Aiden - Knives

[Drew Beringer]

Aiden – Knives
Release Date: May 12, 2009
Record Label: Victory

Okay, so I’m gonna be honest. I hate Aiden. I hate their crappy image (from goth vampires to what seems to be Avenged Sevenfold Jr.). I hate their previous crappy albums. The only song of theirs I have even mildly enjoyed was the one that appeared on NCAA Baseball 2005 for my Playstation 2. I even hate their new album cover, with the stupid kid and his stupid barbed wired braces.

But I also believe everyone deserves a fresh start with each new album, so I closed my eyes and opened my ears to Knives, the fourth album from Aiden. And it’s funny, William Francis’ first words on opening track “Killing Machine” match my exact sentiments on reviewing this, “Fuck me? Fuck you. Fuck you and this whole city and everyone in it.” But I digress. Quite honestly, William Francis is not that bad of a singer, in fact his vocals is one of the (very) few bright spots. “Killing Machine” is paced by the quick drumming of Jake Davison and the punk-inspired chords of guitarist Angel Ibarra, but the downfall of the song, well pretty much the whole album, are the lyrics. Contrived words about hate, death, hell; you know, the whole shebang. “Let The Right One In” features a huge chorus, while “Scavengers of the Damned” is their best My Chemical Romance impression.

Remember earlier when I was praising Francis’ vocals? Well, I almost want to retract that statement after hearing “Elizabeth.” The “sinister” tone he takes falls flat and really dooms the song. “Crusifiction” tries to be edgy, but comes across as boring. “Excommunicate” is actually my favorite track from the album, as Ibarra’s chords are vibrant, while the chorus is fast and catchy. “Black Market Hell” features perhaps the best vocal work from Francis, and the aggression and edge finally feel real. Only took till the last track to reach it. At the very least, this track can give a glimmer of hope that Aiden will put it all together one day.

Knives really isn’t that horrible; in fact it features rather decent musicianship and vocals. Rather, it is just really bland. I get the sense they are forcing an image through their music instead of expressing something real. Songs like “Excommunicate” and “Black Market Hell” are steps in the right direction, but “Elizabeth” and “Crusifiction” are giant blunders. Aiden has the potential to put it all together one day. In the meantime, however, could someone please give that kid a bath and direct him to a sanitary orthodontist?

Track Listing:
1. Killing Machine
2. Let The Right One In
3. Scavengers of the Damned
4. Elizabeth
5. Crusifiction
6. The Asylum
7. Portrait
8. Excommunicate
9. King on Holiday
10. Black Market Hell
Produced by: William Francis

Aiden is:
William Francis – vocals/guitar
Angel Ibarra – guitar
Nick Wiggins – bass
Jake Davison – drums

Official Website (http://www.aiden.org); Official Myspace (http://www.myspace.com/aiden); Official AP.net Profile (http://www.absolutepunk.net/aiden)

[Piss]

horrible band. horrible album

[WhoSaidThat?]

Nice review. I still hate Aiden as well as this record (why the fuck did I spin this again?), but you managed to make my hatred subside just a smidge. Kind of what Steve did with his RJA review (http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=838152).

[Keagan Ilvonen]

Garbage band is garbage. Good job trying to be somewhat positive for such a horrible group. Shockhound gave this album 4/5 hahahahaha.

[hockeyguitar99]

I don't really understand why Staff Members waste their time writing reviews of albums that they know the will hate and is going to be universally hated on the site.

[lucky#88]

yeah this band is pretty bad...although there are a few songs i can tollerate

oh and the aiden song is in ncaa baseball 2006, not 05, just thought you should know

[ACA]

Didn't hear this album, but judging from their previous efforts the band is not nearly as bad as they are considered. There are many worse bands being featured and covered on this site on a daily basis.

[Untitled09]

I have never liked Aiden. Your right Drew about his constant up and downs. I saw a video one time and I couldnm't believe they had a buff black dude in it. Sort of funny I guess. But good review.

[Chemical Love]

Great review, can't wait to pick this up.

[First_And_Last]

I absolutely hated this album, and now I'm waiting for Aiden to post something on Twitter being pissed off about this review.

[EvilZeppelin]

The only album I liked by Aiden was Nightmare Anatomy.....

[msi]

image and lyrics aside, most songs on this record are catchy as hell.

[deezee]

They don't even deserve my words, I'm pass hate now lol

[zubinmoosa]

Haha love the last line

[DandonTRJ]

I have a hard time digesting the suggestion that Wil's vocals are good now. They've been awful on all the old albums whenever he doesn't have a wall of music to cover up for him. My main reference point is the opening track to Conviction, where it's just him and a piano (http://tr.youtube.com/watch?v=0s3sZvvjkcY&feature=PlayList&p=67B32AE258B2D343&index=0&playnext=1). Ugh.

That being said, the musicianship of the band is actually getting better, so I won't knock the compositions. Some very catchy stuff. But the vocals, lyrics and band image kill me.

[Chris Fallon]

I might have to read the lyrics to this album, because they sound hilarious.

[therookielot]

I never minded this band, I never listened. Out of sight, out of mind.

[more heart]

And I would expect nothing more.

[DogSizedBird]

Aoty.

[CarouselBoy]

I don't really understand why Staff Members waste their time writing reviews of albums that they know the will hate and is going to be universally hated on the site.

because there are people on here that like Aiden, because some people might be on the fence about Aiden or the album and this might sway them one way or the other, and because it generates traffic. Pretty simple.

Didn't hear this album, but judging from their previous efforts the band is not nearly as bad as they are considered. There are many worse bands being featured and covered on this site on a daily basis.

that is a terrible justification for a band being "good" or "not nearly as bad as they are considered".

I've never liked Aiden not for the music, but because I feel like their image is forced and IMO their lyrics have always been severely lacking.

