Use Your Brain: Difference between revisions

 

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Upon its release, “Use Your Brain” was met with a positive reception, particularly in Europe. Critics lauded the album’s aggressive energy and its potent blend of metal and rap, further cementing their status as pioneers of the genre. Contemporary reviews highlighted the album’s heavy, groove-laden riffs and Tell’s incisive, rhythmic vocal delivery.

Upon its release, “Use Your Brain” was met with a positive reception, particularly in Europe. Critics lauded the album’s aggressive energy and its potent blend of metal and rap, further cementing their status as pioneers of the genre. Contemporary reviews highlighted the album’s heavy, groove-laden riffs and Tell’s incisive, rhythmic vocal delivery.

The album’s commercial performance underscored its appeal. “Use Your Brain” achieved significant chart success across the continent, continuing the momentum of their debut. The album charted in the top 10 in Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden, and also made respectable showings in Austria, Belgium, and Norway. This success propelled the band to high-profile touring opportunities, including a notable spot on Ozzy Osbourne’s Monsters of Rock festival in South America, where they shared the stage with metal giants like Megadeth and Faith No More.

The album’s commercial performance underscored its appeal. “Use Your Brain” achieved significant chart success across the continent, continuing the momentum of their debut. The album charted in the top 10 in Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden, and also made respectable showings in Austria, Belgium, and Norway. This success propelled the band to high-profile touring opportunities, including a notable spot on Ozzy Osbourne’s Monsters of Rock festival in South America, where they shared the stage with metal giants Megadeth and Faith No More.

Three singles were released from the album: “Pin Me Down,” “Do What I Say,” and “Tomorrow,” each accompanied by a music video that further amplified the band’s message and visual identity. While “Use Your Brain” did not achieve the same level of mainstream breakthrough in the United States as some of their nu-metal contemporaries, it remains a crucial and beloved album in Clawfinger’s discography, showcasing a band at the peak of their creative fury and solidifying their reputation as one of Europe’s most vital and outspoken metal acts of the 1990s. Three bonus tracks were added to a 2004 re-release.

Three singles were released from the album: “Pin Me Down,” “Do What I Say,” and “Tomorrow,” each accompanied by a music video that further amplified the band’s message and visual identity. While “Use Your Brain” did not achieve the same level of mainstream breakthrough in the United States as some of their nu-metal contemporaries, it remains a crucial and beloved album in Clawfinger’s discography, showcasing a band at the peak of their creative fury and solidifying their reputation as one of Europe’s most vital and outspoken metal acts of the 1990s.

2004

This reissue was part of a broader catalog campaign by the Swedish label MNW Music AB, which also saw the band’s debut album, “Deaf Dumb Blind,” receive a similar treatment in the same year. The reissue offered fans a sonically updated and expanded version of the 1995 classic. This multimedia content made the 2004 version a definitive collector’s edition of “Use Your Brain,” packaging the influential album with the visual accompaniments that were integral to the band’s impact in the mid-90s music scene. The coordinated re-release of their first two albums served to solidify Clawfinger’s legacy as pioneers of the rap-metal genre and made their formative work readily available to a modern audience.

The primary incentive for the re-release was to reintroduce these seminal albums to the market with enhanced audio quality and valuable bonus content. The 2004 edition of “Use Your Brain” presented the original twelve tracks in a remastered format, offering a cleaner and more powerful audio experience. The most significant draw for longtime followers of the band was the inclusion of previously less-accessible material. The reissue was augmented with three bonus tracks: “Better Than This”, “Three Good Riffs” and “Armageddon Down”. These tracks gave listeners further insight into the creative output of the band during that prolific period. In addition to the extra songs, the re-release was also an enhanced CD, featuring the music videos for the album’s three singles: “Pin Me Down”, “Tomorrow” and “Do What I Say”.

==Track listing==

==Track listing==

1995 studio album by Clawfinger

Use Your Brain is the second studio album by Swedish rap metal band Clawfinger, released on 23 March 1995 through MVG Records and Warner Music Group. The band reunited with producer Jacob Hellner for the recording of the album.

