Deliverance - As Above So Below

Anyone else spinning this lately?

A very fine heavy release from the BIG D...it has also caused some controversy over yonder...gotta love that even more!

Great guitar work and good production (the drums are a big to clacky for my tastes but) , solid songwriting and Jimmy's lyrics make you think.

I love the first 4 discs, but honestly, so far, I just can't be motivated to pick this up. I know it is probably great but I loved Stay of Execution and after that felt like I was all good. IT is weird but it is like I am satisified at that.

I can understand Ghosts. I lost interest in them after Stay. Then a few years ago I picked up Camelot in Smithereens and was totally caught off guard by the album. It rekindled my interest. I still need to hear Stay again and pick up Assimilation. I really think you might like the new one. It has been a long time since I heard Stay but from what I remember...I would say the new album is along lines of that album.

I like it a lot. The intro is a bit long and after the first listen will require the skip button. Other than that, I like what I am hearing. The songs are a blending of past 'D' albums without sounding like a total rehash of any of them.

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The songs are a blending of past 'D' albums without sounding like a total rehash of any of them.

Exactly!

The vocal delivery is too hit-or-miss on this one - I think some of the songs could have been sung better. I really like the lyrics and the music is pretty good. The intro is cool, but Thistles (the second instrumental) drags out too long. Overall I give the disc a B- and I'm glad to have it in my collection.

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I'm glad to have it in my collection.

That's a good thing...it also makes Jimmy happy.

I had deliverance once. Pastor Phelps put his hands on me and beat some demons out of me after I showed Elroy my private parts. He said it was deliverance and he musta ben right because I ain't done it since.

Ok I hadta laugh!

Should be picking this one up this Friday when Mardel's gets it back in . . . listened to it there and was glad that I did

Just posted a review on NLTM.



http://www.nolifetilmetal.com/deliverance.htm

Good review Ult!

I need to get this one......

It makee me happy. Very Stay with some great riff happiness. Wish it had a couple of faster tunes but overall I likee.

I'm still diggin' it.

Well, I am disgruntled with it!! It broke my iPod!

Seriously though... After synching it to my iPod, the little hard drive failed... I had it for 5 years or so, so I guess I can't complain.

Anyone get the Assimilation 2CD reissue yet?

If so, what do you think?

My review:

After six long years Deliverance return with their ninth full length studio release. "As Above - So Below" marks the return of guitar shredder Mike Phillips to the fold. His smokin' lead work is a blessed reunion in this fan's opinion. It's also noteworthy to mention that former drummer Kevin Lee makes a guest appearance on three tracks here as well. With "As Above", Deliverance move away from the electronic sounds of "Assimilation" and Jimmy Brown's Fearful Symmetry project and return to a guitar driven heavy metal sound. The album opens with "Legum Servi umus Ut Liberi Esse Possimus", an ominous, instrumental introduction that is a mix of keyboards and orchestration. This is sure to be the band's concert opening for any shows in support of "As Above-So Below". However, I also felt that this opening was the weak spot of the CD. It's a bit long, at early three and a half minutes. After hearing the CD all the way through the first couple times, I began to skip track one to get to the actual songs. The first track after the intro is "Cause & Effect", a heavy track with some speed metal influences blended in. I just can't see any longtime Deliverance fan not enjoying this song. This is Deliverance! Heavy as a loaded freight train running down the tracks. "Return to Form" is a scathing song and is probably my favorite song off this album. The song starts off with a chaotic, blistering guitar and drum assault that recalls Slayer before breaking into a heavy, fast paced song that sounds exactly like what I had hoped for from Deliverance. "Return to Form" also features a blistering guitar solo from guitarist Mike Phillips. The title track, "My Love" and "Enlighten Me" all deliver an abundance of melody, and have a sound that would have been at home on "Learn" or even the underrated "River Disturbance". "Screaming" is a somber, melodic number that also sounds like it could have been written for "River Disturbance". "My Love" is a fast paced speed metal number that should please fans of classic Deliverance. "As Above – So Below" even finds Deliverance composing a lengthy, eleven minute instrumental entitled "Thistles". This song mixes some heavy guitar jams with some more melancholy acoustic guitar and piano parts. Jimmy Brown's vocal approach on this album favors the soulful, gothic, David Bowie sound that he began using on albums like "Learn" and "River Disturbance". There are no high, soaring screams like on those early "D" platters. I've heard a few fans comment that they didn't think there were any hooks on the album. Those people would do well to listen again, as the hooks run deep and thick. However, "As Above - So Below" may take more than one listen to really begin to digest all that is going on. "As Above..." can best be described as a creative blending of all past "D" albums, sitting closer to the "Learn" and "River Disturbance" sound, than to the thrashier "Weapons" stuff. I think most long time Deliverance fans will enjoy this album, unless anyone was holding out for Weapons of our Warfare Part 2. Personally, I haven't been able to get this CD out of my player since purchasing it.

