Condemned Review

Band	Confessor
Album	Condemned
Type	Album (Studio full-length)
Released	August 1991
Genres	Technical Doom Metal
Labels	Earache Records
Length	41:01

Reviewer :  KnightInOctober         Rating :  90 / 100

Confessor was an unorthodox Progressive Metal group formed around 1986 in Raleigh, North Carolina by guitarists Graham Fry and Brian Shoaf, drummer Jim Shoaf (Brian's sibling) and bassist Cary Rowells. Prior to this during his years in high school, Graham was in another local band called No Comment (not to be confused with the Powerviolence band from California that goes under the same name). One day, he decided to contact the old vocalist of No Comment, Scott Jeffreys. Scott ended up joining Confessor right after the two met again. Jim then dropped out a year later in 1987 when a higher interest was taken in Steve Shelton (whose drum abilities were far more advanced). According to Scott, Jim then went on to do other things, such as "lights and drums tech" work for Corrosion Of Conformity, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains and Pearl Jam (that must've been a pretty sweet gig). In a 2016 interview, Steve explained his first-hand account of when he was recruited as a member:

"I was at home one afternoon when I still lived with my parents when someone came to the door. As soon as I saw the long, bleached blond hair and Metal tee shirt, I knew who it was. Scott Jeffreys and I attended the same high school the year before though we didn't know each other. He sang for a Metal band and I played drums in a Punk band. Even though we were becoming a 'crossover' band, protocol didn't allow for such mingling back then. By the time Scott rang my doorbell I was a full fledged Metal fan, so it was okay to be seen with him. He was searching for a drummer who could bring a little more to his new band than the guy they already had. That new band was Confessor. He had heard me playing from the street once or twice as he was driving to his girlfriend's house and on that particular day he decided to take a chance and meet whoever the mystery drummer might be. We spoke for a bit and he gave me a tape of his band. I thought there was some real potential there, but they had a more laid back approach to their music. I wondered what they might sound like with a more aggressive drummer, so I learned their songs and made some changes."

During this larvae stage in Confessor's career, three cassette demos were produced: The Secret was recorded in 1987 at a small studio for about $500-600 while Uncontrolled was recorded in 1989 and Collapse just a year after. More changes in the lineup occurred around this point. Guitarist Graham Fry chose to depart as his musical preferences were shifting into a totally different direction to that of the other guys in the group (according to Steve, he had been listening to a lot of Jazz-oriented music such as John McLaughlin and Mahavishnu Orchestra, so he gradually became dispassionate about playing Metal). Ivan Colon was another close friend of the members since the early days, so he served as a perfect replacement. Around this time, Confessor went to Paul "Hammy" Halmshaw (the founder of Peaceville Records and a former member of The Instigators, Civilised Society? and Sore Throat) in hopes of working something out. Nothing major happened, as Halmshaw let the group know right from the beginning that he feared he would not have been able to do much to market and promote them if they jumped aboard his label. But he did at least feature their track, "Uncontrolled", on his Vile Vibes compilation of 1990. Fortunately, extreme Metal record label mogul, Earache, later took notice of Confessor and eventually ended up signing them to their label. In 1991, they released their official debut album, Condemned.

I discovered Confessor years ago glancing through a compilation from Earache. This UK-based record label is mostly known for their Grindcore and Death Metal repertoire, so at first it may have appeared as if this group would be similar to Heresy, Napalm Death, Carcass, Terrorizer, Bolt Thrower, Nocturnus and others of that ilk (the violent, graphic cover artwork of a blindfolded man in bondage being tortured may also lead others to this assumption). Well, they actually turned out to be very different. The music of Confessor can be difficult to properly classify, but it sounds like a weird amalgamation of Progressive Metal and "Technical Doom Metal" with some Thrash and Groove Metal components (also a smidgen of what could be described as proto-Metalcore or Djent). I've always thought that their music kind of sounded like Rush, Trouble, Watchtower, Fates Warning and Pantera - If they were all thrown into a blender (coincidentally, I later discovered that some of those bands were indeed actual influences. I guess my ability to discern musical influences without much knowledge isn't too far off sometimes). Whatever people may consider Confessor's style to be, that doesn't really seem to matter too much to some of its members such as Scott, who once humorously said, "call it whatever you like; call it 'Southern Boy Hick Metal' for all I care. Call us what you will, just don’t call us late for supper".

As for the musicianship on Condemned, it's quite perplexing and of a technical nature. This is not a very melodic album either; instead preferring to be dissonant, incongruent and mathematical in its endeavor. For the average person, this type of music will definitely require more than just two or three listens to potentially enjoy, appreciate and memorize, since it is not all that catchy or accessible to begin with. Steve Shelton's percussion also deserves mentioning, as it is one of the key elements in Confessor's music. He is a superb drummer with a highly original and off-kilter style, and Condemned would just not be the same without him behind the drum kit. Steve's inspiration to play the drums came at the age of fourteen when he first heard Rush's Moving Pictures (more specifically, the introduction to "Limelight"). The biggest criticism that Confessor receives usually always seems to be associated with its singer. The high-pitched, androgynous - and occasionally off-key - vocals of Scott Jeffreys are certainly an "acquired taste" (if Geddy Lee was more "Metal", frantic and intense, then I reckon that he would probably sound a bit like this!). As for me though, I honestly don't mind him and his tormented wailing. Call me strange, but I actually like the imperfect vocalizations that come out of Scott's mouth (they're also quite distinct). Scott once stated that he took inspiration from the '80s Heavy Metal singers he was into at the time, such as King Diamond from Mercyful Fate, and both John Arch and Ray Alder from Fates Warning.

