William Control - Hate Culture - A Review
To all who are reading this,
After a mention in my August Favourites, I decided it was high time to review more music, and there was no better way to kick off than with the first William Control album ever released - Hate Culture.
William Control is the alter ego of Aiden frontman and vocalist, Wil Francis. I followed Aiden from their early days, first being introduced to them when I read a Kerrang! article about their second studio album, Nightmare Anatomy. In 2008, Wil stepped away from Aiden, and began to make music which was darker, edgier and more sexual than anything that Aiden had ever done. With a passion for the city of London, in the United Kingdom, Hate Culture is a concept album and follows the tale of a man named William Control, as he experiences his last day on Earth before committing suicide. A charismatic, non nonsense, Gothic artist, William Control takes us on a journey like no other.
The following tracks make up Hate Culture:
1. Prologue
2. Beautiful Loser
3. Strangers
4. Hate Culture
5. Tranquilize
6. Razor's Edge
7. We Are Already Here
8. Cemetery
9. Don't Cry For Me
10. Damned
11. The Whipping Haus
12. London Town
The first and only single from the album is 'Beautiful Loser'. It is a lyrically dark song, with a synthetic, almost pop, rock undertone. Kicking off the album in true style, it showcases his vocal style and sets the premise of the concept, especially with lyrics such as, 'This is my last night on Earth, My fucking hell'. He states that he is falling deeper into the despair, and that he 'will never love again', as he begins his 'suicide mission to die'. The video released with the single is equally dark, with almost hypnotic touches - it as if we have taken drugs as the camera loses focus and regains with a practised ease to make the viewer uncomfortable. Holding a different ideal of beauty we see a variety of women in all shapes and sizes, and William himself does not seem to care about the implications smoking will have on his health. When has he ever cared though? You can check out the song here.
As a lifelong fan of Aiden, the William Control material is edgier, raw, and definitely more adult. In the Prologue, which consists of an almost retelling of the opening lines of the Johnny Depp film, The Libertine (2004), William proves who he is, not only as a person, but as an artist. It is seemingly symbolic that the lines were taken from a film about an Earl who drank and debauched his way into the history books. And the unforgettable line, "I am William Control, and I do not want you to like me..." He clearly is unafraid of people's opinions, and sets us for for honesty. Check out the quote here.
I love the album - it's something I can listen to again and again. Whilst my absolute firm favourite on the album is 'Strangers' with its erotic and powerful haunting lyrics, ('We fall, We fall in love, With strangers in the night'), there are some many songs that stand out, with William's different vocal styles. Having just missed out on his most recent UK tour, dubbed 'The Punishment Tour', where he was supported by Bad Pollyanna and AshestoAngels, I will wait. I've seen him once before, and it was a life changing experience. I can wait a little longer.
You can find the album in all good record stores, iTunes and Amazon, as well as other notable music retailers. Prices may vary.
Yours, with eternal ink,
Zoe
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Currently reading: Under Zenith by Shannen Crane Camp
After a mention in my August Favourites, I decided it was high time to review more music, and there was no better way to kick off than with the first William Control album ever released - Hate Culture.William Control is the alter ego of Aiden frontman and vocalist, Wil Francis. I followed Aiden from their early days, first being introduced to them when I read a Kerrang! article about their second studio album, Nightmare Anatomy. In 2008, Wil stepped away from Aiden, and began to make music which was darker, edgier and more sexual than anything that Aiden had ever done. With a passion for the city of London, in the United Kingdom, Hate Culture is a concept album and follows the tale of a man named William Control, as he experiences his last day on Earth before committing suicide. A charismatic, non nonsense, Gothic artist, William Control takes us on a journey like no other.
The following tracks make up Hate Culture:
1. Prologue
2. Beautiful Loser
3. Strangers
4. Hate Culture
5. Tranquilize
6. Razor's Edge
7. We Are Already Here
8. Cemetery
9. Don't Cry For Me
10. Damned
11. The Whipping Haus
12. London Town
The first and only single from the album is 'Beautiful Loser'. It is a lyrically dark song, with a synthetic, almost pop, rock undertone. Kicking off the album in true style, it showcases his vocal style and sets the premise of the concept, especially with lyrics such as, 'This is my last night on Earth, My fucking hell'. He states that he is falling deeper into the despair, and that he 'will never love again', as he begins his 'suicide mission to die'. The video released with the single is equally dark, with almost hypnotic touches - it as if we have taken drugs as the camera loses focus and regains with a practised ease to make the viewer uncomfortable. Holding a different ideal of beauty we see a variety of women in all shapes and sizes, and William himself does not seem to care about the implications smoking will have on his health. When has he ever cared though? You can check out the song here.
As a lifelong fan of Aiden, the William Control material is edgier, raw, and definitely more adult. In the Prologue, which consists of an almost retelling of the opening lines of the Johnny Depp film, The Libertine (2004), William proves who he is, not only as a person, but as an artist. It is seemingly symbolic that the lines were taken from a film about an Earl who drank and debauched his way into the history books. And the unforgettable line, "I am William Control, and I do not want you to like me..." He clearly is unafraid of people's opinions, and sets us for for honesty. Check out the quote here.
I love the album - it's something I can listen to again and again. Whilst my absolute firm favourite on the album is 'Strangers' with its erotic and powerful haunting lyrics, ('We fall, We fall in love, With strangers in the night'), there are some many songs that stand out, with William's different vocal styles. Having just missed out on his most recent UK tour, dubbed 'The Punishment Tour', where he was supported by Bad Pollyanna and AshestoAngels, I will wait. I've seen him once before, and it was a life changing experience. I can wait a little longer. You can find the album in all good record stores, iTunes and Amazon, as well as other notable music retailers. Prices may vary.
Yours, with eternal ink,
Zoe
---
Currently reading: Under Zenith by Shannen Crane Camp
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