Freak369's Full Review: Infiltrate, Destroy, Rebuild by CKY
CKY, or Camp Kill Yourself, has one of the freshest sounds in music. When compared to some of the unfiltered, generic and mass-produced sounds that seem to attack me on a daily basis, this CD was not only refreshing but renewed my faith in “modern rock”. Now, that’s not to say that this four man band from West Chester, PA are your typical rockers – they are pretty much as far from it as you can get. The overall sound is a cross between Marilyn Manson, Tool, old Pantera, a touch of Rollins Band and euro-rockers SkullF*ck. But wait, don’t leave yet! You know my eclectic taste in music and how I cling to the 80’s rock scene and of course grunge – so if I am impressed with a “new” group on the scene you can bet your tail that they are worth checking out. But hey, don’t take my word for it – check out their website and take a little listen to the samples [under the music section]. For those brave enough to venture into new territory, here’s the URL for the website: www.ckymusic.com.
What’s the one thing that impressed me the most about this group? Well, there are several but the biggest is their sound. Look at all the “new” groups on the music scene [by new I mean anything from the past five years] and what do you find? The same generic chords, sloppy and uninspired lyrics and not a single shred of originality. It takes a lot for me to get interested in a new group and it’s pretty safe to say that these CD’s will be on heavy rotation in the Avalanche this holiday season. Who needs holiday music when you’ve got something this freakin’ heavy? Still not convinced that CKY has the balls to back up the beats? Read on baby … read on.
Camp Kill Yourself Is…
Deron Miller - guitar, vocals
Chad Ginsburg - guitar
Jess Margera – drums
Vern Zaborowski – bass
The Tracks
Escape From Hellview
Flesh Into Gear
Sink Into The Underground
Attached At The Hip
Frenetic Amnesic
Shock And Terror
Plastic Plan
Inhuman Creation Station
Sporadic Movement
Close Yet Far
The Music
While I am complaining about the generic bands that seem to proliferate at an alarming rate, I have to kick this section off saying that this group isn’t just about the music – there’s a lot of solid lyrical content to back it up. Granted, this isn’t Shakespeare or Poe quality but it sure is a hell of a lot better than what’s being shoved down your throat by MTV. My initial reaction to the music, style and lyrics was that this group has a tremendous amount of potential and if they avoid the common pitfalls of ‘new’ groups they’ll be what Metallica was [see the Metallica review for the whole scoop on that mess] before they started climbing up on that throne and waving their fingers in our faces for downloading songs. In any event … if you only check out one song off this CD at the site [remember the URL is above] you have to listen to Escape From Hellview but I will be brutally honest – this isn’t a solid representation of what the group is capable of. It’s a great smooth introduction to their style but only captures about 75% of their overall power and flavor. The strong bass from Zaborowski blends nicely with the rise and fall of the song but it’s the vocals that really bring it all together and make it happen for me. If you do decide to check out this sample at the site, take it with a grain of salt – as I said, this is a good track but the rest of the songs [in my opinion] are harder and grittier.
Turn back … the silence is deafening
Turn back … don't let them see you again
They make the rounds at the midnight hour and
On the clock it's just a minute away
My personal pick for best song from this release is Sink Into The Underground. Like Escape From Hellview the bass is upfront and really gives the song a lot of body. A few people said that this reminded them of 311’s early stuff but personally I just don’t hear it. For me this has the right amount of grit, grime and grunge but still manages to be crystal clear with the presentation. Pristine vocals, a solid chorus and rich guitar pieces are just a few of the kudos I’m tossing around for this track. Lyrically speaking, Close Yet Far is the track that impressed me the most but disappointed me with the musical approach and “too sweet” vocals. But hey, that’s just my take on it, you might listen to it and fall in love with it. I do have to give them points for maintaining the sound through the entire track – I was half expecting some loud crashing chorus to catch you off guard but instead you are gifted with a small uptrend and acoustic guitar work.
I can hear the sounds of the city
Sunrise and set are the same to me
A hesitating pulse is good company
And my reflection offers no apology
Flesh Into Gear knocked me on my a$$. I was not expecting this song to be as strong as it was – but I need to preface that with one thing – your idea of strong and mine may differ. I don’t just take the sound and music into consideration – for me it’s gotta have some type of lyrical redemption in it for it to really hook me. Not since Tool and Type O Negative have I been impressed with a the match of lyrics and music – and you all know how much I love those groups so for me to compare these guys to them is a true compliment. While the song starts off with a balls to the wall guitar intro that piques your curiosity, it’s the music and presentation that keep you coming back for more. I can't expect you to see me when I'm not around … and my voice is destroyed by confinement of sound. Pretty freakin’ heavy huh? If you think that is impressive, wait until you move on to Shock And Terror. A twist and turn from Flesh Into Gear and a little too kitschy with the synthesizers [again, my personal take] but a song that you have to check out at least once to get a sample of the other styles of music the group is capable of. I’m middle of the ground with the lyrics – yes they are creative but “gagging the maggots” is a visual I can do without.
Clowns mortified by my expression
Breathing new life into invention
Gagging the maggots with a weary hand
Has failed to leave any impression
If I had to pick one song that sounds mainstream or would made it in the commercial music game, it would probably have to be Plastic Plan. In a lot of ways this sort of sounds like it’s a little out of place when you compare it to the harder songs on this CD but that doesn’t mean that there’s anything wrong with it. To really understand the track you need to sit down and read the lyrics, granted they are pretty basic at first glace but they do leave the listener with enough room to come up with their own conclusion as to what the song is all about. With a slight pop feel to it, this is a great track that shows the group isn’t all about the hard sound and has more layers than a onion – you just have to be willing to peel them back and deal with a few that aren’t as sweet as the others. Another song that might have a shot at some radio airplay is Attached At The Hip - another song that really caught me off guard. There are so many things going on within the song that you might need to listen to it several times to get the big picture. The synthesizers worth to the advantage of the track but the vocal enhancements and distorted areas are what give this song depth. The bulk of the music is pretty straightforward and cut and dry but when all the elements are blended together it makes for one hell of an impressive track. While Inhuman Creation Station will probably never make it on the radio or have much commercial success outside the ever growing CKY fan base, I have to say that it’s a light song but the lyrics are exceptional. Again, there’s enough there to give you the basics of it but you are left with enough room to interpret the song how ever you like. I think this song is where I picked up the Tool vibe – retaining the same tone and beat through most of the track until the chorus rolls around. Still, it’s is most definitely worth checking out.
Compatible reality forming separate entities
Dead heads and holy water … we instill the wants and needs
The Bottom Line
As I have said in other reviews, I’m not too happy with the current trend of music. Groups just seem to be riding on the coattails of others and pump out garbage that’s passed off as “creative endeavors”. I don’t purchase many CD’s from newer artists, hell, the last reviews I wrote about anything from 2003 were Type O Negative’s Life Is Killing Me and Metallica’s St. Anger so for me to give this high marks across the boards and recommend it – you know it’s gotta be good. This CD isn’t for everyone and I am sure some will listen to it and dismiss it as “skater music” – so lemme set the record straight – if all “skater music” was like this I’d own a hell of a lot more of it.
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