96 kHz / 24-Bit Surround Sound
96 kHz / 24-Bit Stereo
I fear my ears will bleed if I listen too long, but I sorta like it.
So what exactly is this band all about? Well... I'm not entirely sure. You see, I was wandering the aisles at Best Buy as I am want to do from time to time and I had about $14 and change just burning a hole in my pocket. So whilst flipping through the store's ever-shrinking selection of high-resolution discs, I came upon an intriguing DVD-Audio release that I hadn't yet seen that was from a band I hadn't ever heard of. It came in a standard CD-sized jewel case (instead of the elongated super jewel box) and prominently announced: "The shape of punk to come. A chimerical bombination in 12 bursts." "Okay...", I slowly thought to myself. "So this is a punk rock group. It might be good." (Not that I've really got much of an understanding of what real punk music is, but hey. Whatever. I could get lucky. Just so long as it sounds good.) So I pondered whether or not to buy it. Finally, I decided the fact it promised "360 degree sound" via 5.1 channels was worth the risk. Besides, I've always liked Green Day; and they're punk. Right?
Not exactly. Let's be clear. Refused (that's the name of the punk rock band we're reviewing in case anyone has forgotten) is nothing like Green Day. They are nothing like so-called punks Blink-182. Nor are they Good Charlotte. I'm guessing that Refused's "The Shape of Punk to Come" is probably the most punk sounding thing in my collection. The closest thing I can think of at this time is perhaps Linkin Park---except without the turntables, rapping, or singing. It seems to be an eclectic mix of heavy guitars, heavy drumming, and electronica. And did I hear Celtic strings? Or was that American Civil War-era fiddle? There might possibly be some bagpipes, too. Erm... No, probably it was an accordian? Jazz bass lines, too. You get the idea. It sounds kinda silly, but trust me: It doesn't sound silly at all. In fact, it's very mean and serious sounding.
Moreover, I think the lyrics are probably political, which to me seems fairly punk; but I've no idea what the lead singer, erm... screamer?, is saying. He talks. He screams. He tries to sing. It's all very punk from my novice point of view. And then there are the guitars. They sometimes sound reminiscent of old-school metal, but without the drawn-out solos. Basically, this is just some real heavy and LOUD stuff. It rocks!
As I understand it, "The Shape of Punk to Come" was released shortly after the band officially broke up---around 1997. And I think they're Swedish. Or something. I'm not sure.
How's the Surround Sound?
I certainly am not an expert when it comes to punk music. But I'd like to think I know a very good surround mix when I hear one. And in my opinion, they guys who worked on this mix---including bandmember David Sandstrom---came up with a failry decent mix. It's very aggressive. Surrounds are used quite heavily and often thicken up the sound by adding layers of guitar on top of guitar. The center channel, where the singer's voice is most prominent, is also used quite heavily. And in true punk fashion, things sometimes change from a full-blown 5.1 mix one minute to an isolated vocal from the center the next. The surround mix is well done, indeed.
Extras/Bonus Material/Navigation
There are no extras on this disc---no lyrics, no pictures---just high quality sound at 96 kHz / 24-bits. However, each new track displays a new picture on screen when played. As for navigation, it appears that direct track access is possible via the remote control; and, thus, it is not necessary to turn on the television---unless you want to switch from the surround tracks to the stereo tracks.
Conclusion
I'm fairly happy with my purchase. I don't know how often I'll listen to it, though, as it's not exactly my favorite style of music. However, I can tell these are talented musicians and it is a worthy surround mix. So I suspect I'll listen to it a few songs at a time every so often.
Note: At the time this review was originally posted at the Sound & Vision forums, I gave it a 4 of 5. But I am changing it to a 3-1/2, instead.
