Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 72: Avenged Sevenfold (+ will have Angel Dust results)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, July 24 at 8:00 AM EST - though if you are for whatever reason listening to the album around that time, just say so in the topic and I can delay a bit
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).

Avenged Sevenfold's self-titled track list:
1. Critical Acclaim
2. Almost Easy
3. Scream
4. Afterlife
5. Gunslinger
6. Unbound (The Wild Ride)
7. Brompton Cocktail
8. Lost
9. A Little Piece of Heaven
10. Dear God

User Cycle:
7/24: jcgamer107 (Jack White - Fear of the Dawn)
7/31: ChichiriMuyo (The Cranberries - No Need to Argue)
8/7: BlueCrystalTear
8/14: MetalmindStats
8/21: HBJDubs
8/28: Raetsel_Lapin
9/4: TheArkOfTurus
9/11: Steiner
9/18: Snake5555555555
9/25: Jesse_Custer
10/2: ZaziGuado
10/9: firefdr
10/16: Johnbobb
10/23: VeryInsane
10/30: FoolFantastic
11/6: Seanchan
11/13: Giggsalot
11/20: RyoCaliente
11/27: darkx
12/4: neonreaper
12/11: Great_Paul

(Don't mind me, just guest-starting the topic in FoolFantastic's temporary absence so it can run the full week. They're set to return to post results this Monday evening, until which point the last topic will also remain open.)

Here's what BlueCrystalTear has to say about his choices:
Im confident most of you will either not like this or be a little bewildered. But part of this project is to diversify your musical taste. So here ya go. The first two are local bands from my area (Madison, WI) that Ive seen numerous times apiece and the other is someone my parents introduced to me when they were living in northern New Mexico. Im confident that if youve ever heard of any of them, you did from me.

Sunspot Singularity (2009)
Biggest song: No Place Like Home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S35HiZyEkw0

I know, I know. Sunspot are a trio who happen to be friends of mine. Theyre awesome people who make awesome music think 80s rock fused with 90s/early 00s alternative plus paranormal themes and geeky references. Singularity was an interesting concept they released one single a month for a year and compiled them on an album (hence the name), plus a bonus track for a total of 13. The end result was one of their more accessible and diverse albums (alongside the much longer Weirdest Hits, an amalgamation of EPs). Theres funny stuff like More Than My Degree told from the perspective of a frat boy horny for his Trig TA and apocalyptic allegories like Tunguska.

Gin, Chocolate, & Bottle Rockets Lean (2018)
Biggest song: Shine
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUb-MU5K3J0

GCBR are also a trio who specialize in folk-pop with strong female harmonies and organic melodies. They have a lot of positive and uplifting tunes (the one in the above link is about embracing your depression, which is awesome) and they put ten of them on this Kickstarter-backed album. Theres also a semi-rocker in Flash Flood and a Eurythmics cover that, even though its a very different take, Im sure Annie Lennox would approve of. I would describe this album as feel good pop thats always sure to add some sunshine to your day. Or maybe kick you in the ass if you need that spark.

Jimmy Stadler What Makes Me Me (2007)
One of two biggest songs: Its Past My Beer Time
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRIWzBGiLIw

My parents lived in northern New Mexico for a couple years and I went to visit them a couple times. This guy was an entertainer at a bar they took me to (just for him!) who so happened to be an on-call musician for big-name bands whenever they were performing in Albuquerque or Santa Fe. Hes very good with both piano and guitar and captures both humor (Its Past My Beer Time) and emotion (When I Bring Flowers). Either way, its good stuff.

I'm very intrigued to see how the poll for my week goes. (P.S. I am hung over from Sunspot's album release party last night - that new release isn't available for streaming just yet, else I'd have probably nominated it.)

Also tag to do this album for later (and for the results)

Thanks for the write ups! I saw the poll and was like "I have no idea who any of those are, at all. I hope to god there's info."

Seanchan posted...

Thanks for the write ups! I saw the poll and was like "I have no idea who any of those are, at all. I hope to god there's info."

