Symbolic

Symbolic

Track Listings

1. Symbolic

2. Zero Tolerance

3. Empty Words

4. Sacred Serenity

5. 1,000 Eyes

6. Without Judgement

7. Crystal Mountain

8. Misanthrope

9. Perennial Quest

Tracks:

Symbolic
Zero Tolerance
Empty Words
Sacred Serenity
1,000 Eyes
Without Judgement
Crystal Mountain
Misanthrope
Perennial Quest

Customer Reviews:

#1 Death Album on my charts.......2007-05-09

This is definately my favorite Death CD. Let me say that I worship SOP and Human, and honestly all the Death cds I have heard are awesome. This one is the best IMO. You can really hear the progression of their music and this one just rocks from start to finish. Just completely impressive - you just cannot go wrong with any Death album but if you are looking for a start... start here.

Flawless.......2007-02-13

One of the best metal albums ever! Bar none. Chuck Schuldiner(R.I.P.) has never written better music during his lifetime. Listening to Symbolic is quite the ride. It's brutal yet melodic. It's ugly yet beautiful. Every time I listen to this, I get something new out of it. You couldn't buy this album from me if you had a million dollars! Don't hesitate to get this one.

1. Symbolic - 5/5
2. Zero Tolerance - 5/5
3. Empty Words - 5/5
4. Sacred Serenity - 5/5
5. 1,000 Eyes - 5/5
6. Without Judgement - 5/5
7. Crystal Mountain - 5/5
8. Misanthrope - 5/5
9. Perennial Quest - 5/5

Truly exceptional.......2006-12-06

First off, this is an album littered with marked contrasts. It is extremely melodic and engaging, yet relentlessly heavy and brutal. It is punctuated with Chuck's screaming, deranged and highly idiosyncratic vocal style, yet possesses many moments of rare and extreme beauty, like the ending to the final track, or the lilting acoustic guitar that appears at the end of 'Crystal Mountain'. The songs are for the most part highly concise and markedly well composed, trimmed of any excess and delivered to perfection, and as such manage to be accessible and enjoyable even on a first listen, despite the striking fact that each is technical and intricate to an extreme degree: the music is defined by numerous time changes, shrieking, schizophrenic riffs which interlock and contrast with each other, subtle rhythmic shifts, powerful dynamics, ultra-complex, groove infused drumming, and striking, endearing chorus sections.

The wealth of contrasts, however, does little to detract from the undoubted enjoyable nature of _Symbolic_. It is actually an album which is ruthlessly innovative and highly daring, fusing brutal, technical death metal with more progressive aspects, a tightened melodic sensibility and songwriting which I believe has never been bettered in the genre. Witness the stellar, breathtaking riff which opens the title track, the oh-so welcome release of tension which propels the ingenious chorus of 'Empty Words', the delicious interplay between bass and drums which underpins the intro to 'Sacred Serenity' (and lays bare the fundamental dynamics which drive the music under all the spectacular guitar playing), the epic, unpredictable twists of 'Perennial Quest', not to mention the blistering, space age thrash exemplified by the melodic '1000 Eyes' or 'Without Judgement'.
The intelligence in the compositions is mirrored by the intriguing nature of the lyrics-highly cryptic as always, but by now light years away from blood and gore death metal fodder. Chuck seems to tackle images, manipulation, discovery and perception, and each is covered well, providing a base which allows these cerebral and intricate pieces to flourish. The level of sophistication and abstraction is high, no doubt, but the spine-tingling, kinetic nature of the songs keeps everything exciting: this is heavy, brutal music of neck snapping intensity which is primal, engaging and fulfilling, all at once.
A remarkable and important statement from this landmark band, the sheer power and lack of compromise which exemplified Chuck Schulinder's work cannot be overlooked. It stands right at the pinnacle of metal albums as a whole, and the fact the Chuck would go on to push boundaries right to breaking point with _The Sound of Perseverance_ is genuinely frightening. I am thankful that he created this truly exceptional musical legacy and shared it with us all before he left us.

AMAZING!!.......2006-11-14

Very good album, the songs are perfects, Chuck was the best. I really miss him.

