the most mind-bogglingly inventive guitarists in metal, and confirmation that the twisted lyrical vignettes of Keith Buckley, ("You weren't supposed to open the door, just keep the plane from drifting off-course… The choir on the black box rejoiced splendidly, singing hallelujah the king is dead"), should be turned into short stories. Bottom Line: It would be foolish to write the band off yet, as this is still a strong record, however in comparison with the evolution in sound of other important follow-up albums (Converge, Dillinger Escape Plan, Beecher) this feels less a leap forward, more a tentative step.

53 comments

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helatractor_ 9/2/2005 5:26:51 PM

Following up Hot Damn is no easy task. These guys gave it a shot though, and in my opinion it fell a little short. The vocals and guitars all sound the same and lack the dynamic style of Hot Damn. This makes all the songs sound the same, so if you hear one song and dont like it, chances are you wont like the rest of the album

Ren_ 9/9/2005 2:25:23 AM

Back to the roots of rock'n roll every time i die's fourth release "gutter phenomenon" can easitly be described as innovative. A fusion of lightly distorted guitars and innate drumming gives way to what could possably give way to a new movement in contemporary music. "Gutter phenomenon" is a excellent example of progression for this band. Still utalizing their pattented single stroke breakdowns and even bringing back the cow bell shows the band hasn't lost their touch. With a mix of last night

vegard_ 9/18/2005 8:23:52 PM

this review just reminded me that i have to check out the new beecher.

agent_friday_ 9/18/2005 8:39:53 PM

it’s proof (as if it were needed) that guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams are two of the most mind-bogglingly inventive guitarists in metal... uhhhhhh...

whitelambpowergoat_ 9/18/2005 8:44:09 PM

pure utter f*cking shit -1000000000/0

anonymous 9/18/2005 8:47:02 PM

there's something about this album that just turns me off. i think it's the infusion of cliche melodies (keith sounds like ryan cabrera or something in 'the new black') and the appearance of gerard way. also, i'm not so fond of keiths "vocal growth", i agree with the review, i miss his old "bluesy howls". not a bad record though. 6/10

thenistabbedhim/urkelbot_ 9/18/2005 8:48:51 PM

This came out like a month ago, what the hell have you guy been doing? And the highest this could get is like a 6, its really a meh record.

truthsayer_ 9/18/2005 9:37:25 PM

It's got a few notable parts, but they spread themselves too thin, and make a few too many bad choices. 6/10

right_guy_ 9/18/2005 11:06:45 PM

10/10

eaglesbecomevultures_ 9/18/2005 11:08:50 PM

boring, uninteresting. 5/10

marching_band_rules_ 9/18/2005 11:24:17 PM

I do enjoy this. 7/10 is a fine score. I do miss the young and crazy pretention of "Last Night In Town" and the frenzied pummeling of "Hot Damn!" but this is a nice addition to my collection. Probably one of my favorite bands.

littlemac_ 9/18/2005 11:25:08 PM

i don't see why hot damn gets so much credit. it was nowhere near as inventive or raw as last night in town. it had it's awesome moments, but it didn't impress me that much. that album is a bit too over-hyped. gutter phenomenon is good. i think a 7 is a fair review, but it is definitely not worse than hot damn. neither are as good as last night in town.

bolognapony_ 9/18/2005 11:37:15 PM

Why don't you suck ETID's c-ck a little more? This is a terrible album, and a firm step backwards from Hot Damn.

fuck you_ 9/18/2005 11:51:49 PM

every review of this shitty band starts with some mention of their "funny" interviews. these dudes really arent funny at all. shitty band too.

kenwregget_ 9/19/2005 12:06:36 AM

"guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams are two of the most mind-bogglingly inventive guitarists in metal" HAHAHAHAHA 0/10

thegoddamnawesome_ 9/19/2005 12:44:43 AM

very meh.

panzer_ 9/19/2005 12:46:49 AM

I firmly enjoy this album and perfectly agree with the review. A solid 7/10.

ghetto_paul_ 9/19/2005 8:50:14 AM

haven't heard the album, but "Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams are two of the most mind-bogglingly inventive guitarists in metal"? come on now... I like ETID and everything, but this statement is just plain retarded.

elliot_ 9/19/2005 9:22:27 AM

this opening paragraph is the exact same thing i wrote for my review of this. you're a thief.

Your Mom_ 9/19/2005 10:32:27 AM

I had my doubts but after a bunch of listens this album really can grow on you. I would say it took at least 10 full listening sessions to like it but now I seriously LOVE this album. Has become my favorite ETID album to date.

xcorruptx_ 9/19/2005 11:27:01 AM

Seriously this album grows on you...Plus if you have it in your itunes next to songs from Last Night in Town you'll be amazed at how easily some of them could be interchanged... 8/10

Cory_ 9/19/2005 11:51:35 AM

"guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams are two of the most mind-bogglingly inventive guitarists in metal" HAHAHAHAHA 0/10 posted by kenwregget (asss@myass.com) on 9/19/2005 12:06:36 AM My thoughts exactly. This record certainly isn't awful. 6 or 7 might even be about the right range, but come on, dude. These guys aren't even close to inventive, let alone the MOST inventive.

blah_ 9/19/2005 12:35:21 PM

what the hell is this? Do you people honestly consider this as music? Wake up you brain dead idiots. f*ck!

holy shit_ 9/19/2005 1:08:33 PM

get some f*cking musicians to review music on this piece of shit website. I'm so f*cking sick of reading reviews making reference to "technical ability" and "innovation" from f*cking fans that don't know how to tune a f*cking instrument. eeh eeh jun jun wee jun jun wee jun jun...its like general relativity, except its music!

my ears are bleeding._ 9/19/2005 1:22:26 PM

This band is terrible. Unless they magically totally changed their sound into something worth listening, this album is surely nothing more than contrived crap. Get a f*cking clue, guys. THIS BAND IS COMPLETE TRASH.