[brandnewsheep]

I am (and don't reject my opinion because of this) a pretty big Aiden fan.
However, I hate the new album. There were times when I couldn't do anything but laugh at the lyrics - I can't take half of the songs seriously and even though I like Aiden as much as I do, I can't take this album seriously and it does nothing for me musically.

[Charles777]

They're not horrible, but they're not good either. If this is better than their other albums, I'll give it a shot.

[xjdizzle]

I like how everyone says this band is awful.When they're the same ones who conform to music like
The cab,The Maine and all the other neon pop boy bands and those bands are covered on this site all the time.
Id rather wear dark clothes then get caught dead in rainbow sherbert body suite.Reviewers on here always contradict themselves. That's why people need to stop taking their reviews seriously.

[FaceLixeMurder]

The only album I liked by Aiden was Nightmare Anatomy.....
Indeed, still need to check this out though, I wasn't too keen on the 80's synth punk on the last record, didn't quite do it for me :)

[Heroin Robot]

Their last album was such a guilty pleasure

[lillprinsen]

I think its a great album. I dont understand all the hate.

[acratertocoffin]

I like how everyone says this band is awful.When they're the same ones who conform to music like
The cab,The Maine and all the other neon pop boy bands and those bands are covered on this site all the time.
Id rather wear dark clothes then get caught dead in rainbow sherbert body suite.Reviewers on here always contradict themselves. That's why people need to stop taking their reviews seriously.
So you missed how the majority of the site hates The Maine, Cab and neon in general? That somehow slipped by?

[Jake Denning]

Aiden sucks so much because Wil Francis is clearly a douchebag, Jeffree Star probably gave this 5 stars.

[Alex DiVincenzo]

Good review. Fairly done.

[Jason Tate]

Didn't hear this album, but judging from their previous efforts the band is not nearly as bad as they are considered. There are many worse bands being featured and covered on this site on a daily basis.
Name one.

[Jason Tate]

I like how everyone says this band is awful.When they're the same ones who conform to music like
The cab,The Maine and all the other neon pop boy bands and those bands are covered on this site all the time.
Id rather wear dark clothes then get caught dead in rainbow sherbert body suite.Reviewers on here always contradict themselves. That's why people need to stop taking their reviews seriously.
Pretty sure the same people that hate Aiden hate The Cab and The Maine as well. I know for a fact the reviewer of this album does. Sooooo, you'd just be wrong.

[xjdizzle]

Pretty sure the same people that hate Aiden hate The Cab and The Maine as well. I know for a fact the reviewer of this album does. Sooooo, you'd just be wrong.
Based on reviews ive seen The Devil wears Prada gets a good review. But there's a band called Vanna that gets a bad review when they have alot more originality than them .But because bands like TDWp,All time low seem to always get high reviews just boggles my mind.

Say decent bands like Senses Fail make an ok album. its never good enough.
Aiden is definately more true to their punk roots than over half of these bands bein called pop punk.

[more heart]

Based on reviews ive seen The Devil wears Prada gets a good review. But there's a band called Vanna that gets a bad review when they have alot more originality than them .But because bands like TDWp,All time low seem to always get high reviews just boggles my mind.

Say decent bands like Senses Fail make an ok album. its never good enough.
Aiden is definately more true to their punk roots than over half of these bands bein called pop punk.
...because TDWP and ATL are some of the better bands in their genre.

[sasalukac]

the average user rating is 3%? i'm hoping that's just one lonely sole trying desperately to jump on the "i hate Aiden" bandwagon. I don't like this album, not my cup of tea, but it's idiotic to rate an album just so you could show off how falsely passionate you are...

[tonighttonight0]

This album will be the lowest rated album by the users on here...ever

[SteveD]

Good review. I never intended on listening to the album, just wanted to see what you had to say.

[tbsrock08]

I Agree this Album/Band SUCKS

[xjdizzle]

...because TDWP and ATL are some of the better bands in their genre.
Better than some but not great by far...if u wana go into genres
Boys like Girls and The Academy is are far better and original than ATL not to mention New Found Glory Bayside and Hit The Lights

Now Tdwp. Noise is what describes their genre.There's As i lay dying,Haste the Day ,Destroy The Runner,Vanna ,The human abstract,War of ages,Zao that are by far better than Tdwp.

you lose.

[Jason Tate]

Better than some but not great by far...if u wana go into genres
Boys like Girls and The Academy is are far better and original than ATL not to mention New Found Glory Bayside and Hit The Lights

Now Tdwp. Noise is what describes their genre.There's As i lay dying,Haste the Day ,Destroy The Runner,Vanna ,The human abstract,War of ages,Zao that are by far better than Tdwp.

you lose.
:hitself:

[more heart]

Better than some but not great by far...if u wana go into genres
Boys like Girls and The Academy is are far better and original than ATL not to mention New Found Glory Bayside and Hit The Lights

Now Tdwp. Noise is what describes their genre.There's As i lay dying,Haste the Day ,Destroy The Runner,Vanna ,The human abstract,War of ages,Zao that are by far better than Tdwp.

you lose.
Did you just say that Boys Like Girls and The Academy Is... is better than New Found Glory? That's strike two(the first being that Aiden has punk roots).

[thespearkid]

Based on reviews ive seen The Devil wears Prada gets a good review. But there's a band called Vanna that gets a bad review when they have alot more originality than them .But because bands like TDWp,All time low seem to always get high reviews just boggles my mind.

Say decent bands like Senses Fail make an ok album. its never good enough.
Aiden is definately more true to their punk roots than over half of these bands bein called pop punk.
aiden is not true to punk roots.
senses fail is not a decent band.
vanna is not original.