The simple-minded need not apply here........2006-11-10

Lately, I've been looking into a lot of metal, and Death is one of the first I checked out (along with Opeth, In Flames, Children of Bodom, and Queensryche). I gotta say that this album is MUCH more than I expected. I didn't expect any ridiculous lyrics about feeling up corpses like Cannibal Corpse has, as I've read the lyrics are intelligent, but I didn't expect them to be this intelligent! Here are some lyrics from the title track: "Savor what you feel and what you see. Things may not seem important now, but may be tomorrow." Come on people, those are lyrics to live by! So far, this is the only Death album I own, but it's definately made me motivated to buy more of their albums. Chuck Schuldiner includes complex musicianship, intelligent lyrics, and a high-pitched, completely comprehendible death metal growl in his music. Even if you hate death metal with a passion, you could love Chuck's work because his music is about spirituality and problems people face every day. Despite the technical guitar solos and bone-crushing drums, progressive elements are mixed in with Symbolic making it catchier than most death metal. There are also some acoustic passages on Misanthrope and Perennial Quest. Even though Chuck's lead guitar would have to be the most outstanding instrument, Bob Koelble's rythm guitar (and he also plays dual solos with Chuck on some of the songs), Gene Hoglan's drums, and Kelly Conlon's bass (which is actually audible!) are also very impressive. Anyway, here are my thoughts on the songs.

The title track opens up with some pounding guitars and symbols, and get a lot heavier at the 15 second mark. Then Chuck's growl comes in with "I don't mean to dwell, but I just can't help myself!" There's a great solo by Chuck, and Bob solos with him for the first 5 seconds of the solo. And then there's Kelly and Gene pounding away in their rythm section. It's about how peopl always take everything for granted, and never think that things may not be what they are tomorrow. Zero Tolerance opens up with some jazzy drums, but gets heavier when Chuck's voice and his guitar and Bob's guitar kick in. We also get a quick solo after the first 4 verses. And after another 4 verses, we get ANOTHER guitar solo! I think this song is about injustices in the world. Around the 2:50 mark, Chuck and Bob do some killer dual guitar solos. Possibly the best on the whole album! Empty Words opens up with some tribal drums, synth effects, and mellow guitar work, but then hits you like the prvious track does. I believe this song is about the hypocrisies of politics ("The answer cannot be found in the writing of others, or the words of a trained mind!"). And of course, more great guitar work from Chuck. Sacred Serenity opens up with some pounding bass and drum work from Kelly and Gene, then the guitars come in and we get a solo from Chuck. I'm not quite sure what it's about, but I'll update this review once I've decided what I think the meaning of it is. Nonetheless, it's an awesome song. There's also a calm interlude with Chuck soloing in the middle. 1,000 Eyes is a little catchier than the last 4 tracks (but those tracks are still awesome). I think this song is about racism against African Americans and/or about the slave movments back in the old days ("Privacy and intamacy as we know it will be memory among many to be passed down to those who never knew it"). That may not be what it's really about (hey, for all I know this song could be about Santa Clause), but that's what I got from it. The chorus ("Living in the pupil of 1,00 eyes!") is also very catchy, and I've been finding myself humming it from time to time. 1,00 Eyes also has a very creepy ending, with all the intruments and Chuck's voice echoeing continuously until they dissappear. You also hear Chuck yell (We Are Enslaved!") Next comes Without Judgement, which I think is about court issues and how the juries can be tricked so easily with cheesy sad stories. Once again, I don't know if that's what it's about, but that's my opinion. There are some creepy guitar effects in this song too. Crystal Mountain is my 2nd favorite track off the album. It's the catchiest yet most aggressive on the album. It's about, I believe, tyranny and dictatorship ("All the traps are set to confine all who get in the way of the divine!"). The solo from Chuck is, like all the other solos, nothing short of brilliant. Misanthrope seems to be about the evolution of mankind ("Knowledge is taken in by curious life forms"). Perennial Quest is quite possibly the most heartfelt song off the whole album, and my favorite off it. It's about every-day life, and questions people ask and problems go through. Though the instrumentation and vocal style may not be emotional, the lyrics certainly are. It just shows you what a genius Chuck is.

