I KILLED THE PROM QUEEN MANAGE TO SCREW OVER THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT LIKE THEM ON SLEEPLESS NIGHTS AND CITY LIGHTS
Monday, March 23rd, 2009 at 3:31pm by Sammy O'Hagar
Oh, I Killed the Prom Queen… Was there ever a band that more perfectly exemplified all that went wrong with metalcore? Their Swedish fast parts segueing into mediocre-to-offensively-bland breakdowns, flaccid clean vocals, “I WANNA SOUND MEAN!!!” angry vocals, horrible puns for song titles, and a nod to all the shitty high school kids that their music is geared to right in their name perfectly summed up all that was wrong with bad metal and bad hardcore being pounded into one ugly lump of clay. Not much of what the band did was defensible, and their 2007 breakup didn’t exactly summon a moment of silence from the metal world. For their mourning fan base, a CD/DVD combo of the band’s last hometown show was planned but delayed several times before it’s eventual release last November in Europe and last Tuesday here in the States. By the sounds of the CD half of the package, though, perhaps it should have been delayed even longer. So, part of the band’s last actions as a unit involved giving a sloppy, half assed wave goodbye to the ones that supported them over their tenure on the metalcore circuit. Think what you want about the band (it’s certainly clear what I think), but that’s a pretty lousy thing to do.
Now, I will admit that it’s unfair for me to judge Sleepless Nights and City Lights by its songs; chances are, if I didn’t like them in their prepackaged form, I’m not going to have a revelatory experience hearing them on a live album. Sleepless’ issue, though, is that it’s a shitty live album. It sounds like it was recorded on a Radio Shack tape recorder in the back of a mid-sized theatre: the drums are too wet with reverb, the guitars too muddy, the vocals incomprehensible. While I will admit that the album definitely seems to replicate a live experience, it captures all the wrong parts of it, reflecting exactly what I Killed the Prom Queen would sound like at the end of a shitty package tour playing theatres with shitty sound. The audio quality sits in the putrid middle ground of live albums: lacking the rawness of a bootleg, but too filthy to properly capture the band live. Whether or not the songs are your cup of tea, it’s pretty hard to deny that Sleepless Nights and City Lights is unpleasant to listen to.
I suppose one should also ask what makes for a good metal live album. Live metal bands have trouble finding the spot between playing their albums note for note and completely reinterpreting them for a live purposes. KISS actually fiddled with the live sound on Alive in the studio afterward, making the crowds and band sound bigger; however dubious, it made for a better record to listen to as opposed to an honest document of their set. Bury Your Dead’s Alive hid nothing and sounded sloppy, but, much like the band itself, was still a lot of fun. Pantera’s Live:101 Proof is perhaps the gold standard of live metal albums in a post Live After Death era, with the band playing loose and exciting versions of their album tracks – with some curveballs thrown in – to an ocean of cheering, all still grittily produced. There are plenty more than I’m forgetting, but plenty I’m leaving out. How does a style of music so often associated with maximum precision manage to translate itself without making its audience feel that the experience wouldn’t be that different if they sat at home with a few beers and listened to the polished studio product? It’s hard to answer, but it does mean that most live metal albums are strictly for fans only. That being said, if I were an I Killed the Prom Queen fan, I’d be pretty pissed off that Sleepless Nights and City Lights was the band’s swan song.
(1 out of 5 horns)
-SO
spot on review. this band epitomised what was (is) wrong with metalcore. i was always incredulous they got so popular. so few australian bands get recognition abroad, yet these jokers somehow managed it. for an awesome australian hardcore release check out ‘the death’ by mindsnare. you won’t be disappointed.
as far as live records, to me they’re more miss than hit. average sound, usually below average vocal performance etc. most of the time i’d prefer to listen to the studio versions.
i know it’s not metal but the only live record i’ve enjoyed in the last few years has been strung out’s ‘live in a dive’. good sound, top performance.
another reason why metalcore is just a passing fad
I’ve always liked them. Just what I think.
Fucking love Strung Out. I would describe them as a mix of punk & thrash. Fucking killer stuff.
Check out colors live thats where its at
And please stop wasting time on these shitty bands when you could do yourself a favor and review conducting from the graves when legends become dust………..and smoke a fatty
Truly one of the worst bands to ever come out of this country. Also one of the worst live bands I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen The Strokes. Yergh…
I always hated live records. “Sweet, shittier versions of songs I already own!” However, Official Live 101 Proof is pretty killer, and I don’t even really like Pantera. And Marilyn Manson’s Last Tour On Earth is another one that’s competently played (although almost certianly overdubbed) and well-produced. Otherwise live recordings always seemed like shitty contractual obligation fulfillers.
“How does a style of music so often associated with maximum precision manage to translate itself without making its audience feel that the experience wouldn’t be that different if they sat at home with a few beers and listened to the polished studio product?”
Thats a great question. Its definitely a balance when playing live to being the most precise vs. being the most intense. If you stand on stage not doing much, your going to probably sound better but who wants to see 4 or 5 guys just standing there? At the same time, I would rather a band put more focus on playing vs. running around the stage like chickens with their heads cut off.
Im not a fan of live albums, but Lamb of Gods Killadelphia DVD and Opeths Lamentations sounded pretty spot on.
Yeah Lamentations was actually a really great live album and I usually hate live albums. Fuck I don’t remember the name but I felt like Machine Head put out a really solid live album despite growing out of their music through the years.
As for metalcore I pretty much despise it but at the same time it’s bringing a lot of younger kids into real metal. For that alone I’m kind of thankful to these shitty overproduced bands because they’re accidentally bringing all of the greatness of true metal into the ears into the next generation. Most of the younger people I see at concerts now are in shitty metalcore band shirts and you can tell it’s one of their first truly heavy concerts and most of them leave with a smile on their face and a raised fist and some good songs stuck in their heads; that right there is what it’s all about.
this is the best review i have ever read. as an australian, and some one from Adelaide, I have had to put up with this poser shit for nearly 5 years. good to see metal sucks is right on the money time and time again.
gold.
I actually happen to like the band, granted the live album is yeah, a bit shitty, it doesn’t much sway my opinion on them.
How many metal/metalcore bands do you go see that honestly sound even on par with their studio recordings.
I’ve seen misery signals multiple times, and each time they’ve sounded muddy and off tempo. Terror, has not once sounded decent, and neither has All Shall Perish.
That’s not saying I don’t love those bands, they just didn’t impress me live.
This reviews is the great thing about music though, twenty people can absofuckinglutely hate something, and twenty others love it. How many people love the new Metallica? Or have ever liked Limp Bizkit?
I’d rather wipe my ass with an enraged porcupine, but fuck man, people will still go see them.
I kinda lost where i was going with this, none the less, agree to disagree.
To this site:
are you kidding me?
you are honestly a joke to everyone, even those who don’t appreciate metal!
first of all, this site is total shithouse: “If you are a false don’t entry because you will be burned and died”
err, what the fuck stupid.
you pay out metal bands when you are making a complete ass of YOURSELF.
after reading that, everything you’ve said to criticize metal bands who have happened to make more of their life than just a stupid site that blabbers on about how crap metal is, is just funny.
quite frankly, i’d rather be payed out but fucks like you than to actually be you.
keep up the shit work asshole, and don’t quit your day job.
LOL couldnt agree more!!
its quite ironic how u stupid fucks actually listen to the music wen u hate it.
n at least these bands are making a name for themselves rather than sayin shit like u tools!