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Journal - Casualties of War Featured

Tuesday, 08 April 2008

Editor's rating

8.9

out of 10

Reviewed by:
Zach Alderman
Top 10 Reviewer
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Tuesday, 08 April 2008
Average user rating: 9.9
1 User reviews

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Music Information

Track Listing:
01. Intro
02. The Relationship Between Two Guitar Parts
03. Hey Ryan, Quit Acting Like Borat
04. Casualties of War
05. Blue Eyed Sexy Baby
06. It's Not My Fault, It's the San Andreas Fault
07. Sicker Than the Joseph's of Earth

Artist: Journal
Title: Casualties of War
Genre: Progressive Metal • Hardcore
Release Date: 03 July 2007
Format: EP
Country: United States of America
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Editor review

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful


Overall rating (weighted)		8.9
Musicianship		9.0
Composition		10.0
Experimentation		8.0
Production		8.0
Value		9.0

The first coherent thought my flailing mind could form, as Journal's megaton Casualties of War EP tore its way through my headphones, was simply that this band needed to be signed. No, even more, this band should be huge, and a band still so early in life could not possibly produce these sounds. And yet, even as my cognitive faculties did their best to keep pace, Journal's mathematical fury managed to always stay one step ahead, never failing to obliterate any preconceptions of what move the band might make next. After hearing Casualties of War in its entirety, my brain still hasn't settled back into place, but things up there have calmed down at least enough for me to realize my original assessment was way off mark: if Journal can produce this level of work on their own, without label support, then the only thing they need is to continue making music.

Journal, a young band operating out of Sacramento, draw heavily from the controlled chaos of early Dillinger Escape Plan, and many of Casualties of War's more enraged passages would fit right in with the blistering Calculating Infinity. To even be able to compare their work with such a revered predecessor pays a huge service to the members of Journal, and rightly so; even more impressively, the little-known band has hardly settled for rehashing a classic. Casualties of War stands on its own hybrid legs, drawing from whichever gene pools it so chooses, encompassing frantic hardcore, Nintendo MIDI tunes, and the noodling freak-outs of fellow Sacramento act Hella. While fusing such disparate elements could have resulted in chains of arbitrary ideas, Journal wisely focus on writing songs, allowing their crazed hardcore to segue smoothly into sections of melodic boss-battle riffery.

This variance in mood, between the raging and the radiant, keeps Journal's compositions from losing steam. Following the math rock release of "It's Not My Fault, It's the San Andreas Fault", album closer "Sicker Than the Joseph's of Earth" hits all the harder. Journal's vocal force, typically opting for a mid-range hardcore bark, feels at times limp next to the EP's swirling instrumentation, often adding little to the delivery of the songs. Really, though, with songs already so forceful, vocals of any kind almost seem an afterthought. Journal may be a young band, but you'd never know it from listening to the astounding Casualties of War. With or without label support, this is a band to follow.

Music Information

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User reviews

Average user rating from: 1 user(s)


Overall rating (weighted)		9.9
Musicianship		10.0
Composition		10.0
Experimentation		10.0
Production		9.0
Value		10.0

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Friday, 11 April 2008

Written by Jamie Poynter - View all my reviews - Top 50 Reviewer


Overall rating (weighted)		9.9
Musicianship		10.0
Composition		10.0
Experimentation		10.0
Production		9.0
Value		10.0

What can I say? The Offtime Nintendo Math-Grindtech theme these guys got going on kicks ass! Lead guitarist Joe Vanhouten is AMAZING!! He's way talented beyond his years. With Justin Tvetan on drums designing awesome syncopated rhythms to go along with Joe's chaotic, mind-blowing riffs, these guys are gonna go far. Guitarist Ryan Fuller and bassist Jordan McCoy truly add a full, smooth sound to the line up as Mike Zanolini portrays the ever sporatic, random and entertaining stage presence.

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