Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 07/13/2004
Candiria delivers a typically diverse record with
What Doesn't Kill You..., which follows a near-tragic accident that mangled the band's tour van (hence the album cover and liner notes). Thankfully, the group doesn't embrace the by now dull formulas of the "metalcore" genre (i.e.,
Slayer meets
Agnostic Front with
death vocals), instead dancing around such boundaries with snatches of
hip-hop,
jazz, and
dub -- and now, melodic singing and choruses, which punctuate
"The Nameless King," "Down," and
"Remove Yourself," all a bit of a departure from the band's odd time signatures and chugging
math-
metal guitars. While the aforementioned tracks try a bit too hard to cross over, they're still memorable, intriguing, and thankfully devoid of any
emo drippiness. Elsewhere, the more aggressive tracks (
"Blood," "1000 Points of Light") are compelling maelstroms of dissonant riffs, rhythmic divergences, snatches of
psychedelic electronics, and
Carley Coma's convincing and diverse vocal approach, which varies from
rap to
hardcore shouts and growls.
"9MM Solution" might be too "urban" for those wanting more off-center distorto-riffs, yet the track still makes some sense within the confines of the album. Which is a moot point, considering that longtime
Candiria listeners have come to expect such jarring stylistic shifts from song to song -- just as they'll be slightly put off by the shameless melodic indulgences of about half the tracks here. Still,
What Doesn't Kill You... exhibits a more streamlined and concise version of
Candiria's sonic madness, and for that reason the album deserves commendation, considering the fascinating, if somewhat indigestible, thunder of earlier records.
~John Serba, All Music Guide
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