The Toadies
Hell Below/Stars Above
Interscope
Rating: 4 Flaming Goat Heads
Stretching out slightly from the raw feel of their mostly live-recorded platinum debut, Rubberneck, The Toadies have coupled six years of musical growth with some mild studio indulgences, providing a more lush representation of the band's inventive, aggressive rock. For the most part, Hell Below/Stars Above assaults the listener with unrelenting vigor - the band's intensity on "Motivational" takes them almost beyond their own control as the screamed chant "Let's get your head around it" is repeated with building angst until the syllables are indistinguishable and the drums expand to a mammoth sonic level. The unison guitar/distorted bass riffs of "Little Sin" push sound systems to their respective limits, while the song's quirky false stops are enough to drive DJs into padded suites. When backing off for a breather, The Toadies use space creatively - the harmonized feedback guitar melodies in the verse of "Pressed Against The Sky" are disturbing and beautiful. The almost Queen-esque title track maintains a furious double-time pace while dabbling in wild experimentations before eventually relieving itself with an elegant and sophisticated Layla-like outro. The post-grunge haunt of "Dollskin" provides droning closure to this ultra-dynamic and diverse collection. Well worth the wait, Hell Below/Stars Above sticks out of the blurred mass of modern rock albums like properly viewed 3-D art - once understood, normal subjects seem boring.-Cliff Frantz
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