Degreed - Dead But Not Forgotten

[Stefan]

 

[AlphaMale]

Samples sound simply delicious!

[Stefan]

 

 

They already took down the video for 'The Scam'?

That was fast...

 

 

 

Oh, and now back again.

[Glen]

Sounds utterly killer.

 

Please turn up soon disc :-)

[AlphaMale]

I know. I want it NOW!!!

[JamesEagle]

Got a digital copy of this to review ... first impressions are that there are some good tunes, but it's far too modern-sounding for me. Will give it 5 or 6 plays before reaching a verdict though.

[The Rocker]

Got a digital copy of this to review ... first impressions are that there are some good tunes, but it's far too modern-sounding for me. Will give it 5 or 6 plays before reaching a verdict though.

I think that might be my issue with this band also, to modern sounding. I do like the sound of"Better Safe Than Sorry" though.

[Geoff]

I am never going to get used to that "too modern sounding" comment. Just drives me insane!

[KarpetRydOFunk]

I am never going to get used to that "too modern sounding" comment. Just drives me insane!

But it is Modern Rock. So, if they don't like that Modern Rock sound, it makes sense that it's "too modern sounding."

[JamesEagle]

 

I am never going to get used to that "too modern sounding" comment. Just drives me insane!

But it is Modern Rock. So, if they don't like that Modern Rock sound, it makes sense that it's "too modern sounding."

 

 

That's all it is really. Hard to pin down exactly what it is, but all those modern rock releases sound very similar to me and I don't like the sound. The vocals are all very samey, rather than back in the day when vocalists were unique and charismatic. Bands like Cinderella, Ratt, Guns n Roses, White Lion, etc all had dinstinctive vocals that were a major contribution to their sound. I'm sure there's more to it, but as soon as I hear that modern rock sound, it puts me off. There are exceptions, such as the odd song by Vega, Shinedown, etc, but I'd struggle to listen to a whole album by those bands.

[The Rocker]

 

 

I am never going to get used to that "too modern sounding" comment. Just drives me insane!

But it is Modern Rock. So, if they don't like that Modern Rock sound, it makes sense that it's "too modern sounding."

 

 

That's all it is really. Hard to pin down exactly what it is, but all those modern rock releases sound very similar to me and I don't like the sound. The vocals are all very samey, rather than back in the day when vocalists were unique and charismatic. Bands like Cinderella, Ratt, Guns n Roses, White Lion, etc all had dinstinctive vocals that were a major contribution to their sound. I'm sure there's more to it, but as soon as I hear that modern rock sound, it puts me off. There are exceptions, such as the odd song by Vega, Shinedown, etc, but I'd struggle to listen to a whole album by those bands.

 

Agree.

[Glen]

The vocalist is probably one of the most distinctive in our genre.

 

And one of the best live.

 

The album is great. Not one weak song in 14...and that is some feat.

[Nightrain]

Based on first impression, I think this is their best album to date because it's the most consistent and no filler is probably correct although I think 'Forgive You' and 'Start Again' might be the weakest here. 'Better Safe Than Sorry' is somewhat quite Harem Scarem sounding and clearly the best track here and I think 'Kill Your Darlings' is quite enjoyable so definitely with 8.25 score, it's not the worst track here.

 

I can relate to the 'too modern sounding' comment, yeah some riffs and vocal handling are clearly similar to modern bands and unlike the 80s, but some melodic arrangement is definitely from the classic era of melodic hard rock, so I guess the replay value should be around 7 or 7.5 because I won't spin it too often but I'll praise some great moments here such as 'The Scam', 'BSTS', 'Drama', and 'Firefly'.

 

I get 83.3% on this so maybe this album should fall between 80%-85% for most

[Glen]

Forgive You and Start Again are the weakest tracks....

 

Sums the album up imo - both are great ;-)

[Glen]

@ Nightrain

 

Surprised you like Firefly - its by far the most modern sounding track on offer?

 

Esp in the verses.

[KarpetRydOFunk]

The vocalist is probably one of the most distinctive in our genre.

Yeah... I don't know what James was goings ons about there. I do get tired of all the Modern Rock bands have the same vocals, but these vocals are nothing like that.

[AlphaMale]

I gave this a 86%. Very solid score.

[Nightrain]

@ Nightrain

 

Surprised you like Firefly - its by far the most modern sounding track on offer?

 

Esp in the verses.

 

I think the dose of modernism in every song is quite equal here so it all boils down to the melodies and arrangement. The latter factor found in this song is quite superior compared to the other like the two weaker tracks I mentioned or 'Final Ride' and 'Touch of Paradise'. I reckon this should be one of your fave track too ?

 

But I believe we all might agree that 'Better Safe Than Sorry' is the closest thing Degreed made to the 80s style and I rated that song around 9.5, while 'Firefly' is around 8.25 or 8.5.

[Nightrain]

I gave this a 86%. Very solid score.

 

Another close one dude although I believe our rating will probably adjust properly after 4-5 spins at around small 80%

[Glen]

 

 

@ Nightrain

 

Surprised you like Firefly - its by far the most modern sounding track on offer?

 

Esp in the verses.

I think the dose of modernism in every song is quite equal here so it all boils down to the melodies and arrangement. The latter factor found in this song is quite superior compared to the other like the two weaker tracks I mentioned or 'Final Ride' and 'Touch of Paradise'. I reckon this should be one of your fave track too ?

 

But I believe we all might agree that 'Better Safe Than Sorry' is the closest thing Degreed made to the 80s style and I rated that song around 9.5, while 'Firefly' is around 8.25 or 8.5.

BSTS is so predictable tho. It sticks out a mile like the def lepp track on Vega.

 

I prefer Degreeds unique sound which they display superbly across the rest of the album.

[Glen]

 

 

@ Nightrain

 

Surprised you like Firefly - its by far the most modern sounding track on offer?

 

Esp in the verses.

I think the dose of modernism in every song is quite equal here so it all boils down to the melodies and arrangement. The latter factor found in this song is quite superior compared to the other like the two weaker tracks I mentioned or 'Final Ride' and 'Touch of Paradise'. I reckon this should be one of your fave track too ?

 

But I believe we all might agree that 'Better Safe Than Sorry' is the closest thing Degreed made to the 80s style and I rated that song around 9.5, while 'Firefly' is around 8.25 or 8.5.

BSTS is so predictable tho. It sticks out a mile like the def lepp track on Vega.

 

I prefer Degreeds unique sound which they display superbly across the rest of the album.

[Glen]

grrr double post ..........

[Geoff]

Finally got my ears on this one a couple of times today and you can colour me impressed. Super consistent and a very high level throughout. Definitely their most consistent album so far. Some early highlights would be 'Forgive you,' 'The Scam' and 'Turn Around...' But definitely nothing weak on this one at all. Not even close.

[PeterS]

Finally released in Europe.

 

After one spin. Like it. But there's quite a lot of 30 seconds to mars in there during some tracks. Not a bad thing in my opinion.

[Geoff]

Finally released in Europe.

 

After one spin. Like it. But there's quite a lot of 30 seconds to mars in there during some tracks. Not a bad thing in my opinion.

 

Really??? Sorry mate, don't hear that one iota. And that's not saying a bad thing about either band - I like both bands plenty. But I find 30STM much, much slower paced and "atmospheric" compared to these guys, which are basically completely uptempo melodic hard rock. Yeah, sorry mate, can't hear that comparison at all!