The Politics of Ecstasy

The Politics of Ecstasy

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The lyrics of The Politics of Ecstasy deal with religious themes, while the music is dark, heavy, and raw. Although the band occasionally takes things down a notch, such as on the lightweight "Passenger," songs like the title track and the opening "The Seven Tongues of God" eschew typical metal sounds, instead offering a headful of noisy, progressive guitar tension. The band has successfully managed to expand both its sound and its repertoire while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of metal. A very strong second effort. --Adem Tepedelen

Product Description
The thrash metal act's 1996 album. Ten tracks. Century Media.

Tracks:

Seven Tongues of God
This Sacrament
Next in Line
Passenger
Politics of Ecstacy
Lost
Tiananmen Man
Precognition [Instrumental]
42147
Learning
Love Bites [*]
Next in Line [Multimedia Track]

Average customer rating:

Excellent!
Crushing & Powerful
Nevermore always pleases.
Just about the only metal band left in this dead world
Heavy, amibitous, and epic

The Politics of Ecstasy
Nevermore
Manufacturer: Century Media
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Progressive Metal | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music

Nevermore
Dreaming Neon Black
In Memory
Dead Heart, in a Dead World
Enemies of Reality

ASIN: B000005HN2
Release Date: 1996-11-05

Tracks:

The Seven Tongues Of God
This Sacrement
Next In Line
Passenger
The Politics Of Ecstasy
Lost
The Triananmen Man
Precognition (Instrumental)
42147
The Learning

Amazon.com

The lyrics of The Politics of Ecstasy deal with religious themes, while the music is dark, heavy, and raw. Although the band occasionally takes things down a notch, such as on the lightweight "Passenger," songs like the title track and the opening "The Seven Tongues of God" eschew typical metal sounds, instead offering a headful of noisy, progressive guitar tension. The band has successfully managed to expand both its sound and its repertoire while simultaneously pushing the boundaries of metal. A very strong second effort. --Adem Tepedelen

Album Description

The thrash metal act's 1996 album. Ten tracks. Century Media.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent!.......2006-09-22

Ten long years ago NEVERMORE released an album that would be the first of several that showed us a unique blend of style that really came to life. This cd had it all Heavy grooves, thrash, death metal, wonderfully dark melody and intelligent lyrics.

This release gave us fat guitars and accomplished soloing as well as thundering bass and powerful drumming and of course wonderful vocals. Dane's edgy and masterfully vocals seem to transcend what a mere vocal pattern can bring. His passion throughout is breathtaking.

There's still debate on how exactly one should categorize NEVERMORE's sound. However in the end, who really cars what the classification is as long as it's good and this is good, really good!!

This and The Goodless Endeavour are awesome cd's!

Crushing & Powerful.......2006-07-19

It took me a while to warm up to this CD more than the others. There is some really, really good stuff on this CD and a couple songs are off the mark. The first thing that turned me off on this CD was the mastering. It sound flat and muddy. I liked "This Sacrament" from the first time I heard Nevermore. It's a loud, wild song with screaming, cliffhanging notes from Jeff Loomis. Then I listened closely and got hooked on Jeff Loomis's progressions and dissonant riffs in "Next in Line" and "Tiannamen Man". Months later I listened to "Seven Tongues" for the Nth time and finally realized what a great heavy metal gem it was. Jeff has an absolutely amazing solo in this song. Then I caught on to "Lost", the second best song on the CD. And "The Learning" is a long song which starts out slow and turns into a really loud, heavy, bitchin progression. It sounds like it should have been included on "In Memory" because of the crisp picking that Jeff gets from his guitar. Warrell goes 110% out on this CD with his vocals and lyrics. I can't wait for the remaster this Fall. I'm bound to find more enjoyment. Get this and play it very LOUD in your car!

Nevermore always pleases........2005-10-23

Let's be honest here: it would be hard to go wrong with ANY Nevermore album. But as far as I'm concerned, this album contains some of their overall best material.

Standout Tracks: The Tianenman Man, The Seven Tongues of God, Politics of Ecstacy

Just about the only metal band left in this dead world.......2003-10-25

With virtually every single "classic" metal band having lost all credibility these days, due either to pathetic songwriting or an out-and-out 180 degree turn in their musical style, it's refreshing to know that NEVERMORE will not fail to deliver the goods.
They've yet to write a bad album, but I chose this one in particular to review as it's my favorite and really sets the stage for their one-of-kind writing style. The first album was almost flawless, but a couple dud songs and a less-than-stellar production handicapped it. From here on out, though, it's all godly.
The production of POLITICS delivers an incredible wall of METALLIC sound that needs to be heard to be believed. Jeff Loomis has the most monstrous guitar tone in the history of metal, befitting the current king of metal riffs and soloing. No one can touch this man in the guitar arena. No one.
Warrel Dane, though singing in a lower register compared to his godly SANCTUARY days, still proves that he is the best vocalist since Rob Halford, and perhaps the most thought-provoking lyricist this genre has seen. On this album he really opens our eyes to the corruption in the world with his own unique and bitter style.
I won't waste time with a song-by-song breakdown, because they all rule. Vocals, guitars, superior songcrafting, drama, intellect...it's all here and on every NEVERMORE album.
This is turbo-charged power metal (a mix of traditional and thrash metal), performed by masters of their craft, and one of the most unique and powerful sounds that metal fans have had the luck to be exposed to. We are not worthy.

