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I was very upset to learn that Turmoil had decided to call it a day and break up. They were and are my favorite metal/hardcore crossover band, ever, and have been since the Philly 5-pieces 1999 full length, The Process Of, one of the best CD's ever recorded by anyone in my opinion. Staring Back is the band's comprehensive anthology, consisting of 38 tracks, everything they ever took to the studio. Disc one consists of three new tracks, presumably material they were working on when they called it quits, and The Process Of. Disc two is the Anchor 4 song EP, their debut album, From Bleeding Hands, and all the material from their rarities disc, The Path That We Have Paved. Ideally I would have wanted to give this a 4.5 rating. Just The Process Of alone deserves a 5, plus the fact that with this economically priced 2CD set you get everything by the band, ever. Unfortunately for long time fans this means you're essentially paying full price for a 3 song EP, which would lower it to 4.5. Not that that matters. Long time metal and hardcore fans will have heard of Turmoil by now and already know whether they want this or not. I would encourage newcomers to pick this up because its easier than tracking down the back catalog, which in my experience has been pretty hard to come by. Jon Gula is one of the best and most passionate of hardcore vocalists. His screams are infected with genuine rage and energy and don't settle into a monotone bark like so many others. His lyrics manage to be the predictable political rantings of the '90's hardcore scene but without coming across as preachy or self righteous. The songs on From Bleeding Hands are more midpaced, tending closer to hardcore, with some innovative song writing and tempo changes. The album is by turns moody and energetic, sometimes all on the same track. The Process Of, on the other hand, is violent, thick, hardhitting, metal saturated hardcore. Songs are brilliantly structured with interresting riffs and off kilter breakdowns. Every song is drenched with originality and the disc has held up under constant listening in my CD player for eight years now. Hardcore and metalcore fans will not be disappointed, except by the fact that the band no longer exists. Anchor and The Path that We Have Paved are the closest to traditional hardcore the band has to offer with thick breakdowns, a clean, empty production compliments of Steve Evetts, thick catchy riffs, simple song structures, and tons of energy. As far as the three new songs go, they are sonically heavier and structurally simpler, played at a frenzied pace. The only down note is the rediculous packaging job Abacus did, particularly the logo change, but whatever. It's not enough to keep these guys from being one of my favorite bands.Read full review
