Sometimes you come across a band that just makes you want say WTF. Such is the case with this re-release from Metal Mind Productions of the 2004 album The Other Side from Farmer Boys. What we have here is a band that wants to be metal but retains a pop sound more reminiscent of bands like Wham or Duran Duran at times and at others sounding like modern day Bowie or Eno in his industrial period. This utterly schizophrenic approach guaranties you will find much of the album a disappointment no matter what your musical taste is.
Take for instance the song "Where The Sun Never Shines". Some noise starts off and leads to some very heavy down tuned guitar and you think OK maybe they just got off to a bad start. Then lead singer Matthias Sayer comes in with this poppy/emo vocal treatment complete with harmonized background singers and an orchestral chorus that plays over a cut from the TV show Twin Peaks about the death of Laura Palmer. What starts off as a song that has promise becomes a comedy of errors.
The best moment on the disc is when they don't try to be something they are not. "In My Darkest Hour" is a gothic power ballad that really is a good example of what they could have done. I like the way that they get the dark angst filled melody right with Sayer providing just the right amount of torment to the vocals. This type of music could have kept them from spinning into oblivion but for some reason they only touch on it rarely on the album.
From the pinnacle of the disc to the depths of the wretchedness happens quickly. The song "Stay Like This Forever" comes next with its synthesizer that goes back to something from Frankie Goes To Hollywood meets Tears For Fears. I thought this type of music was just a passing phase that couldn't pass quick enough.
There are a few bright spots like the afore mentioned "In My Darkest Hour" and the title track "The Other Side" which is as heavy as it gets on here but these moments are way to few and far between to make this one worthwhile. Even the three bonus tracks on this re-release along with the video of "Stay Like This Forever" only prolong the agony. Forget this one and just move on.
Track listing:
1. For The World To Sing
2. Like Jesus Wept
3. Once And For All
4. Where The Sun Never Shines
5. Premonition
6. In My Darkest Hour
7. Stay Like This Forever
8. The Other Side
9. What A Feeling Like
10. Trail Of Tears
11. Home Is Where The Stars Are
12. Get Crucified
Bonus Tracks:
13. Requiem
14. The Day We Died
15. Immoral
16. Stay Like This Forever (Video)
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