You're welcome. I wouldn't have nominated like this without giving proper write-ups. It's common courtesy when you're going "local indie"

I'd think you guys would really enjoy either of the first two for different reasons. Sunspot is the most "rock" by far, if that means anything to you guys.

I have sucked at keeping up with these lately but I loved this album as a teenager so I absolutely will participate this week.

bump

tag

Afterlife > Almost Easy > A Little Piece of Heaven > Critical Acclaim > Scream > Brompton Cocktail > Lost > Gunslinger > Dear God > Unbound

First listen done.

YEAH! This is so much more my speed than last week. Much like Dream Theater and Opeth, this is another band that I'd heard of, and heard at least one song from, but never dove into despite being right in my musical wheelhouse.

Also, when the lead singer gets into that "vocal growl" quality, he sounds just like, well, so many singers of this type of music, but I think my brain was maybe going to Disturbed specifically.

I first heard of this band back in '07, one of my dad's friends at the bar gave me two songs to check out - Afterlife and Seize the Day. Still two of my top favorite songs to this day.

Faith No More - Angel Dust results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
Raetsel_Lapin (29)
Seanchan (31)
Giggsalot (36)
HBJDubs (37)
FoolFantastic (40)
BlueCrystalTear (44)
neonreaper (47)
MetalmindStats (64)
VeryInsane (68)

General Album Comments

Seanchan: First listen done.

While I've heard the name Faith No More before, I really had no idea what type of music they did. For whatever reason, I thought maybe ska? CLEARLY that's not the case! A lot of heavy metal but more eclectic than I expected after the opening song. Reminded me the tiniest bit of Rain Dogs but not nearly as "out there" or fun. Overall wasn't really digging it but this is certainly one that needs more time between my ears.

Afterward, I had to know what their most popular song was on Spotify, which was Epic. Recognized that song in about 3 notes and was like "oooooooh THIIIIS song!" I'll ask the question then, why Angel Dust over the previous album with that big single, The Real Thing?

BlueCrystalTear: First listen down. It's... not my usual kind of thing, really, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless. I recognized Midlife Crisis from GTA San Andreas - talk about a mental archive trip! I definitely liked the instrumentation. Talented band that's all on the same page. My preliminary rankings definitely skew toward enjoying the less screamy stuff. That said, there were a lot of them that blurred together. The ones that didn't ended up firmly on top or on the bottom.

We'll see how a second listen goes.

FoolFantastic (replying to Seanchan): From what I can tell, both of these albums are similarly regarded by critics, and Angel Dust is much higher on Rate Your Music. I'm not the biggest Faith No More fan, but I think it's fair to say a more consistent album (if Angel Dust is regarded as such - I haven't heard either in several years) is stronger than one with a big hit.

Steiner: Mike Patton is the greatest vocalist in the history of the medium and second place is like 40% as talented

Seanchan: My assumption is usually that the album with the big single will be the one with the most acclaim just due to higher listener-ship. For our ranking project, I think having that touchstone usually helps with bands I'm less familiar with, even if it also skews the results towards that track. In the end it's of no big consequence, and if Angel Dust is a better representation of Faith No More at its best then I'm glad we've covered it.

neonreaper: "A beautiful name for a really hideous drug."

Angel Dust is my favorite band's best album, and it's also influential and successful. The band has described it as five musicians pulling in separate directions and the result is sort of a spiderweb forming. I got this album on release day and played the living crap out of it - of all the albums that came out that year, this ended up sticking out the most for me.

At times, it's not easy to get into. There are a couple of singles, and a couple of album cuts that are easy to listen to, but other songs feel more experimental and schizophrenic. The album can be subversive. Patton's vocal talents are on display but I think almost every other FNM shows off his skills better, but by far his role as a bandmember is done best on this album. There's a give-and-take that was untenable for the band.

I guess for me, when I can sit around and think my thoughts, the vibe is very much the vibe of this album.

