
Taking a liberty
-- Tim's Favourite --
17/12/2018
Stijn Daneels

Album genres:
■ | Progressive Metal |
■ | Grunge |
■ | Zen metal |
Album artists:
■ | Jan Pauwels | Vocals, guitar |
■ | Elie De Backer | Drums |
■ | Gorik Van Droogenbroeck | Bass |
Review
written by Stijn “Metal Shredder” Daneels.
[METAL SHREDDER REPORTING]
I received
this album from my good friend Mike De Coene from Hardlife Promotion. Earlier
this year I already met Tim’s Favourite founding member Jan Pauwels during a
free cover rock and metal festival in Ninove and he also requested me to review
his band’s latest release. So, it’s about damn time for me to put this album on
the shredding table!
[THE SHREDDING BASICS]
“We, The
Willing” is the third album from Belgian zen metal band Tim’s Favourite and is
an independent release. What’s zen metal, you may ask? Well, the band
incorporates elements from 90s grunge bands like Alice In Chains but expanded
with lengthy instrumental parts and injected with soothing psychedelic elements.
And that psychedelic atmosphere is achieved in large part thanks to Jan’s
vocals. He sounds similar to the late Alice In Chains vocalist Layne Staley, so
he sings in a slow, clear and almost hypnotic voice. The songs on “We, The
Willing” also put a large emphasis on bass. The bass lines are very crisp and
audible and further add to the meditative feel. But things aren’t always that
relaxing on this album. As the album progresses, Tim’s Favourite aren’t afraid
to put their foot on the gas, increasing the pace and intensity of their riffs
and with Jan going for a slightly harsher vocal style. The opening track, “The
Capital Lie,” in particular is significantly faster and heavier compared to the
rest on the album.
Aside from
grunge, Tim’s Favourite also takes elements from progressive and thrash metal. This
is especially the case with the eight-minute epic “Galilei Was A Believer
(Discussion Closed),” that effortlessly combines traits from the likes of Tool,
Alice In Chains and Pantera together for one long but very engaging ride.
Speaking of length, most of the tracks on “We, The Willing” are over six
minutes long with no less than three of its twelve tracks going beyond the
eight minute mark, but don’t let that discourage you. Tim’s Favourite has a
variety of tricks up their sleeve to keep your attention throughout its lengthy
runtime. Sometimes they go for a heavy metal breakdown, other times they let
you sit down and relax with a good drink, but they always manage to entertain
you.
[THE SHREDDING VISION]
The album
as a whole has a socially conscious theme flowing throughout. Jan and the other
guys encourage you to leave your beliefs and prejudices behind and allow
yourself to discover the world. Free from the shackles of society, religion and
addiction. And that’s why the front cover of “We, The Willing” features a tired
and haggard version of the Statue Of Liberty looking at a helping hand in the
sky. A nice visual metaphor which shows that even the most noble and wise
beings in the world can sometimes lose their way in life.
[THE SHARPEST SHREDS & BLUNTEST BLADES]
The album’s
second track, “The Day Free Will Was Disproven,” has a main melody that reminds
me of the theme song from the James Bond film “Live And Let Die.” Yes, I’m a
huge Bond fan (BTW, Sean Connery’s the best!). Add to that some awesome guitar
solo work from Jan near the end of the song and you’ve got yourself a badass
track shaken not stirred! Another favorite of mine is the fifth track, “No
Means No.” It’s the longest and one of the most psychedelic styled songs on the
album and the gentle guitar riffs, softly pounding drum beats and drawn-out
vocals create a very dreamy atmosphere. Only to get a couple of rough awakenings
throughout the song. Like a dream, it’s a bizarre and unpredictable experience
and it made me think of the Black Sabbath classic “Planet Caravan.”
Worst song
on the album? Well, the third track, “Darlings We Probably Should Have Killed
But Didn’t Have The Guts To Do So,” is an instrumental that may seem very long
given the song’s title but actually is just a 2:30 min. track, the shortest
tune on the album. It has some sweet riffs but the song’s pretty misplaced on
the album. It would’ve fitted perfectly as an intro or outro track rather than
sandwiching it between two six-minute tracks.
[THE SHREDDER’S SCORECARD]
8 Liberty
Statues out of 10. Tim’s Favourite’s third album is a lengthy but thoroughly enjoyable
album to get through. The band’s self-proclaimed zen metal is a combination of
grunge, progressive and psychedelic rock flavored with occasional heavy metal
riffs and thought-provoking lyrics. “We, The Willing” is an experimental yet familiar
sounding album that I can well-recommend to fans of Tool and Alice In Chains as
well as everyone else looking for some excellent “thinking man’s” rock music.
Here’s the album’s official teaser.