Desolation and despair, sorrow and suffering, trial and torment seem to comprise most of the lyrical themes found here on Condemned (I've noticed that dreams get obsessively mentioned an awful lot, too). Before getting into the tracklist, I should say that the production this album has tends to be rather flat and low (the only downside for me). While it's not absolutely horrible or unlistenable, I do feel that the lackluster sound quality does take away some voltage from the music (turning up the volume helps a tad with this issue though). Heavy, crunchy guitars and Carey's metallic, clunking basslines help maneuver forward "Alone" as Scott anxiously wails about "countless millions dying". A commendable choice to open Condemned with. "Prepare Yourself" is special for a variety of reasons, one being that it was the very first track I ever heard from Confessor. As previously mentioned, many of the tracks on this album take repeated listening sessions to memorize and potentially enjoy, but I instantly loved "Prepare Yourself" right from the beginning. It goes hard with Scott's intense vocal delivery and the choppy, thrashy riffs from the two guitarists. "Inhale the winds of doom" might just be the most memorable line here. "Collapse Into Despair" is loaded with tons of frenetic, complex time-signature changes, which may possibly cause some dizziness and confusion to the uninitiated. Seemingly spontaneous, abrupt breaks keep this mind-boggling song from ever flowing smoothly.

"Defining Happiness" proceeds next with a sluggish, doom-laden tempo while still implementing plenty of those rhythm-breaking shifts. "Uncontrolled" has much crazed energy featuring ominous riffs and even an angular guitar solo to measure. As usual, the zany singer sounds like he's absolutely losing his head. Various of the tracks present on this album are re-recorded versions of the ones from those early demos. Whether the re-recordings or the originals are better is all a matter of opinion, but I personally tend to enjoy these a lot more. The title track, "Condemned", might just be even more unhinged, with all of its wild syncopation (the grumbling bass also sounding louder). Scott keeps up those over-the-top, girlish vocal histrionics as well (which again, I honestly don't mind). I can clearly hear the influence of the pioneering Christian Doom Metal group, Trouble, on "Eve Of Salvation". "The Stain" happens to be another highlight. It contains these intriguing mathematical Metalcore-type breakdowns throughout. We are once again reminded of the drumming prowess of Steve with all the pummeling double-bass drums and rattling cymbals. "Suffer" serves as the album's closer. Not bad, but this is the track which I have always enjoyed the least, even if It doesn't differ too much from the rest in style.

To summarize, Confessor was a one-of-a-kind band possessing a lot of raw talent and ambition. Condemned can be thought of as a unique Metal oddity that only a select few individuals will genuinely appreciate and enjoy (you either get it or you don't!). I believe Steve Shelton once said it best: "We have never found the perfect label to apply to what we do, but I think most bands find that to be true. Our music was just weird enough to stand out from everything else. It was something people either loved or hated. There was very little in between". After their debut album, Confessor recorded an eponymous EP in 1992 that featured two covers ("The Last Judgment" and "Endtime") of their musical heroes, Trouble. They were also invited to record a cover of Black Sabbath's "Hole In The Sky" for the Earache tribute compilation, Masters Of Misery. However, during this period they suffered from a few setbacks as well, supposedly on account of "record label politics". Earache would ultimately lose interest in continuing with Confessor, which led to a few members losing faith and moving on to other projects. As a result, Confessor officially disbanded in 1994 while they still had lots of potential. Eight years later in 2002, guitarist Ivan Colon passed away due to health complications. Since the members had always been like a "tight-knit family", they decided to reunite for a concert dedicated to Ivan's memory (and to help pay for his past medical expenses). In an interview from 2005, Scott Jeffreys went into further detail about Ivan's untimely death and the reunion:

"Ivan, more or less, had a sinus infection that worsened – Despite taking antibiotics for it. Eventually, the infection got into the blood stream and infected a heart valve. Doctors did not know what was going on until he had a heart attack and by then it was too late (he passed away a few days later). Confessor got back together to do a benefit for his wife (he had just gotten married six months earlier). The reunion show went very well and we just decided to reform and write some new material. Everything from here on out is done in his memory."

The silver lining of this unfortunate incident is that it led to Confessor reforming and recording once again. In 2005, a brand-new album titled Unraveled was released. While this one tends to be a bit different (particularly sounding influenced by Alice In Chains) and not nearly as ambitious or unpredictable as the debut, I'd still encourage fanatics to check it out. Currently, the group is on a temporary hiatus. They might not ever record another album again, but that's alright with me; I'm plenty satisfied with just listening to Condemned.