Finger Eleven - Greyest of Blue Skies

 rock amania
This album was amazing in 2001 after hearing first time and drag you down on dbz lord slug and stay and drown on dbz coolers revenge i was like wow i have to get this album and i did it was strong and passionite this album is tottally worth it it was great. April 4, 2008

 Amazing from start to finish
THis album blew me away really. I bought this cd, because i previously owned Tip the first album, which i was not really impressed, but thought it had 3 good songs, then i heard the new single, Suffocate off the the Scream 3 soundtrack and could not wait for cd to drop. I was hoping for lots of songs like suffocate, but was blown away by the emotional highs and lows of all these songs. THey make you think about life and stuff. At first, i was like, "man this cd was kind of a let down", but when i got to the song Broken Words i was like wow man this cd is worth evry penny. THis cd is so different, and well written. They seemed to experiment more and let the music evolve. I was very impressed with the remake of Depeche Mode's WALKING IN MY SHOES!!! I have ended up liking the F11 version more. Other great tracks on here are: FAmous, Bones+Joints, Sick of it All, Drag you down, and Stay and Drown. THis album is one of the best albums of 2000, top 25, very underrated!!!!!! February 3, 2008

 The album they were meant to create...
For any fan of the Canadian band Finger Eleven `Greyest of Blue Skies' was a real eye opener to the greatness they really had become. Sadly they strayed from a few of the key elements that made this album so spectacular on their more recent efforts, but I have faith that they will regain their greatness soon enough. I've been a fan of the band since they dropped their debut `Tip', a fantastic album in itself, but when I purchased `Greyest of Blue Skies' I was utterly blown away by the growth and maturity they showed on this sophomore effort. It's such a beautiful thing to watch a band you admire morph into a band you can really respect. That is what happened with `Greyest of Blue Skies'; Finger Eleven morphed into the band every fan knew they would eventually become.

The first track I heard from this album was `Suffocate' which was very different from anything you'd hear on `Tip' and it's actually very different from the rest of the album as well. The electronic sounds in the backdrop help separate the track from the rest of the pact. It's a great song to introduce the rest of the world to what Finger Eleven has become. The first official single off the album shows us a very different side of the band, a harsher and more brutally directed side. `Drag You Down' starts with some delicately plucked guitar strings and some rolling drumming until it explodes into their heaviest track to date. The band had admitted to allowing early KoRn albums to influence the direction of this album and you can see that in this track, but thankfully it's really this track and this track alone that carries that similarity. I personally love this song, but I'm glad that they became their own band and not KoRn copycats.

`For the Ocean' is probably the most familiar sounding track on the album. It reminds me of songs like `Above' from `Tip'. It's definitely their most commercially acceptable track. `First Time' opens the album on an amazingly brilliant front and really is the best way to describe Finger Eleven's newfound sound for the best elements of this track can be found interwoven throughout their finest tracks on this album. Soft and subtle verses with catchy and explosive chorus lines help create a brilliant album from start to finish. `Sick of it All' follows in this vein as well, delivering for us a delicate and memorable track about being used and wasted and cast aside. Speaking of delicate, `Broken Words' beautifully elevates the album with its tender almost brittle verses that tickle the ears and seep into the heart. The bridge to this track is expertly crafted and proves to be one of the most impressive components to this entire album. `Famous' opens with Scott's voice pressing heavy on the listener (he truly has a great voice) and then unfolds much like the previously mentioned tracks, the chorus especially crushing down on us.

The most unique track here is probably `Carousel'. I actually hated the song the first time I heard it but as the years have passed and the album has replayed itself in my head time and time again I've grown, not to tolerate, but to love this song. `Bones + Joints' lacks a little of the spark that makes the remaining tracks so brilliant, but it's not a bad track in the least. Their cover of Depeche Mode's `Walking in My Shoes' is sincere and executed well enough, but it's the closing track `Stay and Drown' that may very well leave the most lasting impression. It's perfectly done, lyrically, musically; just everything about it is beautiful. The chorus just gives me chills it's so powerful.

If you're new to the Finger Eleven fan base then this is the album you want to start with. If you're a long standing fan of the band then undoubtedly you already have embraced this album as the definitive moment in their career that it really is. An album that is just about perfection itself, `Greyest of Blue Skies' will not disappoint. It's strong, heartfelt and mature, something that always makes for a memorable and exciting musical journey. October 12, 2007

 The bluest skies you'll find
I've been a fan of Finger Eleven since I heard 'Tip' and I have to say that this is there finest album to date. I love 'Tip' as well as there latest self titled release but it's this album that really made me a fan. With the opening track "THE FIRST TIME" Finger Eleven show you they are here to stay, with Scotts haunting vocals and Rick and James burning up the guitars they present a smashing opener to their gloomiest yet most refreshing album yet. The second track "DRAG YOU DOWN" shows their heavy KoRn influence (I'm not saying they sound like KoRn but in interview Scott said that they were listening to a lot of KoRn during the recording of this album and it shows here)...I'm impressed with Rich's drumming here. "MY CAROUSEL" is the strangest song here and honestly I was not a fan upon the first listen through. The great thing about this album is that each song brings something different to the table and so when you look at it that way this is not too bad of a song selection. "SICK OF IT ALL" is a sad depressing look at drug addiction and it really shines on this album as one of the best here. The lyrics are haunting as is the riffs and the multiple voices over the bridge. "FOR THE OCEAN" was the second single and one of the more commercial songs on the album. "BROKEN WORDS" is softer and more delicate than any of the other songs here and it sounds almost like it could break at any minute...I know that may sound weird, but when you listen you'll understand. "SUFFOCATE" is a great track, very different with neat guitar work here by James. "BONES + JOINTS" as well as the Depeche Mode cover "WALKING IN MY SHOES" have a much different vibe to them and somewhat leave me a little wanting...they just don't satisfy me as so if I skip any tracks, these would be them. "FAMOUS" is just brilliant. Lyrically speacking of the downfalls to fame they shed a light on the fact that we are all human. Beautiful. This brings us to the most amazing Finger Eleven song to date, there closer "STAY AND DROWN" which is the most titilating beautiful love song, anti-love song, I have ever heard. With lyrics that cut to the soul of you I'm sure you will agree this is the best possible way to close this amazing piece of art! February 11, 2006

 F11's best to date
This album is without a doubt Finger Eleven's best studio album. I am a pretty hardcore fan of their's. I own all 3 albums, plus their album before they were called F11. And after all that music, I feel this album is their best work.

First off the album carries a feel and story that the other CDs just don't offer as well. The title, Greyest of Blue Skies, holds up well here as the album is very dark and depressing if you take the time to decypher some of the cryptic lyrics. I say cryptic because F11 has some pretty out of place lyrics at time. But its all good because the music is always good.

Its hard to pick standout tracks because honestly this is some of the best rock you'll ever hear. Do yourself a favor and get this album. October 12, 2005

More reviews at Amazon.com ...