Adema - Planets Review
Posted by Brandon Ratliff on 04.14.2005
Nu-What?
Adema - Planets
Release Date: April 5, 2005
Label: Earache Records
Website: www.ademaonline.com, www.ademaonline.com
First Single: Tornado
Recommended Downloads: Tornado, Enter The Cage, Shoot The Arrows
Adema is:
Vocals: Luke Caraccioli
Guitar: Tim Flucky
Bass: Dave DeRoo
Drums: Kris Kohls
Guest Appearances: Rio Life (AKA Howard Gracie, rap vocals on Bad Triangle)
I’m pretty sure that most that know about Adema first heard of them back when “Giving In” first came out as a single. That’s where I heard of them. I soon after went and bought the self-titled album, which if I remember correctly was about September of 2001. I didn’t have a chance to listen to it when I bought it as I got it on the way to a party, and I had forgot I bought it for like a month after that. When I eventually listened to it, I was amazed. I hadn’t known too much about the band, except that vocalist Mark Chavaz was the half-brother of Korn’s Jon Davis. This was one of the big selling points Arista used at the time too. Bad marketing? Well, maybe questionable, but it certainly worked. Funny story too. I actually thought it was Korn the first time I heard “Giving In,” and because of that, I hated it. That is about the only time that the vocal similarities show between Davis and Chavaz though, as the rest of the album was quite different. Some parts rapped, some parts screamed, all parts good, when compared to the other nu-metal bands around at that time. And yes, Adema was a nu-metal band. The thing is though, is that they weren’t typical to the genre, as the biggest reason that people saw them as nu-metal was understandable, considering this guy was the little half-brother of the guy whose band more or less popularized nu-metal. There were a few bands doing it before Korn, but none did it as well, nor did none get anywhere near the same level of fame. So because of this, Adema was basically stereotyped into the genre. Granted, I don’t think there was a better way of saying it, but it was more or less true. But I will say that they were more vocally so than musically. But now, that has very much changed. Is it for the better? You know you want to, so read on and find out.
Adema went through way more than many other bands would even think of going through to get this album out there. But was their effort in vein? Or have they crafted a musical masterpiece? Well, it’s no Beethoven’s ninth, but for what it aims for, they did. I won’t go into too much detail about it here, but the band did a great job in bouncing back, despite all that they had to put up with. The loss of their recording contract due to Arista folding, and the loss of two members (with one being vocalist Mark Chavaz), is plenty more than enough to make most bands either just give up, or pursue other musical interests. Granted, I couldn’t see Tim Flucky as a country guitarist, but I also have seen weirder stuff happen before, so I guess you never know. Speaking of Flucky, after listening to this album for the first time, I couldn’t think of anything other than to ask myself “what if it had been him as the lead guitarist the whole time?” Seriously, while I have no quips with Mike Ransom (the departed guitarist, who ironically left the band because of Chavaz, shortly before Chavaz himself left), but Flucky’s guitar work on Planets is nothing short of amazing, especially considering what Adema had put out prior to this album. As much as I do like Adema and Unstable, the guitar work for the most part wasn’t the most complex thing in the world. It fit the tone very well, but most of the riffing, while thick and heavy, was simple. So what does that mean for now? I remember saying at one point in one of my columns here that with Flucky as the sole guitarist, I’d bet Adema would get heavier. Boy was I wrong. The funny thing though, is I am glad I was wrong.
Shoot The Arrows: Starting out with a odd guitar riff over double bass drumming, this song sets the pace for the album, and is a good introduction for new vocalist and former Marine Luke Caraccioli. The verse rips through to the chorus which slows down for a bit, and then hits a pace that shows Caraccioli’s vocal range. I think the vocals should have been turned up a very small bit for the final mix, but this song sounds really good, and is a good way to start off the new album as it comes right out and shows you the new Adema, rather than playing into it slowly. Great track, and my pick for the second single.
Barricades In Time: This one is a bit more mellow than Shoot The Arrows, but it carries well as the clean chorus once again shows how this band has reinvented itself. Another strong point is the lyrics, as it talks about setting up mental barriers to ignore those who seek to cripple you emotionally. That’s what I got out of it anyways. When the bridge rolls around, you get a slight hint of old Adema, but nothing more than a hint. The dubbed acoustic part was a nice touch too.
Tornado: This is the first single, and despite the video debut on Headbanger’s Ball, this song is pure rock and roll. It has a bit of an 80’s feel to it, but with a modern rock twist. I personally think it was a good choice for the first single because it does do a good job at representing the album as a whole, which is the point of a single. I heard that most of these lyrics were used in a song by Caraccioli’s old band Rewind Yesterday, but I am not positive on that. Anyways, this is a very upbeat song, something that you can just rock out to.
