Track Listing

1. Make Your Own Bones
2. Bleeder
3. Same Solution
4. For All the Sin
5. Can't Wait for Violence
6. Dead Like Me
7. Blue Skin
8. Filthy
9. Hidden Hands
10. American Love
11. Everlasting Godstopper
12. Piss and Vinegar

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #127798 in Music
• Released on: 2000-10-10
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Amazon.com
With a nihilistic CD title and band name, you'd expect Nothingface to be heavy, serious, and dark. And you'd be correct. The Washington, D.C.-based band, however, is not really nu metal. In fact, Nothingface displays a kinship to Trouble and King's X, thanks to wonderfully complex and layered production and a taught progressive-rock musicality. Which isn't to say Nothingface aren't modern; thanks to in-your-face aggression and ferocity, they're definitely mosh-pit worthy. From "Make Your Own Bones," where singer Matt Holt takes on a fierce, growling death-metal timbre to the more melodic "Bleeder" and "Filthy," the vocals and instrumentation segue smoothly from melodic interludes to raging, head-banging segments, often within one song. With their third album, Nothingface have created a creative, cohesive, diverse breakthrough. --Katherine Turman

Customer Reviews

In The Bloody Backseat Of My Black Hearse
Nothingface will cut into your wrists then lick the wound close. The band can perform many different forms of metal and rock, On just this album alone. Though they bring it all together to make their own original genre which I've heard Matt Holt call "Metal of The Wretched". I don't consider Nothingface Nu Metal, They are beyond most Nu Metal bands skills! With Bill Gaal putting down incredible bass lines and keyboard melodies. Tom Maxwell shredding up headbang worthy riffs and rememorable rhythm that will bw stuck in your head for days to pass. Then theres Matt Holt, Which happens to be one of my fav singers, His Death Metal like growls are clean enough to understand, and his actual singing.. Is amazing, Clean voiced and powerful. The lyrics are personal "You know its hard to face you, When I know what you did.. Your sorry. Stay far away from you, Im sick and tired of you too. But theres the way you move, Dressed up in lies, Beds in truth" for instance. The one thing thats stands out above all is that this album was the last that drummer Chris Houck played on!Infact both Chris and new drummer Tommy Sickles played on this one, whom did which songs.. I have no clue but the drumming is excellent through out this album and brings the music together.


SONG RATING

-Make Your Own Bones ***** Good N' Heavy right off the get go. Very good opening song, Giving you a taste of Nothingface's originality

-Bleeder ****** Amazing!! This is a stand out song on Violence, The Vocals are very melodic and the lyrics will get stuck in your head!

-Same Solution ***** Brutal pummeling, The lyrics wickedly talk of murder & killing you. This song shows how brutal and heavy the band gets.

-For All The Sin ****** This is easily one of my favs on the album, With clean vocals through out of what seems to me a Cheating Relationship.

-Can't Wait For Violence ****** This mixes Nothingfaces Brutal & Calm styles well! Making one amazing song. This is a MUST HEAR!!

-Dead Like Me ****** This is a very melodic and dark song. The lyrics are depressing, But yet done very well. The Vocal work is excellent.

-Blue Skin ***** The reason I give this five stars not six is cause the lyrics lack here. Though this is easily the best Bass line on the album!!

-Filthy ****** Another stand out song. The band really come together on this one. My fav vocals & lyrics on the album. Very Melodic Very Dark.

-Hidden Hands ****** This is a VERY intelligent song, Both lyrically and musically. Matt uses both his Clean and Death Metal vocals.

-American Love ***** Brutal, But with melodic breaks. This song is also about murder and killing.

-Everlasting Godstopper ******* My fav song on the album, This is about god holding you back. And the suffering of the world by him.

-Piss & Vinegar ****** A brutal finish to a great album, This song really shows where they went to musically after Violence.


