Between the Buried and Me are undeniably, the premier act of the progressive metal subgenre. They have spent the past 15+ years honing their expertise on their respective instruments and rewriting what is musically possible. It has been scientifically proven that one’s IQ increases after listening to a BTBAM record. Continue reading
*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state.*
This month’s state is Alabama!
If you watched the famous movie ”’Forrest Gump” and absolutely loved it you will most centainly be into (or be freaked out) by the slamming act The Forrest Gump Mile High Marathon. It consists of Bobby on the bass, Indiana Jonas and Forrest on the guitar and last but not least John on the drums and ”Little Chocolate” on vocals. While this all may sound very stupid the disgusting vocals in combination with the nasty riffs are nothing but perfectly on point. They are one of those bands you listen to for fun after a night out while cracking open a cold beer or 2. So with that being said, let’s get into it!
After hearing ‘You Owe You Pay’ back in 2017 I began to hop on the hype train and follow the tracks all the way from their demo in 2003 to their later released records ‘Grotesque First Action’, ‘Carnal Pleasures’, ‘Chopping Off The Head’ and their 2013 album ‘On Top Of The Food Chain’ and man oh man what has it been a brutal and insane ride so far. And it is just getting started it seems! Carnal Decay is back and about to release a full EP called ‘When Push Comes To Shove’ on the 20th of July through Rising Nemesis Records and it is mind blowing. So let’s not waste anymore time and get right into it!
Yob, the Oregon doom trio will be following 2014’s ‘Clearing The Path To Ascend‘ with the new album ‘Our Raw Heart‘ which is scheduled to be released June 8th via ‘Relapse‘. This is an album that looked as though it might never come when singer/guitar player Mike Scheidt faced incredible odds following a life-threatening medical emergency . Thankfully, Mike has recovered because ‘Our Raw Heart‘ is a beautiful and emotional piece of music that is a modern Metal masterpiece!
There will always be heart in music. There will always be power in music. There will always be thought in music. Combine them together and you get The Human Project. The group are a melodic, but technical, punk band from Leeds in the UK. Their debut album ‘Origins’ was issued in 2013, and the long awaited follow-up ‘Clarion Call’ will be released in 2018, accompanied by touring across the UK, Europe, and Japan.
The band paint on a political canvas and nail their colors to the mast with songs about the cutting of public services in the UK and the vote to leave the European Union (Brexit), both of which they argue against.
The band released the very catchy “That One Percent” in advance of the album. Expaining what it means, vocalist/guitarist Luke Yates comments, “the everyday, on-the-ground results of the austerity regime are this kind of bland injustice, laughably obvious in the way it is targeted, and, in the way it is backed up and spread by people with vested interests in the media, but unfortunately inescapable for most ordinary people.”
‘Clarion Call’ took over five years to write and was eventually brought to life by producer Andy Hawkins.
To nail my colors to the mast, this album is a monster of epic proportions and is likely to be in my top ten of the year. In true Frankenstein tradition, it is built on sounds and thoughts taken from many genres, but has been pieced together with real care and attention. Where the record differs from Mary Shelley’s creation is that the monster did not know why it had been created. Here, The Human Project know why they created the album and the vision they have is second to none.
The album’s box of secrets is wrenched open with the thoughtful lament of “Desperate Times.” There is soft piano and clean guitar, as the fabulous vocals kick in. The singing is a key(sic) to the record and raises it above any other release in the pop punk genre. I am afraid I don’t know who sings what, as all the members take vocal duties, but all do brilliantly. It is like fusing progressive rock harmonies to fast ascending punk riffing. The whole collection reeks of class (ironically, given the band’s championing of equality).
My ears were drawn to “That One Percent,” which spits out the band’s disdain for the Conservative political party’s behaviour in the UK with their policy of austerity in terms of public spending being cut. It is a tune that lives long in the memory and, once inside your brain, keeps looping as a mega ear worm – you have been warned!
“Knocked For Six” smacks your sensibilities with aural overload. The high register vocals absolutely make this song. It has a sound that is arrestingly unique and familiar at the same time. The guitar tone is also a pleasure to hear; fuzzbox in 4K for sure.
Although the ball of wax moves at a million miles an hour, there are some moments of quieter reflection, like on “Carrion,” allowing listeners to breathe before the technical beauty of “What We Always Do” comes striding onto the playlist and the adrenaline surge runs us to the end of the collection.
Suffice to say, I love this album so much that I would marry it, if I could. Human in name, gods in musical terms. The best album I have heard for a long time.
‘Clarion Call’ will be released on CD, Digital and Vinyl on Friday 6th July 2018 and is available for pre-order now here: www.thehumanproject.bigcartel.com.
THE HUMAN PROJECT online:
www.twitter.com/humanprojectuk
Double-Barrel Vasectomy is one of the many projects from the one and only Anthony Leasgang, we have written about him multiple times now but I have to say this project is something different and most definitely slamming. The project had been alive for some time now and finally Anthony (with the help of Eli Vincent and Rich Fahringer) had decided to fire up the old engine and start racing. So put your seat belt on because we are about to kick off!
Two years ago in 2016 we welcomed Death Will Tremble’s debut album ‘Mona’, the album was a burning torch of artistry in comparison to the dumpster fires of genre chasing bands we often encounter. The Austin, Texas based group makes music that feels like it is fresh off their fingertips and unadulterated by over production and over editing. In a world of music where genres and sub-genres have run rampant, Death Will Tremble has stood their ground with the sound they have crafted, and it’s beauty shouldn’t be labeled. They are a band that melds together a handful of elements from various genres. Though you will hear subtle influences within their music from time to time it’s impossible really to wrangle them into one specific category or two for that matter. I simply like to refer to their style as creative. The band has taken some time and have now cultivated their newest release. ‘Depature’ is an EP which contains one single 14 minute long track. As they did with ‘Mona’, Death Will Tremble utilized longtime producer Tim Gerron (Deadhorse/MOD) to record ‘Departures’. The EP will release on June 29th. Continue reading
The ever-prolific KATAKLYSM have returned with a new full album, ‘Meditations‘, with Nuclear Blast Records. Through a few lineup changes the band is now Maurizio Lacono on vocals, JF Dagenais on guitar, Stephane Barbe on bass, and Oli Beaudoin on drums. This 10-track album was recorded at their own studio in the forest of their home country of Canada.
Maryland’s Hostile Array are here with their politically charged post-hardcore self-titled debut. Finding inspiration from their own political beliefs vocalist Brendan Fray explains, “I don’t consider myself to be very liberal or conservative, but I am passionate about addressing issues of corruption on both sides of aisle. Our hope is to motivate others to question the status quo and never compromise when it comes to demanding justice in our system.” Keeping their message nonpartisan, keeps a skeptic eye on both sides of the aisle.
After taking some time off to secure a new position after being laid off, I hope to return to Metal Nexus and share my continued love of music with you guys with some regularity. I have sincerely missed writing and supporting bands locally and all over the world. I would like to thank our editor, Fist, for his unfaltering support and patience during my hiatus. It has meant a lot and given me something to look forward to once the dust settled. For those looking for meaningful employment, I pray that everything works out well for you. Definitely a trying time and a soul-crusher. Horns up to all of you!