FoolFantastic: One of those albums I heard once probably a decade ago and never revisited - and I was very wrong for doing so. Every track here is great. My ranking almost feels randomized. Very happy this was chosen, as I see this album rocketing through my all-time list.

BlueCrystalTear: My rankings are probably going to be pretty high up on the outlier index here, and I'm fine with that. My taste in music is different than a lot of you. I don't like the "death metal" parts of this at all, and much prefer the "glam metal" aspects more similar to the Guns N Roses we did last week. While I didn't enjoy every song here, I can definitely say I liked a vast majority of them, so I'm glad this was chosen too.

VeryInsane: decided to give this one a second listen, largely because some of the tracks blended a bit in my mind and because I liked this one a little more than I expected

also just found out Courtney Love was in FNM O_O

BlueCrystalTear: The instrumentation here is absolutely fantastic on every track, and Patton has a perfect voice for the genre, but, again, not everything is for everyone, which is part of why we're doing this project. I still really liked this album.

Seanchan: This one just didn't really land with me. I liked some of the instrumentation and the singer has talent but overall it didn't resonate. Picking Easy is a bit of a cop out, since it doesn't really fit the rest of the soundscape, but nothing really grabbed me.

Giggsalot: Very fun pick! It's been many years since I listened to Angel Dust properly, and I can't say that it's completely my thing these days. But this is still a huge record - one of the most inventive and influential mainstream rock albums of the 90s without a doubt. A great gateway into experimental music and a classic in its own right.

Also roddy bottum functionally coming out of the closet by writing a song about sucking dicks for mike patton to sing is legendary stuff

Angel Dust track ranking

14. Midnight Cowboy (Track #13)
Score: 30 (Average Rank: 11.67/14)
Biggest Fan(s): BlueCrystalTear (#5)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, VeryInsane, Seanchan (#14)

neonreaper: Such a swaying, melancholy cover to close out the album. I listened to this album so much as a teenager that I often felt if I could pick one song to listen to when I die, it would be this one, because it would really just signify the end of something good.

BlueCrystalTear: I'm a big James Bond fan and finding out that this was a John Barry composition helped me enjoy it, as he's the guy largely responsible for the "Bond sound."

13. RV (Track #4)
Score: 51 (Average Rank: 9.56/14)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#14)

BlueCrystalTear: Feels like a "story song" that stands out simply by not having a focus on the music. The fact that they pull this off next to all the riffs shows how talented they are.

MetalmindStats: It does exactly what it sets out to do, and very effectively at that, or at least I think so.

12. Malpractice (Track #7)
Score: 54 (Average Rank: 9.44/14)
Biggest Fan(s): VeryInsane (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Giggsalot (#14)

BlueCrystalTear: The screaming ruins the great interludes, making it nigh unlistenable. Fuck. The. Screaming.

11. Crack Hitler (Track #11)
Score: 54 (Average Rank: 9/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, MetalmindStats (#6)
Biggest Detractor(s): FoolFantastic, BlueCrystalTear, VeryInsane, Giggsalot (#11)

neonreaper: Action adventure song

BlueCrystalTear: Filler! Good filler, though.

10. Caffeine (Track #2)
Score: 67 (Average Rank: 8/14)
Biggest Fan(s): VeryInsane, Giggsalot (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#14)

9. Smaller and Smaller (Track #5)
Score: 67 (Average Rank: 7.67/14)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#13)

neonreaper: I like the song but I think maybe with Caffeine and Malpractice on the album, it doesn't stand out.

8. Be Aggressive (Track #9)
Score: 69 (Average Rank: 7.44/14)
Biggest Fan(s): MetalmindStats (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Seanchan (#13)

neonreaper: The keyboardist (Roddy Bottum) is gay and wrote this song so Patton would have to sing about giving blow jobs. So of course they played this live all the time in front of hostile early 90s metal crowds.

BlueCrystalTear: Roddy always was a cunning linguist, wasn't he? Still feels weird that Patton actually went along with this if he's straight. But it's the cheerleaders that make this one stand out, and they most definitely are mouthing off.