In visiting the various metal discussion boards, the title track seems to be causing some confusion. Deliverance have always promoted Christian ideals. The confusion seems to be due to the fact that the phrase "As above, so below" and "so mote it be" circulate throughout Wiccan, pagan and magical circles, as well as in Free Masonry. I believe Jimmy Brown is using some artist license here and isn't promoting anything pagan. In fact, the lyrics read almost like a Psalm. "Let the mountains shake and the rocks declare Your glory, As it is with You, so mote it be with me. Let the rivers run strong and all nature bow with humility, as it is with You, so mote it be with me." Inasmuch it seems to me that Jimmy is trying to echo the Psalmists and using the phrase 'so mote it be with me' as an artistic way of saying 'so must it be with me.'

Wow! That didn't paste properly and lost all it's formatting. Oh well.

There was an Assimilation 2 CD Reissue Rick?

It wasnt by Jimmy was it? Or Indie Reem?

Nope - Retroactive apparently put it out. Jimmy said he wouldn't have anything to do with it. In fact, there are no thanks or extensive liner notes.

That said, it's remastered and the second disk is a slew of Assimilation demos that Jimmy had recorded in California before he moved to STL to be reamed by Indie Ream.

Is the re-release out yet?

I believe it is - Amazon is listing it

http://www.amazon.com/Assimilation-Remastered-2-CD-Expanded/dp/B000QV4MEI/ref=sr_1_18/104-1024561-5192727?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1180353178&sr=1-18

It's out. I have a copy.

Quote :

Nope - Retroactive apparently put it out. Jimmy
said he wouldn't have anything to do with it. In fact, there are no
thanks or extensive liner notes.

Why? What do you mean he wanted nothing to do with it? Does he not like this album or am I misunderstanding your post?

In his interview with the ole Tinker Jimmy himself said that Assimilation should not have happened. That he didnt consider it a true return to form D album, though he said there were some choice cuts

I think Jimmy had told me or I read this i Cannot quite remember that he wrote that entire album with nothing but keyboards initally

I like the new disc, but it doesn't get played much.

Addy wrote:

In his interview with the ole Tinker Jimmy himself said that Assimilation should not have happened. That he didnt consider it a true return to form D album, though he said there were some choice cuts

I think Jimmy had told me or I read this i Cannot quite remember that he wrote that entire album with nothing but keyboards initally

Actually that was "This Sad Veil of Tears"... He wrote it with no guitars at all intending it to be a Fearful Symmetry release... and then later thought about making it a Deliverance CD instead of a FS record. So he put the trademark guitars on there and had Manny lay down bass.

But when his relationship with Indie Dream Records began to crumble (at the same time mine did) he decided to continue developing the disk as a Fearful Symmetry CD. Several us begged him to leave the guitars and I suppose we finally convinced him.

I have long told him that I think some of his best vocals were done on that disk. He tracked the vox before he did the guitars. He has such an amazingly smooth voice. When he sings with guitars, though, he tends to grind his voice a bit. That didn't happen on This Sad Veil of Tears though - the vox are wide open and gorgeous!

I think he's a little bummed that D fans didn't embrace This Sad Veil of Tears. It's SO much better than Assimilation and more accurately portrayed where he wanted to go with Assimilation (were it not for label games and meddling).

It may be blasphemy, but I recon that I like This Sad Veil and A Loss of Balance best of all Jimmy's musical catelog. Watching him record those disks... his heart was REALLY in them - and I think it shows.

peace,
r

I purchased "Sad Veil of Tears" but it was just outside my tastes. I traded it off without reviewing it.

I have the Jupiter VI CD still. I haven't given it much of a chance yet.

I love the new Deliverance CD though.

He's got a new Jupiter 6 disk in the works... It's a live disk... Conceptual disk (like Back From Mars) - only the concept is Back To Mars... A live show on Mars. I have a feeling he won't actually be playing and recording on Mars. It's just a hunch though!

Also, there is still one more FS CD to come out (NON). I hope he changes his mind and keeps making FS records. But last I spoke to him, NON is the last one.

He said he is tired of electronics and likes the organic rock and roll of Jupiter 6.

Peace and Porcupines!!!
r

I'm diggin' the new one!

What are the lyrics like on the Jupiter 6 album?