All an all, Nothingfaces Violence is not for your average Nu Metaler only but for avid metalers as well. On another note I can't help but see the similairities between Nothingfaces style and Mudvaynes. And seeing how Mudvayne happens to be friends of Nothingface its easy to say they might have rubbed off on each other musically. Get this album, Even if your a bit skeptical of the Nu Metal undertones.. You'll thank me in the end.

title
Starting with the fairly simple Kornesque nu-metal of their debut album "Pacifier," Nothingface's subsequent releases have become simultaneously heavier, more diverse, more creative, and more progressive. "Violence" gracefully transcends the boundaries of the nu-metal movement, with elements of thrash, death, and progressive metal thrown in. Singer Matt Holt expertly combines melodic singing with almost death-like growling, and the band manages to keep pace with his frequent vocal shifts. Tom Maxwell's guitar work is superb, with plenty of crunching riffs that often turn back the clock to the thrash days. The rhythm section places more emphasis on heaviness than on precision, creating a crushing bottom end to complement the technicality of Maxwell's riffing. As for the songs themselves, they're generally excellent. "Make Your Own Bones" sets the mood at the outset with throat-ripping vocals and absolutely crushing guitars. "Bleeder" places melodic vocals over a heavy musial background, and "Blue Skin" shifts perfectly from growling to singing (Holt's singing voice is actually even scarier than his growling). There are other great songs on this album, but I've prattled on for long enough. So in conclusion, GET THIS ALBUM! Arguably the best of 2000.

They Were Gods Amoung Their Peers
I remember when I bought my first Nothingface album-it was "Skeletons", and I bought it about a month or so after it came out. I had never heard a full Nothingface song before, only short sample clips, but I did like what I heard. So I put in "Skeletons" and wasn't too impressed, but after time, it grew on me...a lot. So then I purchased their release prior to "Skeletons", "Violence". I really wasn't expecting what I heard.

"Skeletons", with the exception of a few songs, is a very accessible album. Not Simple Plan or Limp Bizkit accessible, but any fan of modern rock could put it in a more than likely get a kick out of it. "Violence" is a different kind of album. Basically, it's heavier...WAY heavier. Sure, it's got nothing on Decapitated or Cannibal Corpse in terms of sheer brutality, but for a band that released "Skeletons", wow, I was shocked. And displeased. The album simply didn't grow on me. I tried to listen to it, but I just got bored. I mean, the songs dragged on, Matt's voice often sounded like a monotone drone, etc. So I put it up on the shelf and never listened to it again.

Until three days ago that is. And wow, what a change time can make. "Make Your Own Bones" sounds so much more awesome than it did two years ago. As I said, this is not an accessible album, and when I first listened to this album two years ago my favorite band was Linkin Park; now it's In Flames.

So does that mean the album won't grow on YOU? Probably not, as I noticed this album has had a lot of praise in reviews on Amazon and by critics. But as I said, you have to listen to it a few times, pay close attention to the music. This isn't mind boggling complex music; however, it's not extremely simple either. Matt Holt's voice has power in it-power I mistook for droning when two years ago. I mean, this guy can sing. His vocal lines in the chorus in "Bleeder", "Blue Skin" and all throughout "Filthy" are haunting. And what a scream. Listen to "Make Your Own Bones" or "Blue Skin" to see what I mean.

Tom Maxwell isn't an amazing guitarist, but he sure is solid. His riffs aren't too simple, and they're catchy, heavy, and deliver punch. But they're not easily forgettable either, at least not after the first few listens. Bill Gaal's bass actually cuts through, providing clear added distortion for the rest of the band. The band has two drummers on this record. Why? I'm not sure. It sounds like one drummer to me. But anyway, the drummer(s) do(es) a good job on this record, making good single-bass backing beats for the band to jam over.

Nothingface specializes in mixing brutality with beauty. One second they're a death metal band, the next they're a melodic rock band. The contrast works amazing on this record. But they don't stray too far from writing catchy hooks-listen to the verses of "Blue Skin" and try not to bob your head to Matt's menacingly catchy vocal lines.

So, in conclusion, this is a record for a fan of hard rock, metal, heavy metal, nu-metal, hell, even melodic death metal. Nothingface was truly a great, innovative band in a time where Limp Bizkit clones were endless; they truly stood out, but sadly never got the fame they deserved. But their works remain for us, the fans, to enjoy. So give `em a try.