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5 Excellent - Masterpiece. A classic.
4.5-4 Great - Almost perfect records but there's probably a lacking.
3.5 Good - Most of the record is good, but there may be some filler.
3 Average - Some good songs, some bad ones at about a half/half ratio.
2.5-2 Fair - Worth a listen, but best obtained by collectors.
1.5-1 Bad - Major problems with music, lyrics, production, etc.
0 Terrible - Waste of your life and time.

Note: Reviews are graded from 0-5, anything higher or not showing is from our old style. Scores, however, do not reveal the important features. The written review that accompanies the ratings is the best source of information regarding the music on our site. Reviewing is opinionated, not a qualitative science, so scores are personal to the reviewer and could reflect anything from being technically brilliant to gloriously cheesy fun.

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The best way to determine how much you may like certain music is to listen to it yourself.
Band
Nicodemus
Title
Vanity Is A Virtue
Type
LP/EP
Company
Sonic Age
YOR
2005
Style
Gothic/Symphonic
7/20/2006 - Review by: Anthony Burke
Nicodemus – Vanity Is A Virtue – 2005 – Sonic Age Records

Track Listing
1.Benighted
2. Next In Nocturne
3. Negative Ions
4. Pyramidion
5. A Metaphysical Theory Of Dynamics
6. Reason and Relapse
7. ...And It Becomes You
Homework time is among us again. Go to your CD collection now, any of the following bands you may have, remove them and put them in a box. Those bands like Dimmu Borgir, The Cure, Type O Negative, Depeche Mode (I know your secret, you have a guilty pleasure), King Diamond/Mercyful Fate, Dream Theatre, Theatre Of Tragedy, ah Hell, just place your entire cd collection in that box. Shake it up real hard, and then open that box and what is left?

The US based gothic act, Nicodemus, that’s what.

The act was forged in 1998 by Christopher Morris, who Created Dark Throne Music to release his project. In 2002, they jumped on board with Jeff Keller Management LLC (Black 'N Blue) and then that team went to a Greece based label, Sonic Age Records. This album features Christopher Morris - Vocals & Bass, Matthew McGee - Guitar, Andrew Greene - Drums, Kirk Wagner – Keyboards and, Dave Peters – Guitar.

From the opening riffs, any fears I had about this album went away. That was until listening to nine minutes of this Robert Smith (Vocals for The Cure) wannabe. Alternative rock popped into my head. Our next two tracks could actually be one song. Thank God they split them up. Death/black vocals mixed with progressive type music. Then comes the track that can seemingly breathe life into this corpse called "Vanity Is A Virtue". Soft vocals that are yet to become overpowering. Finally a song that does not make a person’s skin crawl. One ray of light that is overshadowed by the remaining three songs, which are simple, lack structure, organization or imagination, and are simply poorly written and preformed.

This CD has seven long songs, which are just long for the sole purpose of being long (averaging eight minutes or better). Any listener will simply get bored. Lyrically, the album fell like Saddam’s empire, and has little or no feeling in the songs. They are just bad songs on a CD. Musically, it was a clever mix of many genres in music, but like they say, less is more. My mind began wandering as we reached the seven minute mark in a lot of songs with seemingly no end in sight. Long is ok if it serves a purpose--look at the Lord of the Rings movies, they were all long but they served a purpose, and there was a goal. They weren’t just random thoughts. The fact of the matter is this, it is interesting to hear how they can combine so much, but ultimately...sorry.

Rating: Make the bad people stop!


--IcedMojo 6.16.06


  • 1 :REVIEW COUNT
    N/A :AVE RATING

ALL REVIEWS FOR: NICODEMUS
TITLE
DOR
COMPANY
REVIEWER DATE MADE RATING
Vanity Is A Virtue
2005
Sonic Age
Anthony Burke7/20/2006
-

ALL INTERVIEWS FOR: NICODEMUS
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