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Broken Compass
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Broken Compass
Current price: $15.99
Barnes and Noble
Broken Compass
Current price: $15.99
Size: CD
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The debut from ex-
frontman
's new project with longtime friend and multi-instrumentalist
,
flirts with the breakdown-laden minefield that served as the theater of war for his former group, while introducing a significant amount of '90s industrial metal into the mix that suggests a post-breakup binge on bands like
, and especially
--
sounds like he's exorcizing some demons with
, and he's doing so in the style that comforts him the most.
fans needn't worry though, as the band never really yields to the narcotic-induced capacity that its moniker would suggest, due in large part to
's powerful voice and penchant for shoehorning in frequent bouts of neck-snapping brutality amidst all of the explosive and anthemic choruses and sweeping keyboard-driven vistas. Still,
is a far more modern rock radio-ready beast than its predecessor, and songs like the soaring "Hold Up My Head," the evocative "Through the Looking Glass" and like-minded title cut, and the meaty, fist-pumping single "Paper Planes" harbor as many commercial aspirations as they do resentments --
was admittedly rocked by his former band's breakup -- but despite their retro-industrial trappings, they retain a great deal of the emotional heft that made
so accessible. ~ James Christopher Monger