Autotheism (album)

Last updated

Autotheism
The Faceless - Autotheism.png
Studio album by
The Faceless
ReleasedAugust 14, 2012
Recorded2012, Keene Machine Studios, North Hollywood, California
Genre
Length40:56
Label Sumerian
Producer Michael Keene [3]
The Faceless chronology
Planetary Duality
(2008)		Autotheism
(2012)		 In Becoming a Ghost
(2017)
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic (77/100) [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [2]
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Alternative Press Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Kerrang! Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Revolver Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]

Autotheism is the third studio album by American technical death metal band The Faceless. It was released on August 14, 2012, through Sumerian Records. [8] The album debuted at number 50 on the Billboard 200, [9] number 3 on the Top Hard Rock Albums, [9] number 13 on the Top Independent albums, [9] number 18 on Top Rock albums, [9] and hit number 1 on the CMJ radio loud rock chart.[ citation needed ] This is the band's only album to feature vocalist Geoffrey Ficco, rhythm guitarist Wes Hauch, and bassist Evan Brewer.

Contents

Recording and Production

The record was recorded at Keene's home studio in Los Angeles in 2012. Preproduction versions of almost every song had been previously recorded by Keene throughout 2011, along with an additional song which ultimately was not used for the record. Keene noted that this track was better suited for his solo project and that the song would eventually see the light of day under that project name. Some of the guitar tracking for the preproduction captured a natural, raw quality and ended up being used in the final album versions of the songs. Keene approached the recording of Autotheism differently than previous records. All guitar and bass was recorded direct and drums were tracked live right in Keene's living room. Keene states that 7 different guitars were used to achieve the broad array of tones heard, including his neon green Washburn WM526, a 1959 Gibson Les Paul, a Bernie Rico Jr, as well as a chambered guitar made of carbon fiber.

Evan Brewer debuted the use of fretless bass in The Faceless on two tracks on a whim of experimentation in the studio. Keene also explored a more industrial influence, creating "post-apocalyptic" percussion sequences on many of the tracks. This played a big part in giving the record its distinctly dark quality. Another key quality of Autotheism came from Keene's time spent on experimenting with string arrangements and keyboard sequencing.

The lyrics were written largely in the studio, a process that Keene and Ficco described as "grueling, but rewarding". An outline for the story of the lyrics was written, followed by the individual topics for each song. Then, Keene and Ficco worked out the lyrics and phrasing as they went along with the recording process. "The bulk of the time was spent on the writing of the lyrics and phrasing. Once that part was complete, the actual recording flew by. "Geoff is an exceptionally easy vocalist to record and produce" said Keene. Michael Keene cited Ray Kurzweil as an lyrical inspiration on the album. [10]

Vocally, the album has a much greater emphasis on Michael Keene's clean vocals than previous albums. This is shown on the album's first track, which is sung primarily by Keene.

A guest appearance by Keene's long time friend and infamous YouTube sensation Sergio "The Sexy Sax Man" Flores appears on the track "Deconsecrate". Keene's mother also contributes harmonizing background vocals on the track "Emancipate".

Theme

Keene has stated in interviews that the name "Autotheism" derives from "auto" meaning self and "theism" meaning belief in God or gods, hence autotheism means "believing in one's self", or "being your own God". The album questions antiquated belief systems that are in play in current society. As well as touching upon religion, the album touches upon growth in technology at an exponential rate, the Holographic Universe theory, and science as a new religion, or alternatively, knowledge and reason as a reigning religion. Keene said in interviews that the inspiration for the album came partly from reading a book by Ray Kurzweil called The Singularity Is Near. The album also has an underlying theme of "Age of Reason" or "Renaissance"-esque discovery and ethics traits; alternatively, "starting over" or massively rethinking the way current systems are run. The album artwork, as well as the music and lyrics, intuitively portray this atmosphere.

Track listing

Music written by Michael Keene, except where noted. [11] [12]

No.TitleLength
1."Autotheist"
  • I. "Movement I: Create"
  • II. "Movement II: Emancipate"
  • III. "Movement III: Deconsecrate"
17:43
  • 3:44
  • 7:20
  • 6:39
2."Accelerated Evolution" (Keene, Steve Jones)4:39
3."The Eidolon Reality"3:46
4."Ten Billion Years" (Wes Hauch, Keene)5:34
5."Hail Science"0:53
6."Hymn of Sanity"1:34
7."In Solitude"6:27
Total length:40:56

Personnel

The Faceless

Guest appearances

Production

Other

Related Research Articles

<i>Fun Trick Noisemaker</i> Album by The Apples in Stereo

Fun Trick Noisemaker is the debut studio album by The Apples in Stereo. It was recorded in a house in Los Angeles, in Robert Schneider's portable Pet Sounds Studio. It was released in 1995 via SpinART.

