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II (Metz album)

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II is the second studio album by Canadian noise rock three-piece band METZ. It was released on 4 May 2015, via Sub Pop. Recording sessions took place at Basketball 4 Life, The Dream House, Candle Recording and Taurus Recording in 2014.[3] Production was handled by METZ themselves.[4]

II
Studio album by
METZ
ReleasedMay 4, 2015 (2015-05-04)
Recorded2014
Studio
  • Basketball 4 Life
  • The Dream House
  • Candle Recording
  • Taurus Recording
Genre
Length29:50
LabelSub Pop
ProducerMETZ
METZ chronology
METZ
(2012) 		II
(2015) 		Strange Peace
(2017)
Singles from II
  1. "Acetate"
    Released: February 17, 2015[1]
  2. "The Swimmer"
    Released: May 4, 2015[2]

The album was a long-listed nominee for the 2015 Polaris Music Prize.[5]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic78/100[6]
Review scores
SourceRating
Consequence of SoundB[7]
DIY     [8]
Drowned in Sound8/10[9]
Exclaim!8/10[10]
Pitchfork6.7/10[11]
PopMatters8/10[12]
Rolling Stone     [13]
Spin8/10[14]
The A.V. ClubB[15]
The Line of Best Fit8.5/10[16]

II was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 78 based on twenty-three reviews.[6]

Matthew Davies Lombardi of DIY praised the album, calling it "an advert to be a whole new generation's Sonic Youth or Nirvana and on this performance, you'd be foolish not to buy in".[8] James Appleyard of The Line of Best Fit stated: "with II, Metz have done more than enough to cement themselves as the new kings of transgressive hard rock, and that's a crown which is going to be difficult for anyone to wrestle from them".[16] Marc Burrows of Drowned in Sound called it "beautifully brutal weirdo punk".[9] Jibril Yassin of Exclaim! wrote: "it's a bleak listen, but there's something comforting about hearing three musicians playing punishing music as a complete unit, knowing there are few that could do it like them".[10] Ian King of PopMatters found the album "does find the band more often playing to their strengths than looking for ways to expand their horizons".[12] Colin Joyce of Spin wrote: "II, like the record that preceded it, is still a seasick and unyielding document of brutalist experimentation. But because the trio is willing to explore different avenues, there's more corners to get lost in".[14] Dusty Henry of Consequence of Sound resumed: "it may take a few listens to soak in all the vitriol and venom, but it's worth the effort".[7] Carl Williott of The A.V. Club wrote: "if that self-titled first outing was like picking at a scab, Metz's second effort is equivalent to ripping off a Band-Aid. Either way, it's still music to bleed to".[15] Brandon Geist of Rolling Stone wrote: "singer-guitarist Alex Edkins flirts with full-on nihilism, but there are hooks hidden in the onslaught, and Edkins' fever-pitch angst never feels less than honest".[13] Paul Thompson of Pitchfork stated: "by sticking so closely to the script laid out by their debut, II is the one thing punk rock should never be: careful".[11]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."Acetate"3:55
2."The Swimmer"2:41
3."Spit You Out"4:49
4."Zzyzx"0:34
5."I.O.U."2:52
6."Landfill"2:42
7."Nervous System"2:09
8."Wait in Line"3:16
9."Eyes Peeled"2:33
10."Kicking a Can of Worms"4:19
Total length:29:50

Personnel

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  • METZ – songwriters, producers, mixing, design
    • Alex Edkins – additional recording
    • Chris Slorach
    • Hayden Menzies
  • Graham Walsh – recording, mixing
  • Alex Bonenfant – recording
  • Calvin Hartwick – engineering assistant
  • Matthew Barnhart – mastering
  • Sasha Barr – design
  • John Edkins – photography
  • David Waldman – photography

Charts

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Chart (2015) Peak
position
UK Vinyl Albums Chart (OCC)[17] 27
UK Record Store Chart (OCC)[18] 20
UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[19] 22
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[20] 3
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[21] 13
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[22] 17
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[23] 4
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[24] 26
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[25] 8
US Vinyl Albums (Billboard)[26] 7

References

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  1. ^ Coughlan, Jamie (February 17, 2015). "METZ Stream 'Acetate', Announce Album, Tour". Overblown. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  2. ^ ""The Swimmer" (Official video)". YouTube. METZ. May 4, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  3. ^ "METZ, II". Sub Pop. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  4. ^ "METZ - Full Performance (Live on KEXP)". YouTube. KEXP. September 4, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  5. ^ "Polaris Music Prize Announces 2015 Long List". Exclaim!, 16 June 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for II - Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b Henry, Dusty (28 April 2015). "Album Review: METZ – METZ II". Consequence Of Sound. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  8. ^ a b Lombardi, Matthew Davies (3 May 2015). "Metz - II". DIY. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  9. ^ a b Burrows, Marc (5 May 2015). "Album Review: Metz - II". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  10. ^ a b Yassin, Jibril (6 May 2015). "METZ │ II". Exclaim!. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  11. ^ a b Thompson, Paul (7 May 2015). "Metz: II". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  12. ^ a b King, Ian (4 May 2015). "METZ: II, PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  13. ^ a b Geist, Brandon (18 May 2015). "Metz 'II' Album Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  14. ^ a b Joyce, Colin (5 May 2015). "Review: Post-Hardcore Stalwarts METZ Vary Their Mutilation Technique on 'II'". SPIN. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  15. ^ a b Williott, Carl (5 May 2015). "Metz enters its negative space on II". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  16. ^ a b Appleyard, James (15 April 2015). "Finding ourselves hanging on the killer hooks of Metz". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  17. ^ "Official Vinyl Albums Chart". Official Charts Company. 16 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  18. ^ "Official Record Store Chart". Official Charts Company. 16 May 2015. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Official Rock & Metal Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  20. ^ "METZ Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "METZ Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard.
  22. ^ "METZ Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard.
  23. ^ "METZ Chart History (Top Hard Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  24. ^ "METZ Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard.
  25. ^ "METZ Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "METZ Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard.
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