Disco de 10 Years: “Feeding the Wolves [Deluxe Edition]”

Fans have something to cheer about! Feeding the Wolves is a great album indeed. I'm a long time 10 Years fan and whenever a favorite band plans a new album I always get a little nervous that they may produce something so different and leave a big gaping hole unfilled. Thankfully that did not happen. Instead we have FTW which for me, ranks up there with all of the best 10 Years records. I love every single song on this album, and have played it over and over pretty much non-stop since it's release.

Let me start this review by saying that I pretty much love every song 10 Years has ever made and I even own Killing All That Holds You and every EP. So you may think this review is somewhat biased. It probably is, because they are by far one of my favorite bands. (definitely in the top 3)

Feeding the Wolves offers something different but yet gives fans the hard driving sounds of "Wasteland" with the beautiful stirring melodies of the "The Recipe" yet produces an updated and mature sound that mixes in some metal elements along with the superior lyrical quality that this band is known for i.e "Fade Into The Ocean" "Now Is The Time".

Highlights

Shoot It Out : When I first heard this song on the radio I was taken about by the Shoot It Out refrain. It was strange and out of the ordinary. However this song has completely grown on me and pollutes my head to the point of distraction. I LOVE it. In typical 10 Years fashion, they embed a very important message in the poetry of this song., and one that for me defines Jesse and Brian as they catapult into the next decade.

The Wicked Ones : Many people have told me this is their favorite track. It's not my favorite, but I do appreciate the western style into. So many people really love that type of anthem -y American rock melody.

Now Is The Time: This is the song I would write if I could write a song. It is for me the most inspiring, haunting and beautiful song on the album. For me this ranks right there as one of my favorite 10 Years songs. I am positively in love with the guitar riff that sits behind the chorus.

One More Day: Time for a slower track, and one that I find myself endlessly singing. If you love to croon, this is THE song!!!

Fix Me: Another singers song, but with extremely addictive drum tracks. One of my favorite elements of 10 Years music, is the syncopated drum beats. I don't know if Brian wrote the drum riffs for this album, but this song is very typical for his type of playing.

Fade Into (The Ocean): Just wow. To me this song has so many elements of progressive metal. The tempo change, hard driving guitar progressions and mid song breakdowns, really play around with the senses. This is one of those songs that need no lyrics. It is all about the guitar.

This isn't a bad 3rd Album. If I'm being honest it's not as good as i expected or hoped it would be but its still good. I picked up the Deluxe Edition because I thought 10 songs is too short, plus 10 Years is one of my favorite bands so the more songs the better. Their single "Shoot it Out" didn't really thrill me. I'm not a fan of screaming music but I new the whole cd wouldn't be like that. There are a couple songs that they scream but it is very little so i can tollerate it.

Overall this cd is not as good as Division and Autumn Effect. Division has been my favorite album, but this cd still has some good songs on it. Some of my favorites are: "Now is the Time," "Dead in the Water," "Fade Into (the Ocean)," and my favorite song on the cd is probably "Waking Up the Ghost." They have some other good songs on here like "The Wicked Ones" and "Chasing the Raptures" and a softer song "One More Day" but i think the ones above are the best.

I would recommend this cd to any 10 Years fan, it has a little bit different sound to it, it's a little edgier. But for the most part its a great album to own, the acoustic version of "Shoot it Out" is great, i prefer that to the regular version. Even if you are not a 10 Years fan you might like it because it is a little heavier and the sound is not like Division or Autumn Effect. Give it a try!

As I'm sure you can imagine, this is no Autumn Effect. I've come to accept this band for what they are now, which is not the same band that had that unique sound in Autumn Effect. If you accept this album for what it is, it's decent. For those of us who have followed this band since Killing All That Hold You(their very first album) it's not quite what we wanted, which was a revert back to the beauty of KATHY and The Autumn Effect.

I'm very sure that the newest album from 10 Years' "Minus the Machine", will be an awesome record. But while waiting for its release, I can't help but dwell on this record, which I find to be their worst to date, "Feeding the Wolves". At first, I liked it, but after developing a little bit of common sense for music, I found this record to be very stale.

There are standout tracks on this record. First single "Shoot It Out" is a great way to kick off an album, with its agressive guitar riff and its poetic lyricism. "Now Is The Time (Ravenous)", "Wicked Ones", "Dead in the Water", and the closer "Fade Into The Ocean" are also highlights, but really, only "Shoot It Out", "Now Is The Time", and "Dead In The Water" fire on all cylinders. The other half of this record harks back to the familiar radio rock sound that, is simply put, stale. "Chasing the Rapture" has the right motivation to become a highlight, but the third chorus is ruined. "One More Day" and "Fix Me" are radio-rockers that don't stick out in any way, shape, or form. Finally, the worst songs on the album, "Don't Fight It", and "Waking Up The Ghost", are, I hate to mention this here, very poorly executed and structured.

However, the real problem behind this record is the producer, Howard Benson. I feel that his production of this record made these songs the opposite of "heavy", and it totally blew out the potential this record had. If it had been done by a different producer, such as Brendan O'Brien, Nick Raskulinecz, Travis Wright, or even Skidd Mills, maybe my consensus of this record would be more positive. But, sad to say, the production on this record is very poor as it is.

So, all in all, I prefer "Autumn Effect" and "Division" over this record, and I'm 110% sure that "Minus the Machine" will be a great album as well. Here's holding out hope that the new record will be a better foray into 10 Year's discography. Until then, I don't know what else to say but this: "Don't they know better?"

TRACKS:

Shoot It Out (5/5)

The Wicked Ones (3/5)

Now Is The Time (Ravenous) (5/5)

One More Day (2/5)

Fix Me (2/5)

Chasing The Rapture (2/5)

Dead In The Water (5/5)

Don't Fight It (1/5)

Waking Up The Ghost (1/5)

Fade Into The Ocean (4/5)

ALBUM SCORE: (30/50)

Rating: 2 stars/5 stars

I am quite impressed by this new release. Being their third album, I wasn't sure what to expect, but I am loving it! My favorite songs have to be 'Shoot it Out', 'Now Is The Time (Ravenous)', 'One More Day', 'Fix Me', & 'Don't Fight It'. The lyrics on this album are a lot more deep than past works, which is evident when listening to 'Don't Fight It'.

'Feeding the Wolves' is an overall good album and well worth purchasing.