Originally
Deadboy & the Elephantmen
's 2002 debut album,
If This Is Hell Then I'm Lucky
was reissued in 2008 under
Dax Riggs
' name only. While
Riggs
is certainly the main creative force behind this album, rebranding it as his work instead of that of
is a little confusing, since the feel and sound here is very different than
' 2007 album
We Sing of Only Blood or Love
. When it was first released,
introduced
' move away from the harder, more purely
metal
terrain of his previous bands,
Acid Bath
and
Agents of Oblivion
, into a more eclectic sound that borrowed from
psychedelic rock
,
alt-rock
, and
blues
as well as
-- a journey that
' continued on his later solo albums.
"Strange Television"
kicks off the album with a dark, trippy atmosphere that sounds like a grittier version of
Pink Floyd
: synths hover and lift off from dolorous guitar arpeggios, and
' voice even has some of
Roger Waters
' aloof anguish in it. From there, the song delves into grinding choruses with hand drums lending a wild, almost exotic touch, then pulls back for a brief piano-driven respite. The rest of
teeters between thrilling and overindulgent:
"Song with No Name"
combines pizzicato strings and guitars that turn from swirling to savage to great effect, but other songs, like
"Heart of Green"
-- a droning, acoustic ballad that's pretty but just doesn't have enough there to justify its eight-minute length -- collapse under their ambitions. And, as if the album's title wasn't enough of a hint,
' melodramatic tendencies almost get the better of him on
"Waking Up Insane"
"Graves Beyond Windows."
Despite the missteps,
shows how
' sound was evolving:
"Like the Dead Would Laugh"
's slow burn and snake-charming guitars have the hypnotic pull of
' later work, while
"High Monster"
"Otherworldly Dreamer"
have a stripped-down sound that remains a touchstone on
.
is a transitional album in the truest sense, and while it may be uneven,
fans will no doubt enjoy hearing his earlier work. ~ Heather Phares