Name: Total Universe Man
Brand: Orchard
SKU: 713872
Availability: OutOfStock

Total Universe Man

Rating

Album: Total Universe Man
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Prologue: Civil Blood Make Civil Hands Unclean	More Info...	0:02
2)	Showdown	More Info...	0:04
3)	Palm Reader	More Info...	0:03
4)	Man Behind the Curtain	More Info...	0:04
5)	Intermission: Thesis of Infinite Measure	More Info...	0:02
6)	I Am the Law	More Info...	0:04
7)	Sticks and Stones	More Info...	0:03
8)	Intermission: Theme from 6th Grade Watercolor	More Info...	0:01
9)	Hijackers	More Info...	0:02
10)	We Believe in Science	More Info...	0:02
11)	Tough Customer	More Info...	0:05
12)	Blow Up the Pyramid	More Info...	0:07

Album: Total Universe Man
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Prologue: Civil Blood Make Civil Hands Unclean	More Info...	0:02
2)	Showdown	More Info...	0:04
3)	Palm Reader	More Info...	0:03
4)	Man Behind the Curtain	More Info...	0:04
5)	Intermission: Thesis of Infinite Measure	More Info...	0:02
6)	I Am the Law	More Info...	0:04
7)	Sticks and Stones	More Info...	0:03
8)	Intermission: Theme from 6th Grade Watercolor	More Info...	0:01
9)	Hijackers	More Info...	0:02
10)	We Believe in Science	More Info...	0:02
11)	Tough Customer	More Info...	0:05
12)	Blow Up the Pyramid	More Info...	0:07

Performer Notes

Personnel: Valient Himself (vocals, background vocals); Jjin Thorr (guitar, keyboards); Eidan Thorr (guitar, background vocals); Professor Strangees (bass guitar); Lucian Thorr (percussion, background vocals).
Audio Mixer: John Plymale.
Conventional wisdom dictates that it's almost impossible to inject a fresh perspective into authentic, classicist hard rock without turning it into something other than "classicist hard rock"...duh! So the wacky outer space mythology concocted by North Carolinians Valient Thorr, who claim they come from the planet Venus, inevitably becomes a major point of interest while one is appraising their "classicist hard rock" music -- never mind an obvious distinguishing gimmick from contemporary competitors. Especially since, for all this good-humored absurdity, the band's amusing mythology still plays second fiddle behind the consistently inspired songwriting of their sophomore outing, Total Universe Man, and its electrifying mixture of hard rock and metal. More specifically, it's the head-on collision between charismatic singer Valient Himself -- with his larger than life, wild-man preacher persona -- and the Marshall stack-melting power chords, searing dual harmonies, and scalding-hot leads traded by guitarists Jjin and Eidan Thorr that ignite sparks in sh*t-hot tracks like "Showdown," "Palm Dealer," and "Blow Up the Pyramid." Also praiseworthy is the opening prologue (which sees Valient Himself exhorting "true believers" into action, MC5-style), "Man Behind the Curtain" (with its memorable breakdown section and a lick copped from Metallica's "Hit the Lights"), and the arguably album best "I Am the Law" (which follows a Beefheart-esque "intermission" with a devastating band performance, a drum solo, and a turnaround riff of monstrously groovy proportions). In short, Total Universe Man is a total album experience, filled with adrenalin-pumping intensity, borderline loss of control, a little pure lunacy, and, perhaps most compelling, the chutzpah to make everything Valient Thorr does sound arena-sized, regardless of their club-based existence at the time of its recording. ~ Eduardo Rivadavia