Really wish the Suck Out the Poison tour was coming closer to me. I feel lucky to have seen two dates on the Hollywood anniversary tour but I really prefer Suck Out the Poison to that record and those songs hit even harder live.
Thats crazy as i think suck out the poison is one of the worst follow up records i can ever remember. Album flat out stinks for me. His voice, the melodies, its all a mess and about as far from what i liked about I Am Hollywood as it gets. I am however tempeted to see if it hits live and i like the support.
I’m so excited. Thought we were only going to get that first leg of the SOTP tour. Nope - and they’re coming to the PNW. I love how they never forget about us up here. SOTP is a Top 5 album for me so I’m preparing to party hard that night. Sounds like they’re still in negotiations for SOTP on vinyl and new music might be coming late this year or next.
Dang I didn’t even know they were doing a SOTP tour! That album grew into something super special over time
I'm the weirdo that thought I Am Hollywood was fine, but not too different than what else was happening at the time. Suck Out the Poison was love at first listen for me. The mysticism, grit, and rawness of it really scratched an itch for me that I didn't know I had. It's like a metalcore version of what I imagine someone with a wizard painted on the side of their van is blasting.
suck out the poison didnt do it for me at first since i loved hollywood so much and its so different but they nailed their vision for what they wanted on that. two albums operating on completely different terms but if you have the taste for both of them i think theyre pretty equal it hates you best though
It Hates You is tied with Diamond Eyes as my favorite rock album of the last twenty years. They conjured up some next level shit on that one. The fact that they dropped that masterpiece and immediately went on hiatus is such a shame.
No but i recall not liking singles or what id heard and feeling spurned. Where do you recommend i go if i pretty much love IAH but not much else has clicked? Ive gone back to SOTP the last few days and its got some cool moments (more than i remember) but so many things still dont work for me. Trebly guitar, lack of bass, drum tones i dislike, and the vocals seem detached and on top of the song. Also the melodies are strange and offputting at times instead of catchy, and he seems to attempt things way beyond his ability with the vocal runs etc. But - seems to hit for many so what do i know.
I Am Hollywood is a strange one because vocally and production-wise, it sounds unlike anything else in their discography. SOTP was definitely a transitional record for them. A strong left turn after they felt like IAH wasn't a good representation of their sound. If you watch live videos from the IAH touring cycle, they played those songs live way differently and Schuylar was already sounding like he would on SOTP. It Hates You is really where the He Is Legend sound is solidified, so I'd give it a listen for sure. Production might still not be your cup of tea, but vocally Schuylar has a lot more range than he did on SOTP. I'd also check out their latest albums, Endless Hallway and White Bat. Very heavy, melodic, immediate, and great production.
SOTP might be the only record of theirs that didn't hit for me in some way, but it's also been a very long time since I've listened to it. Might feel differently now.
I can still remember the shocked faces in the crowd at Purple Door when HIL showed up late and performed songs off of SOTP after it had just come out. This goes beyond sound and direction and ventures into the christian market they were initially exposed to with Tooth and Nail/Solid State records but man it was a hard left turn and left a lot of folks confused haha. I look back on it now fondly though because I grew to really love SOTP and where they went afterwards musically
Truly! It is wild to consider I got IAH on cd for xmas one year and I know she (my mom) bought it at a Family Christian Bookstore chain store
Revisited SOTP after discussing in here and it does indeed go hard. Right out of the gate, Dixie Wolf is such a statement on their departure from what IAH was. Dungeon Witch and Mushroom River straight up rip. China White 2 was my favorite entry into that song series (would need to revisit them all and reevaluate now though). Honestly forgot about Stampede and it's little kickass John Denver interpolation. It's certainly a bit bloated with the interludes but I like every song tbh. (((louds is such a great closer though, maybe one of their best?
Been a HIL fan since 91025 EP and I too had trouble bridging the gap so to speak when SotP came out. I was very much in the "Man I loved the old sound why does it have to be like this now" camp for awhile. Eventually I came around. A few recommendations if I might: 1. Listening to SotP in good quality / on good equipment allowed me to go from "I hate where they went with this" to "Oh I can see what they were trying to do here" and eventually find some tracks I really love on the album. Grab it in FLAC, get a good set of cans, and spin it. Still, if you find you can't rock with it, I understand. 2. I think few is the best melodic record that HIL has put out since IAH and it isn't even close. Heavy Fruit, White Bat, and Endless Hallway all suffer IMO from weaker writing and song structure by comparison. EH in particular feels "Heavy for heavy's sake" and I think what I love about HIL and where their strengths are is when they really focus on their songwriting. There isn't too much I jive with on those records, and I have to be in a specific place to want to hear the few tracks I do from them. 3. For tracks on few you might enjoy, give Gold Dust, Call Ins, and Eastern Locust a spin. Its a good section of the album that I think could be a good way in for you. Silent Gold is a great one too. I'd stay away from Alley Cat and Fritz The Dog, but other than those two tracks it is a really solid album.
Yeah, few has hooks for days. Melodically, I think Heavy Fruit might be Schuylar at the height of his powers.
Gonna just keep on running through their discog albeit out of order. Did few and now wrapping up Endless Hallway.