| | Full Review | Ratings (280) |
Give your Rating |
| 5.0 classic | AnimalsAsSummit | September 20th 18 |
Toby gives another masterwork. This is the best prog I've heard in a long time. Nothing showy, nothing over-the-top. Just a focus on pure aesthetic beauty and the sublime. The album is as stylish as it gets, and the use of harmonies on this takes far more complex routes than on Madonnawhore. This is light years beyond that album.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Benjamin Kuettel EMERITUS | September 15th 18 |
Toby Driver continues where his solo album from last year, Madonnawhore, left off for the most ambitious and consistently beautiful album of his solo career. Violins, guitars, and keyboards drift in and out of playing solo or layered together in a uniquely beautiful way throughout the whole album, at times recalling Part the Second by Driver's earlier band maudlin of the Well. Some moments on the first half sound faintly influenced by early Godspeed You! Black Emperor and later-day Talk Talk. The opener "Anamnesis Park" embodies what it means to be cinematic. Five minutes go by before the singing and main groove of the song even begins, but this intro is so captivating and well-made that it could've gone on even longer. The gorgeous outro of "Glyph" has a similar effect, and the song also has some of Driver's best singing. They Are the Shield is full of surprises and unique moments, being another ambitious and wholly original release that recalls '90's post-rock and maudlin of the Well while embodying the ghostly, wistful atmospheres introduced in Madonnawhore.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 4.5 superb | Bedex | February 19th 19 |
Somewhere between 4.0 and 4.5. Violin/piano based prog, which in itself makes this worth a listen. Some really cool tracks (1,3,4) but the record is slightly on the lengthy side considering its overall tone scarcely changes.
Bump |
| 5.0 classic | Nine | October 1st 18 |
Incredible. Toby manages the instruments and vocals perfectly in this album, and the ambient sections in the intro track and throughout the album set a very majestic tone. "470 Nanometers" and "The Knot" are definitely the tracks that stand out the most, but the other songs also play an integral role in the record as well. This is looking like an AOTY for me personally. Everything just sounds so masterful and compelling each time I listen to it.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | Xenophanes EMERITUS | September 26th 18 |
I love nothing more than shitting on Tony Driver. For years we have had to deal with the stuffy and ostentatious ruination of Kayo Dot, as well as the adandonment motW and it really gets me going to point all of this out. HOWEVER, this album is just lovely. It?s beautiful and evocative while being surprisingly understated (in a way we are not accustomed from Driver). Best yet, it takes everything he?s done right in the last several years while getting rid of everything he has not.
Bump |
| 3.5 great | facupm | March 25th 24 |
| 4.5 superb | cb123 | September 27th 23 |
| 4.0 excellent | ZIG | February 19th 22 |
| 4.0 excellent | raddlad | February 13th 22 |
| 3.5 great | xlev | August 5th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | MrSu | July 30th 21 |
| 4.0 excellent | Oobaloo | March 15th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | Juuso | February 7th 21 |
| 4.5 superb | CalinD | November 29th 20 |
| 3.5 great | Alex C. | November 16th 20 |
| 4.0 excellent | quorrouq | February 16th 20 |
| 3.5 great | kabster | December 18th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Photon | November 21st 19 |
| 4.5 superb | JOK | June 28th 19 |
| 3.5 great | Wolfe | April 29th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | junyi15 | March 23rd 19 |
| 3.5 great | Skoj | March 13th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Pheenix | February 8th 19 |
| 3.5 great | Macck | January 31st 19 |
| 5.0 classic | hsb | January 30th 19 |
| 4.0 excellent | Hawks | January 4th 19 |
| 3.5 great | Thibs | December 31st 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | A.R.O. STAFF | December 22nd 18 |
| 3.5 great | bbgames | December 17th 18 |
| 3.0 good | alamo | December 12th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | vakuola | December 1st 18 |
| 3.5 great | Akifexx | November 24th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Greem | November 22nd 18 |
| 4.5 superb | lennsan | November 12th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Thor | November 7th 18 |
| 2.5 average | MynisK | October 29th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | ls95 | October 21st 18 |
| 4.5 superb | rid | October 19th 18 |
| 3.5 great | psim | October 19th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Krpa | October 18th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Nisraak | October 16th 18 |
| 3.5 great | jmh886 | October 16th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | orakst | October 9th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Juanpa | October 5th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Tanuki | October 5th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Alexxx | September 30th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Lucman | September 30th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Bobshat | September 30th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Xenoflux | September 30th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | OldCrime | September 29th 18 |
| 3.5 great | gnimas | September 29th 18 |
| 3.0 good | Lalka | September 29th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | eirinn | September 28th 18 |
| 3.5 great | gilly | September 28th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Mojito | September 28th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | hpmk26 | September 27th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | hamid95 | September 27th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | progsun | September 27th 18 |
| 3.0 good | dosia | September 27th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | SgtShock | September 26th 18 |
| 3.0 good | Rmazer | September 26th 18 |
| 5.0 classic | Markst | September 26th 18 |
| 3.5 great | Spluger | September 25th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | PapiJuca | September 25th 18 |
| 2.5 average | jtswope | September 25th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | JJKeys | September 24th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | TwigTW | September 24th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Rodstar | September 24th 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Faraudo | September 24th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | OSEL | September 24th 18 |
| 3.0 good | hiryu14 | September 24th 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | tlatla | September 23rd 18 |
| 3.0 good | CGayda | September 23rd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Risodo | September 23rd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | meditant | September 23rd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Icebloom | September 23rd 18 |
| 3.5 great | willzor | September 23rd 18 |
| 3.0 good | Asura14 | September 23rd 18 |
| 5.0 classic | Solanum | September 23rd 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Veldin | September 22nd 18 |
| 3.5 great | unkle | September 22nd 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Michael | September 22nd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | NickArk | September 22nd 18 |
| 4.5 superb | Hyndez | September 22nd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | hesperus | September 22nd 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | BenJones | September 21st 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Jeejee | September 21st 18 |
| 5.0 classic | Host78 | September 21st 18 |
| 3.5 great | clavier EMERITUS | September 21st 18 |
| 5.0 classic | Wadlez | September 21st 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Elynna | September 21st 18 |
| 3.0 good | 2ool | September 21st 18 |
| 5.0 classic | Tobmast | September 21st 18 |
| 5.0 classic | bSmith | September 21st 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Lythelus | September 21st 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | doofy | September 21st 18 |
| 4.0 excellent | Djang0 | September 21st 18 |
| 4.5 superb | BeeRyan | September 20th 18 |
| |
Give Your Opinion on They Are the Shield
|
