Specter at the Feast
by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
  • Record Label: Vagrant
  • Release Date: Mar 19, 2013
Metascore
65

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
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  1. AllMusic
    Mar 19, 2013
    80
    Poignant yet triumphant and joyful in tone, the cover [Call's "Let the Day Begin"], as with all of Specter at the Feast, stands as both a heartfelt tribute to their bandmate and a rallying cry for moving forward.
  2. Austin Chronicle
    Apr 25, 2013
    78
    Melancholy pervades the dreamy "Fire Walker" and "Returning," while creeping darkness duels with a dramatic chorus on "Funny Games."
  3. Classic Rock Magazine
    Jun 6, 2013
    80
    BRMC have transcended a past that was extremely full of the past and arrived in the present. [Apr 2013, p.93]
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  5. Drowned In Sound
    Mar 20, 2013
    70
    Clocking in at just under an hour, its occasionally harrowing contents rendering it an uneasy listen, maybe if BRMC had taken a leaner approach Specter... may have ended up on a few more commercial radars.
  6. Filter
    Mar 21, 2013
    64
    Balancing the intense with the delicate, BRMC’s Specter showcases the marvelous feat that music can bandage even the deepest of wounds.
  7. New Musical Express (NME)
    Mar 19, 2013
    70
    There are ponderous moments later on, like the uninspired ‘Teenage Disease’, but this is a band who’ve found a second wind.
  8. No Ripcord
    Mar 25, 2013
    70
    With the exception of the more melodious tracks coming in pairs and slightly hindering the flow of an otherwise excellent album, Specter at the Feast is a very good effort from BRMC, and an example of the continued revitalization that started sometime around Leah Shapiro’s arrival to the band in 2008.
  9. Paste Magazine
    Mar 19, 2013
    80
    Reacting to what life has given them has made Black Rebel Motorcycle Club a better band on Specter at the Feast, and we can hope that this change will stick.
  10. The Guardian
    Mar 14, 2013
    80
    The dreamy eight-minute finale, Lose Yourself, is a kind of coming-to-terms hymn--a satisfying ending to a fine record.
  11. The Line of Best Fit
    Mar 18, 2013
    70
    The album certainly finds the fiery BRMC of old rekindled, with the band wisely applying the lessons they’ve learned over the years to fortify their bold but familiar sound that, while not approaching a reinvention by any means, at least represents a definite rebirth.
  12. Under The Radar
    May 17, 2013
    65
    There's no real transformation here, but given the subject matter, the band sounds especially urgent, even for BRMC.

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 21 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 21
  3. Negative: 2 out of 21
  1. Etaipalombo
    Apr 2, 2013
    8
    Specter At The Feast, which was released 18 of March, 2013, should be listened as a goodbye from a close person, That person is Michael Been,Specter At The Feast, which was released 18 of March, 2013, should be listened as a goodbye from a close person, That person is Michael Been, the sound engineer of the band and also The Call former leader and the father of the bass player, Robert Levon Been. The band mates, Peter Hayes and Leah Shapiro, gather together and wrote an album of mourning, adopting more realistic standpoint. I found the album very joyful, maybe because it was made from the bottom of the heart

    (http://5songsperartist.blogspot.co.il/2013/04/specter-at-feast-black-rebel-motorcycle.html)    … Full Review »
  2. StrikeZ
    Mar 19, 2013
    10
    I am not that familiar with BRMC, but after hearing one of the group members on Sound City I decided to give this album a try. I enjoy theI am not that familiar with BRMC, but after hearing one of the group members on Sound City I decided to give this album a try. I enjoy the riffs and mature depth of the lyrics. This has a dark alley feel with a grungy tinge. A nice discovery.… Full Review »
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