The Atomic Bitchwax--Spit Blood
MeteorCity 2002
Sometimes, things don't pan out the way you think they will and it frustrates you. Then, you step back and soak in the entire picture and things don't seem as bad as you first thought. This Atomic Bitchwax CD, Spit Blood, is like that. There are some things about it that aren't quite what you'd hoped for but other elements are so amazing they salvage the low points.
First of all, it should be said that the Atomic Bitchwax are great and all of the material here is really solid, overall. However, this is an "odds-and ends" collection. As such, it doesn't always flow as smooth as a new full-blown studio outing would. Also, as good as the material is, there is a problem--over half of the songs on Spit Blood are instrumentals. There's nothing wrong with instrumentals, per se, it's just the way these particular songs are instrumental--they're essentially normal Bitchwax songs with no instrumental part to fill or carry the melody which is so inherent in the material during what would be considered the verse and chorus sections of the songs. This problem is most apparent on "Cold Day In Hell" but is equally as frustrating on the rest of the instros. Again, it's not that this isn't good stuff--it's obvious the riff is strong as always with the Atomic Bitchwax. It's just that the instrumentals here leave you feeling like things are...incomplete. It's a whole different story on the tracks with vocals--especially "Get Your Gear" which totally slays. But hey, this is only intended as a collection to tie up loose ends. Musically, Spit Blood will thrill diehards and completists but may not be essential for casual listeners or fans.
This being said, Spit Blood has a couple of things going for it which may make it somewhat of a necessity for most folks. First of all, it has the most amazing CD-rom section I've ever seen. Put together by the Nodzine crew, it is the most inconceiveably great and thorough interactive behind-the-scenes look into the recording process you could dream of. It has video, interviews, mp3s (including stuff which didn't make the album), and so much more. This CD-rom section is worth owning the CD for, by itself. On top of all this, Spit Blood is also one of the best values you're likely to find--not only do you get a CD of rocking Bitchwax riffs, and possibly the greatest enhanced media section of all time, you get a bonus 8 song CD sampler of upcoming releases from the MeteorCity label. You really can't go wrong.
The Atomic Bitchwax have a really solid package in Spit Blood. Again, if you don't care about the interactive section and already plan on getting the upcoming MeteorCity releases in their entirety, the may not be an essential score for you. However, in spite of some shortcomings, this CD is more than recommended.
Score this CD directly from METEORCITY
|