[mushroom]

"Okay, so I’m gonna be honest. I hate Aiden"

Then whats the point of reviewing this, you're correct in thinking that there shite but an unbias review would have been nice.

[more heart]

"Okay, so I’m gonna be honest. I hate Aiden"

Then whats the point of reviewing this, you're correct in thinking that there shite but an unbias review would have been nice.
I think Drew did his best to be as unbiased as possible. All of the staff reviwers do that when reviewing a band they hate.

[xjdizzle]

Did you just say that Boys Like Girls and The Academy Is... is better than New Found Glory? That's strike two(the first being that Aiden has punk roots).
No i meant all of the other bands i mentioned are better than ATL .

[xjdizzle]

aiden is not true to punk roots.
senses fail is not a decent band.
vanna is not original.
Aiden's main influences are the misfits. And the whole goth look came from punk.
Listen to Our gangs Dark oath and tell me they're not more punk influenced than most bands out there now.

If Senses fail wasn't decent they wouldnt headline tours for the past 4 years.thank u

Vanna has more creativity than most other bands like TDWP
And have a singer/guitarist with a great voice not a whiny one.
Im not saying their the Best.

[Kgod]

That was a great review. I like that i can count on AP to give everyone a chance, and give me an honest opinion. I like Aiden, and I'm glad I didn't have to sit through 3 paragraphs of them getting torn a new asshole.

I definitely don't need to read the comments though.

[thespearkid]

Aiden's main influences are the misfits. And the whole goth look came from punk.
Listen to Our gangs Dark oath and tell me they're not more punk influenced than most bands out there now.

If Senses fail wasn't decent they wouldnt headline tours for the past 4 years.thank u

Vanna has more creativity than most other bands like TDWP
And have a singer/guitarist with a great voice not a whiny one.
Im not saying their the Best.
Aiden may be influenced by the misfits in look but their music isn't anyway near punk. i'm not sure what you mean by "most bands out there now" but this shows me that you're not listening to the right type of music. step outside AP for awhile.

tons of crappy bands headline tours.

[Cheesus]

I get the sense they are forcing an image through their music instead of expressing something real.
This whole review brought some lulz but this seemed like a particularly true statement.


Name one.

Pretty sure the same people that hate Aiden hate The Cab and The Maine as well. I know for a fact the reviewer of this album does. Sooooo, you'd just be wrong.

owned.

[more heart]

No i meant all of the other bands i mentioned are better than ATL .
Still, you've lost all credibility.

[xLIAMx]

Aiden is pretty bad, and the overall style sounds forced, because it is. i think wil francis's real sound and real niche is better shown through "William Control" which is more of an electronic/david bowie/gothic/industrial thing.

basically the end all be all is that this particular genre is dead and only becoming more dead and it would have to be an incredible album to actually recieve a good review. Aiden should branch out into different themes and convey messages from all ends of the spectrum, because personally i think a large percent of people don't hate the world, etc. and wouldn't have a strong connection with this cd.

[YeahRiight]

I don't really understand why Staff Members waste their time writing reviews of albums that they know the will hate and is going to be universally hated on the site.
Apparently the Aiden press people didn't think we were doing to hate it, did you see them take over the sidebars of the site? I reckon that ad space costs a pretty penny.

[Mattylikesfilms]

I wonder if this album tanks like konviction did. The review is also pretty fair, I would've gave them something more in the 30's percentage.

[denissuxx]

Decent review, loved the last line

[HometownHero]

Better than some but not great by far...if u wana go into genres
Boys like Girls and The Academy is are far better and original than ATL not to mention New Found Glory Bayside and Hit The Lights

Now Tdwp. Noise is what describes their genre.There's As i lay dying,Haste the Day ,Destroy The Runner,Vanna ,The human abstract,War of ages,Zao that are by far better than Tdwp.

you lose.
Give up now while you are very far behind

[Mattylikesfilms]

Nice review. I still hate Aiden as well as this record (why the fuck did I spin this again?), but you managed to make my hatred subside just a smidge. Kind of what Steve did with his RJA review (http://absolutepunk.net/showthread.php?t=838152).

Haha I like lonely road a hell of a lot more than knives.

[WhoSaidThat?]

Haha I like lonely road a hell of a lot more than knives.
I hate both albums, but that song Represent is pretty tight, imo. I hated everything I heard off of Knives.

[Schmidty Says]

because there are people on here that like Aiden, because some people might be on the fence about Aiden or the album and this might sway them one way or the other, and because it generates traffic. Pretty simple.



that is a terrible justification for a band being "good" or "not nearly as bad as they are considered".

I've never liked Aiden not for the music, but because I feel like their image is forced and IMO their lyrics have always been severely lacking.
Couldn't agree more about that. I'm not going to say that I am a huge fan of this band, but I don't hate them. Their image is extremely forced, and the lyrics aren't the greatest. The music, at least on the new album, is decent, at least to the point where I can listen for longer then two songs. Still don't really like his voice, though.

[hockeyguitar99]

Apparently the Aiden press people didn't think we were doing to hate it, did you see them take over the sidebars of the site? I reckon that ad space costs a pretty penny.
Actually no, I haven't seen one Aiden ad on this site, maybe they just aren't coming up on mine, but I haven't seen one.

[neo506]

wait...the line that you quoted is from the movie 25th hour...is it a soundbite or did they rip that off?

[meroki22]

Shit load of potential wasted on gimmicks and make up. These guys have fallen hard since Nightmare Anatomy.

[Mattylikesfilms]

I hate both albums, but that song Represent is pretty tight, imo. I hated everything I heard off of Knives.

I like "pull me back" and even the cheesy "senioritis" once I ignore the lyrics haha

[WhoSaidThat?]

I like "pull me back" and even the cheesy "senioritis" once I ignore the lyrics haha
I get that.

[Mattylikesfilms]

I get that.

