Meta Reviews

• Another cd of sheer brilliance!

  
  By A3PNTN7TWXCNF4 on 2007-04-27
  I love this cd!!!!! Since the moment I played it the first time, It has been on heavy rotation on my IPOD. It is not hard to like anything that Tom Sheer does. He certainly knows what he is doing and what people like! I like everything by Assemblage 23 so far. I also like most of the side projects as well. Keep it up!
  
  

• He just gets better

  
  By A1AZFZ1EBHWGBX on 2007-05-18
  I've been following Tom/A23 for about five years now and this really is his best work. His vocals have mellowed and become more lyrical, and Meta contains a much larger range of styles than previous albums. His lyrics have always been good, but I believe he surpassed himself this time: 'Decades' and 'Old', in particular, are amazing. It's nice to hear an EBM artist breaking some new ground.
  
  

• Tom You Peaked It All The Way!

  
  By A7N66O015HVG8 on 2007-05-10
  I knew this day would come. Tom outdoes himself each release and this one is the pinnacle. The production value and melodies are phenomenal. The playful abandon with his vocals blew me out of the water! The lyrics are his best yet!! Don't wait buy this one immediately...it requires your ear this instant!
  
  Start to finish...genious.
  
  

• Tom Sheer still has it!!!

  
  By A2U8CVRR5VMUQJ on 2007-05-19
  'Meta' is by far the best Assemblage 23 album since the 2001 underground classic 'Failure'. What I particularly like about this album is the sincerity that A23 frontman Tom Sheer evokes in his voice, and the music on this album seems more progressive and technical than some of his prior efforts. The production is excellent. My favorite songs are "Damaged", "Binary", "Decades", and "Old". If you like futuristic synth pop music with a little edge this is a great album to add to your CD collection. A must have for fans of VNV Nation and Pride And Fall.
  
  

• True

  
  By A14EQBH0FOV6C6 on 2007-05-03
  From the very deep sounds to the highest peak of the lyrics, 'Meta' launches Assemblage 23 to the top once again! Another terrific album by Tom Shear.
  
  
• Well worth the wait!!
  By A2KOK9VC75YYFO on 2007-05-16
  A great follow up to Storm!
  
  I remember "liking" storm for the first two weeks, and then falling in love with every single track weeks later. As a result I held back this review for two weeks. Sure enough, the tracks continue to grow on me.
  
  One such track is "Binary", where a rush of intricate synth notes hits you like an avalanche. Embedded with the musical labyrinth in the background is a collection of innovative synth techniques that I have never heard before. This is certainly my favorite track at the moment.
  
  Another notable track is "Damaged". It (along with "Old") are slower and more pensive than the rest of the album, very Depeche-Mode-esque. It's composed of a great balance of synth arrangements, vocal performance, and deep/dark beats. Surely to stay on my play list for a long time.
  
  Also highly enjoyable are "Madman's Dream" & "Crush".
  
  While time will tell if this album indeed "out-does" Storm, what I have heard so far already justifies the prominent spot this album has on my list of best dark synth/EBM albums.
  
  
• Incredibly Inspirational
  By A14MCO3BGOMDWY on 2008-01-26
  As an artist, I find inspiration in music that doesn't take the average path, so to speak. Absolutely anything by A23 has never been a let down, and Meta is no different. Although I prefer previous works a little more (they were just a bit more fast paced), I would happily advise anyone to purchase Meta.
  
  
• The Best One Yet
  By AAL8RMURM6XYA on 2007-05-05
  I have been watching A23 for years. This is the best album so far. It just keeps getting better and better.
  
  
• Tom's best work ever.
  By A2ID4HMX4XFTT7 on 2007-05-25
  Tom has never released a bad album. All of A23's previous work were very solid. Every song was very good with one or two songs that are amazing. But in this album, every song is amazing.
  
  
• Another excellent album
  By A1UMZ8CMS5X54H on 2007-06-29
  The most recent album by Assemblage 23 is rife with new elements, keeping the style of Assemblage fresh and new. This album is a perfect example of evolution within the industrial music scene.
  
  Different instrumentations, vocal styles lend this newest album almost a Dark Trancy feel, which many industrial artists are accepting nowadays. The change is not unwelcome, at least in my opinion. It adds depth and drama to the music which was absent in their droning on with dark, predictable beats of the past.
  
