Misguided | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 21, 1995 [1] August 19, 2016 (remaster) | |||
Recorded | Circle Studio, New York City Moonsong Studio, Riverside, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 65:40 | |||
Label | R.E.X. Records FiXT Music (remaster) | |||
Producer | Celldweller | |||
Argyle Park chronology | ||||
| ||||
Circle of Dust chronology | ||||
|
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Cross Rhythms | [2] |
Matt Morrow | [3] |
The Phantom Tollbooth | [4] |
Misguided is Argyle Park's only album under that name. The album was released in 1995 by R.E.X. Records into the Christian rock market,and sits alongside other early 90s work by Circle of Dust and Mortal as being instrumental in introducing industrial music to the Christian music scene. The album was nominated for Best Metal/Hard Rock Album at the 27th Annual GMA Dove Awards in 1996. [5]
Misguided is a diverse album that combines elements such as techno,metal guitar,ragtime piano,horns,samples,and dark vocals. Members cited influences such as Portishead and jazz being responsible for the experimentation on the album. [6] It also features a wide variety of guest appearances by other alternative Christian bands and mainstream industrial bands of the mid 90s. The lyrics generally center around themes of betrayal,bitterness,and emotional pain,with band members and associates at various times hinting that the album was acting as catharsis for a child abuse situation at the church they all attended while growing up. [6] [7] [8] The resultant thematic darkness of the album caused its reception to be mixed,with many Christian listeners protesting the lack of positive content,even going so far as to call it "anti-Christian". [6] R.E.X. themselves attempted to censor the band before the album's release,deeming the outro verse of the song "Doomsayer" as being too controversial and cutting it from the song. The band,however,inserted the cut snippet onto the end of the album master tape before R.E.X. noticed and the outro now appears as a hidden track at the very end of the CD.[ citation needed ] The controversy and backlash caused the band members to shut Argyle Park down two years after conception. [9]
Tommy Victor of Prong wrote the main riff for the song "Doomsayer",and later used this same riff in the Prong song "Controller". [8] Originally released on R.E.X. Records,the album was re-issued as a limited run in 2005 by Retroactive Records with bonus tracks,additional booklet information,and enhanced ROM material on the disc. [4]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Guest artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Refuge" | Buka | Argyle Park | J. G. Thirlwell | 1:13 |
2. | "Headscrew" | Dred, Deathwish, King Salomon, Buka | Argyle Park | Christy Sweet, Celldweller, King Salomon, Klank | 4:57 |
3. | "Agony" | Celldweller | Argyle Park | Gyro, Dirk Lemmenes, Jeff Bellew, Ted Cookerly, Alabama King Fish | 5:15 |
4. | "Futile" | Argyle Park | Keith Corp | 1:41 | |
5. | "Scarred for Life" | Dred, Celldweller | Dred | 4:18 | |
6. | "A Burden's Folly" | Buka | Buka, Deathwish, Dred, Celldweller | 2:29 | |
7. | "Circle" | Deathwish | Deathwish | Christy Sweet | 3:04 |
8. | "Leave Me Alone" | Dred, Lauren Boquette | Argyle Park | Lauren Boquette, Marco Forcone, Alabama King Fish | 5:31 |
9. | "Violent" | Deathwish, Dred | Deathwish, Dred | Evol Eye Jeni, Celldweller | 4:29 |
10. | "Diesel" | Argyle Park | 1:02 | ||
11. | "Gutterboy (I Am I Am)" | Buka, Dred | Dred | Jeff Bellew, Dirk Lemmenes, King Salomon | 4:00 |
12. | "Og" | Og | Og | 1:19 | |
13. | "Misanthrope" | Buka, Dred | 4:37 | ||
14. | "Skin Shed" | Dred, Celldweller, Tommy Victor | Deathwish, Dred | Tommy Victor, Celldweller | 2:19 |
15. | "Skin Shed" | Dred, Celldweller, Tommy Victor | Deathwish, Dred | Tommy Victor, Celldweller | 2:28 |
16. | "Skin Shed" | Dred, Celldweller, Tommy Victor | Deathwish, Dred | Tommy Victor, Celldweller | 2:47 |
17. | "Doomsayer" | King Salomon, Buka | Argyle Park, Tommy Victor | King Salomon, Tommy Victor | 4:23 |
18. | "Uffern" | Deathwish | 4:51 | ||
26. | "[Untitled]" | 1:58 | |||
29. | "[Untitled]" | 1:47 | |||
34. | "[Untitled]" | 0:59 |
Note: Following track 18, there are 3 hidden tracks and 13 silent tracks. The final hidden track, Track 34, is a spoken word piece intended as the true ending to the song "Doomsayer".
