I don't think I have ever felt as polarized about a record as I feel about Axis of Eden. I think a large part of the reason is that I really want to like it, but I just can't overcome its overbearing flaws. Today is the Day is almost inarguably one of metal's most revered and tenured metal acts (and by that I mean Steve Austin, since he basically is Today is the Day). And that lends them a lot of creative leeway with which to operate but sometimes that leniency provided to them is abused. For instance, "Free at Last," the second track on Axis of Eden, drags on like some sort of weird nü-metal dirge with basic, bland scaling accompanied by some of the most senseless drumming that would embarrass a black metal band.
But then, at the same time, what place do I have to really rail against someone as wildly influential and obviously talented and Austin and company? I know, quite explicitly, that he didn't create the record for ease of listen or for accessibility. But despite my proclivity for "difficult" music some of it is just poorly executed. Axis of Eden definitely has its spots of genius, even in its simplicity, but they are generally ruined shortly thereafter by some prosaic or annoying minute long jam on a terrible riff. "If You Want Peace Prepare for War" starts off pretty gratingly with some kind of weird Rush/Mastodon throwaway riff which is followed by an almost comically bouncy bridge with more mediocre blasting, which is inappropriately placed. The song carries on like this for a while before getting into some sort of spacey-territory with a synth...and I'm left wondering why. The previous song, "Broken Promises and Dead Dreams" was good! I wanted more of that! But the record just doesn't hold itself together.
Part of the problem, I'm hoping, is that the promo disc didn't come with any lyrics or packaging and if I could read/involved myself more with the listening experience I'd be able to be more excited about it. But in terms of solely evaluating the music, I can't say that I would recommend this to anyone but the most interested/involved Steve Austin's fans.
