Album Notes

NEW CD IS NOW AVAILABLE!!

The EP from my new doom metal project, IRONIC PUNISHMENT DIVISION is now available on CDBABY.COM.Buy it along with this album today!

Check out the website for details...
WWW.NEILHESS.COM

Although I'm probably best known for my role as the singer from Cleveland's END ON NINE, "Animosity" is my first official solo effort, and I can honestly say I've put more work into this album than anything I've ever done in my life. Every note and every word on every song is me, and I am especially pleased with the production on these recordings. I listen to many different styles, and therefore I write in many different styles. So, if you're looking for an album where every song sounds exactly the same, you're probably better off buying anything by AC/DC. If your looking for something that draws on everything from metal, industrial, to even ambient sounds - yet still manages to keep a common dynamic - give this a listen.
Some quick liner notes.....

"Dirtnap" - Definitely one of my favorites. I like the groove a lot, and the chorus harmonies definitely have an OZZY sound to them.

"Doctor K." - Lyrically, it's one of my best songs, it tackles a subject in which both sides present very strong arguments. The drums kinda remind me of FEAR FACTORY.

"Solace" - A straighforward heavy song with some cool voices and a cool double-bass groove. Kind of a long song, and I particularly like the acoustic part in the middle.

"Of Haves and Have Nots" - This rockin tune uses D tuning on the guitars, a sound made popular by bands such as SOUNDGARDEN and BLACK SABBATH. It's a statement against the depths people sink to for personal gain while blaming their actions on social injustices.The first 2 verses were inspired by Cincinatti riots. The last verse is dedicated to Darryl Worley and the countless others that have jumped on that bandwagon to make a buck. Sorry country fans, I call 'em like I see 'em.

"Separate Ways" - Probably the best vocal performance of my career. I've always liked this song, and this version just totally turns it inside out,industrializing it. The brick wall style compression especially during the chorus, helped give it the mechanical sound I was looking for. Much like what MANSON did with "Sweet Dreams" or DISTURBED did with "Shout". Big ups to Journey's publisher for granting me permission to do it.

"Animosity In Human Form" - This song is a perfect balance of the metal and industrial styles. I've noticed a disturbing trend - everytime a girlfriend and I break up, they go on to have a much better life. It can make a person really self conscious.

"Population Control" - This is likely the heaviest song on the album. The machine gun style double bass drums at the end will rattle the fillings right out of your teeth. The state of Oregon admitted that as recently as 1983 it had participated in a eugenics program that forcibly sterilized people that the government deemed unworthy of being able to reproduce (the homeless, the mentally ill, the retarded, and in one instance - a man who had a habit of not paying his bills on time). Hmmmm, sounds a lot like a plan another psycho once had...

"Fever Dream" - A psycho-delic instrumental that makes use of the coolest guitar effect in the arsenal. Best enjoyed through a set of headphones since the stereo keyboard effects mess with the small minded, which is probably why I enjoy it so much.

"Your Sunrise is my Sunset" - This song is entirely different from anything else on the album. It's the only mellow track on the disc, it has sort of a PINK FLOYD feel to it. It reminds me of something you'd hear on a movie soundtrack. The lyrics came to me a long time ago while I was working a crappy third-shift warehouse job. While everyone else slept, I worked and vice versa.I was a little apprehensive about including something this laid back on an otherwise heavy album, but 2 things led me to do so....
1) I figured I would rather give you - the listener - 10 songs to make your own mind up about rather than 9 with me making up your mind for you.
2) Chicks dig the tune!

"Between the Lies" - This song has a real epic kinda FAITH NO MORE vibe to it with the dominant keyboards, and the dramatic ending. It's one of the longer songs on the album and has a definite gothic undertone to it. It's actually more like three separate songs rolled into one.All in all, it's the perfect ending to the album. Lyrically, I decided to slam the circus that our mainstream media has become lately. I find it disgusting that they've managed to take something like war and turn it into the latest reality TV craze like it was Joe Millionaire. Well, it's not. The participants are not actors. They are real people just like you and me and there are real American families with relatives in harms way. It trivializes the very real danger that the men and women in our armed forces face.

****I CONSIDER THIS DISC TO BE MY FINEST WORK TO DATE, BUT THEN AGAIN WHAT ARTIST DOESN'T SAY THAT? GIVE IT A LISTEN & JUDGE FOR YOURSELF.I SPENT MORE ON PRODUCING THIS ALBUM THAN I SPENT ON MY LAST CAR! THE PACKAGING AND ARTWORK/PHOTOGRAPY BOTH INSIDE & OUT ARE REALLY COOL TOO AND OF COURSE, FULL LYRIC SHEETS ARE INCLUDED IN THE BOOKLET. HOPEFULLY, YOU'LL LIKE WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER, AND IF SO PLEASE BUY A COPY AND GIVE SOME VALIDATION TO MY OTHERWISE MEANINGLESS EXISTENCE!!****