Through the Eyes
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
Through the Eyes is the first major label studio album by the rock band Flaw. It was released in 2001 on Universal Records/Republic Records.[4][5] The album debuted at #119 on the Billboard 200 chart. The songs "Only the Strong", "Payback", "Inner Strength", "Out of Whack", "Scheme", "Amendment", "Reliance", "Away", "No Time" and "One More Time" were all re-recorded from the band's previous independent releases American Arrogance, Flaw and the Drama EP. The song "My Letter" is a revised version of "Anorexia" from American Arrogance. One song from Flaw's 1998 album Flaw, "Fall Into This", was meant to be on the album, but was rejected by Universal Records.[citation needed]
The album produced two singles. "Payback" would serve as the album's lead single in the summer of 2001, backed by a music video, while "Whole" followed as a second. The opening track, "Only the Strong," was also featured in the Scorpion King soundtrack. "Payback" was also a featured song on their older material before their underground success and Nik Houpt provided the drums. "Get Up Again" was featured on the soundtracks for UFC 2009: Undisputed and xXx, respectively.
Music and lyrics
Through the Eyes features both clean singing[1] and screaming.[1][3] The album also features aggressive guitar riffs and melodic instrumentation. Songs such as "Get Up Again" and "Reliance" focus primarily on an aggressive sound while songs such as "My Letter" and "Best I Am" are softer songs. The album has been compared to bands such as Disturbed[3] and Tool.[3][4]
Through the Eyes' lyrics are about Flaw vocalist Chris Volz's life, including his childhood.[2][6][7] The song "Whole" is about the suicide of Volz's adoptive mother.[2][6][7] Volz spoke about the song "Whole" and his adoptive mother, saying "Everything in that song touches from sadness to anger to grief to blaming myself to confusion," Volz said. "I just really wanted to go as deep into it as I possibly could and still be able to come back. She was the one who got me into music. She was an operatic singer, and for me to go wholly into music has kept a part of her alive inside of me".[2]
According to Jon Wiederhorn of MTV, songs on Through the Eyes such as "Inner Strength", "Get Up Again" and "Reliance" are about trauma and frustration.[2] According to Wiederhorn, "if art could accurately imitate life's many nuances, Flaw's Through the Eyes would be one of the most powerful, traumatizing nü-metal records ever".[2] Volz spoke about the meaning of "Get Up Again", saying, "It's about never letting one thing or one circumstance get the best of you and try to turn a negative around into something positive. So, whether it was because I was adopted or my mom's suicide when I was younger or having to take my dad to court so I could take charge of my life, that song kinda stands for dealing with life's problems and never feeling sorry for yourself and actually coming out on top".[6] Volz spoke about the album's emotions and sound, saying:
"Well, I would say that it's a very diverse album in terms of musical content. I mean, we touch on a lot of different areas from a really straight-forward heavy metal sound to all kinds of different layers and textures. We all like different kinds of music and so we didn't want to make an album with one kind of sound. We wanted it to be very diverse because life is like that. There's times when you feel angry, when you feel sad, when you feel happy or even lost. We wanted to incorporate all those feelings into a sound that would actually give the industry a hard time of labeling us."[6]
Promotion and release
Two songs on Through the Eyes have music videos; the song "Payback" has a music video and the song "Whole" has a music video. The music video for "Payback" came out in the summer of 2001. Through the Eyes peaked at number 119 on the Billboard 200[8] and number 1 on the Top Heatseekers chart.[9] For several weeks, Through the Eyes sold 7,000 copies a week.[10] Through the Eyes sold at least 150,000 copies.[11] Through the Eyes' song "Only the Strong" appears on the soundtrack for the film The Scorpion King.[12] The soundtrack for The Scorpion King sold 90,000 copies in its first week of being released.[10] The soundtrack for The Scorpion King originally peaked at number 8 on the Billboard 200.[13] However, the soundtrack moved up to number 5 on the Billboard 200.[14]
Album cover
The album cover shows a 12-year-old little boy with a zippered-shut mouth who doesn't look like he's in pain, but looks like he has a lot of things to say. Flaw's lead vocalist Chris Volz says that's how he felt throughout most of his childhood.[2]
Track list
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Only the Strong" | 4:20 |
| 2. | "Payback" | 4:02 |
| 3. | "My Letter" | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Get Up Again" | 2:56 |
| 5. | "Whole" | 3:52 |
| 6. | "Amendment" | 5:20 |
| 7. | "Scheme" | 3:47 |
| 8. | "What I Have to Do" | 5:40 |
| 9. | "Inner Strength" | 3:43 |
| 10. | "Best I Am" | 4:36 |
| 11. | "Out of Whack" | 3:47 |
| 12. | "Reliance" | 3:26 |
| 13. | "One More Time (Hidden Track: Only the Strong (Piano Version) at 6:19)" | 11:08 |
| Total length: | 61:12 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "No Time" | 4:08 |
| 15. | "Away" | 3:09 |
| Total length: | 68:29 | |
Personnel
Main personnel
- Flaw – composer, primary artist
- Chris Volz – lead vocals, composer
- Jason Daunt – guitar
- Ryan Jurhs – bass, backing vocals
- Chris Ballinger – drums
- Lance Arny – guitar
Additional personnel
- David Bottrill – engineer, mixing, producer
- Phillip Broussaard – assistant engineer, assistant producer, mixing
- Sandy Brummels – creative director
- Bob Ludwig – mastering
- Clay Patrick McBridge – photography
- Justin Pynes – assistant
- Karen Walker – art direction, design
Chart positions
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard 200 | 119[8] |
| Top Heatseekers | 1[9] |
Sources
References
- ^ a b c d e Allmusic review
- ^ a b c d e f g Wiederhorn, Jon (20 May 2002). "Flaw's Metal Fueled By Singer's Tormented Upbringing". MTV. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Flaw — Through the Eyes". Andy Schwegler. Date: April 14th 2010 | Retrieved: August 27th 2015
- ^ a b "Flaw - Biography". Billboard.
- ^ "Sevendust Plans Road Race". Billboard. January 15th 2002
- ^ a b c d Don Still. "Through the Eyes of CHRIS VOLZ". Ballbusterhardmusic.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2004.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Eleanor Ditzel. "Flaw | Biography & History". Allmusic.
- ^ a b "Flaw - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved: August 27th 2015
- ^ a b Flaw | Awards | Allmusic
- ^ a b Koerner, Jason. "Louisville Rock Lowdown". Louisville Music News.
- ^ "A Bond Healed by Rock-and-Roll". The Washington Post. HighBeam Research.
- ^ Moss, Corey (January 16, 2002). "Creed, Nickelback, System Of A Down On 'Scorpion King' Soundtrack". MTV.
- ^ "Top 200 Albums (April 13, 2002)". Billboard.
- ^ "Top 200 Albums (May 4, 2002)". Billboard.