The Blamed makes a comeback with this third effort, continuing with their practice of changing the lineup and sound for each album. ...Again falls roughly in between the old school punk of 21 and the thrash of Frail, with a pretty standard hardcore sound (okay, and a couple of straight punk tunes). They mix the harsh Tooth & Nail, West Coast hardcore with the smoother, more forward-moving East Coast sound. The vocals are shouted, strained, spoken, and understandable only half the time, but thankfully don't grate on the ears as much as most from this genre. The production and playing is competent, but for a comeback this is a bit of a letdown. Nothing really catches my attention except for a few bits in the middle. Some warped leads in the back of the mix and experiments with the vocals (the zombie-children choir in "Deny" rocks!) are cool, but aren't utilized enough. Strict hardcore fans could possibly dig this, and The Blamed has enough intensity to possibly put on a good show (especially the drummer), but I'm not impressed...again.
2.5 tocks
Other coverage for this album
HM Magazine #72Reviewed by Doug Van Pelt"There's movement all over the place!" This opening statement of this third Blamed record pretty much describes what's happening here. The band, which made a decided turn to the heavy side with the jump from 21 to Frail, has kept on course with mind-numbing heaviness mixed with punk fury. Pit a drummer like Jim Chaffin and a guitarist with Bryan Gray's experience and you get some awfully tight…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by James StewartOld school punk with some metal touches hits the ears as this album immediately impacts the listener with its energy and attack. The half-shouted vocals are impassioned, although they grate on the ear of this reviewer, not used to this genre. These guys are certainly tight, abounding with heavy guitar and solid bass work, even adding in the occasional lead guitar part. All the musicianship is…The Phantom Tollbooth 1998Reviewed by Chris KingA long while back, a dedicated metal-head (me) went to a used CD store to see what he could see. While there I found a copy of a CD by a band called The Blamed. The album was called Frail. Not being a fan of hardcore, and having heard that The Blamed played hardcore, I was hesitant, but at only $5 I decided it was cheap enough to take a chance on. As I popped it into my newly bought portable CD…Similar sounding releases
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