July 2004 - ME  (Germany)
Interview & Advert & 'the Cure' review (*** stars)
the rest of the magazine coming very soon...(6/30)

(Translation) Friday, the 13th - The Cure “The Cure“

Melancholy was yesterday. Nu-Rock-producer Ross Robinson makes Robert Smith scream. The 13th studio album of The Cure is a self-centered project of Nu-Metal and Punk producer Ross Robinson (Limp Bizkit, At The Drive-In, Korn), who, as a longtime Curefan worked on Robert Smith so enduringly, that Smith agreed reluctantly on fulfilling Robinsons wish to try to do a double album. Interested in Robinsons working method, Smith (who didn´t feel the need himself to do a Cure album) gathered his musicians to work on new songs with the producer. The songs should result in a mixture of the world´s heaviest music and friendly pop – another demand of the director. After all “The Cure”, reduced on Geffen´s order, includes 12 tracks. Aside to unimportant popsongs like “Taking Off” (a kind of “Friday I´m In Love 2004”) and “The End Of The World” the album includes many gloomy songs full of pressure and drama, which is yet another proof for Robinson´s talent to create heavy moods in his musicians – not always advantageous for The Cure: As fascinating as the drumstorm (that wasn´t allowed to influence the sound that impressively since “The Hanging Garden”) might be in the beginning, in the long run, together with the no less noisy feedback guitars, it seems as annoying as a primary pupil ruining a poem by stressing every single syllable. And even if Smith has got some really great vocal-moments, he screams so often, repeats some lines so penetratingly and lets his voice climbing to the highest pitches almost lost in thought at least three times, that despite all intensity an unintended funny effect comes up. “The Cure” is an interesting but unfortunately not a magnificent chapter in the history of a band, that tries a new start after 25 years.

3 out of 6

text from -COF (thanks COF  & Martin for the translation)