I don't regrety buying this at all, and I look forward to buying more of Death's albums. If you thought death metal is just a bunch of unintelligible lyrics about killing god and necrophlia (*cough* Cannibal Corpse and Deicide *cough*), there are some DM bands like that, but Death is not one of them. Death is intelligent, heartfelt, and talented, while Cannibal Corpse is stupid, tastesless, and boring.

To end this review, I would like to join all the other 5-star reviewers on this page and say: RIP Chuck Schuldiner.

Average customer rating:

Sixteen!

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94 East Featuring Prince
Manufacturer: Double Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Sixteen!.......2004-11-22

Besides just being a novelty to hear Prince at age 16, the cds are great quality recordings and bumping. "Just Another Sucker" is on par with songs like Uptown, with Prince's falsetto and a great groove and some simple but driving guitars. Both cds are great. Recorded mostly in 1974-1977, they're apparently "the first time Prince was in a recording studio." They're more than listenable and the quality of the recordings is great. There's also a practice recording, which is very low budget, but has a charm to it. Some instrumentals have Prince going at it on the guitar with a sort of discoey synth groove.

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Ska!
VGS rule!!!
Damned good
Can't ever go wrong with VGS

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Amazon.com

Musically, the Voodoo Glow Skulls rank with the best of Southern California's legendary ska-punk bands. Commercially, the band hasn't achieved the sales of such contemporaries as the Long Beach Dub Allstars, No Doubt, and Goldfinger. It's a shame, because the Skulls are just as tight and furious as they come. Regardless, fans of the band will continue their love affair--whether anyone else does or not--with Symbolic, another snug, two-fisted assault on unhappy feet. The surprise here is how well the (somewhat) slower material fares. "The Drop-In" skanks along comfortably, aided by mighty guitar and horn blasts. "The Devil Made Me Do It" sports a sinister reggae sound that's evil yet sunny. "Silencer" is the big rave-up, an angry rant against police brutality. Even if Symbolic is a testament to an oft-exploited sound, the band keeps the feeling loose and the music tight. --Jason Josephes

Customer Reviews:

Ska!.......2003-02-10

This is one of the best Ska albums ever produced. Musically, the Voodoo Glow Skulls rank with the best of Southern California's legendary ska-punk bands. Commercially, the band hasn't achieved the sales of such contemporaries as the Long Beach Dub Allstars, No Doubt, and Goldfinger. As a matter of fact, they are better than their contemporaries, so buy this and not those cheap sellout "pop with horns" bands. These guys are far superior. Buy this now!

VGS rule!!!.......2001-02-13

when i say this i say it for all the VGS cd's. i love punk and hated ska but theres something about VGS that make it sound soo good.

Damned good.......2000-09-30

I give this album 4 stars....it's grwat but I don't end up rememebering the songs as much as preevios albums. I realize that all bands change somewhat and this album is just a bit different. Any VGS fans will love it and anyone who doesn't like frank and the rest ought to be ashamed of themselves.

Can't ever go wrong with VGS.......2000-09-28

This album was worth the wait. Everything about VGS that you love is on it, from the searing, crisp, loud horns, to the hard-core punk guitars and melodies, to Frank's vocals (which sound like he purposefully shreds his vocal chords with glass before he sings). I don't think this album's as good as "Band Geek Mafia" (which is my personal favorite), but I had to rate it 5 stars because, hey, it's VGS.

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Early sounding & Experimental Prince

Symbolic Beginnings
94 East Featuring Prince
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Release Date: 1999-07-01

Tracks:

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Customer Reviews:

Early sounding & Experimental Prince.......2002-07-21

This is a 2 CD set featuring Prince's voice, and probably (though not listed) his guitar playing. Prince co-wrote only one song. Musically it's an interesting jazz album, heavy on the early 80's style synth/beat. Some of it is Prince-catchy, a lot of it sounds more like a jam session than an album. Expect something that sounds like "Controversy" but with his Purple highness using a lower voice and I think you'll be in the right state of mind to enjoy it. I'm more into 'Thieves in the Temple'/'Gold Experience'-type Prince so it just wasn't quite my cup of Tea.