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Refuge" (feat. JG Thirlwell) | 1:13 |
2. | "Headscrew" (feat. Klank & Mark Salomon) | 4:57 |
3. | "Agony" (feat. Jyro) | 5:14 |
4. | "Futile" | 1:40 |
5. | "Scarred for Life" (feat. Celldweller) | 4:17 |
6. | "A Burden's Folly" | 2:28 |
7. | "Circle" (Redux) | 3:22 |
8. | "Leave Me Alone" (feat. Drown) | 5:31 |
9. | "Violent" (feat. Circle of Dust) | 4:34 |
10. | "Diesel" | 1:02 |
11. | "Gutterboy" (feat. Chatterbox) | 4:04 |
12. | "og" | 1:11 |
13. | "Misanthrope" | 4:44 |
14. | "Skin Shed" (feat. Circle of Dust & Tommy Victor) | 7:36 |
15. | "Doomsayer" (feat. Mark Salomon & Tommy Victor) | 4:23 |
16. | "Uffern" | 4:44 |
Total length: | 01:01:00 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Fanny Pack" (feat. Blue Stahli & Mark Salomon) | 3:55 |
2. | "The Communist Masters of Deceit" | 5:14 |
3. | "Lonely" (Stryper cover) | 5:08 |
4. | "Fanny Pack vs Doomsayer" (feat. Blue Stahli & Mark Salomon) | 3:37 |
5. | "og's Revenge" | 1:31 |
6. | "Leave Me Alone" (Klayton Vocal Demo) | 5:28 |
7. | "Violent" (Demo) | 4:28 |
8. | "Resurrection of the Ravens" (1992 4-Track Cassette Demo; feat. Circle of Dust & lvl) | 4:17 |
9. | "The Conversation" | 1:38 |
10. | "A Burden's Folly" (Instrumental Demo) | 2:28 |
11. | "Diesel" (Instrumental Demo) | 0:56 |
12. | "Leave Me Alone" (Instrumental Demo) | 5:50 |
13. | "Skin Shed" (Instrumental Demo) | 6:57 |
14. | "Doomsayer" (Instrumental Demo) | 3:45 |
15. | "Once Great Leaders" | 0:59 |
Total length: | 55:50 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Refuge" (Acapella) | 0:58 |
2. | "Fanny Pack" (Instrumental) | 3:54 |
3. | "The Communist Masters of Deceit" (Instrumental) | 5:14 |
4. | "Headscrew" (Instrumental) | 4:57 |
5. | "Agony" (Instrumental) | 5:15 |
6. | "Scarred for Life" (Instrumental) | 4:17 |
7. | "Circle" (Redux; instrumental) | 3:23 |
8. | "Gutterboy" (Instrumental) | 4:05 |
9. | "Doomsayer" (No Guitar or Bass) | 3:57 |
10. | "Agony" (Instrumental - No Guitar) | 5:16 |
11. | "Scarred for Life" (Instrumental - No Guitar) | 4:17 |
Total length: | 45:13 |
There were only four pressings of the album on vinyl (technically acetates), all of which were given to members of the band. One of these acetates was eventually purchased by a fan, who confirmed on the (now-defunct) FiXT Forums that the vinyl edition of the album contains a bonus track, named "Babylon", which is not on the CD version of Misguided. This same song ended up being included on Klay Scott's 1998 Circle of Dust album Disengage , and presumably would have been one of the songs included on Buka's Backwoods Records compilation.
Label | Date | Format | Catalog | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
R.E.X. Music | 1994 | compact disc | REX 410172-2 | |
R.E.X. Music | 1995 | stereo LP acetate | REX 46013-1 | Only four (white label) copies pressed for the band |
R.E.X. Music | 1995 | compact disc | Repressed for R.E.X.'s new distribution deal | |
Retroactive Records | 2004 | compact disc | RAR7787 | Enhanced disc with text notes and images |
FiXT Music | 2016 | compact disc and digital download | 3-CD deluxe edition with remastered mix and many bonus tracks (remastered b-sides, instrumentals, and early demos) |
Most of the contributors to Misguided appeared under aliases or alternate spellings of their commonly known names. Their real identities, if known, are listed here.
Rude Awakening is the fifth studio album by American metal band Prong. It is an enhanced CD but was also released as a special limited edition on 12" red vinyl. The album was reissued in 2008 as a digipak version, featuring four remixes of the "Rude Awakening" single and a new booklet.
James George Thirlwell, styled as JG Thirlwell and also known as Clint Ruin, Frank Want, and Foetus, among other pseudonyms, is an Australian musician, composer, and record producer known for juxtaposing a variety of different musical styles.
Circle of Dust is an industrial music project from New York City created by Klayton, who later became known as Celldweller. The project was active as a band from 1988 to 1998 and then re-started in 2015 after Klayton gained back ownership of his old albums. The project has released five studio albums: Circle of Dust (1992), Brainchild (1994), a re-recording of Circle of Dust (1995), Disengage (1998), and Machines of Our Disgrace (2016).
Stavesacre are an American rock band from Huntington Beach, California formed in 1995. The band is composed of vocalist Mark Salomon, guitarists Jeff Bellew and Ryan Dennee, bassist Dirk Lemmenes and drummer Sam West.
