Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Let the heat kick in, for The One Hundred have encountered Chaos + Bliss in the air and in the mind set of those politicians, those seeking power who are willing to cause it in the name of advancement and arguably profit.
Chaos though, in the hands of the oppressed and the put down is the anger in which the ordinary person can fight back and bliss is the welcome relief in which the heart can feel the irregular beat of tyranny, dissolve and the torment pass. Two sides of the same coin but one steeped in the rhythm of subjugation, the other the easing of domination by rhyme and reason; let the heat kick in because The One Hundred have got it sussed.
Chaos + Bliss is extravagant, not in the way of monetary value, but in terms of the expression laid down by Jacob Field, Tim Hider, Phil Kneller and Joe Balchin throughout this monster of an album, the high velocity of Mr. Field’s vocals, like a repeating blow delivered by a seasoned boxer taking on all comers in a ring with the chance to win a couple of hundred quid, the blows are remorseless, they hit home with nothing held back and whilst the punches are clean, they also hold animosity to the subjects covered.
The mix between Rock/Electonica and social comment isn’t perhaps unusual, many bands have steered away from the so called staple of the anthemic and Progressive, yet for The One Hundred it feels as if the tracks are markers of the strategic, they are mountains in which the signals are hoisted high and for all in the valley to recognise and see clearly, this is the intended message, this is the sense of the youth taking back what has always been denied them, trust.
In tracks such as Monster, Boomtown, Who Are We Now, Feast, Blackjack, and Disengage, the mood is one of buoyant anger, of charming resentment and patience; this is the sense of outrage when heard up close and it is terribly exciting.
The One Hundred have scored a direct hit with Chaos + Bliss, one of passion and fury and it is to be recommended fully.
Ian D. Hall