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Songs (click on the  -icons
for a small audio-sample)
 1.
Time
2. Boobytrapped
3. The Hill
4. Answers
5. This is Not a Love Song
6. Sightseeing
7. Stolen Moment
8. Next To You
Songs door Decibel except n°5 lyrics : Cis de Ceulaer
Decibel =
- Zjul Lambrechts : vocals
- Annemie Tampère : backing vocals
- Liesbeth Tampère : backing, percussion
- Geert Peeters : guitars
- Bert Sleeckx : guitars
- Peter Thys : bass
- Dirk Thys : drums, vibraphone, percussion
Recorded at Studio 195, Wernhout.
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Who is Decibel ?? (band not responsable for the English mistakes)
The Belgian rockband Decibel - coming from Vorselaar, heart of the Kempen -
has evolved during the past eightteen years (!) from heavy metal to snappy rock
and pop. Especially the introduction of the backing vocals has meant a unprecedented
surplus value in this genre. At times the raw guitar noises still emerge, but
as a rule the typical hard-rock sound has been changed and modified into a compact
& unique sound. The group enjoy themselves in a diversity of musical styles,
typical of the different musical tastes of the band members. A true musial odd
man out ...
The group has just done the presentation of their latest cd "Sightseeing"
and can already be proud of a huge success. The lyrics are mainly autobiographical
or critical of society. The music is calmer than on the predecessor "Nutcase",
and the score has been much better developed. And "Nutcase" is seen
by many as a milestone in the Decibel history !
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My opinion
Life can be a bitch : not only for Erwin Vervecken who fell in the last curb
in such a way that Sven Nijs could take the title of Belgian champion cyclo-crosn
today, but also for these co-locals of the rockband Decibel : if this had been
an EP or a single with "the Hill" as A-side and "Boobytrapped"
as the B-side, I would probably had written someting like "Decibel, keep
an eye on these guys". But a full-cd is clearly beyond them.
It goes to say that we found the quality of "Sightseeing" rather unequal
: after the third song the ideas somehow seem to have been exhausted, and what
follows are a series of rather boring songs until the hole in the middle. The
(absent) production also could've been better, since the groupsound lacks dynamism.
But "the Hill" is a great song, held-back and with a good combination
of lyrics and music.
The singer of Decibel sounds like a crossing between Fish (of Marillion etc) and
John Watts (of Fisher Z etc). The electrical guitars have worn out their short
pants in Hard-rock Elementary, and the acoustic guitars went to Folk High. The
girls in the backing apparently are new in the band, but you can't tell that from
opener "Time", since they sound just like Fairport Convention in that
one.
With a bit of good will, I could call this self-produced album the "best
of the millennium ... so far" (as it is the first one i'm reviewing in the
new year), but sadly .. it dates from the last one, and that's a title they don't
deserve.
Your opinion
Damiaan from Brussels wrote : "I got to listen to this cd by accident,
and I was completely surprised. In a positive sense, that is. The songs are perhaps
a bit too nice, too polished, but I have seen them live since, and that was no
junk ... My verdict : recommended"
Ivan Verbeeck schreef
: "of course I have an opinion about this cd, I am the ex-drummer of Decibel.
You're doing the band injustice by only speaking about their latest CD Sightseeing
in your review. You should look at the evolution the group has gone through, before
making judgement. Decibel has been active for years, with ups and downs. Years
ago they already played in Germany, opened for Dutch hardrockband Vengeance, were
in the final of the Flanders Rock Concours etc... The first studio-takes date
back to 1986 and the demo "The Game", followed in 1989 by "Lost...
in a man's mind". A few years ago the first cd "Nutcase" followed,
and now there's "Sightseeing".
Anyhow, the group has been progressing over the years, and it still gives me pain
in the heart to visit a gig or a rehearsal of them, because I've left the group
for reasons of study.
Maybe Sightseeing is a bit too kind (I personally prefer harder music), but both
music and lyrics are well-thought over and prove that this group houses a great
deal of talent.
And it musn't be forgotten that this is a band that does it all as a hobby, without
professional or financial support.
I'm sure that, given the right record firm and management, the success of dEUS
would seem like a minor thing"
And your opinion?
Did I get it all wrong, or was I spot-on ? Do you want to share your opinion about
this cd ? Send it in, and I'll put it up here !
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