Heavy, amibitous, and epic.......2003-01-06

Heavy metal is often dismissed by mainstreamers as a lowbrow genre, but try telling that to Nevermore. "The Politics of Ecstasy," their second album, is an ambitious, powerful and skillfully-executed hour of music that lays waste to almost everything on the radio. Along with Iron Maiden, Iced Earth, Opeth, and a few other bands, Nevermore prove that heaviness, melody, and instrumental virtuosity need not be mutually exclusive. I don't normally divide my reviews into segments to address each aspect of an album, but "The Politics of Ecstasy" practically demands such treatment, so here goes:

MUSIC: Stunning, stunning, stunning. Pat O'Brien (now doing excellent work with Cannibal Corpse) and Jeff Loomis formed one of THE best guitar duos in metal history. Their riffs are punishingly heavy, but at the same time they're often complex and even melodic. As soloists, they rival legendary combos like Slayer's Hanneman and King and Iron Maiden's Dave Murray and Adrian Smith. Van Williams is an hugely-skilled drummer, and his complex beats add a much-needed technicality to the band's sound. Jim Sheppard is an excellent bassist, although as is often the case in metal, his bass occasionally gets lost in the mix. Oh well.
FINAL RATING: Five big stars.

VOCALS: Warrel Dane is a strong vocalist, with a fairly unique style. His voice has a dramatic sound somewhat similar to Iced Earth's Matt Barlow or Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson, but Warrell's delivery is rougher around the edges and a bit less melodic. Of course, since the music is so heavy, Warrel's approach is exactly what's called for. What's most important, though, is the emotion that Warrel puts into his vocals. His performance on "The Politics of Ecstasy" is full of a passion that matches the band's lyrics (more on those later), and isn't that what's really important?
FINAL RATING: Four stars.

SONGWRITING: Nevermore excel in this area as well. The songs on "The Politics of Ecstasy" aren't as long as the longest works by Iron Maiden, Dream Theater, or Opeth, but they still have a very epic and progressive feel to them. Opener "The Seven Tongues of God" is a bit of a clunker, but the album kicks into high gear with the monstrous "This Sacrament" and rarely misses a step from there on out. Most of the songs follow a pretty similar pattern: heavy riffs, intricate arrangements, and just the right amount of melody (think "Master of Puppets" updated for the mid-nineties). There are also plenty of long instrumental passages that allow Jeff and Pat to show off their guitar prowess ("42147," for instance, is five minutes long but only contains about thirty seconds of vocals). There's also a great ballad ("Passenger"), and a brief acoustic instrumental ("Precognition"). Of all the songs on the album, the closer "The Learning" deserves some special mention. At about ten minutes in length, the song encompasses everything that makes Nevermore such a great band. It starts out as a slow, acoustic ballad, but it picks up in complexity, intensity, and heaviness as it goes along. The result is a brilliant, cathartic epic, and probably the album's best song.

Despite everything I've already said, what really elevates "The Politics of Ecstasy" to the metal elite is the lyrics. Nevermore's politically charged, philosophical lyrics take aim at greed, shallowness, manipulation, conformity, and oppression. The relationship of the individual to society is a frequently used theme; with songs like "Tiananmen Man" and "The Politics of Ecstasy" emphasizing the importance of fighting for and safeguarding freedom. When Warrel wails "Freedom is never free" in the title track, it's a statement that's really hard not to think about.
FINAL RATING: High four/low five.

So, there you have it. With creavity, ambition, and musicianship to spare, Nevermore are part of a good-sized contingent of bands bringing metal into the new millenium. If you think heavy music can't be intelligent, you owe it to yourself to hear "The Politics of Ecstasy." I don't have Nevermore's other albums, but I'll be adding them to my collection REALLY soon.

Average customer rating:
Politics of Ecstasy

ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music
Hard Rock & Metal | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000FIGHB8
Release Date: 2006-03-22

The Politics of Ecstasy
Average customer rating:
The Politics of Ecstasy
Astralasia
Manufacturer: Magik Eye
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
General | Techno | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music
Dance & DJ | Imports | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0001V75CE
Release Date: 1992-01-01