Sevenfold: I’m not quite sure why, but this song kind of reminds me of a Trapt song. I think it is just the intro. Anyhow, I think this song is musically one of the best on the album. The reasons for this are many, but the biggest and most obvious would be a simple, two word phrase called “guitar solo.” Yeah, that’s right. There is a guitar solo at the bridge to this song. The thing is though, it isn’t a normal solo. It isn’t even a clean, or acoustic guitar solo. It is a classical guitar solo. Right now, anyone who isn’t a guitarist is probably saying “big fucking deal, Flucky throws down for once. Doesn’t mean he’s anything.” Well actually, it does. As a guitarist myself, I will be the first to tell you that playing a guitar solo such as this one is crazy hard. This is because classical guitar strings were meant to be finger picked, and thusly are very far apart. So playing a fast guitar solo is tough because even that extra few millimeters difference is huge. But due to being on a classical, the solo has a somewhat Spanish feel to it, which is cool because people who can play like that are usually very highly regarded as guitarists. Good song, good solo. Score one for Flucky.
Planets: A slower song, this one is very lyrically deep. I don’t want to get into everything here, but Caraccioli really pours his heart out all over this track, to outstanding results. Give it a listen and pay close attention. You can actually hear the pure emotion he put into this one. Just a hint though about the lyrical content, you can tell that he is very happy with this new band. Once again, a great track.
Enter The Cage: It’ll take some crazy stuff if this song never makes it as a UFC song of some sort, as that is the whole point of it. Much like in the last track, you can tell Luke puts real and pure emotion into this track. The first minute of the song is almost purely slow, but then the band kicks it into overdrive, once again giving a subtle hint of classic (if you’ll spare me the adjective) Adema. Fun fact: drummer Kris Kohls has been through pretty extensive Brazilian Ju-jitsu training. He has apparently won a few UFC-like tournaments, and has coached a few people as well. Good stuff. I’d also like to make a note saying this is my personal favorite song off of the album.
Remember: This is another track that is pretty lyrically deep. The music as a whole sets a perfect tone for the alternating vocals, and while the whole song is good, the bridge in particular shines very brightly, with the separate vocal and guitar breakdowns. So far Adema is batting seven for seven.
Chel: A bunch of fans I have talked to say they didn’t like this song too much, but I really like it for some reason. The vocals are at a standard level compared to the rest of the album, but I really love the guitar riffing, and I think the hook in the bridge is damn catchy. I liked it a lot; most others just saw it as average, so take your own opinion of it.
Until Now: This is a good rock song, that starts out with a wicked guitar solo. Very vintage sounding. The song keeps up the pace throughout, which I could see as being one of their fan favorites because of it. Caraccioli once again flexes his lyrical muscle, giving us a great performance on the mic. The bridge brings a longer version of the intro guitar solo, plus some double bass drumming in a quick breakdown. So far, this album has done no wrong.
Rise Above: Apparently the band wanted to slow it down for a song, as this one starts out with a pretty good acoustic part. Once again, I get a Trapt vibe out of it, and for what it’s worth, I love Trapt, so that is a good thing.
Bad Triangle: Talk about mixing it up. As much as I’ll get criticized for it, I absolutely love this song. This features the guest rapping of one Rio Life (AKA Howard Gracie), who was one of Kris Kohls’ Ju-jitsu instructors. Isn’t that just awesome? Anyways, I hope he actually continues to make music, as he is a really good rapper, and he shows quite a bit of vocal range during his verse part, matching the high bended guitar note. Yet again the chorus brings a musical similarity to the Adema of old, and though this is the “rap-metal” song on the album, it is also the musically heaviest. I also love the intro and ending where both Gracie and Caraccioli repeat “it’s Rio Life!” in different keys. I just think it sounds really cool. Oh, and one last note, this song is only on the U.S. release of the album.
Better Living Through Chemistry: As much as have raved about the deepness of Luke’s lyrics, this song is by far the best in that category. This one talks about drug companies, and various prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and how those that need them the most can’t have them. Fucking insurance. They should call it “in-case-shit.” Also, the song delves into weight issues, issues of drugs not working, and how doctors only care about getting rich. Anyways, the music to this song is mostly pretty simply, but it fits really well, as this song is focused almost entirely on the lyrics.
