Downfall 2012 - Everyman for Himself: Issue One
Metal
Unsigned
Posted: 9/23/13 5:25 PM EST
Hard, fast, and pissed off. Downfall 2012 delivers metal that revels in its roots while staying current; mixing in some rap style lyrics in at points and dystopianism . Almost nihilist lyrics, that are geared toward change though, for this reviewer's money anyway, and less of the "screw the future" type that has become popular in the last two decades. Everyman For Himself could easily be a metal soundtrack to a cyberpunk/post apocalypse drama that's attempting to wake up people now before things do wind up beyond repair on all levels; sociological, environmental, social... though that could be me reading too far into the overall feeling of the album as songs like "Face to Face" are just pissed off but fun. Said change tends to be about making one's own life better through cutting off negative relationships and standing up for oneself. Again reading into things from personal experience lately, so take it for what it's worth. Mostly you just need to know it's good, solid, metal. Real metal, not nu metal, thank the fucking horned Lord of Metal.
Energy is high and intense from first riff to last riff of this five song EP, each song is metal being metal. Instrumentation is crisp and clear, there is no melting of sound that takes away from guitars, bass, or drums; even vocals are clearer and understandable, yet still powerful. A key part of the equation to producing metal that has largely been lost the last couple of years, barring really tight bands like Avenged Sevenfold and Mudvayne. Downfall 2012 isn't breaking molds here, but they are bringing focus back to them and helping bring real definition back to a genre that has suffered more than it has gained from crossing other genres with metal. Not every metal band is death metal, but death metal has taken the shine off other sub-genres due to its overwhelming presence and over-saturation in the media. Downfall 2012 plays with some elements thrown in from death metal but they don't cross the line and that is refreshing from unsigned bands to major label bands.
Track list:
- Face to Face
- Divinity
- Toy Box
- Never Sell a Lie
- Family Fortune