7. Jizzlobber (Track #12)
Score: 71 (Average Rank: 7.67/14)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper, FoolFantastic (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): BlueCrystalTear (#14)

neonreaper: Guilt and fear... a song about being afraid of going to jail. There's also a heavy undertone of sexual frustration. I guess this has always felt like feeling guilty about self-pleasure. The way the song builds to the "I hide the dirty minutes under my dirty mattress..." part has always been awesome for me.

BlueCrystalTear: Too long. Too screamy. Too deep into the album.

6. Easy (Track #14)
Score: 72 (Average Rank: 8.11/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan, MetalmindStats (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): neonreaper, Raetsel_Lapin (#14)

neonreaper: A great cover of a great song.

BlueCrystalTear: I like both the Lionel Richie version and this one. Amazing how a metal band can nail a balladeer's song so perfectly, with all the nuances. This is the kind of song I often like as it is.

MetalmindStats: An evidently polished yet passionate cover of a Commodores tune I seem to remember fondly.

5. Kindergarten (Track #8)
Score: 73 (Average Rank: 6.89/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin, Giggsalot (#4)
Biggest Detractor(s): MetalmindStats (#12)

neonreaper: Man this song had a bit of nostalgia for the time. And now it's crazy - "film is flapping on the side of the projector" when is the last time they did that?

4. A Small Victory (Track #10)
Score: 83 (Average Rank: 6.11/14)
Biggest Fan(s): BlueCrystalTear, Seanchan, Giggsalot (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): VeryInsane (#10)

neonreaper: A soothing catchy single for the most part, but certain ends in a bit of a different fashion. It's like the band had an easy little single that wouldn't get much play and decided to almost sabotage it, which to me makes it better, but, yeah.

2 (tie). Land of Sunshine (Track #1)
Score: 97 (Average Rank: 5/14)
Biggest Fan(s): Raetsel_Lapin (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): VeryInsane, Giggsalot (#9)

neonreaper: The album opens up with two songs that aren't really based on specific concepts. Just Patton people watching and coming up with some lyrics.

BlueCrystalTear: The song that grew on me the most with each subsequent listen.

2 (tie). Everything's Ruined (Track #6)
Score: 97 (Average Rank: 5/14)
Biggest Fan(s): neonreaper (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#10)

neonreaper: At times, I've thought of this as my favorite song. We start off with a bit of trepidation in the keyboard, and then the bass kicks in the rest of the song, a cascade of sound, the song is soaring for a bit. And then we get to the vocals "We were so happy". I think everyone in the band shines. To me, it's a bit about being treated like an asset, about greed, about leverage.

1. Midlife Crisis (Track #3)
Score: 123 (Average Rank: 3.44/14)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs, FoolFantastic, BlueCrystalTear, Giggsalot (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): VeryInsane, MetalmindStats (#8)

neonreaper: The best thing about this song is how they play it live - at the end of the bridge, when the song builds up to the final choruses, the band will stop. The crowd will sing the chorus. The band will then break into a different song, usually a cover song. Like Pokerface, or some motown hits, whatever. As that song ends they whip right back into the end of Midlife Crisis.

HBJDubs sent me their list for this week ahead of time:
A Little Piece Of Heaven
Critical Acclaim
Afterlife
Almost Easy
Gunslinger
Unbound (The Wild Ride)
Lost
Brompton Cocktail
Dear God
Scream

I'm trying to think about what I would do for a local band week - I'd probably go a bit bigger, where I expect at least a few people to recognize the acts. We have the big name of REO Speedwagon (who I would absolutely skip over) and two bands that seemed to make splashes in their niche back in the 90s, got somewhat more attention over time, and then released strong reunion albums in the 2010s and 2020s (American Football and Hum). I also caught them both at their first reunion shows at a local music festival.

It's been a while since I listened to Avenged Sevenfold. City of Evil got them attention, they cashed in on it with this album (self-titled), and then Nightmare was a truly emotional album mourning their late drummer. After Nightmare, I don't think I've really kept up with them at all. I think they're a good band and I tend to enjoy what I hear from them.