Steroid Maximus is a musical project led by Australian composer J.G. Thirlwell. Mostly instrumental music, Steroid Maximus contains elements of jazz, big band, avant-garde, soundtrack and exotica styles.
Flow is a Foetus album released in 2001. It is also seen as a return to form for Foetus. The album was remixed as Blow.
Thomas Michael Victor is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the lead singer and guitarist for heavy metal band Prong, which he founded in New York City in 1986, as well as the guitarist for heavy metal band Danzig intermittently since 1996 and full-time since 2008.
Klayton Albert is an American multi-instrumentalist from New York City who currently resides in Los Angeles, California. He has led several electronic bands and has performed under a variety of stage names since the early 1990s. His current projects are Celldweller, Scandroid, Circle of Dust and FreqGen.
Argyle Park was an underground industrial rock supergroup founded in New York City in 1994 and active until 1996. Members of the group reformed under the name AP2 in 1998, and were active under that name until winter 2000. Signed to Christian music labels, the band suffered repeated controversies within the Christian music scene for not being positive and evangelistic enough in its lyrics and outlook as well as for including contributions from non-Christian musicians. The project was named after an actual park in Babylon, Long Island, where the members of Argyle Park grew up together.
Suspension of Disbelief is the lone release by American supergroup AP2, put out by Tooth & Nail Records in 2000. AP2 was a "sequel" to the band Argyle Park, who released their only album Misguided in 1994. Argyle Park consisted of Buka and Klayton, while AP2 featured primary players Buka and Level, with Klayton producing the record. In the winter of 2000, Tooth & Nail cut AP2 due to the low sales of this album. Since Buka had only wanted AP2 to release albums for Tooth & Nail, AP2 ended as a band after Tooth & Nail dropped them.
R.E.X. Records, also known as R.E.X. Music, was an independent record label founded by Doug Mann and Gavin Morkel, which operated from 1987 until running into financial difficulty in 1995. Operations were based in Chicago until 1990 when the company moved to Nashville. The label was artistic in nature, and though they were especially active in the Christian metal genre some acts were also marketed to mainstream audiences. Sublabels included Storyville Records and Street Level Records, founded by Randy Stonehill.
Mark Salomon is an American singer best known as the lead singer of the hard rock bands Stavesacre and the Crucified. Other bands in which he has been a key member include the punk rock Outer Circle and rap-oriented Native Son and Neon Horse. In both Stavesacre and the Crucified, he served as primary lyricist as well.
Mortal was a Christian industrial/dance band fronted by Jerome Fontamillas and Jyro Xhan. Both members went on to found the alternative rock group Fold Zandura, and for a time were members of both bands simultaneously. The band is known for its lyrical intelligence, incorporating advanced theology with what has been billed as "Industrial Praise and Worship." According to CCM Magazine "Mortal has had a much greater influence... on industrial music than its modest output would suggest."
American heavy metal band Pantera released a series of EPs for the song "Walk" in 1993.
LVL is both the solo music project and personal moniker for New York City musician Dan Albert. Formerly called Level, he changed his stage name to avoid confusion with others with the same name. His musical output ranges from fast-paced industrial metal to mellow electronica. Albert is the younger brother of musician Klayton.
Brainchild is the second studio album by the industrial metal band Circle of Dust, released in 1994 through R.E.X. Music and re-released as a remaster in 2016 through FiXT Music.
Disengage is the fourth studio album by American industrial rock band Circle of Dust, released in 1998, two years after the band was put on hiatus. This is their final piece of material before resurfacing in 2016.
Limb is a Foetus compilation album, released on May 15, 2009 by Ectopic Ents. Limb collects out-of-print and previously unreleased instrumental tracks from the early days of Foetus. Limb is packaged with a DVD featuring Clément Tuffreau's NYC Foetus documentary about Thirlwell's life in New York City, along with several live performances of Thirlwell's ensembles and commissioned music.
Chatterbox also styled as CHATTERbOX was a project of the Crucified's Jeff Bellew. The project hosted many session musicians, including Stavesacre and the Crucified's Mark Salomon, and Argyle Park and Circle of Dust's Scott Albert. Bellew has also played on Argyle Park's album Misguided, along with Salomon, Dirk Lemmenes, and multiple other musicians.
Klank, also stylized as kLaNk or KLANK, is an American industrial metal band that originated out of Long Island, New York in December 1993. The project began after Daren Diolosa, the brainchild of Klank, departed from the fellow industrial band Circle of Dust. Diolosa carried the project as a solo project until around 1997, when he began performing live. Following the live performances, Pat Servedio joined as a full-time member, with Diolosa and Servedio joining as a team. The band would go through many members, eventually settling on the lineup of Diolosa, Servedio, and former Every Day Life drummer Eric Wilkins.
Jim Foetus : The guy from argyle park is one of the producers of MTV Sports which I do the voiceovers for and he asked me to do it at the end of a session and just gave me the script and I said why not?