Danza IV

[no_dice]

What on earth do you get for a 100 dollar pre-order package? Christ, even video games don't usually justify the deluxe version price tags.

EDIT: I looked it up. I guess it's worth it if you're a big fan. 4 shirts in an album bundle seems silly to me, though.

 

[The Reverend]

What the fuck, it won't work for me.


Fuck.

 

[BIG ND SWEATY]

its already been covered

 

[Sikthness]

damn now that is impressive. Id be blown away if he covered The HAARP Machine's Lower the Populace and Plaeidian Keys. now thatd be impressive....

 

[Semichastny]

This year has been an excellent one for music. I'm really liking all these songs, they really stepped up and created actual structure in their songs.

 

[Sikthness]

this cannot be the last Danza cd..

 

[Triple7]

this cannot be the last Danza cd..

Yea, I'm pretty upset about that as well. I only got into them right after III came out. I like their first 2 albums a lot too, but I think III is where they really started to shine. This next album sounds like the perfect progression from that so far. What really sucks is the fact that they won't be touring to support this album (I assume). But I guess we're lucky we're even getting a Danza IIII, so I shouldn't complain

 

[Sikthness]

They need to at least make a Danza IIIII (dunno how to do a slash mark). I love TTDTE, I really do. IMO, Danza II>DanzaIII>DanzaIIII>DanzaI. There a handful of cool parts on this cd, but its def not even close to Danza III. Certainly not worthy of swan song status. W/ the exception of This is Forever, the entire second half of the cd is pretty much forgettable.

 

[Triple7]

I dunno man, I really like the shit I've heard (the 3 released tracks). I still have high hopes that it'll be on par if not better then III. Obviously I haven't heard it all yet, so we shall see. For me right now it would be Danza III > Danza II > Danza I. I'm curious where IIII with be on that list.

 

[TIBrent]

Record leaked today, since I already ordered it I just decided to give it an early listen...VERY IMPRESSED! When I move my hands that quick from point a to point z on a fretboard it sounds like an abomination, somehow though, Josh makes it work so dang precise!
-Brent

 

[-One-]

They need to at least make a Danza IIIII (dunno how to do a slash mark). I love TTDTE, I really do. IMO, Danza II>DanzaIII>DanzaIIII>DanzaI. There a handful of cool parts on this cd, but its def not even close to Danza III. Certainly not worthy of swan song status. W/ the exception of This is Forever, the entire second half of the cd is pretty much forgettable.

I really have to disagree with you there. As much as I love Danza III, this album just blows it out of the water. They went above and beyond with this one. It is the osmium of music, IMO.

(For the non-chemists in the room, osmium is the heaviest metal on the periodic table).

 

[gunch]

As long as it has scrotum-smashers like The Union and I Am Sammy Jankis I'll be happy.

Sad to see them hang it up after this but they have a legacy of 4 albums worth of uncompromising music. I'm truly thankful I had the chance to enjoy their stuff, they and others like them really helped me through rough spots.

 

[Gitte]

too bad I never had the chance to see them live..

 

[leftyguitarjoe]

A friend of mine had this album on his ipod and we drove around for over an hour blasting it This album us fucking INSANE. Its on another god damn level of heaviness.

 

[Triple7]

That's pretty much what I keep hearing about it. SWEET!!!

 

[Sikthness]

I really have to disagree with you there. As much as I love Danza III, this album just blows it out of the water. They went above and beyond with this one. It is the osmium of music, IMO.

(For the non-chemists in the room, osmium is the heaviest metal on the periodic table).

Im glad you feel that way. Thats how I was hoping id feel about it. Its not bad by any means. There is only a few songs that get real heavy and crazy though. Rudy X3 is probably the 'craziest', to those who haven't heard the whole thing. I wanted more Yippie.., Sammy Jankis, and 12.21.12 !! There is still plenty of cool shit though. Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox is fucking awesome, one of my favorite Danza songs already. As far as heaviness, I don't think its even close to as heavy as Danza III. It'll be gettin plenty of heavy rotation, though.

