Some albums should come with a warning
label, and this one does, in the form of a sticker with a recommendation
by Slipknot’s Sean Crahan (the Clown, a.k.a #6). Downthesun is the newest
Ozzfest B-stage lemming out of Roadrunner Records, the label that brought
you Slipknot and ill nino, among other nu-metal acts. Of course, there’s
nothing nu about this metal. One listen to the band’s self-titled debut
album, and you get the feeling that Down the Sun is only here to fill in
the gap while the members of Slipknot carry out more solo projects than
the Wu-Tang Clan.
What that means is a lot of pounding, low-end
guitars, a lot of screaming, and a lot of sounding exactly like every other
big-name metal act. The rhythm section intro to the lead track, “Medicated,”
sounds almost illegally like the opening of Korn’s “Faget.” Then there’s
a lot of Max Cavalera-style yelling, and that goes on for about fifty minutes
or so. “Jars” manages to end on a creepy note, with what sounds like a
small child repeating “You’re safe with me” over and over, which leads
into the closing track, “Revelations,” which starts with a minute or so
of what sounds like Jonathon Davis whisper-yelling “Don’t you put your
fucking on me,” or something similar, that harkens back to the days when
Ross Robinson used to beat on his back to get the raw emotion out. It’s
a nice reminder that Korn used to be a good metal band back in the day.
VERDICT: There isn’t an original note on
this album, more an amalgam of Korn, Soulfly, Slipknot, and at times, Static-X.
Downthesun ’s debut is more annoying than moving, and by the end, you can’t
wait for it to be over (and then the last track lingers in feedback noise
for at least two minutes). Downthesun will almost certainly play
Ozzfest next year, and hey that’s great, but there’s a lot of misdirected
energy on this album which could be better put to something more innovative
or at the very least emotionally stirring.
Posted by Evan:
"What that means is a lot of pounding, low-end guitars, a lot of screaming"
You just defined metal. What's wrong with that stuff? What the hell kind of metal do you listen to?
Posted by 89568343:
DTS rules forever
Posted by Ace:
Thank you, Dan Grote, for agreeing with me that Korn used to be a good metal band. Some crazy "mallcore" bashers call Korn Nu-Metal and Mallcore just because of Untouchables, Issues and Follow the Leader, but Korn and Life is Peachy were amazing, dirty, raw, emotional metal cuts that are far from "mallcore"
Posted by Ras:
yo...if none of you understand the technique of journalism....Dan Grote was most likely talkin trash about DownTheSun to getyou guys to revolt and cause an uproar about how much they kick ass...think about it...if all he had said was, "their a great band" and continued praising them...all of you wouldnt have gone out to the extent that you did...and you know im right...all that n e of you would have said would have been "blah blah blah...their great...blah blah blah"....and this technique i speak of is what many of you have heard of..its called reverse phychology....but if Dan Grote was actually speaking from his true mind-set...well then sadly hes a retard cause DOWNTHESUN KICKS SOOO MUCH FUKING ASS!!!!...that is all...peace out -Ras
(find me on aol...jungetotekinder)
Posted by Ras:
yo...if none of you understand the technique of journalism....Dan Grote was most likely talkin trash about DownTheSun to getyou guys to revolt and cause an uproar about how much they kick ass...think about it...if all he had said was, "their a great band" and continued praising them...all of you wouldnt have gone out to the extent that you
Posted by NoXiousDude:
whats wrong wit u man i think Down The SUn kicks a#$
this is the new slipknot, slipknot lives forever but these guys r really awsome.THIS is From someone whose in a band.NOXIOUS!
Posted by Ryon:
a Band is good or it´s not. DTS kicks ass and I dunno whats your Problem.
Posted by mcrue81:
i think this band is awesome and i dont give a crap what people say.people should shut up stop talking crap and listen to down the suns album its a masterpiece.
www.mcrue81@aol.com
Posted by latvian band bassist I.M.E.J:
VERY coool - like MEDICAted and some other tracks. Visi my site http://infected.times.lv. My e-mail is: imej@inbox.lv RUlzzz111 4orewer
Posted by gary:
it's pure, raw, energetic metal. what the hell else do you want out of a metal band man? and don't rip on their riffs, i think they're very good, coming from a guitar player
Posted by victor:
i think that this reviewer has some sort of personal thing against real heavy music. he didnt even talk like he like slipknot. personally i think that downthesun's debut is the best album of 2002 and might even be the best of 2003.
Posted by bloodofanother:
You're wrong. Way wrong. This band has enough energy for three stages. Yes they have influences from their own genre, but that don't make them unoriginal, or rip-offs, This is a good album for anyone who likes the above mentioned bands. It's not a rip off, just another good band doing the same style of music. I love their album, their double singing, their riffs, and especially, their energy. Why change your style because there are other bands doing that style? If this was true, there would only be about 20 bands out. There are thousands of bands in each genre, that's what makes it a genre. They are not ripoffs, and in my mind, this is a great album. And on an end note, yes, they do sound a lot like slipknot. Which is understandable since members of slipknot found them, signed them, helped them and had a lot of influence on their album. Are you gonna put down Stonesour too, since Corey Taylor sings on there? That is a top notch tour, Stonesour, downthesun, and Slipknot. You're wrong.
Jason
Posted by diablo:
downthesun still kicks ass and that is that..