Same thing with "step right up" take away the chorus and its a decent song too haha. I'm not trying to make lonely road out to be a grea album but it isn't as bad as some people act like it is. Its not that bad but its not that good either haha. Its a c - album to me

[red8ge]

This band would be so much better if the lyrics weren't always about stereotypical mallgoth stuff.

[abbysmith]

I wasn't expecting it to be good, but after reading this I might give Excommunicate a listen.
However, I wont get over the album cover. Ever.

[abbysmith]

This band would be so much better if the lyrics weren't always about stereotypical mallgoth stuff.
Mallgoth is the perfect term to use to describe a lot of Aiden fans.

[brenByah]

The rating on this made me laugh. Don't care for this band at all.

[YouSmellExcited]

Conviction was better

[brenByah]

I wasn't expecting it to be good, but after reading this I might give Excommunicate a listen.
However, I wont get over the album cover. Ever.
After first seeing this album cover I thought it couldn't be any worse, and then I noticed the braces. Absolutely terrible.

[YeahRiight]

Actually no, I haven't seen one Aiden ad on this site, maybe they just aren't coming up on mine, but I haven't seen one.
What was the ad on the side before this current Green Day one for you then? I thought it was a universal thing.

[richvale_punk]

I actually enjoyed this album. And no I'm not a hot topic little fuck. I'm a 30 year lover of punk rock. Although a lot of the hatred is aimed at their image and image of their typical fans, I felt that this album was a huge jump for them as a band. The songs are very sing-alongable, and high in energy. One of the best horror movies from last year was "Let The Right One In", and it was pretty cool that the guys in Aiden had a song inspired by this movie, and its a solid track. I wasn't a fan of them before this release, but I am now. Will I go to their shows? No, lol. I rather enjoy thier music from home. I put it on my IPOD this morning and went for a nice drive, and it turns out to be a pretty good driving record.

[oncedarkness]

i think the biggest gimmick is charging $6.66 every ticket on their new tour. it's not creative enough to make it memorable and worth it to lose a ton of money on that.

[brenByah]

Nope. Brokencyde's EP has a 3% user rating along with a 3% review rating.
That means the users need to step it up and get Brokencyde's full length a 2 or 1 average once it's released.

[The Pharmacist]

well...they're better then brokencyde...

[Alex Djaferis]

Great review, can't wait to pick this up.
lol

[just.Starla.]

Nice review.

[absentimentalxs]

Used to like their first album when it came out.
Now I just hate everything about this band not only because the music sucks but all the guys are such major douchebags.

[Drew Beringer]

"Okay, so I’m gonna be honest. I hate Aiden"

Then whats the point of reviewing this, you're correct in thinking that there shite but an unbias review would have been nice.
because if you read the second paragraph, you'll notice I mention that I give all bands a fresh chance with a new album. I hate Aiden yes, and still do, but I did my best to tune that out when listening and writing.

[Broden Terry]

I don't think I'm going to listen to this record. I just don't like their music. I'm sorry Aiden fans. :shrug:

[steve187]

I admit Nightmare Anatomy got many plays from me I and really liked it at the time but haven't been a fan of anything from them since.

[plain white t's]

Fuck that Jason Tate dude come across like a tool

[hockeyguitar99]

What was the ad on the side before this current Green Day one for you then? I thought it was a universal thing.
I have no idea what you're talking about.

[mymusicismylife]

Better than some but not great by far...if u wana go into genres
Boys like Girls and The Academy is are far better and original than ATL not to mention New Found Glory Bayside and Hit The Lights

Now Tdwp. Noise is what describes their genre.There's As i lay dying,Haste the Day ,Destroy The Runner,Vanna ,The human abstract,War of ages,Zao that are by far better than Tdwp.

you lose.
Hard to say someone loses when everything you said is opinion. I don't think Haste the Day is even close to being as good as Prada.

[timb89]

wouldnt waste my money

[vincentgrippi]

I don't really understand why Staff Members waste their time writing reviews of albums that they know the will hate and is going to be universally hated on the site.

This.

[brenByah]

"Okay, so I’m gonna be honest. I hate Aiden"

Then whats the point of reviewing this, you're correct in thinking that there shite but an unbias review would have been nice.
Let's be honest, it was probably hard to find a Reviewer on staff that didn't hate Aiden. They probably drew straws to decide who had to do this, but it's really just Russian Roulette. Poor Drew had to take the bullet.

[Nick Le]

I love your reviews. haha.

[alltimehoe93]

hahahaha, I love how they got a 46% from the reviewer and 15% from members.

[fadedmemories]

Great review haha

[Handraa]

wouldnt waste my money
I wouldn't waste my time.

[timb89]

I wouldn't waste my time.
our quotes sound like the start of an all time low song

[Handraa]

our quotes sound like the start of an all time low song
Haha this is true.
Damn, just ruined it.

[schenksta]

what does "reviewer tilt" mean? is it like a bias?

[BearTheMan]

I threw up in my mouth a little bit.

[RattlesnakeJ]

i hated it too:-p

[drakey]

I am giving Aiden a shot. I used to love them in 7th grade... when my favorite band was My Chemcial Romance. I aggree. Image / lyrics = shit, but here's what I say: if whatever album they piece together after this sucks, I'm giving up all hope on them. But they show there's a chance they can get their act together.

[xjdizzle]

Hard to say someone loses when everything you said is opinion. I don't think Haste the Day is even close to being as good as Prada.
Haha..What makes TDWp suck is Mike's scream vocals .never consistent and trail life to a cat being skinned alive. At least with Haste the day ...i can actually understand what the hell their saying.
And didnt rip off their rband name from a Chic fick movie. Lay off the drugs theyre not better than Haste the day.