 

[Philligan]

Just got the email with the download link from my preorder!

 

[Cnev]

Pretty ridiculous. I've been listening to it all night, and it's probably going to end up as my favorite metal release of the year alongside Koloss. It's absolutely devastating.

I also must give some love to Jessie Freeland. I still believe he has one of the most pronounced, raw, in your face and purely aggressive screams out there. Love it!

 

[TetraVaal]

After reading a lot of the replies in this thread--as well as reviews of the album all over the web--I felt compelled to register here and share my thoughts.

First off, I don't usually care about critic reviews for virtually any medium of art, but I'm glad that both Josh and Jessie are receiving an overwhelming amount of praise for this album--and deservedly so.

However, I do have minor gripes with some of the stuff I've read--specifically when it pertains to the melodic/ambient sections of this album. In my honest opinion, I feel that's its biggest strength. Not only does it allow the listener to take a breath and regather themselves as they prepare for the onslaught of musical malevolence that awaits them--but the sections themselves are incredibly good.

The outro to "Behind Those Eyes"; they've never done anything like that before.

The ending to "Rudy X 3"--a combination of both ripping guitar riffs, and a background of richly textured guitar ambiance.

The dark melody during the hook of "Hold the Line."

Or how about the haunting melody that closes "The Crossfire"? You hear it sprinkled in here and there throughout the entire album--ultimately accumulating in it closing out the end of the record as it eerily fades... slowly and slowly.

And my personal favorite melodic section: about the last minute of "Canadian Bacon." That song hits on a personal note with me; mainly because of the recorded arguments that take place at the end of the track, as Josh strums those clean strings on his guitar, resulting in a unique melody to close an otherwise viscous song.

But there's other unique portions of it as well. For instance, during the last third of "Paul Bunyan and the Blue Ox", I actually felt like Vangelis had composed the section that plays before the crushing riffing restarts. If that's not an example of both uniqueness and quality, I don't know what is.

Finally, you have the chorus that plays in the middle of "This Is Forever." That is arguably the best piece of music that this band has ever composed--and to have that portion followed up by the aforementioned melody that closed "The Crossfire"--well that makes for one hell of a last will and testament.

In a way, I'm really glad these guys didn't try to recreate "Yippie Ki Aye", "I am Sammy Jankis" or "The Union." As much as I love those songs--and believe me, I do. I'm an avid fan of Josh Travis'--I feel like they gave us something COLLECTIVELY stronger in "Danza IIII." Where as some may see the melodic/ambient sections as filler; I see them as a complimentary piece to the heaviness that still dominates the entire album.

I'm not gonna sit here and pretend that I understand music terminology better than anyone on here. But I will, however, say that as just an avid fan of MUSIC--this has got to be the best metal album I've listened to all year. I just like the fact that it's actually nicely written and composed MUSIC. It's not just odd time signatures, complex riffs and ultra-heavy breakdowns. It's pure music; from start to finish. It's an album that sounds like it was written through and through--from the first second to the last. And that, in my opinion, is much more satisfying as a fan of music than having to hear them try and recreate the formula for past songs they've made.

Instead of playing within the parameters of a specific guideline and sound, they decided to evolve as a band and deliver something that is much more creatively rewarding for the listener. Their past album evoked an appreciation for their precise technical skill--where as this one evoked actual emotion. For all my money, "Danza IIII" absolutely slays all of their past work. Hopefully this won't be the last we hear from the combination of Josh Travis and Jessie Freeland.

Just my .02.

 

[The Beard]

^This man has basically conveyed my thoughts perfectly

After hearing the song with Phil and Alex's guest vocals 2 years ago while recording with the same producer Danza worked with, I'm FINALLY getting to listen to the entire album. This is a behemoth of an album, Behind Those Eyes was one hell of a way to begin a fucking cd

I guarantee that this album will be on repeat on my iPod at work for the next few months at the least.

This album conveys so much emotion, every single atmospheric part of the album absolutely makes me in awe, the end of Hold The Line is just plain haunting