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 | The ExplosionBlack Tape2004 Virgin/Tarantulas 
  Review by: Brian See others by this writer ![[staff]](/images/icons/staffsticker.gif){kind=icon}
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Published on October 12th 2004
Let's see: a rising punk rock band gaining fans on a global scale releases their highly-anticipated followup on a major label, and the record ends up being a surprisingly shiny work of pop that abandons roughly every trait of its earlier sound?
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Some of the songs were just too long, and if say, Go Blank was a minute and a half, it'd rule. Whomever tends to like this album just wasn't a big enough fan of the earlier explosion. Otherwards your just drawn in through its trendy, and whole feeling of production. This band hasn't reinvented themselves, they've lost themselves. Typical. Whomever tends to like this album just wasn't a big enough fan of the earlier explosion. Otherwards your just drawn in through its trendy, and whole feeling of production. This band hasn't reinvented themselves, they've lost themselves. Typical. i'm guilty of shitting on these guys when this record came out. i gave em another chance and i've decided this record is pretty good. different, but good. After coming out with an album like 'Flash, Flash, Flash', these guys should be fucking embarassed to have put their name on this crap. i was so dissapointed by this. nothing seemed to fit, the chorus' were repetitious and annoying at points, and i think the low point was the remake of 'no revolution'; don't drag a fantastic song down to the level of 'black tape', leave it with 'Flash' were it belongs. it hurts me to say these things, but this was a really bad album. that fbi warning sticker didnt help either. This page is full of the simplistic indictments that sound like the kind of drivel you'd hear from angry 14 year-olds hanging out in front of a mall. "I don't understand how your skull could be so fucking thick." Let me ask you this then: What the fuck do you hope to accomplish with your comment? Do you really think somebody's gonna hurry up & do a review just because you (and maybe a few other dickheads) are nagging for it? Or do you think they forgot or something? I don't understand how your skull could be so fucking thick. "I propose that all comments that read "where is the (insert band name here) review?" be assigned a -1 value like those stupid "first" comments. It's getting to be just as aggravating, especially when some dumbfuck starts in a WEEK before the album comes out." "This shit is tamer than my mom after her third vasectomy. " I propose that all comments that read "where is the (insert band name here) review?" be assigned a -1 value like those stupid "first" comments. It's getting to be just as aggravating, especially when some dumbfuck starts in a WEEK before the album comes out. To steal a line from that person below me: to steal a line from that person below me: I hated it when I heard the songs on the Red Tape EP, I knew this one was going to suck dicks. I downloaded it and for one night I liked it. Now I hate it again and realize this band sucks now. They were kind of a sad band when I saw them last with AFI last spring '03. I wish they rocked like when I saw them in '02 with One Man Army and Madcap. That show ruled. One Man Army rules even now that they are broken up. Fuck Yeah. "where in the shit is the big d review?" The Explosion have never been original, but at least before their music sounded like bands I like. haha where in the shit is the big d review? I think the new stuff sounds like a better version of the bouncing souls. yuck.. i tried to listen to this with an open mind.. but c'mon guys... this album is utter crap. the explosion are the next sugar ray! NOFX weren't popular when they were a straight punk band, they got big about ten years after they'd formed. The Explosion are known for making fairly generic 77-wannabe punk, so people are let down, I guess. Better to pseudo-sell out than stay the same and make the same record over and over. What do you people actually like? geez on every message board its the same crap about how a band sold out or "they always sucked" I'll admit even though I dont have "Black Tape" nor "Flash Flash Flash" but have heard pretty much both of the albums. I think although Black Tape is different it is also good not as street, but its still extremley catchy. No body seems to be mad at NOFX for being extremely poppy at times (not that I dont like NOFX) so why rag on The Explosion? i have an h20 sweatshirt but i just can't do it anymore man i'm sorry. i just can't. "go" is def. the worst thing ever. not just music, i mean the worst thing ever. well the holocaust may beat it out, and the war in iraq ...j/k "And you can still wear The Explosion's merch - just hope that your punker-than-thou contemporaries realize you're doing it to support the older material" After my first listen, I'm enjoying it. Sure, it's even more generic than the old stuff, but I have no reason to hate it. There are plenty worse bands than this, and I'm still stoked to see them on the 30th. For the record, I actually like the Suicide Machines' self-titled album, even though I may have come off as hating it. When it comes to major label debuts/major label "sell-out" albums, I'm usually about 50/50 liking them, maybe even more in support. Yeah this shit sucks. I'm glad I restrained myself from buying their merchandise when they put on a fucking AMAZING show while opening for AFI because I would be fucking embarassed to wear it now. I think the Explosion is a breath of fresh air. Yeah this isn't as good as Flash Flash