Empty Soul, Empty Head
With their second album, Smile Empty Soul has managed to create what can only be described as 40 minutes a person will never get back. On Anxiety, the three-piece from Santa Clara run far away from anything that could be considered “good” in the world of music and instead force the listener to atrocious “melodies” more suited for use in torture at Guantanimo Bay. Down-tuned riffs. Vocals which sound like your little brother trying to be tough and emotional. Lyrics about why life sucks or why the President has failed. All the clichés of nu-metal are here, sucking the life out of whatever remains of intelligent thought in music.
Sure, “Self Inflicted,” “Holes,” “Not Alright,” and “Saturday” have a combined 25 seconds of creative, fun, or “different” riffs between them. However, any novice who picks up a guitar can learn more captivating riffs in less than a week.
Even if the rest of the album was of excellent quality, it would still falter for one reason: “Cody.” “Cody” is a 2-minute sample (though it feels like 20) wherein a burned-out stoner rambles on about a driver he saw with a George Bush sticker. It is simply the most stupid, wasteful, and downright asinine spoken word intro to plague humanity.
Smile Empty Soul’s Anxiety lacks even the positive of falling into the dreaded “so bad, it’s good” category (i.e. our beloved R. Kelly). There is nothing special, noteworthy, or memorable about this album. Do not buy this album. Do not download this album. If for some reason one is a sadist, one should steal this album, listen and then destroy it.
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