<i>Spiritual Machines</i> 2000 studio album by Our Lady Peace

Spiritual Machines is the fourth studio album by the Canadian alternative rock band Our Lady Peace, released by Columbia Records in December 2000. Although not initially intended, the project evolved into a conceptual interpretation of futurist and inventor Raymond Kurzweil's 1999 book The Age of Spiritual Machines. Short tracks of spoken dialog from Kurzweil himself are interspersed among the actual songs on the album. The Kurzweil K250 keyboard, one of his inventions, was utilized throughout the recording of the album.

Inviolet Row is an indie rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada. Formed in 2001 by Lee Scrivner, Casey Johnson, Kevin Brewer, and Abe Millet, the band released the albums Consolation Prizes (2002) and Nevertheless (2005), and continues to write new material.

<i>Coverage</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Mandy Moore

Coverage is the third studio album by American singer Mandy Moore. It was released on October 21, 2003, by Epic Records. It is a cover album with 12 covers of 1970s and 1980s songs on which Moore collaborated with producer and song writer John Fields. Coverage was the first studio album by Moore in two years, following her self-titled second studio album Mandy Moore (2001), and was preceded by its lead single "Have a Little Faith in Me", which reached number 39 on Billboard’s Mainstream Top 40.

<i>Metropolis</i> (Sister Machine Gun album) 1997 studio album by Sister Machine Gun

Metropolis is the fourth studio album by Sister Machine Gun, released on July 15, 1997 by TVT and Wax Trax! Records. The album spent more than 14 weeks on the CMJ Radio Top 200 chart, peaking at #7.

<i>IV</i> (Godsmack album) 2006 studio album by Godsmack

IV is the fourth studio album by American rock band Godsmack, released on April 25, 2006. This is Godsmack's only studio album produced by Andy Johns.

<i>Heretic Pride</i> 2008 studio album by the Mountain Goats

Heretic Pride is the eleventh studio album by the Mountain Goats, released in the UK on February 18, 2008, and in the US on February 19 by 4AD, their sixth album on the label. It is the first to feature the band's lineup of John Darnielle, Peter Hughes, and Jon Wurster. The album was produced by Scott Solter and John Vanderslice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Brewer</span> American bassist

Evan Brewer is an American musician from Nashville, Tennessee. He is the current bassist of Entheos and Fallujah and formerly played bass for The Faceless. He has also been involved in other bands such as Reflux and the last bassist to be a part of Animosity. He also released two solo albums under his own name. In 2011, he released his debut solo album titled Alone, and his second solo album, Your Itinerary, was released on July 16, 2013.

<i>Through My Dogs Eyes</i> 2009 studio album by Ephel Duath

Through My Dog's Eyes is the fourth studio album by the Italian avant-garde metal band Ephel Duath. The album's concept was conceived by guitarist and founding member Davide Tiso, in which the whole album is from the viewpoint of a dog. The album's artwork is done by Seldon Hunt, who has done artwork for bands such as Sunn O))), Isis, Neurosis, and Earth. The recording and mixing was handled by Novembre's drummer Giuseppe Orlando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Faceless</span> American technical death metal band

The Faceless are an American technical death metal band from the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles. They released their debut album, Akeldama, in November 2006, and a follow-up, Planetary Duality, in November 2008. The band's third album, Autotheism, was released on August 14, 2012. On December 1, 2017, the band released their fourth album, In Becoming a Ghost.

<i>Planetary Duality</i> 2008 studio album by The Faceless

Planetary Duality is the second studio album by American death metal band The Faceless. It was released on November 11, 2008 through Sumerian Records. It is a concept album with the lyrics following a science fiction theme of an extraterrestrial and extra-dimensional race controlling the world and is loosely inspired by the book The Children of the Matrix by David Icke. The album debuted at number 119 on the Billboard 200, selling around 5,600 copies in its first week.

<i>Omni</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Minus the Bear

Omni is the fourth full-length album from Minus the Bear, released on May 4, 2010. It is their first album to be released on Dangerbird Records and was produced by Grammy Award-winner, Joe Chiccarelli . On April 27, 2009, the band began recording without the support of a record label. On September 3, 2009, they announced on their Twitter that they were officially done recording.

<i>Intriguer</i> 2010 studio album by Crowded House

Intriguer is the sixth studio album by rock group Crowded House, released on 11 June 2010. It is the band's follow-up to the group's 2007 reunion album Time on Earth. The first single for the album, "Saturday Sun", was released to radio and the video clip released to the internet in April 2010.