[Absolut_Punk]

Haha..What makes TDWp suck is Mike's scream vocals .never consistent and trail life to a cat being skinned alive. At least with Haste the day ...i can actually understand what the hell their saying.
And didnt rip off their rband name from a Chic fick movie. Lay off the drugs theyre not better than Haste the day.
actually TDWP was named after the book, which was then made into a movie

[mymusicismylife]

Haha..What makes TDWp suck is Mike's scream vocals .never consistent and trail life to a cat being skinned alive. At least with Haste the day ...i can actually understand what the hell their saying.
And didnt rip off their rband name from a Chic fick movie. Lay off the drugs theyre not better than Haste the day.
Prada took their name because they thought it sounded cool. They hadn't even read the book or anything (per latest AP magazine, in which Mike Hranica said he hated the name). If we're going to rip on band name's, how about Haste the Day? Typical, uninspiring three word name like many other bands (blessthefall, Escape the Fate, Pierce the Veil, etc...).

I personally love Mike's vocals, it's some of my favorite vocals, especially of the new album. That's one of the reasons I love Prada. But to each his own man.

[Michifoxx]

ehh.

[xjdizzle]

I just laugh at Aiden being ripped on by the reviewer just because of the way they dress.
But then he likes Tdwp and they dress pretty damn scene if you look at it the same way.
Aiden isn't that bad of a band if u compare to this new bullshit scene.
They were never my fav because in their time there were much more talented bands around.

[Paulb-182]

This band never did anything to get me on side..

And I disagree about giving a band a chance with each new album. If I dislike a band from the off, its gonna be a hard time changing my mind

[saturday_snow_squall]

lmfaoooooooooo 13% member rating

[icynova]

"Okay, so I’m gonna be honest. I hate Aiden"

Then whats the point of reviewing this, you're correct in thinking that there shite but an unbias review would have been nice.
There is no such thing as an unbiased review. Reviews are, by nature, the expression of the reviewer's opinion. I believe what you're looking for is the suspension of that bias to give this an honest chance to impress him, which he says he did in the review. I think for someone who doesn't like aiden, it was really good of him to focus on the good aspects of this cd rather than rip them a new one for 6 paragraphs by focusing on their image, lack of lyrical content, etc...

[Mjk07]

as soon as i saw this album put up in the ad space on this site i knew it would get crucified by the user reviews

[EmotionalJack]

I didn't hear Aiden past albums but this is fast, short, catchy and tolerable. the only thing I can't stand is the one-and-a-half minute spoken word of "Portrait": it brings down all the energy..
btw lyrics are laughable, wiL is a fucking screaming pissed child but I don't mind his horrible look
this is a good album
great review though, the last line is wonderful hahaha

[Miketheunicycle]

This album will be the lowest rated album by the users on here...ever

read the brokencyde review

[Miketheunicycle]

and i enjoy this album. its their best album musically, but worst lyrically.

[xapplexpiex]

Nightmare Anatomy and Conviction had some okay parts but were nothing special...at all. And I don't expect this to be any better. They seem to be trying too hard to make an image for themselves when they should be focusing on the music. But your (very well written) review makes me want to give this a chance.

[xapplexpiex]

i think the biggest gimmick is charging $6.66 every ticket on their new tour. it's not creative enough to make it memorable and worth it to lose a ton of money on that.
Wow. I'm speechless.

[oncedarkness]

Wow. I'm speechless.
At the band or my comment?

[xapplexpiex]

At the price for the ticket being $6.66.

[oncedarkness]

Okay, wasn't sure. Yeah, it is pretty hokey huh?

[denissuxx]

Fuck that Jason Tate dude come across like a tool
Lol?

[MBIIdollaBill]

I liked this band until the last 2 albums.They were never anything special though, and I don't think they were trying to be.

[.FadeD.]

I know this is probably breaking rules but...who really cares about that because the poster above me probably did the same thing.

First off, lemme start off by saying this, that the review, in my honest opinion is more biased than it really needs to be to be deemed a fair review, call me crazy but I'm one of the lot who actually did enjoy this album because it's moving away from the "pop-emo" look and going back to their original roots with their album Our Gang's Dark Oath. I will admit, there are a few tracks on here that do get really annoying (I'm looking at you, Elizabeth and Portrait!) if you listen to the whole album on repeat while you are typing or doing something else and to be honest, if I weren't so damn lazy to change the song and draw my attention away from what I'm doing and all, I'd say just change the damn song and enjoy the album. Let's look over your review and see what went wrong, shall we, and yes, you may call this biased, but to me, this is going to be the most unbiased thing that I have written in quite some time now.

"Okay, so I’m gonna be honest. I hate Aiden."
Then don't review the album, durp. That's like me saying that I'm going to eat a food that I know I won't like or I hate something in that food, and then do a "review" for it for a couple of giggles. First point of being a reviewer is to be fair, but we'll touch on that later.

" I hate their crappy image (from goth vampires to what seems to be Avenged Sevenfold Jr.)."
A. The "Goth Vampire" image was for one video, ONE VIDEO called The Last Sunrise which clearly touched upon the idea of vampires. How many other bands have you and I seen that have pulled off the same image and yet, I haven't heard anyone crying about those bands when I can clearly relate them to a bunch of idiots pulling a "Twilight" routine. Also, differences between goth and vampire, if you are unaware, they are two different matters, stereotypes, etc.

B. Great job comparing them to Avenged Sevenfold, a completely different band with completely different music in a completely different genre, yes, bravo.

" I even hate their new album cover, with the stupid kid and his stupid barbed wired braces."
The album art symbolizes the pissed off and pain feelings in the album considering the album is about the devil, hate, violence, etc.

