the animals are let loose with their fourth full length called "the madness of many". the album was actually released in november of the bygone year 2016 on cd. the demand for vinyl exploded in the last two years and so the few pressing plants all over the world with machines build in the seventies or earlier can't keep up with usual release deadlines anymore. pre-order processes for vinyl records get more and more lengthy which does not really pose a problem to me, though. in this case it took three more months for the vinyl to be finally shipped.
after two more weeks of waiting for it to arrive i now hold the final product in hands. i listened to the album a few times by now and am still divided, yes even torn as to what to think about "the madness of many". let's make a little pro and con discussion here. a contra and probably the biggest one of them all to me is the lack of heaviness. it's not like i need beefy riffs all the time but a good dosage of them here and there deliver just the right punch to the face to keep the mix crisp. the second con is the choice in tracklist. three calm songs in a row at the end makes me lose interest and gives them the charm of lift background music.
the pro side shines with an increase in rhythm. as i don't know "the joy of motion" from 2014 i can only draw comparisons to the first two albums and the three-piece around tosin abasi lowered the melodic part in favour of more rhythm based arrangements. i think this is pretty cool because the guys can really emphasize their technical skills without getting lost in sheer finger exercises. another pro is the diversity. the band isn't considered a litte prog/tech legend for nothing. "the madness of many" is a big firework of ideas and love for details. all in all the pro side outweighs the con side and i think the album will grow on me in time.
the price for the coolest song title definitely goes to "backpfeifengesicht". it's a german compound noun which means roughly translated knuckle sandwich face. it is more of an mild insult which can be used for friends to tease. funny to see such a strange song title chosen by an american band. the artwork is quite cool too. reminds me a bit of jim carrey leaving his artificial world in the movie "the truman show". the splatter pattern differs a bit from record to record. although i like the heavy splattered record better, i think it is a nice idea to make them look different. whereas i doubt this was actually intended. u.s. pressing ordered from the label out of 480 copies. sumerian records. 2017.
