Hopeless Records have a pretty good history of churning out successful bands and Avenged Sevenfold and Thrice are two of the label’s more successful signees. So, what better way to increase sales than to sign a band that sounds exactly like a cross between the two! The Human Abstract mix overblown guitar solos and screams with melodies and vocal harmonies in the same way as the aforementioned two bands did early in their careers. And while The Human Abstract pull it off in some style, I can’t help but think their metalcore stylings have all been heard before – and performed more memorably.
There are several things I don’t like about this record. The first is that this record often comes across as jumbled and chaotic – ‘Channel Detritus’, for example, mixes massively overblown twiddly guitar solos with quite whispery vocals and then thudding double-time drum patterns. It’s like the band wanted to mix different genres and chucked them into one big pot, whether they mesh together successfully or not does not seem to be a concern. Over the course of the 46 minutes and 12 songs you’re left a little bemused as to what is going on – ‘Harbinger’ starts off with a Spanish sounding guitar before an overblown 80s Bill and Ted-esque guitar part kicks in. And then the death metal growls start. Three different bands and all within the first 60 seconds of the album.
The album artwork is also abysmal – the tracklisting on the back is in such a bad font it’s nearly impossible to read. To make sure I was quoting the right songs I actually had to check the band’s website. Surely not big or clever? I guess fans of Kiss and Hatebreed may enjoy a band that sounds a little like the two, but this has all been done before – better, and in a more cohesive way.