"But I also believe everyone deserves a fresh start with each new album, so I closed my eyes and opened my ears to Knives, the fourth album from Aiden."
If you want to get technical, it's the 5-6 album by Aiden if you count Rain in Hell and A Split of Nightmares with Aiden and Stalins War. Rain in Hell, despite it being an EP, I can kind of see where you got the number 4, but it did have some commercialism to it from which I remember including a major tour which was featured on the album on the bonus DVD entitled Never Sleep Again @ House of Blues.

"“Killing Machine” is paced by the quick drumming of Jake Davison and the punk-inspired chords of guitarist Angel Ibarra, but the downfall of the song, well pretty much the whole album, are the lyrics."
Okay, where to start:

- When Jake Wambold was kicked or dropped from Aiden, it left them one man short meaning, someone had to take over rhythm guitar. WiL Francis is also a lead guitarist now, at least from I've seen from their recording videos and all and also helps produce those chords for the band to play. It's not just Angel, it's also WiL and somewhat of Nick. Correct me if I'm wrong.
- Drumming isn't all that quick, it could just be your ears not being being able to tell when the bass pedal and snare come into play because the bass pedal for Jake's drum does sound a bit like a snare if you listen close enough.
- The lyrics weren't all that bad, it's decent for an opening song considering the album is about violence and hate, but granted, they aren't the best that I have heard from Aiden when it comes to opening songs.

"Contrived words about hate, death, hell; you know, the whole shebang."
Hey, we are almost on the same page here! It's a miracle?

"“Let The Right One In” features a huge chorus, while “Scavengers of the Damned” is their best My Chemical Romance impression."
I need a moment to collect myself because I swear, you just said My Chemical Romance impression. Do you even know the meaning to Scavengers of the Damned? Here, by WiL, himself, he states:
[The song "Scavengers of the Damned" says wiL, was written for someone he "hates, so much, words cannot describe it, only my actions will, in time. Oh yes, he will be mine, eventually. He is so gorgeous, so perfectly beautiful, I just feel the need to break him down and destroy him. I know exactly how to get in his head and really fuck with him. I don't even need to try and get him. He will come to me willingly. No one will stand in my way, no one will stand in his. He will forever be mine to torture."]
How is that even remotely similar to My Chemical Romance because each song in Knives is different while a lot of MCR's stuff is conceptual. For example: Elizabeth is about Elizabeth Bathory; Crusifiction is about WiL's ideas of god considering he is a card carrying Church of Satan member; etc.
Let the Right One In however, I'm thinking has something to do with the movie and is paying homage to the movie, but I could be wrong, we'll see when the video comes out now won't we?

"Remember earlier when I was praising Francis’ vocals? Well, I almost want to retract that statement after hearing “Elizabeth.” The “sinister” tone he takes falls flat and really dooms the song."
So something about an ex-ruler named Elizabeth Bathory is supposed to be vibrant and uplifting? No, it's not supposed to be any of this considering some of the stuff that Bathory did could be considered completely evil so it's only fitting to make a song that is supposed to have that doomed feel to it so the listener can have some sort of imagination while listening to the song about her and all. Don't think I'd be making a happy song about Jeffery Dahmer or Charles Manson with such upbeat guitars and soft drumming and soft and happy vocals, because if I did, it would be horrible as all hell because it's just not fitting. It has a "pic unrelated" moment basically.

" “Crusifiction” tries to be edgy, but comes across as boring."
Tries to be edgy? I don't think I'd let my kid if I had one listen to this song if I heard the words "Fuck your god, fuck your faith in the end, there's no religion"; "Christ died from shit and was a fucking cunt" and almost every other insult thrown towards religion and religious people. Granted, I am an atheist and all, it's still a bit dodgy to say, it's edgy enough to really give it the Parental Advisory label, and what not.

"“Excommunicate” is actually my favorite track from the album, as Ibarra’s chords are vibrant, while the chorus is fast and catchy."
Once more, it's not only Ibarra doing the chords if I'm not mistaken considering WiL is the one who also did a lot of the solos in this album as opposed to the earlier albums when Wambold was around.

" “Black Market Hell” features perhaps the best vocal work from Francis, and the aggression and edge finally feel real."
Aggression, are you kidding me? This was one of the softest songs in my opinion, songs like Scavenger of the Damned, Crusifiction, and Excommunicate are more aggressive than Black Market Hell; they may not seem like it, but lyrically speaking, they are far more aggressive and dark as opposed to Black Market Hell. Don't get me wrong, Black Market Hell is a good song and all, but I can only stand so much of it until the silence at the end of the track goes into the secret cover song that Aiden did of NOFX's song Lori Meyers which is where it gets semi-aggressive if you count background ambiance and noises of torture and death.

"Only took till the last track to reach it. At the very least, this track can give a glimmer of hope that Aiden will put it all together one day."
If this is the case, then why wasn't their a video made for the song, why hasn't it been declared a single, etc? Songs like Scavengers of the Damned and Let the Right One In earned their spots before and after the album's release because this is what WiL called "moving away from the mainstream looks of their genre" in their one video on their Youtube channel. WiL, technically is the only one who really showed a lot of recognition for Black Market Hell and that was him doing an acoustic cover of it in his "At Home Acoustics" series. Before Knives even came out, Scavengers was the first song to be announced and fans were already praising the album, because one video that I had fave'd on my channel was that song with video from some horror movie, can't remember what it was called exactly, and in one day, that video was featured from what I remember and has/had a lot more views than the actual music video released a month prior to release.

"Knives really isn’t that horrible; in fact it features rather decent musicianship and vocals."
Make up your mind please! One minute, it's good vocals, then it's horrible and dooming, and now it's good again, Jesus fist-f@$%ing Christ...

