Weekly Review: Tragedy – Vengeance
hello folks! apologies for the delay in the weekly review – my normal listening schedule had a bit of a wrench thrown into it. we’re still taking a look at Vengeance, from Portland based metal band Tragedy, released in 2002.
no point in beating around the bush on this one – i mentioned a few weeks ago when looking at Rivers of Nihil that i’ve not yet developed a taste for the frequently abrasive vocal styles of many metal bands, and that absolutely came into play here. i enjoyed a lot of this record musically and lyrically, but much of the vocal delivery was a pretty hard pass for me and took some time to process.
that being said – really appreciated this record lyrically, and ESPECIALLY appreciated it in its context of 2002 – this was post 9/11, after the invasion of Afghanistan, and under a year before the US sent troops to Iraq. this is an angry record, but that anger isnt unfocused. Night Falls, for example, is explicitly a discussing the atrocities of war that soldiers commit, and the next track The Day After discussions desolation left by a nuclear attack. Vengeance and Revengeance in particular focus on the specific tools societies use to control and shape the lives and outlooks of youth. i really like the opener in that context – Conflicting Ideas imagine future anthropology, or some other force, looking back at human history and seeing evidence of self-destructive behavior, wondering it theyd be able to see contextually who and what caused it. an interesting musing to set the tone for what comes after – theres some wordings that throw a red flag for me here and there (there’s a thread running through the record that focuses on self-inflicted wounds and self-distruction that i have varying feelings on), but largely, these tracks are a rallying cry against oppressive powers, and i can get behind that for sure.
Vengeance – 5/10
for the next Weekly Album Review, i’ll be taking a look at Hold Your Color, by Pendulum. i’ll be back on Friday, July 5th with that review and to pick another weekly record, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then one pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.
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