Flash, but its still a good album. Their getting shat on from the "elite" for being on a major, but this is still 10 times better than most the shit that is out there right now. this album is good, but not nearly as good as the jade tree material. too bad. I actually like this album, noithing great, but i've never heard their back catalog cuz i'm a poser. What a dissapointment. Not as good as I was expecting - I don't think the cleaned up vocals fit the Explosion, and the re-recording of "No Revolution" is just godawful. But it wasn't that horrible either, I actually like "Filthy Insane" and "Deliver Us." nah Jessie your ok, its just trendy to hate on you lately on this site? Trendy like Hawthorne Heights or Bayside or Senses Fail or Matchbook Romance or the Matches repeat until vomiting has been induced. THIS score goes out to Explosion's "Sick of Modern Art" This score goes out to that Suicide Machines review accessed thru the above link. FACK! If I read another review as dumb as that or perhaps another Jessie review I'm going to retire from this site They put a song of thier previous full length on here. WHAT THE FUCK. Write some new songs BRAHS. Why did it take so long to write a piece of shit album. Seriously! Step 1: Go back and listen to Flash Flash Flash. I havent heard this album so I won't put a score up, but, i do have a few comments. "This shit is tamer than my mom after her third vasectomy. " disappointing to say the least What ever happend to the band "Straight Faced"? So, I am a huge Explosion fan. I have every disc and by and large I love them. Flash Flash Flash is amazing and all the EPs are better than most stuff you hear. So, when I managed to hear Black Tape, it took its inevitable turn for the worse in my opinion in becoming an over-produced, public friendly record. So, the songs all sound very upbeat, and happy by and large - fair enough if done in the old style. I dunno - having listened to all the other songs from this band, I prefer songs like Terrorist, Safety Belt and Connipition Fit. What we have now are songs of happiness that are over-produced which seem odd coming from the previous CDs. For me the only one exception to this trend is Filthy Insane, which is obviously the reason why it was put on the Red Tape EP. What ever happend to the band "Straight Faced"? I think the comments on the big production are way overblown; of course, it's a matter of taste, but I don't think the sound quality here is overproduced in the sense that everything is processed and plasticky. There's plenty of pure power to go around, and Hock's vocals are far from sugary. This isn't Flash Flash Flash - get over it. "Its funny how Straylight Run received a 2nd standing review position over the Explosion." This shit is tamer than my mom after her third vasectomy. suicide machines, h2o, and now the explosion. i've heard some songs off this record and while not horrible, are not the same band i know. i'm for changing your sound and progressing and not making the same record, but the intensity and raw energy is gone from this band, or this record at least. i still think they're good live. Sounds more like early 80's pop-rock. I heard the influence creeping in on their "Art" EP. Hmm. I don't know. This is one of those albums that grows on you. It has some really good songs on it (albeit surprisingly upbeat, happy ones). One area they really screwed up, however, is the production. It's so overproduced that the resulting sound seems saturated and messy. It takes away from the songs, which would have benefited from Brian McTiernan's production like on Flash x 3. I try to adjust my stereo, but the sound always comes off as sort-of "tinny" (is that a word?) - treble filled, high pitched, etc. These songs are mostly good, and will probably sound pretty good live, but the cd production gives me an instant headache. Eh, at least they still have Tarantulas.... Its funny how Straylight Run received a 2nd standing review position over the Explosion. Straylight Run? Almost as good as Hawthorne Heights...almost I'll give it this score at this particular point. It does have some kick ass moments: the closer Hollywood signs is amazing until the course kicks in...sigh. Filthy Insane is on the red tape ep, so I've heard the bulk of the best songs off this record. I really disagree with the Suicide Machines comparison. The Suicide Machines st disc had everything from that nu metal song to hardcore, to symphony pop. "Sometimes I don't Mind" should've made them a household name. Thats a really good pop song no matter which way you look at it. Anyways I'm of the opinion that the explosion had much more potential than the machines, based on their last two releases WHICH OWNED> the first machines disc was great, but Battle Hymns is nothing special to me. Bro: shoulda quit after flash flash flash I ordered it used from Amazon last week. Should be here soon, so I'm excited. Supposidly It's a special Digi-pack promo version. My hopes have been diminished already, but I may check it out anyway, Snoozer. Brian's right. No way this is another Suicide Machines corporate album. Why do you have to complain it doesn't sound like the old stuff? Honestly, I think the new stuff sounds like a better version of the bouncing souls. Sorry, they started trying something new. Hate to break it to you but it worked and this is a great, catchy and still punk album. I really love their 7'" on Revelation. E - X -P - L - O -S - I - O- N. There was no need to re-record No Revelution. Nowhere near as good as Flash Flash Flash. I'm going to pick this up tommorrow. Based the Red Tape EP I don't mind the band's new sound (I'm addicted to the single), but I've heard it doesn't change gears much. We'll see. |