" I get the sense they are forcing an image through their music instead of expressing something real."
Do the words Horror Punk come to mind or have we forgotten about this? Some of the songs are serious, and some of them are works of pure fiction, that's music for you, if you want to bitch about that, go listen to an entire early album by Insane Clown Posse [no offense to listeners of that band, including myself...] or watch the music video for Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon and then tell me that's not forcing an image through their music. Aiden are expressing themselves, just like every other musical artist that make albums similar to this.

"Songs like “Excommunicate” and “Black Market Hell” are steps in the right direction, but “Elizabeth” and “Crusifiction” are giant blunders."
So two songs that are complete fiction as opposed to the other two which are trying to be a bit more serious and discussing real life topics are liked more than the two real songs? Wow, just wow. No comment to that one.

" In the meantime, however, could someone please give that kid a bath and direct him to a sanitary orthodontist?"
*strained* HA! Don't review an album of a band that you hate, just makes you feel like more of an ass and fuels really bad opinions over the internet.

Your review was mediocre, at best, it just wasn't good at all, and I think I went over the reasons why.

[PureBlueSF]

tl;dr

[Corpse99]

The spoken word opening isn't Will Francis, it's Edward Norton. The sound clip is from "25th Hour".

[the seventeenth]

The lyrics are great, the band is great, the album is great: don't review an album you only wish to trash because you already hate the band as a hole.
That aside, the review is alright but I'd rather you would have touched on songs like 'portrait' and 'the asylum' two of the best tracks.
I still don't understand why people hate such a great band anyways.

[the seventeenth]

I know this is probably breaking rules but...who really cares about that because the poster above me probably did the same thing.

First off, lemme start off by saying this, that the review, in my honest opinion is more biased than it really needs to be to be deemed a fair review, call me crazy but I'm one of the lot who actually did enjoy this album because it's moving away from the "pop-emo" look and going back to their original roots with their album Our Gang's Dark Oath. I will admit, there are a few tracks on here that do get really annoying (I'm looking at you, Elizabeth and Portrait!) if you listen to the whole album on repeat while you are typing or doing something else and to be honest, if I weren't so damn lazy to change the song and draw my attention away from what I'm doing and all, I'd say just change the damn song and enjoy the album. Let's look over your review and see what went wrong, shall we, and yes, you may call this biased, but to me, this is going to be the most unbiased thing that I have written in quite some time now.

"Okay, so I’m gonna be honest. I hate Aiden."
Then don't review the album, durp. That's like me saying that I'm going to eat a food that I know I won't like or I hate something in that food, and then do a "review" for it for a couple of giggles. First point of being a reviewer is to be fair, but we'll touch on that later.

" I hate their crappy image (from goth vampires to what seems to be Avenged Sevenfold Jr.)."
A. The "Goth Vampire" image was for one video, ONE VIDEO called The Last Sunrise which clearly touched upon the idea of vampires. How many other bands have you and I seen that have pulled off the same image and yet, I haven't heard anyone crying about those bands when I can clearly relate them to a bunch of idiots pulling a "Twilight" routine. Also, differences between goth and vampire, if you are unaware, they are two different matters, stereotypes, etc.

B. Great job comparing them to Avenged Sevenfold, a completely different band with completely different music in a completely different genre, yes, bravo.

" I even hate their new album cover, with the stupid kid and his stupid barbed wired braces."
The album art symbolizes the pissed off and pain feelings in the album considering the album is about the devil, hate, violence, etc.

"But I also believe everyone deserves a fresh start with each new album, so I closed my eyes and opened my ears to Knives, the fourth album from Aiden."
If you want to get technical, it's the 5-6 album by Aiden if you count Rain in Hell and A Split of Nightmares with Aiden and Stalins War. Rain in Hell, despite it being an EP, I can kind of see where you got the number 4, but it did have some commercialism to it from which I remember including a major tour which was featured on the album on the bonus DVD entitled Never Sleep Again @ House of Blues.

"“Killing Machine” is paced by the quick drumming of Jake Davison and the punk-inspired chords of guitarist Angel Ibarra, but the downfall of the song, well pretty much the whole album, are the lyrics."
Okay, where to start:

- When Jake Wambold was kicked or dropped from Aiden, it left them one man short meaning, someone had to take over rhythm guitar. WiL Francis is also a lead guitarist now, at least from I've seen from their recording videos and all and also helps produce those chords for the band to play. It's not just Angel, it's also WiL and somewhat of Nick. Correct me if I'm wrong.
- Drumming isn't all that quick, it could just be your ears not being being able to tell when the bass pedal and snare come into play because the bass pedal for Jake's drum does sound a bit like a snare if you listen close enough.
- The lyrics weren't all that bad, it's decent for an opening song considering the album is about violence and hate, but granted, they aren't the best that I have heard from Aiden when it comes to opening songs.

"Contrived words about hate, death, hell; you know, the whole shebang."
Hey, we are almost on the same page here! It's a miracle?

"“Let The Right One In” features a huge chorus, while “Scavengers of the Damned” is their best My Chemical Romance impression."
I need a moment to collect myself because I swear, you just said My Chemical Romance impression. Do you even know the meaning to Scavengers of the Damned? Here, by WiL, himself, he states:
[The song "Scavengers of the Damned" says wiL, was written for someone he "hates, so much, words cannot describe it, only my actions will, in time. Oh yes, he will be mine, eventually. He is so gorgeous, so perfectly beautiful, I just feel the need to break him down and destroy him. I know exactly how to get in his head and really fuck with him. I don't even need to try and get him. He will come to me willingly. No one will stand in my way, no one will stand in his. He will forever be mine to torture."]
How is that even remotely similar to My Chemical Romance because each song in Knives is different while a lot of MCR's stuff is conceptual. For example: Elizabeth is about Elizabeth Bathory; Crusifiction is about WiL's ideas of god considering he is a card carrying Church of Satan member; etc.
Let the Right One In however, I'm thinking has something to do with the movie and is paying homage to the movie, but I could be wrong, we'll see when the video comes out now won't we?

