It's true!

Bad Actor's debut LP is being given to you COMPLETELY FREE.

The LP has been titled The Portrait of Finality and we encourage listeners to give their friends this CD for free as well.

Download Link: http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?h5t4zdzmjft

Lyrics Sheet: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=259126812&blogId=510459361

Album Artwork!



Enjoy! post your thoughts!

Intriguing. Its late and I've only listened to the opening track, so I don't want to offer an opinion just yet, but thus far there's bits I like and bits I don't, but I'm not yet sure if I think the good outweigh's the bad...

eh, I'll get back to you in a day or two. Possibly with a review.

You had me at Sludge. I will give this a listen for sure. Thank you.

Rosalind wrote:

Intriguing. Its late and I've only listened to the opening track, so I don't want to offer an opinion just yet, but thus far there's bits I like and bits I don't, but I'm not yet sure if I think the good outweigh's the bad...

eh, I'll get back to you in a day or two. Possibly with a review.

Any criticism is welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Enjoy!

Well I have listened to this album twice and plan for more. I really enjoyed it. DOOM, Sludge and Stoner are my favorite of all the Metal genres so this is right up my alley. The main vocals at first threw me. They are not the typical Sludge style per-say. They seem to be of the DM, BM variety. But after awhile they grew on me. In a way it kind of sets you apart. Guitars sounded great production was quite nice while still retaining the raw feel of Sludge. All in all I really enjoyed it. When you gave it for free, I must say my expectations were pretty low. You far exceeded them. I see this getting more spins for sure. Thank you for dropping this off. If you make to Cali I will be sure to come see you.

From the lifer blog


Bad Actor – Portrait of Finality – 3.5/5
Link

The introductory assault of ‘Through the Blue,’ constantly hurtling forth with wave after wave of bass driven cascading crescendo’s, or the drastic change in pace with the following track, ‘A man with ideas,’ proving just what the title implies; that this isn’t just another band to follow a preset mould. Whilst taking clear influence from those before them they can’t quite be passed off as a mere clone of either ‘Mastodon’ or ‘Baroness,’ but rather a slightly different breed altogether.

The definitive highlight is unquestionably the lead guitars that whilst not often a driving force for the track at hand, seem to carry most of the responsibility regarding the variety for the unfolding events. Transgressing from the gentler psychedelic passages to an all out fury; it at times becomes quite technical in its nature yet never feels too dissonant or chaotic, never feels out of place and instead acts as more of a meandering additional layer, assisting with easing the transition between the many paces and styles utilized within the steadily shifting track and allowing the other instrumentation to maintain the rest of the track at hand.

Often harmonising with this is the bass, working with the rhythm to keep the tracks shape and preventing it from descending too far into chaos whilst successfully maintaining the level of intensity built up with the frenetic drum work, but this is limited sadly by the production. Not quite loud or thick enough to sustain the slower passages, the bass in particular needing more of an all encapsulating tone to engulf the listener, it fails to entirely ensnare the listener in wave after wave of bombast and provide the much desired contrast between passages.

And despite these apparent strengths, it is the unconventional vocals that so often disappoint me; utilising three vocalists, each with a highly limited range monotonously growling, it varies from the mediocre to the at times frustrating. More attuned to a ‘black metal’ artist, the tone strived seems to be all too thin, icily detracting from the warmth provided by the rest of the instrumentation, and I can’t quite comprehend what they are trying to accomplish. In particular the extended notes all too often come across as furious rather than conveying the sense of grinding desperation and frustration that the genre has become known for.

This is not a release without its issues and still shows plenty of areas for improvement, but it is the core compositional ability that shows the most promise, having both the intelligence to come up with new ideas and the confidence to experiment with them. It has always seemed that in the battle between the two progressive sludge bands that fans could only enjoy one, and whilst I expect few fans will switch allegiance with haste, what has been a two-horse race for a number of years might just have a new contender emerging.

Highlights: Through the Blue, As Meredith Explodes

Wow man, thank you so much for your honesty. I really appreciate that review it means a lot to me.

Just a quick note, all the vocals on that album are me for the most part aside from the shout alongs. I do my own overdubs =V

AarO)))n wrote:

Well I have listened to this album twice and plan for more. I really enjoyed it. DOOM, Sludge and Stoner are my favorite of all the Metal genres so this is right up my alley. The main vocals at first threw me. They are not the typical Sludge style per-say. They seem to be of the DM, BM variety. But after awhile they grew on me. In a way it kind of sets you apart. Guitars sounded great production was quite nice while still retaining the raw feel of Sludge. All in all I really enjoyed it. When you gave it for free, I must say my expectations were pretty low. You far exceeded them. I see this getting more spins for sure. Thank you for dropping this off. If you make to Cali I will be sure to come see you.

If you find us a drummer we'll get to Cali asap!

Thanks for your words man. Super stoked

EyeHateHaggard wrote:

Wow man, thank you so much for your honesty. I really appreciate that review it means a lot to me.

Just a quick note, all the vocals on that album are me for the most part aside from the shout alongs. I do my own overdubs =V

lol, sorry about that In a rare situation, I think I partly agree with Aaron about them. They are quite unique, and im sure some people will love that about them. I'm simply not one of them.

As an aside though, your lastfm said there were three vocalists and I remember hearing primarily three distinct pitches, in which case some of the criticism is perhaps overstated. Personally I'd like to hear more pitch fluctuations during the track itself, (rather than using a whole new track for a new note, as seemed to happen quite often), and as for the overdubs, perhaps more of a differentiation between the snapped timing on the more chaotic sections so that it gives that 'bombarded from all angles' type effect, and the slower, more grinding passages. Though of course, this could all just be me...

Great review Thomas. I agree with about 99% of it. Though my score would be a 4/5. I have always been a little more forgiving then you with my music. Great point about the mixture of Mastodon and baroness with out sounding like a clone of either. Perhaps more of a switch between the constant vocal style and the more traditional growl or gruff style the genre is accustom to. But like you I too see promise in this bad and glad to see some willing to try something new in a genre I love. But can also be bad at turning out the same thing too much.

Thank you guys both for such positive and detailed feedback we all really appreciate your kindness