Tad Morose
Modus Vivendi
5
I’ve been struggling with this album for a couple of weeks now, trying to find words to describe it. I’ve searched my brain’s archives for words I haven’t used before to describe Tad Morose and their latest album, but the fact of the matter is I cannot seem to say anything that hasn’t been said before! There is a reason for this: Tad Morose doesn’t inspire any unique prose, for the music is neither inspirational nor is it unique. This is an album I can sit down and listen to, let an hour go by, then wonder what it was I did for that hour.
This isn’t to say the music is bad at all. As everyone has said about a million times with power metal bands, the technicality is there, and the music isn’t even bad, it’s just rather soulless. The album starts with a somewhat Egyptian-sounding song, “Anibus”. It begins eerily, leading into the Powerslave-esque main riff. It’s something I’ve heard about a billion times before, garnering -273.15°C of emotional response from me. For those of you wondering what -273.15°C is, it means ABSLOUTE ZERO. Annoyingly enough, the only song I could even remotely remember was the semi-ballad, “Cyberdome”. You’d think a track with a name like “Cyberdome” would be cool and futuristic, but it’s not. I just like the chorus because it seems like the only song the band put any feeling into. Also, it’s one of the few tracks with anything interesting in the way of beats and song structures. “Take on the World” has a decent chorus and pre-chorus as well, but the filler is so straightforward and stale, I can’t recommend it.
An album like this makes me feel exhausted. When I can skip through every track to a random point and hear a nearly identically sounding chorus, I begin to wonder how a band could put energy into something that sounds so similar every time. There are a couple of moments that briefly shine through the darkness, but they are quickly extinguished by monotony. I feel bad giving a negative review to a band with such obvious technical talent, but albums like Modus Vivendi are like chicken pox. The first time they hit you, you’re affected. The second time, you’re immune. In the case of Modus Vivendi, I’m pretty glad it’s finally out of my system.
Cyberdome - just barely makes the cut, decent sing-along chorus
Related
Tad MoroseMatters of the Dark
4/16/2002