Album Reviews
Movie reviews
Concert Reviews

Top 10
Resources
Contact Us

Early this year, I had the dubious distinction of reviewing an album called Commitment  by Illinois-based band The Felix Culpa.  To be polite, the disc wasn't my cup of tea.  Despite its wild claims of radically diverse influences, it quickly degenerated into a cross between formulaic emo and nu metal, settling on neither style, while adding nearly unintelligible vocals as a bonus.

In five years of writing for this website, (and another 18 years for various publications previously), it is safe to say I have never received as much vehement response to a review as this one.  All twelve of the Felix Culpa's fans were irate.  Here's a sampling of some of the vitriol I found in my mailbox:

 From troublebreathing:

Your website is a joke. You suck, and F--- Brian whateverhisname is. Regarding the Felix Culpa's review. WHAT AN IDIOT. Get rid of this guy, unless you are him, then i [sic]suggest not doing the whole review-cd's thing.
THANKS

It is unfortunate that you focus so strongly on the marketability, and the listener demographic (over/under 30), rather than on the content of the music itself.  It is almost as if you want The Felix Culpa to fit the mold the Majors promote on the Radio.  I guess you don't need a license from the state to be a music critic, and you are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I urge you to pay attention to this bands career.  They are certain [sic] to prove you wrong.

You have a right to your own opinions and conclusions - this is your review - it just doesn't speak well of your credibility to bury a truly genuine and powerful band in this manner.  It was a trite and dismissive critique and an insult to three musicians who may very well be one of the most gifted trios of their generation…

My own personal favorite came from gould_80:

i do not frequent the booth...but upon my arrival i have read what is SERIOUSLY the worst review of my entire life. this Brian A. Smith sounds like an ignorant old man with the writting skills of a 14 year old kid who doesnt pay attention in school...im not trying to be clever either...its simply the worst music reporting i have ever read. if he gets paid for this job...and you would like to replace him with anyone who knows how to review a cd just email me, i know tons better...who would probably do it for free, just as charity to site with something so hideous as Brian A. Smith's reviews. this isnt hate mail...its just that i couldnt remain quiet with something this terrible online...

I did receive one note from someone who was convinced that my review was right on the money (and no, it wasn't a relative), so the final score was Felix Culpa Fans 12, Smith Fans 1.  Of course, the band did post a link to my review and invited their fans to comment on said review, so that may have accounted for some of the outcry.

Flash forward six months.  I arrive at Cornerstone 2005.  The Felix Culpa is here.  The one claim their fans consistently made is that seeing them in concert would convince me how wrong I was.  Hey, I'm all for new music and discovering new bands ­ Cornerstone is where I first heard The Myriad, Headnoize, John Davis, and The Brindley Brothers ­ so I figured I'd give the Culpa a second chance.  It is possible (not likely) that I could have been wrong about them.

I arrived at the Decapolis New Band Showcase Stage.  This is bad omen #1: Someone paid to have this band play this week.  Bad Omen #2: The tent is maybe half full, and I am surrounded by dreadlocks, tattoos, multiple piercings, and I may be the oldest person in the tent.  This is not an uncommon occurrence for me, but the music I hear in these settings usually isn't something I care to hear again.  But still, I'm being the objective reporter here, so I press on.

One thing becomes clear to me in the six songs the Felix Culpa plays: I was wrong about one part of my review.  They are not nu metal. Occasionally, they exhibit some elements of such, but they are definitely more emo than metal.  However, they follow the emo formula to such a degree that it is impossible to distinguish the first two songs from each other.

The third song, the only one I recognize, is the one that incurred the wrath of their fanbase ­ I stated that there was a speed metal drum line almost directly lifted from Metallica's "One."  Note: I never said TFC sounds like Metallica, but that this part of one song did. Upon further review…I was right ­ it sounded exactly like "One."

The rest of the show proved that like a lot of younger bands these days, The Felix Culpa makes a common mistake: they confuse emotion and intensity (and screamed vocals) with talent.  The bass player is the only standout musically in the group. In all, seeing them in concert was a most unmemorable experience.

I left the Decapolis Stage feeling disappointed, yet vindicated. Maybe I am an old man who has reviewed too many albums (I don't think so).  Probably, though, I just ran into a buzzsaw from a loyal fanbase who didn't want to see one of their favorite bands get a bad review. I'm glad the Felix Culpa has loyal fans, their opinion of my writing notwithstanding.  I gave them two chances ­ I won't be giving them a third.

Epilogue: I walked back to the press tent after the show, and ran into a much younger writer for the Tollbooth.  He said he'd just returned from the Decapolis Stage.  I asked him what he had thought of the Felix Culpa, without bringing up any of my back story.  His reply?

"Dude, they sucked."

Brian A. Smith  9/10/2005