10 Years - Feeding The Wolves
Rating
RIYL
ChevelleHoobastank
Apex Theory
Release Date
08/31/2010
Label
Universal RepublicTracklist
01. Shoot It Out02. The Wicked Ones
03. Now Is The Time (Ravenous)
04. One More Day
05. Fix Me
06. Chasing The Rapture
07. Dead In The Water
08. Don't Fight It
09. Waking Up The Ghost
10. Fade Into (The Ocean)
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Ladies and gentlemen, meet 10 Years. Perhaps you’ve already met since they've been around since 2001. Feeding the Wolves is my introduction to the band, however. After listening to some clips of the band’s 2005 Universal release, The Autumn Effect, it’s pretty evident that not much has changed since then. The band’s latest effort, though, does attempt to bring an interesting twist to the alternative radio rock/nu metal that we love to hate, with its infectious choruses, prog-sounding undertones, and crystal clear production values. It’s not quite Nickelback, but it’s not quite Korn either. The question is, is there enough of a difference to really hook anyone besides the mindless radio drones? The mainstream media sure would like to sink that hook in deep, but I’m skeptical.
Feeding the Wolves starts out with the first single from the release, “Shoot it Out.” The song is almost reminiscent of a time when bands like Apex Theory, Hoobastank, and Darwin’s Waiting Room were shooting up the charts. All of the above bands sounded a little different from the normal radio rock but never made it far enough away from the safe zone (or in Apex Theory’s case, they did, but also had to sacrifice the major label fame and eventually disappeared into obscurity). While the formula for “Shoot It Out” isn’t hard to make sense of, it’s still somewhat unpredictable for the band’s genre with its spastic chorus and verses that showcase 10 Years’ ability to throw together some interesting build-up parts that might be fun to experience live. Unfortunately, the band quickly takes a step back into the box for most of the remaining parts of the album.
The downward spiral into mediocrity is in full effect with “The Wicked Ones,” which might as well be a Chevelle song. This song starts making it painfully clear that this band is never going to stray far away from the formula of verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, rinse and repeat. Nearly every song here is filled to the brim with bland power chords, outdated nu metal guitar effects, and lyrics such as, “I’m fine in the fire, I feed on the friction, I’m right where I should be, don’t try and fix me,” from the track appropriately named “Fix Me” that even an angst-ridden teen would probably be embarrassed to repeat it anywhere.
While it’s pretty hard to find any bright spots in this release, there are a few that come to mind. The track that really sticks out is “Fade Into (The Ocean)” where the vocalist pulls off his best Maynard James Keenan impression and the instrumental portion differs enough from the rest of the album that it seems much more interesting when it starts playing. Another one of the better moments of the disc is the closing track “I Blame You” not just because it marks the end of the CD, but also because it does a decent job of blending acoustic and electric guitar for a slightly more eclectic sound. The song fails to completely deliver, however, when vocalist Jesse Hasek starts singing in a lower tone, which flat out sounds like Saliva and every other frat boy radio rock band out there. Jesse’s higher pitched vocals are definitely a better fit for this band and I would have liked to hear them more consistently on this release, along with less post production auto tune magic that is pretty audible in a lot of cases. The track “Now is the Time (Ravenous)” also has a clever breakdown riff about three-fourths of the way through, but that part alone isn’t long enough to make the rest of the song worth much of a listen.
Believe it or not, there was a time when I probably would have considered 10 Years to be an impressive band. Unfortunately, and perhaps very ironically, 10 Years made their way to my speakers about ten years too late. The disappointing part is that the band has been around since 2001, and while their counterparts have all either given up or evolved, 10 Years just can’t seem to take the hint. Tracks like “Fade Into (The Ocean)” and “I Blame You” are songs that prove this band could be much more eclectic and perhaps even resurrect a sound akin to Our Lady Peace’s earlier work, but the nu metal and bro rock tendencies really keep this band from achieving their ultimate goal.
--Cory Rennison
Comments
Minnesota
I really need to listen to this since I love the band. I've only heard "Shoot It Out" and thought the song sucked, so my expectations are lower, but I'm still going to remain hopeful.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
I have to respectfuly disagree with everything you said. From the moment you mentioned Nickelback, Korn or Saliva I can not take this review in a serious context. I believe you are biased and while I don't think the album is as good as their previous efforts, this is good enough to be light years away from these other bands. "Bro Rock" and "Nu Metal" don't apply to 10 Years at all.
Spokane, Washington
totally agree. this is a little bit more mainstream than anything they've done yet, but in no way can you compare 10 years to those bands. fail.
Current Listenings:
7 Horns 7 Eyes - "Throes of Absolution"
Horse Feathers - "Cynic's New Year"
Andrew Bird - "Break It Yourself"
Sigur Ros - "Valtari"
Rocky Votolato - "Television of Saints"
Janus - "Nox Aeris"
Blues Traveler - "25"
London, UK
Disappointed with this album compared to both Division and Autumn Effect but it's much better than 1.5 stars. I also found that, despite the apparent simplicity of the music, it continued to grow on me with repeated listens.
Currently listening to:
Ne Obliviscaris - Portal of I
Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster - Exegesis
Suspyre - Suspyre
Hot Water Music - Exister
7 Horns 7 Eyes - Throes Of Absolution
Fishers, Indiana
Decoy users revolting. I'll have to listen to this now and see whose side I end up taking.
Top Albums: 2011 | 2010 | 2009 || Tumblr | Twitter
Iowa
Minnesota
I think this is probably 10 Years' weakest effort to date, but it is still so far ahead of all the radio rock bullshit that's out there right now. Cory, I don't know what you listened to, but this is not nearly as bad as you make it out to be.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Columbus, Ohio
After absolutely loving their last album, I was excited to get this one. I was quite disappointed. I wouldn't compare this to Saliva or Nickelback by any means, but 10 Years can certainly do (and have done) much better.
Recommending: Anberlin, Interpol, Chamberlain, House of Heroes
Baton Rouge
I wanted to like this, but it is really, really boring. You know what you are getting with each song without even listening to an entire minute of the track, except for the 10th, which is actually okay. Oh, and track nine DOES sound like Nickelback (and to some extent, Saliva).
Boobs
http://thenicsperiment.blogspot.com/
San Francisco, CA
they need to write more songs like actions and motives, but still, they are way above most rock bands out there right now on the radio
Portland, OR
I've never had any strong feelings either way about this band, and this album doesn't change that opinion in any way.