Following the international success of their debut album, “Deaf Dumb Blind,” Clawfinger faced the proverbial challenge of the second album. The band—comprising vocalist Zak Tell, keyboardist Jocke Skog, guitarist Bård Torstensen, and drummer Henka Johansson—reunited with producer Jacob Hellner, who had also helmed their debut. This familiar partnership likely contributed to the swift and efficient creation of “Use Your Brain.” The focused writing and recording period resulted in a twelve-track album (with later re-releases including bonus tracks) that was a direct and potent continuation of their established sound. Use Your Brain was written in less than two months and spawned three singles with accompanying videos.

“Use Your Brain” saw vocalist and primary lyricist Zak Tell delving into a range of societal and personal issues with his characteristic confrontational style. The album’s lyrical themes were a direct reflection of the band’s worldview, tackling subjects such as the corrupting nature of power in the track “Power,” the generational conflict and parental authority in “Do What I Say,” and a scathing critique of political rhetoric in “What Are You Afraid Of.”

In interviews, Tell elaborated on the diverse and often dark subject matter explored on the album, citing topics such as incest, suicide bombers, therapy, and abuse as lyrical inspirations. This willingness to confront uncomfortable truths, a hallmark of their debut, was sharpened on “Use Your Brain,” resonating with a generation grappling with similar anxieties and frustrations.

Upon its release, “Use Your Brain” was met with a positive reception, particularly in Europe. Critics lauded the album’s aggressive energy and its potent blend of metal and rap, further cementing their status as pioneers of the genre. Contemporary reviews highlighted the album’s heavy, groove-laden riffs and Tell’s incisive, rhythmic vocal delivery.

The album’s commercial performance underscored its appeal. “Use Your Brain” achieved significant chart success across the continent, continuing the momentum of their debut. The album charted in the top 10 in Germany, Switzerland, and Sweden, and also made respectable showings in Austria, Belgium, and Norway. This success propelled the band to high-profile touring opportunities, including a notable spot on Ozzy Osbourne’s Monsters of Rock festival in South America, where they shared the stage with metal giants such as Megadeth and Faith No More.

Three singles were released from the album: “Pin Me Down,” “Do What I Say,” and “Tomorrow,” each accompanied by a music video that further amplified the band’s message and visual identity. While “Use Your Brain” did not achieve the same level of mainstream breakthrough in the United States as some of their nu-metal contemporaries, it remains a crucial and beloved album in Clawfinger’s discography, showcasing a band at the peak of their creative fury and solidifying their reputation as one of Europe’s most vital and outspoken metal acts of the 1990s.

This reissue was part of a broader catalog campaign by the Swedish label MNW Music AB, which also saw the band’s debut album, “Deaf Dumb Blind,” receive a similar treatment in the same year. The reissue offered fans a sonically updated and expanded version of the 1995 classic. This multimedia content made the 2004 version a definitive collector’s edition of “Use Your Brain,” packaging the influential album with the visual accompaniments that were integral to the band’s impact in the mid-90s music scene. The coordinated re-release of their first two albums served to solidify Clawfinger’s legacy as pioneers of the rap-metal genre and made their formative work readily available to a modern audience.

The primary incentive for the re-release was to reintroduce these seminal albums to the market with enhanced audio quality and valuable bonus content. The 2004 edition of “Use Your Brain” presented the original twelve tracks in a remastered format, offering a cleaner and more powerful audio experience. The most significant draw for longtime followers of the band was the inclusion of previously less-accessible material. The reissue was augmented with three bonus tracks: “Better Than This”, “Three Good Riffs” and “Armageddon Down”. These tracks gave listeners further insight into the creative output of the band during that prolific period. In addition to the extra songs, the re-release was also an enhanced CD, featuring the music videos for the album’s three singles: “Pin Me Down”, “Tomorrow” and “Do What I Say”.

• Engineered by Thomas Pettersson
• Mixed by Stefan Glaumann
• Producer by Clawfinger and Jacob Hellner