"Remember earlier when I was praising Francis’ vocals? Well, I almost want to retract that statement after hearing “Elizabeth.” The “sinister” tone he takes falls flat and really dooms the song."
So something about an ex-ruler named Elizabeth Bathory is supposed to be vibrant and uplifting? No, it's not supposed to be any of this considering some of the stuff that Bathory did could be considered completely evil so it's only fitting to make a song that is supposed to have that doomed feel to it so the listener can have some sort of imagination while listening to the song about her and all. Don't think I'd be making a happy song about Jeffery Dahmer or Charles Manson with such upbeat guitars and soft drumming and soft and happy vocals, because if I did, it would be horrible as all hell because it's just not fitting. It has a "pic unrelated" moment basically.

" “Crusifiction” tries to be edgy, but comes across as boring."
Tries to be edgy? I don't think I'd let my kid if I had one listen to this song if I heard the words "Fuck your god, fuck your faith in the end, there's no religion"; "Christ died from shit and was a fucking cunt" and almost every other insult thrown towards religion and religious people. Granted, I am an atheist and all, it's still a bit dodgy to say, it's edgy enough to really give it the Parental Advisory label, and what not.

"“Excommunicate” is actually my favorite track from the album, as Ibarra’s chords are vibrant, while the chorus is fast and catchy."
Once more, it's not only Ibarra doing the chords if I'm not mistaken considering WiL is the one who also did a lot of the solos in this album as opposed to the earlier albums when Wambold was around.

" “Black Market Hell” features perhaps the best vocal work from Francis, and the aggression and edge finally feel real."
Aggression, are you kidding me? This was one of the softest songs in my opinion, songs like Scavenger of the Damned, Crusifiction, and Excommunicate are more aggressive than Black Market Hell; they may not seem like it, but lyrically speaking, they are far more aggressive and dark as opposed to Black Market Hell. Don't get me wrong, Black Market Hell is a good song and all, but I can only stand so much of it until the silence at the end of the track goes into the secret cover song that Aiden did of NOFX's song Lori Meyers which is where it gets semi-aggressive if you count background ambiance and noises of torture and death.

"Only took till the last track to reach it. At the very least, this track can give a glimmer of hope that Aiden will put it all together one day."
If this is the case, then why wasn't their a video made for the song, why hasn't it been declared a single, etc? Songs like Scavengers of the Damned and Let the Right One In earned their spots before and after the album's release because this is what WiL called "moving away from the mainstream looks of their genre" in their one video on their Youtube channel. WiL, technically is the only one who really showed a lot of recognition for Black Market Hell and that was him doing an acoustic cover of it in his "At Home Acoustics" series. Before Knives even came out, Scavengers was the first song to be announced and fans were already praising the album, because one video that I had fave'd on my channel was that song with video from some horror movie, can't remember what it was called exactly, and in one day, that video was featured from what I remember and has/had a lot more views than the actual music video released a month prior to release.

"Knives really isn’t that horrible; in fact it features rather decent musicianship and vocals."
Make up your mind please! One minute, it's good vocals, then it's horrible and dooming, and now it's good again, Jesus fist-f@$%ing Christ...

" I get the sense they are forcing an image through their music instead of expressing something real."
Do the words Horror Punk come to mind or have we forgotten about this? Some of the songs are serious, and some of them are works of pure fiction, that's music for you, if you want to bitch about that, go listen to an entire early album by Insane Clown Posse [no offense to listeners of that band, including myself...] or watch the music video for Arma-Goddamn-Motherfuckin-Geddon and then tell me that's not forcing an image through their music. Aiden are expressing themselves, just like every other musical artist that make albums similar to this.

"Songs like “Excommunicate” and “Black Market Hell” are steps in the right direction, but “Elizabeth” and “Crusifiction” are giant blunders."
So two songs that are complete fiction as opposed to the other two which are trying to be a bit more serious and discussing real life topics are liked more than the two real songs? Wow, just wow. No comment to that one.

" In the meantime, however, could someone please give that kid a bath and direct him to a sanitary orthodontist?"
*strained* HA! Don't review an album of a band that you hate, just makes you feel like more of an ass and fuels really bad opinions over the internet.

Your review was mediocre, at best, it just wasn't good at all, and I think I went over the reasons why.

You're my idol. Finnally a voice of reason who shares the correct views on aiden as a whole.
Thank god for making Drew seem like a bigger tool than he already is. Like I said, thank you for bringing justice to an amazing album.

[WorldByStorm55]

I actually enjoyed this album. And no I'm not a hot topic little fuck. I'm a 30 year lover of punk rock. Although a lot of the hatred is aimed at their image and image of their typical fans, I felt that this album was a huge jump for them as a band. The songs are very sing-alongable, and high in energy. One of the best horror movies from last year was "Let The Right One In", and it was pretty cool that the guys in Aiden had a song inspired by this movie, and its a solid track. I wasn't a fan of them before this release, but I am now. Will I go to their shows? No, lol. I rather enjoy thier music from home. I put it on my IPOD this morning and went for a nice drive, and it turns out to be a pretty good driving record.

Listen to richvale punk. He knows his stuff. I have been a diehard fan of Aiden since the begining and I love this album.

[kentspaz]

Saw these guys open for Anti-Flag. Worst set I have seen by a professional band in a loooong time. Wil Francis is a giant asshole, and spent a long time trying to convince everyone that "Aiden is not some fucking pussy emo band." That's enough to turn me off of them.

[Zev Frazer]

I love this band but they have become something that no musicians shoud be and thats lazy. good review.

[Kub1-k]

This album < Disguises

They seem to be getting better with every release, once you get used to William's voice, it's not that bad at all!