By: Deek

Posted: Oct 2, 2005

Soilent Green has been one of my favorite bands over the last few years. Although their debut "Pussysoul" really isn't all that great, their following two album, 1998's "Sewn Mouth Secrets" and 2001's "A Deleted Symphony For The Beaten Down", became two of my all time favorite albums. They incorporated technical elements, sludge metal, death metal and southern [American] metal all into one, unique sound, laced with anger and aggression. Hell, those last two albums are easily some of the most anger-and-hate-filled albums I've heard. Now, it's been four years since "Symphony...", and the band has gone through a lot of shit over that time, including the death of a former band member. All of that hurt and pain was written into their new 2005 release, "Confrontation".

One thing that's noticable right from the start is that they are using a slower pace more often than before. The first actual song, 'Leaves Of Three', started quite a bit slower than the intro had lead to believe, but still gives the Soilent Green punch. 'Forgive & Regret' and '12 Oz. Prophet' both start off blasting, but have a mid-paced midsection that wasn't heavily used before, especially in their songs that were under 3 minutes in length. The slower approach to things is heard throughout the album, and it works in their favor, though I think many will miss the speed, which was part of what made Soilent Green unique. To add to that, a lot of the strange southern melodies they used in the past aren't really heard here, which is what really made them unique. But that doesn't affect that album as bad as many would think, as the album works on its own. 'They Lie To Hide The Truth' is a great song that mixes the fast and slow moments into one song, a highlight of the album. 'Fingernails On A Chalkboard' has a few elements that they had never really utilized in song before. And 'A Permanent Solution To A Temporary Problem' is a great closer (as long as you discount the damn blank space after the song). To add, the little interludes almost seem like they were systematically put in place, giving a nice contrast between aggressive songs. The production is also cleaner than before, which helps the album tremendously.

There is more variation and focus on this album, but it is still undeniably Soilent Green. I still prefer "Sewn Mouth Secrets" and "A Deleted Symphony For The Beaten Down" over this new relase, but "Confrontation" is still a top-notch album. But, the variation is probably what makes this album the best way to introduce someone to the band. It is definitely a worthy album of Soilent Green, and it certainly will be a fave among their fans.

Rating: 8,5/10

Soilent Green website

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