In the spring of 1996, I first heard an Argyle Park song on the radio. "Doomsayer" intrigued me, and I immediately went out to try to find the album. Unfortunately, by this point, R.E.X. Records had closed their doors, and the Misguided CD was already difficult to find. While I continued to search used music stores and the like, I settled for a dubbed cassette copy, courtesy of a fellow youth group member, the guy responsible for introducing me to both Mortal and Circle of Dust.
Finally, nearly nine years after its release on an unprepared Christian music community, Argyle Park's classic album Misguided is back on CD, in a release that is even better than the original R.E.X. version. New bonus material includes full lyric sheets, a definite plus when listening to music that is this instrumentally intense; some AP facts, including the real names of the whole cast of characters found in the credits; Flaming Fish Music's review of the CD; and HM Magazine's interview with Buka.
The industrial music community tends to appear everywhere on each other's albums. Members of Mortal, Chatterbox, and Klank all make appearances here. Tommy Victor of Prong collaborates on both "Skin Shed" and "Doomsayer," while "King" Mark Salomon (Stavesacre, Outer Circle, The Crucified) lends his vocal talents and lyrical skills to a couple of tracks.
This re-release is mistracked; "Skin Shed" is spread over three tracks rather than a single. This doesn't affect play on a normal CD player, but if you have a player that inserts silence between tracks, this will become very annoying. The re-release includes the bonus tracks from the original version, minus the blank tracks. A couple of these tracks are merely fun stuff, like Circle of Dust bassist Og's rendition of "Bang a Gong." The real gem among the hidden tracks is the spoken word piece that was excised from the end of "Doomsayer."
My favorite track on the album is still the first one I heard. "Doomsayer" is powerful, blunt, and heavy. As the world is falling all around him, Mark Salomon cries out for the Spirit of God to move in him, mobilizing him for the time at hand.
This album was never intended to speak to everyone, and it still won't. It's dark and depressing at times. AP was accused at the time of glorifying the enemy rather than God. But, as tracks such as "Doomsayer" bring out, there is a glimmer of hope. The world may be dark and cold, but the light and fire of God are coming.
For those who have been long-time fans of Klay Scott's work and who haven't heard this album, or for those who have been waiting for its re-emergence on CD, go get this one.
4.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
The Conqueror Worm Jun/Jul 1995Reviewed by argylleattn. this review is not affected in any way by the reviewer's name being argylle--okay, this is probably my new favorite album and/or group. a.p. is made up of buka, dread, and deathwish (it's nickname mania!) and a slew of guest stars including jerome and gyro from mortal, jim thirlwell of foetus, tommy victor of prong, jeff belew of cbx, mark solomon of native son and the late(?) crucified, of…Heaven's Metal #53Reviewed by Spiny NormanOkay, you heard "Drive, He Said" on the Steve Taylor Tribute album; now Argyle Park debuts a whole album's worth of weirdness. Those of you who may have guessed that there's a Circle of Dust connection, and that it's going to sound like Circle, are way off base. Although some tunes rage with a frenzied speed metal thrash attack, most of the album deals in the techno/dance arena. There's also some…The Lighthouse May 1995Reviewed by Bill ThomasThe first thing that caught my eye was the big yellow sticker that read "Produced by Scott Albert of Circle of Dust." I was anxious to see if this album was another top-notch Christian industrial release like Circle of Dust, Brainchild, and Under Midnight. Listening to track one, I began to grin as my expectations were realized. A deep thunderstorm and a powerful, inhumanly-distorted voice filled…Similar sounding releases
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