Refusing Consciousness: This wasn’t the original title of the song, which was Wide Eyes Open. This one is basically about alcoholism and such. The driving guitar and bass riffing set the tone well, and the bridge with Caraccioli almost snarling “take…one more drink…” repeatedly is quite intimidating.
Lift Us Up: This song is also only on the U.S. release. To be honest, I am not a huge fan of the song, but that is only because it just seems a bit out of place. It is a good song, there is no doubt about that, and the guitar solo in it is pretty cool, but I think they should have put it before Refusing Consciousness. That may be just me though, so once again, take your own opinion of it.
Vikraphone: This is another song fans don’t seem to like as much that I really like. This is a pretty fast song, and it is just…fun. It is different than anything else off the album, and personally I think it fills this slot really well. I suppose I could see why others may not like it as much, but I find myself rocking out with it quite often. Woot.
Estrellas: This is really just a minute and a half long piano part that serves as the cover to the hidden track, which is a cover from a somewhat well known band. Man, my talent for understatement is just bitchin’.
The Thing That Should Not Be: While not one of my favorite older Metallica songs, the Adema cover of this is just amazing. Everything is spot on with the original. The guitars carry that Metallica (through a Marshall amp) ring, the bass pounds in Cliff Burton style, the drums…well, they weren’t much of anything special to begin with, but they even carry the same tone. And the vocals…wow. Caraccioli actually comes close to sounding like Hetfield. It’s not that he sings them the same way, he actually sounds like Hetfield. Hell, the song even sounds like it was recorded on old analog equipment. This is exactly what a cover should sound like when it is trying to be true to the original. I’m willing to bet had they done this earlier they’d have been at the Metallica Icon thing. And a note to Jeff, DO NOT call this “shit” without listening to it. Loser…ruining April Fool’s jokes and shit.
The music was apparently all written beforehand, but even so, it shows in very few places. The band, now complete with a new vocalist and only one guitarist (Caraccioli plays some live guitar), is better than ever. They completely ditched their nu-metal sound from their first album (and second to some extent), and have put out a good old-fashioned ass-kicking rock & roll record. Anyone who reads anything I do knows I won’t use that term too often as it takes a great band with a great album to earn it; and this certainly is the case here. The band sounds so different now that if someone were to play a song without telling them of the vocalist switch, even the band’s two most hardcore fans (Kelly and Kenya) likely couldn’t tell it was Adema. I remember hearing the record for the very first time, and being disappointed with it. From the moment that “Shoot The Arrows” started blasting out of my 5.1 setup, I wasn’t sure about it. Just to prove my point, for every album I have, I’ll allow myself to put five songs off that album onto my Xbox hard drive. The reason being that I have so much music on there I am running low on space. Anyways, I remember hearing Shoot The Arrows the first time, and thinking to myself “this song definitely won’t be on there…I hope the rest of the record doesn’t sound like this.” Said song now is on my Xbox hard drive. I guess the point of that is being that the band is so different, fans of old Adema will likely have to give it a few spins before starting to feel the new style. Both musically and lyrically it is vastly different (and better for that matter) than the old stuff, and like I told one of my friends not too long ago “the human mind always rejects such sudden change at first.” It is like the same case on the second Papa Roach album. I remember the first time I heard it, I fucking hated it. But then it ended up in my top ten albums list, only to be booted by the next Papa Roach album. What irony. Back to the point though, this is by far the best Adema album, and musically one of the best releases of the year so far. It is so diverse, but yet because of that there is something for everyone (except for people who like nothing but nu-metal like one markmadeadema). I could go on about what it is, but I will leave it at this: this album rocks. This band has changed. And undoubtedly, there are tons of you that will ignore it saying the same old tired line of “nu-metal bullshit, man I am so much better than that” (and then proceeding to high-five all of your poser friends), and that is what makes you an idiot. If you don’t like it, that’s your opinion. But at least check it out. Disregard the name, and let the music do the talking.
One last thing, give these guys time to tour and bond together as musicians. This record is great, but it almost scares me to think how good they will be once the guys are fully used to playing together. They at that point will be unstoppable.
Thanks for reading, and now go check the album out.
The 411: This is an album I don’t think anyone expected. Caraccioli’s cross between Maynard James Keenan, Chris Brown (Trapt), and J. Scott (Downer) make for a great style that emphasizes a great rock record. Yes, this is rock; this is not nu-metal. I actually somewhat wonder why they didn’t at least consider changing their name due to how different they are now (maybe contract stuff), but either way don’t be the dumbass that just thinks this will sound exactly like their first two albums. This is a new album. This is a new Adema.