FoolFantastic posted...

I'm trying to think about what I would do for a local band week - I'd probably go a bit bigger, where I expect at least a few people to recognize the acts. We have the big name of REO Speedwagon (who I would absolutely skip over) and two bands that seemed to make splashes in their niche back in the 90s, got somewhat more attention over time, and then released strong reunion albums in the 2010s and 2020s (American Football and Hum). I also caught them both at their first reunion shows at a local music festival.

Considering that the biggest band from here already had their signature album on last week's poll, this wasn't an option for me. Fun fact: Some tracks from the Sunspot album were recorded at said band's now-shuttered studio, and the last record fully produced there was the following Sunspot release, The Slingshot Effect. Or so I was told.

Also, because I can't think of another band from here that "made it big" on that level, it would've swept the poll anyway by virtue of nobody else having heard of Sunspot or GCBR, unless it was from me.

First listen down. I somehow persevered through that horrendous first track. It felt like needles in my back! The second track was better, and the album got acceptable after that, and I actually enjoyed a few songs. However, I have no intention on listening to "Critical Acclaim" ever again, because FUCK. THE. SCREAMING. At least that means I have one less song to worry about since last place is so easy. That is probably my least favorite song I've heard during this project.

I'll do another listen of the rest of it.

I have my top 2 and my bottom 2 already placed. Ill have to figure out the rest after a couple listens.

up

Yeah... not gonna bother listening a third time. Two and a half times was enough for me. This was the opposite of last week: I enjoyed only a few songs and didn't enjoy the rest at all. I'm not saying this is a bad album, just that it's not my thing. For that reason, a bunch of these blended together, with only four of them standing out in some way (really, 5 through 9 could be in any order).

1. Dear God - Showing range by doing a country-rock song is pretty great. Perhaps they missed their calling, since it's so much more enjoyable to have something at a more laid-back pace than grunge metal noise.
2. A Little Piece of Heaven - An epic song that segues the loudness to the closer, and it's great. Yes, we all have to die sometime, and so do with... a vampire and a ghost? Paranormal gore galore. This song is really messed up and dark, but that makes it all the more intriguing. It's one hell of a horror story.
3. Afterlife
4. Unbound (The Wild Ride) - More my pace than everything below it, especially the latter half. Not much else to say.
5. Lost
6. Gunslinger
7. Almost Easy
8. Scream
9. Brompton Cocktail
10. Critical Acclaim - Easily one of the worst songs I've ever heard. I wish I could put a "20" into the average so it would score even lower, because putting it 10th doesn't do justice for how much I despise it.

1: Critical Acclaim
2: Almost Easy
3: Afterlife
4: Brompton Cocktail
5: A Little Piece of Heaven
6: Gunslinger
7: Dear God
8: Scream
9: Lost
10: Unbound

Critical Acclaim: In direct contrast to BCT, I like angry songs and found this to be the best song here as a result.

Second listen done.

It's weird, I feel like completely different songs stuck with me that time. A Little Piece Of Heaven is a funny little song. And Dear God is better than I initially gave it credit for.

rise

Bump

Unbound (The Wild Ride)
Afterlife
Gunslinger
Scream - Catchy.
Almost Easy -
Dear God - I dig the outro.

A Little Piece of Heaven
Brompton c***tail
Critical Acclaim - I feel like this is an anthem song, it has some real fun parts, but other parts (the spoken stuff) just doesn't really land for me.
Lost

A Little Piece of Heaven
Afterlife
Gunslinger
Lost
Dear God
Unbound (The Wild Ride)
Almost Easy
Brompton Cocktail
Critical Acclaim
Scream

I feel like my preference within metal leans entirely toward the atmospheric - this album comes at it from the opposite angle and I really struggled to get through it. It's hard for me to read this type of metal as anything more than technical grandstanding - that it's trying to impress through technique without really aspiring toward anything on an emotional level. There's a certain Coolness Factor to metal that has never clicked with me. What I do like from metal comes from its harshness, but mainstream metal like this almost never pushes hard enough to leave a lasting impact on me.

