Search - Ultraspank :: Progress

This is how all sophmore cd's should come out

Nation on Fire | Houston, Texas United States | 07/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"There are very few bands that I have ever heard that have improved this much on their second cd. Ultraspank had one hell of a sound before, definetly one of the most original sounds I had ever heard, but this just makes their debut look like nothing. They have taken all of the elements that made the first cd so great and multiplied it by 10, bringing their sound to a whole new level. I don't even know how to describe Ultraspank's music, because it brings so many different elements into it. It's definetly rooted in metal, but they bring an industrial type sound into it, some hip-hop, alternative, all different things, but where most bands go from the rap part, to the metal part, to the alternative part, and don't just settle into one sound, Ultraspank melds it all into one distinct sound. Pete Murray has improved greatly from the first cd to this one. His voice has reached new heights, the melodic parts sounding just amazing and the heavy screaming parts being just as good as any of the top voices in metal. The rest of the band has made an equal transition, and the addition of Fed, the new drummer, has made things even better than they already were. I highly recommend this to anyone, not just fans of heavy music, or industrial, or anything, because everyone needs to hear Ultraspank, a band we should be thanking our lucky stars we have."

Criminally ignored and forgotten

Miller Truby | Escondido, CA USA | 05/25/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I search for new music, one of the sure-fire attributes that draws me into a band is a dichotomy or juxtaposition of styles. I like bands that have more than one speed. I like singers who can belt out a blood-curdling scream and sing just as well. I especially like bands that write songs where the structure reflects the human condition. In short, I like music that contains (and therefore evokes) more than one emotion.



I like Ultraspank.



With this their sophomore effort Ultraspank achieved what I consider to be a perfect mix of solid hard rock and electronic/industrial. There are a couple of songs on this album that could work just as well in a trendy dance club as they would (and did) at a metal show.



The key here is Pete Murray's vocal ability. To be quite frank, the guy is unparalleled (check out Lo-Pro to see more of his softer singing side). He can scream low, he can scream high, he can sing, he can harmonize, and he can write a hell of a hook. On top of it all, he has a very unique delivery and an extremely smooth voice. A lot of the time it sounds like he's simply talking over the music. Don't be fooled; what he's doing is very difficult and takes tremendous vocal control. "Click" is an excellent example.



The rest of the band certainly aren't anything to take for granted. Simple but effective drumming, knife-sharp and dynamic guitar work, and solid grooves laid down by the bass all make this release what it is: an excellent musical journey through territory that hadn't really been approached.



The mood of the album is another striking aspect of this release. The songs run the gamut from angry-as-hell ("Crumble") to depressed ("Smile") to energetic and almost happy ("Click") to incendiary and accusatory ("Invite Yourself In") to conservatively hopeful ("Where"). To be clear I'm not talking about lyrical content, but simply the feel that the music has.



There are a lot of reasons that this is not a perfect album. Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, they're basically Nu-Metal (although some people have labeled them industrial, I think that's way off base). No, the music is not nearly as creative as it could have been and not as experimental or heavy as their self-titled debut. Yes, they broke up and, as far as I know, will never get back together. No, not every song on here is special or even good. Really, if I could give more accurate ratings, "Progress" would probably be a 4.7 or so.



Those things aside, this is a cd that touches my natural desire to hear more than just a single emotion expressed in song form without pissing me off by being gimmicky. There's no rapping and the electronic elements are not in the form of scratching or sound samples from movies. Everything is very musical and goes toward improving the song in question. These guys really knew how to write attractive music as well as excellent hard rock. Considering they only got to release two discs before breaking up, I'd say they accomplished a hell of a lot. It's worth picking up if you're looking for a different take on the hard rock/radio rock/Nu-Metal scene. While it's a good thing that the Nu-Metal sound is dying, it's unfortunate that a few of the really enjoyable bands got sucked down with it. Buy "Progress" and show your friends that not every band born of the mid to late '90's sucked ass.



Standout Tracks:

Crumble

Stuck

Feed

Smile

Click

Left

Where"