Konstrix_ 9/19/2005 1:48:46 PM

honestly could not get into this record. being a fan of previous etid releases, i cant really say im fond of the direction etid is going. 4/10

anonymous 9/19/2005 2:13:12 PM

It's rock and roll you pussies, go by some shitty metalcore album.

Alex_ 9/19/2005 3:15:06 PM

his vocals did catch my by surprise...though i still think its a great record none the less.

halifagg0t_ 9/19/2005 3:41:49 PM

"A master-class in dynamics, it’s proof (as if it were needed) that guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams are two of the most mind-bogglingly inventive guitarists in metal" proof this review is shit.... etid has terrible riffs/vocals/everything shit band

horsecow_ 9/19/2005 3:54:14 PM

at first i didn't like this, as you can't come close to hot damn, but after seeing them live i've become a bigger fan of this album. different than their back catalogue, but a nice progression forward. I miss the breakdowns, but the rock and roll feel makes up for it.

victoryxdefeat_ 9/19/2005 5:18:19 PM

swing and a miss, the review...

XomeletX_ 9/19/2005 6:35:13 PM

I would have bought this album on release day if it didn't have those f*ckign JUD JUD WEEEEEE JUD WEE JUD JUD WEEEE breakdowns.

kaveh_ 9/19/2005 10:23:05 PM

sorry but this album is just terrible, it belongs in the gutter, they should've stopped while they were still good

YetiGKM_ 9/19/2005 10:40:54 PM

8/10

monolithic_ 9/20/2005 12:35:14 PM

8/10, but just barely. The production kills it for me. The previous album was better.

anonymous 9/20/2005 2:16:46 PM

I don't get the praise of Hot Damn! either. That album was garbage and that's putting it lightly. This is a step up.

B_ 9/20/2005 7:13:50 PM

This album strives to keep the sarcastic feel but just falls short. the songs are too unlike each other - the best part of hot damn was the cohesive song writing. the songs were similar but distinctive. this album feels like they tried to have "the heavy song" and "the crazy song" and "the deep song" and it just falls apart. the guest vocalists and keith all sound the same and I still don't even know what tracks they are on, let alone what parts they sing. plus MCR sucks and palumbo lost his bal

thereapersson_ 9/20/2005 7:47:05 PM

I don't see why people think this is such a bad album. The review is pretty accurate. I probably would have given it an 8. And Hot Damn is good, but I don't see why people think it's their greatest album. If anything, their best was Last Night In Town.

MeetMeAtMidnight_ 9/20/2005 9:14:34 PM

okay, from a musician standpoint.. i've been playing guitar for 11 years , not intently studying the damned instrument but i know my way around, not going around sweeping crazy shit though.. as far as i can tell.. gloom and how it gets in the way isn't particular special or stands out as guitar work.. it's typical etid pull offs and hammer ons and random note bending.. it's not mind blowing by any means.. i'm not sure what to think of this cd yet.. definitely not blown away but maybe it will gr

Kanye West_ 9/20/2005 9:15:19 PM

George Bush doesn't care about black people.

buzzsaw_ 9/20/2005 9:31:15 PM

this album sucked, if I like a band I usually stand by them 100%. Not is the case here. I was totally and utterly dissappointed. First off not only the vocals were weak as hell, but the lyrics were just plain shitty. I mean "hey girls, I'm a c*nt". What the f*ck. Dude we all know your trying to some double entenuendreas or what ever. As far as the guitar players being fantastic and great, NEGATIVE. I do respect this band and have been a fan, but god damn this was shit. They might as well have ca

---!---_ 9/20/2005 10:47:27 PM

I do like this album. The sense of urgency was what I really liked about the previous releases, and it's gone here, but it's been replaced by something else that I find pretty exciting. I guess I do prefer the older stuff, but I can't stop listening to this, either. Can't wait to see these songs live.

anonymous 9/22/2005 5:39:10 PM

0/10

Mike_ 9/24/2005 1:54:25 AM

uhh more like 20/10 DUh

richard_ 9/25/2005 2:02:20 AM

8.5/10. couldn't disagree more with the last two songs thing, they're some of my favorite tracks.

gifta crabs_ 9/28/2005 12:16:21 PM

boring shit

Hellaween_ 10/4/2005 5:22:21 PM

Way Good. 9/10 For a sweet rock n Roll Style album

fucknowewontgo_ 10/5/2005 4:55:27 PM

BEST ALBUM YET!

xTonyPerkisx_ 10/10/2005 4:01:37 PM

Calm , Calm everyone, can't we all just get along? Now that I attempted to tone down the constant hostility of web posts, let me try to get my point across. I think what everyone needs to accept here is that Every Time I Die is not too much more than a c-ck-rock, catchy-as-f*ck, dance-and-chug-til-the-night-ends band that is the closest thing to a classic 80s rock band that the scene will ever see. They are really good at what they do, though we may not like to admit it, and each new effort t

Meh as a buzz Word_ 11/28/2005 6:06:27 AM

George Bush doesn't care about black people. posted by Kanye West () on 9/20/2005 9:15:19 PM holy shit that cracked me up. I love how no one gives this album say a 4 or 5. It deserves neither, in my opinion, but proves that a lot of people only think in black and white. either its complete shit or just "meh" 6/10

XstraightXedgeX_ 1/15/2006 4:59:18 PM

I think that this album is amazing. Definitly not a 7/10. Great stuff.

anonymous 5/29/2006 12:26:36 AM

*yawn*

issac_ 4/13/2007 9:32:53 AM

this album sucks, it makes me sad to see them fall