The Politics of Ecstasy Review
| Band | |
|---|---|
| Album |  The Politics of Ecstasy |
| Type | Album (Studio full-length) |
| Released | July 23, 1996 |
| Genres | Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal |
| Labels | Century Media Records |
| Length | 1:02:25 |
| Ranked | #45 for 1996 , #1,971 all-time |
Album rating : 88.7 / 100
Votes : 11 (3 reviews)
Votes : 11 (3 reviews)
February 13, 2023
This is an interesting transition from their USPM sound. The Politics of Ecstasy is by far the heaviest album the crew had released at that point, adopting a much chuggier and more rhythmic approach. It’s kind of hard to classify this; while the technicality on show is close to Progressive Metal, it also has a very Tech-Thrash-Lite feel to it. Despite being labeled as Thrash, it sounds quite different from what most people associate with the genre, almost playing like speedy Groove Metal instead, with rhythmic riffs and mid-tempo double bass playing in semi-complex polyrhythms.
Admittedly, I feel mixed about this new direction, as rhythmic riffing usually doesn’t sit well with me as opposed to more melodic Heavy Metal or sharp, twisting conventional Thrash, but the music is still very high quality. The album also has a few great surprises as well; Passenger is a Doom Metal song with a monstrous main riff and great vocals, and 42147 has more conventional Thrashing and near-Melodeath riffing that adds some much needed energy and aggression to the flow of the album.
Overall I can’t say I prefer this to their older Thrash influenced USPM sound, but it’s still great stuff, surprisingly heavy for the band and carrying a decent amount of variety in the approaches to songwriting.
Admittedly, I feel mixed about this new direction, as rhythmic riffing usually doesn’t sit well with me as opposed to more melodic Heavy Metal or sharp, twisting conventional Thrash, but the music is still very high quality. The album also has a few great surprises as well; Passenger is a Doom Metal song with a monstrous main riff and great vocals, and 42147 has more conventional Thrashing and near-Melodeath riffing that adds some much needed energy and aggression to the flow of the album.
Overall I can’t say I prefer this to their older Thrash influenced USPM sound, but it’s still great stuff, surprisingly heavy for the band and carrying a decent amount of variety in the approaches to songwriting.
1 like
Track listing (Songs)
| title | rating | votes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | The Seven Tongues of God | 5:59 | 87.5 | 4 |
| 2. | This Sacrament | 5:10 | 91.3 | 4 |
| 3. | Next In Line | 5:34 | 90 | 3 |
| 4. | Passenger | 5:26 | 90 | 3 |
| 5. | The Politics of Ecstasy | 7:57 | 91.7 | 3 |
| 6. | Lost | 4:15 | 88.8 | 4 |
| 7. | The Tianenmen Man | 5:25 | 87.5 | 4 |
| 8. | Precognition | 1:37 | 80 | 3 |
| 9. | 42147 | 4:59 | 88.3 | 3 |
| 10. | The Learning | 9:43 | 90 | 4 |
Line-up (members)
- Warrel Dane : Vocals
- Jeff Loomis : Guitars
- Pat O'Brien : Guitars
- Jim Sheppard : Bass
- Van Williams : Drums
101 reviews
| cover art | Artist | Album review | Reviewer | Rating | Date | Likes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | | In Memory Review (1996) [EP] | 80 | Nov 8, 2024 | 0 | ||
 | | 90 | Oct 13, 2024 | 0 | |||
 | | 80 | Sep 21, 2024 | 0 | |||
 | | 55 | Sep 18, 2024 | 0 | |||
 | | Theories of Emptiness Review (2024) | 85 | Sep 3, 2024 | 1 | ||
| | Theories of Emptiness Review (2024) | 95 | Aug 13, 2024 | 0 | ||
 | | Flamenco a Go-Go Review (2000) | 90 | Apr 14, 2024 | 0 | ||
 | | 90 | Dec 26, 2023 | 0 | |||
| | 65 | Jun 19, 2023 | 1 | |||
| | 80 | Jun 2, 2023 | 1 | |||
 | | Frostbites Review (2022) [EP] | 85 | Mar 11, 2023 | 0 | ||
 | | ▶ The Politics of Ecstasy Review (1996) | 85 | Feb 13, 2023 | 1 | ||
 | | 90 | Feb 1, 2023 | 2 | |||
 | | Interdimensional Review (2020) | 85 | Nov 10, 2022 | 0 | ||
 | | Escape of the Phoenix Review (2021) | 80 | Sep 29, 2022 | 1 | ||
 | | This Godless Endeavor Review (2005) | 100 | Jul 26, 2022 | 5 | ||
 | | Winterfall Review (2015) | 75 | Jul 25, 2022 | 0 | ||
 | | 70 | Jul 15, 2022 | 0 | |||
 | | Hand. Cannot. Erase. Review (2015) | 100 | Jan 29, 2022 | 1 | ||
 | | Winterider Review (2019) | 90 | Nov 1, 2021 | 0 |
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▶ The Politics of Ecstasy Review (1996)
SilentScream213 85/100Feb 13, 2023 Likes : 1
This is an interesting transition from their USPM sound. The Politics of Ecstasy is by far the heaviest album the crew had released at that point, adopting a much chuggier and more rhythmic approach. It’s kind of hard to classify this; while the technicality on show is close to Progressive Metal, it also has a very Tech-Thrash-Lite feel to it. Despite being labeled as Thrash,...