A Little Piece of Heaven
Almost Easy
Lost
Scream
Afterlife
Critical Acclaim
Dear God
Brompton Cocktail
Gunslinger
Unbound (The Wild Ride)

I take it then that you arent a fan of something like Dragonforce?

Seanchan posted...

I take it then that you arent a fan of something like Dragonforce?

Based on the one song I know, no. But I haven't heard too much metal in general.

FoolFantastic posted...

Based on the one song I know, no. But I haven't heard too much metal in general.

I'll assume it's Through the Fires and Flames. If you didn't like that, yeah, you will hate Dragonforce, at least the 2-3 albums of theirs I've heard.

1. Afterlife
2. Gunslinger
3. Unbound (The Wild Ride)
4. Lost
5. Dear God
6. A Little Piece of Heaven
7. Almost Easy
8. Scream
9. Brompton Cocktail
10. Critical Acclaim

I liked this album quite a lot, there's really not a bad song here. I can certainly see myself listening to this again and to more Avenged Sevenfold in the future.

The top of the ranking wasn't clear cut; there wasn't a single runaway favorite. I'll second the great outro to Dear God; that song continued to grow on me each time I heard it. Not too often that Track 1 is the "worst" on the album but this was more a case of "something's got to be last" than anything else.

Afterlife
Brompton cocktail
Unbound
Almost easy
Lost - this might be higher without the auto-tune
Critical acclaim
Gunslinger
Scream
Dear God
A little piece of heaven - this sounds like panic at the disco

I liked Afterlife a lot so I gave this one a shot. The next 4 grew on me but overall I'd say a little disappointing. They're kinda silly

1. Unbound (The Wild Ride)
2. A Little Piece of Heaven
3. Lost
4. Afterlife
5. Almost Easy
6. Gunslinger
7. Critical Acclaim
8. Scream
9. Brompton Cocktail
10. Dear God

I have no choice but to admit I genuinely enjoyed this album almost (not a comment on any one song) all the way through. Indeed, I was eager to fit in a fourth spin of its own volition, not just because I didn't feel ready to rank its tracks after three.

Avenged Sevenfold occasionally come off as cheesy to me, like they really want to sound edgy and/or spooky with their lyrics and guitar lines... but at the same time they're solid musicians and have some genuinely fun tracks. I have a lot of nostalgia for playing some of their songs on Guitar Hero/Rock Band and their self-titled in particular has a couple tracks that are very ingrained in my mind. Not a fan of their softer stuff in general but even those songs have their moments.

1.Afterlife

An old favorite that reminds me of playing Rock Band in college. Even setting nostalgia aside (mostly) it has a lot going for it - memorable riffs/guitar lines, an absolutely infectious chorus, and a blazing solo. I always go between this and Beast and the Harlot for my favorite overall A7X song.

2.Almost Easy

I'M NOT INSANE I'M NOT INSAIIIIIIIINE yes very convincing. Not a whole lot to this song but it's a lot of fun.

3.A Little Piece of Heaven

Hahahaha this is so stupidly over the top, feels like evil murder clown music. Has a few too many weaker spots to take a top spot but it's a good ride overall.

4.Lost

One of the more straightforward songs on the album - just a fast little romp with some melodic guitar lines and random autotune (which I generally find off-putting but it's not awful here).

5.Scream

A desperate struggle between some very fun guitar and some very unsettling lyrics.

6.Unbound (The Wild Ride)

The first half of this alone would have been considerably higher, but then it loses its excellent momentum and the childlike vocals really don't do it for me here.

7.Gunslinger

As I said in the general album comments, I'm not a fan of their softer stuff, but this builds decently and doesn't overstay its welcome.

8.Brompton Cocktail

This song is fine. Takes a while to get started but otherwise isn't terribly memorable in any direction.

9.Critical Acclaim

The random ranting really brings this down. Would be closer to the middle without it.

10.Dear God

Feels like it just goes on a bit too long for how little it does and the country vibes are not my thing.