<i>Id</i> (Veil of Maya album) 2010 studio album by Veil of Maya

Id is the third studio album by American metalcore band Veil of Maya. It was released through Sumerian Records on April 6, 2010. They worked with producer Michael Keene of death metal band The Faceless on this album. Keene previously worked with the band, producing their previous album The Common Man's Collapse. It is the band's only album to feature bassist Matthew C. Pantelis.

<i>New Multitudes</i> 2012 studio album by Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, and Yim Yames

New Multitudes is a Woody Guthrie tribute album performed by Jay Farrar, Will Johnson, Anders Parker, and Jim James to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Guthrie's birth, released through Rounder Records on February 28, 2012. The project was initiated by Woody's daughter Nora Guthrie to have Farrar add music to her father's lyrics—specifically, his earliest songwriting years in Los Angeles. Over the course of several years, he invited the others to collaborate and recorded at a variety of locations across the United States. Each artist wrote music to lyrics that inspired him and presented it to the collaborators for recording. The result is an album with diverse musical genres that has garnered positive reviews from critics for its varied styles and instrumentation. The quartet promoted the album with a small promotional tour that took them to record stores, radio programs, theaters, and folk festivals. The group has plans for releasing a second volume.

<i>Akeldama</i> (album) 2006 studio album by The Faceless

Akeldama is the debut studio album by technical death metal band The Faceless. It was released on November 14, 2006 through Sumerian Records. The title of the album is Aramaic for "Field of Blood". It was produced by Michael Keene.

<i>Django and Jimmie</i> 2015 studio album by Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard

Django and Jimmie is the sixth and final collaborative studio album by American country music artists Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. It was released on June 2, 2015, by Legacy Recordings. The album was Haggard's final studio album prior to his death of pneumonia in April 2016, 10 months after its release.

<i>In Becoming a Ghost</i> 2017 studio album by The Faceless

In Becoming a Ghost is the fourth studio album by The Faceless. It was released on December 1, 2017 through Sumerian Records. It is the only album with Abigail Williams' Ken Sorceron on vocals, The Zenith Passage's Justin McKinney on guitar and Chason Westmoreland, formerly of Hate Eternal, session drumming. The album debuted at #66 on the Billboard Top Current Albums chart.

<i>Solipsist</i> (album) 2016 studio album by The Zenith Passage

Solipsist is the debut studio album by Bay Area technical death metal band The Zenith Passage. It was released via Unique Leader Records on April 15, 2016. It is the band's first release for Unique Leader Records, with whom they signed in 2013. The album focuses on the concept of solipsism. The album features a guest vocal appearance by Fallujah’s Alex Hofmann, and guitar solo by Wes Hauch. The cover art was done by Ken Sarafin, who had also worked with Skinless, The Kennedy Veil, and Archspire. Per figures provided by Metal news site MetalInsider, the album sold 720 units in its first week.

<i>The Illusion of Democracy</i> 2004 studio album by Reflux

The Illusion of Democracy is the only studio album by American progressive metalcore band Reflux. It was released on October 12, 2004, through Prosthetic Records. Live music videos were released for the songs "Above the Pyramid and the Eye" and "Single File to Bliss".

References

  1. 1 2 Gregory Heaney. "Autotheism - The Faceless: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: Allmusic". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation . Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Kapper, Andrew. Autotheism review Archived January 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine About.com. Retrieved December 22, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Faceless, The – Autotheism (CD, Album) at Discogs". Discogs.com . Retrieved August 25, 2012.
  4. ↑ "Metacritic". CBS Interactive.
  5. ↑ Freeman, Phil (August 16, 2012). "Altpress review". Alternative Press . Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Kerrang Metacritic review page". Metacritic . August 11, 2013. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Review: The Faceless – Autotheism". Review: The Faceless – Autotheism. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
  8. ↑ "HOLY SHIT, THE FACELESS' AUTOTHEISM EVEN HAS A TRAILER NOW!". MetalSucks.net. July 17, 2012. Archived from the original on October 31, 2012. Retrieved July 23, 2012.
  9. 1 2 3 4 "Allmusic Autotheism charting". AllMusic . Retrieved June 3, 2013.
  10. ↑ "An NCS Interview: Michael Keene (The Faceless)". May 26, 2011.
  11. ↑ "The Faceless : Autotheism". Has it Leaked. July 6, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
  12. ↑ "The Faceless "AUTOTHEISM" +Tracklist OUT 8/14/12". July 17, 2012. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved July 30, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.