  
• Shear Genius!
  By APP7IO4ASJGUJ on 2007-05-05
  Chalk up another success for Assemblage 23! This album is not only clubworthy but thoughtful and insightful. It serves as a demonstration of Tom's ever-growing maturity and creative prowess.
  
  Tracks like "Madman's Dream", "Sorry", "Damaged" and "Old" immediately grab your attention and take you on a whirlwind tour of Tom's raw, inner-most views of the human condition - all the while spinning a series of pulsing beats that drive you to move.
  
  "Madman's Dream" - a poignant Katrina-inspired track about the shameful politics and tragic events that truly made Hurricane Katrina a disaster hits especially hard when the verses are brought to a head in the chorus, "Have I awakened deep inside some madman's dream? This is not my country. This is not what I believe..." His rhythmic exposé on the subject leads you to realize that this whole disaster would have turned out differently were it not for lackadaisical attitudes and finger pointing of our nation's current, dysfunctional Administration.
  
  "Damaged" - one of my favs thus far, takes us down a road each of us has travelled at least once in our lives:. It is an account of hardships, survival, vulnerability, and self-realization. This track digs deep. Very very deep. Reminiscent of Depeche Mode's classic sounds tempered by Tom's talent this track should not be skipped.
  
  "Old" is another bittersweet tune that is as straightforward as one can get. It's an age-old question that each of us asks at one point or another about our own future: "What will happen to me when I get older?" It is also the examination a question of the strenth of relationships and reassurances we need.
  
  My prediction: This is going to be a career-defining work for Assemblage 23.
  
  Tom, thank you for continuing to provide the soundtrack to our lives.
  
  
• Love It
  By A34L4CPP7ZLFFD on 2007-08-03
  after all the dissapointments of new releases this year, this one is the only stand out 5 star album that delivers what i want.
  
  He expirements with diffrent things on this album alot more than his others. each song has its own personality, from the harsh floor-killer "raw" to the beautiful and peaceful "old"
  
  deffinate buy, you wont be dissapointed
  
  
• Meta: Tom Shear Excels Once Again!
  By A3UZHPT6414PS0 on 2007-10-09
  I am yet again astounded by the magical brilliance of one Tom Shear. 'Meta' is Tom's latest release and it is electro-industrial radiance. The years of performing has not tarnished or staled Tom Shear, infact the time and experience has marshalled him to predominance in the electro scene. With the album starting off with a newer, more polished dance friendly version of Decades, you know this album will be a hit. Following Decades (V2) is Raw which harks back to Assemblage 23's 'Defiance' album.
  
  Another great industrial themed song 'Sorry' has poignant emotions not sung by Tom since his last heart-breaking performance in Disappoint. The album version of 'Binary' which has become a EP single in its own right, is included here. Probably Tom Shear's most experimental song is 'Madman's Dream' where Tom endeavours to mix some rhythmic flavouring into this song.
  
  The last three songs of the album are less convincing and probably mere fillers. 'Crush' has a catchy industrial driving beat and would be good remixed by a DJ like Tiesto or Sammy. The last song 'Old' is a nice ending to this marvelous awe-inspiring effort. It is also filled with some meaningful lyrics about age and a ballad to oneself growing older.
  
  This album is for any Assemblage 23 fan. A must add to the collection of this impressive artist.
  
  
• Simply beautiful and so touching...
  By A3S6DRGWJLVCB2 on 2007-11-24
  I can't get enough, honestly, I can't. A23 are pure genius! I mean the always get me! Everytime they come out with a piece of gold!
  
  Just awesome, buy the MP3's or the CD, you will be happy with whatever you choose!
  
  
• A good path to take...
  By A2WL753KA9Q40V on 2008-03-11
  Tom Shear has done what many fans are afraid their favorite bands will do, and that is take a new direction. Tom's sound in Meta is headed in a different direction, but one that I find quite likable. His first albums were very digital and robotic (in a good way), but this album is much more fluid and beautiful, so to say. Definitely something to check out. A personal favorite is "Madman's Dream"
  
  

• Judgement
• As We Fall
• Fallout
• Storm
• Binary