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An Education in Rebellion

The Union Underground - An Education in Rebellion Audio CD

A fair review of the The Union Underground "An Education in Rebellion" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Union Underground reviews here, or go back to the The Union Underground tabs.

Band: The Union Underground
Title: An Education in Rebellion
Rating:

Release Date: 2000-07-18
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: ...An Education in Rebellion 2: Drivel 3: South Texas Deathride 4: Turn Me on "Mr. Deadman" 5: Until You Crack 6: Killing the Fly 7: Natural High 8: Revolution Man 9: Trip With Jesus 10: Bitter 11: Friend Song

One of my favorite albums over time
I first bought this album sometime in middle school, [. . ] I believe. I was in the midst of a big Powerman 5000, Monster Magnet, etc. , kick, and they had come up through some recommendation. I bought it then, which was around 8 years ago, and lost it sometime in college. I recently repurchased it, and it was as excellent as I remember. It's one of the only albums I can sit down at any point in time, and listen to. It's also great music to just turn on and let play while doing other stuff. The first two tracks took a little while to get into, but tracks like Revolution Man and Bitter have always been favorites of mine. It's really unfortunate despite the rumors, that they never put out another album, as I think they would have only grown better. As is, for a first and only album, it's fantastic, and a great listen any time.

great listen over the years
the songs are short and sweet enough that the cd invites you to listen to it in its entirety. even though there was unfortunately no follow up to this album, i must say even after five years of owning it, it never got old. in this day and age, i only buy cd's from artists i really respect and i would buy this album time and time again if i had to.

A Promising Band That Never Filled It's Potential
Even though on Ozzfest they proclaimed to release a new cd and played one of the tracks on the "soon to be released" CD, that was never actually released. The Union Underground have not been heard of as much since their appearance on Ozzfest 2001. This CD was definitely good but apparently the band didn't really pursue to follow up too much, which could be due to many various reasons. It has been too long for them to expect their name to do much for them as the time in which they came out is long since gone. My personal opinion is that it is a mix of southern rock(Pantera) with a nu metal(Slipknot) edge and then a bit of an industrial(Nine Inch Nails) feel to it. It is definitely worth a listen, or even worth buying, but don't expect any strong follow up. . . ever.

One Of The Overall CDs I Own
This is one of them. Every once and awhile i find a CD that is great. I really started listening to UU at the end of 2005. I bought the cd at a local music store because it was really hard to find in other bigname stores. I was introduced to UU when i was watching Monday Night Raw, A wrestling program. I heard the song and immediatly downloaded it from iTunes. Then like other band if i liek a song ill buy their cds. This is one of those CDS that is purly excellent. You know. . . . the cds when u fall in love with EVERY DAM SONG ON IT!
I only know of a few other cds in my eye that has only good songs.

Nevermind-Nirvana
Americana-Offspring
Every Six Seconds-Saliva
Sinner and Desensitized-Drowning Pool

My Favorite songs on this cd are "Revolution Man" (download the video off iTunes it rocks)"Trip With Jesus", my favorite song on the CD, and "South Texas Deathride". (i reconmend get "Ozzfest 2001 2nd Millenium" and "Live. . . One Nation Underground" to hear great live versions of the song.

Incredible Sound!
It's been a strange year for me, as far as my tastes in music. This is one of the best "old" albums I've bought in quite some time. I've been continually frustrated with the selection in music stores, and I am growing EXCEPTIONALLY upset with the radio cuts of what they consider "good" rock. Therefore, I've been scanning Amazon's collection and looking for ANYTHING that MIGHT be good between 1989 - 1997.

I got REALLY lucky when I ran across this band.

I can compare them to so many other bands, but they only seem to adopt certain qualities from each, so in a sense, they're a hybrid of originality. Take the frontman's voice. It reminds me at most times of Layne Staley (RIP), but at other times, it borders a Manson-esque/Rob Zombie feel. The guitars are tight, and while the riffs aren't necessarily all original, the twist of electronica gives each song a totally new appeal. The percussion section isn't anything that struck me as amazing, but this is good; it somehow meshes well within the song. (Most industrial-flavored bands-at least to me-have drums that stand out a little bit too much, making it easier to identify flaws or awkward musicianship).

What makes this album stand out is the INTENSITY each member puts into each song. I know I could be cyber-hanged for saying this, but I think they are BETTER than PM5K (whom I love, by the way). There seems to be a lot more vocal flexibility. . . the frontman ranges between creepy, growly whispers to throaty, infectious screams, to edgy anti-pop vocals (probably bad wording. . . think of Rob Zombie when he's carrying tunes instead of screaming or whispering). That's the best analogy I can think of at the moment.

As far as I'm concerned, there's not a bad song on the album, but there ARE standouts. Obviously, the ferocity displayed in "South Texas Death Ride" and "Turn Me On, Mr. Deadman" are immediate moshpit starters. "Killing the Fly" slows down the pace just a little, until the prechorus storms in with the anthemic: "I wanna break you!. . . ". And personally, I don't care what the Amazon. com editor says. "Trip with Jesus" is THE best song on the album. Listen to it ONCE. . . LOUDLY. I guarantee you, you will find more climaxes in this song than any industrial band out there today. . . and this includes most Nine Inch Nails tracks.

Angry, bitter, fast-paced, and so much fun. I wish they had more albums out. . . I would definitely buy them.

Even if you still believe this review is questionable (and I guarantee, if you like Rob Zombie or PM5K, you'll love this stuff), it's really cheap, so what have you got to lose? Seriously. . . pick this UP!!!

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You can see a complete list of all The Union Underground discography, or go back to the The Union Underground tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.