Review Summary: Undisputed winner of the most improved band award.
At the height of the electronicore epidemic, the Canadian six-piece ‘Skip The Foreplay’ were among a plethora of like-minded artists who each had a brief moment in the spotlight; in their case it was with a cover of LMFAO’s ‘Champagne Showers’, an auto-tuned, chug-heavy mess straight from the MySpace era – only five years too late. Their debut release was equally forgettable and awkward; and yet perplexingly was released on the venerable punk label ‘Epitaph’, with label founder Brett Gurewitz even curiously describing the band as ‘...Satan’s delivery system for music of mass destruction...’. Fortunately, after a lengthy period of radio silence, ‘Skip The Foreplay’ was quietly axed; and in the ashes, ‘Now And On Earth’ was born.
Make no mistake; completely distancing themselves from the ‘Skip The Foreplay’ moniker was the correct decision, as the difference in concept, style and execution here is vast. The endless single-chord chugging, the clumsy dance-breaks and the excruciating robotic vocals are long gone. Instead we get a brooding noir-ish tone, dense and blistering orchestral arrangements and at times a legitimate tilt at anthemic stadium-rock, with colossal guitar hooks and crowd-friendly sing-alongs. Think the modern alternative rock leanings of Bring Me The Horizon, meets the over-the-top orchestration and furious pace of Make Them Suffer.
It’s a combination which works best when an equal balance is struck between the contrasting approaches, best exemplified in lead single ‘Intoxicated’. Following a mournful jazz introduction – one of the few moments of respite on the entire record – things kick-off in full gear, with glam-metal guitar licks, pummeling double-kick drumming and a raw vocal performance, infused with a real sense of anger. Despite a brief hint at their party-core roots in ‘Overtime’, this is a markedly darker outing, which touches on themes of loss, death and depression to name a few. The clean vocals are also a standout, with a raspy hard-rock edge to them, a refreshing change from the high-pitched falsetto so common in the genre; and although perhaps utilized too frequently, they lend themselves well to some massive choruses – such as on ‘Majesty’ and ‘All On You’ – which wouldn’t feel out of place on a Bring Me The Horizon or Young Guns record. The neo-classical orchestral and piano elements also help provide a sense of scale and depth; and although often buried underneath a wall of percussion, the few times the instrumentation is given room to breathe are some of the better moments of the record – such as frantic action-fueled pace of ‘No Way Out’ or the theatrical, operatic march of ‘All On You’.
Indeed there’s a lot going on here; and that works both for and against the record. While the larger-than-life sound is unquestionably breathtaking upon the first listen, it never abates, leading to an experience I can only describe as exhausting. Even the few half-hearted attempts at calm moments, such as the delicate, classically-inspired piano opening to ‘Interlude’, still fall victim to a lack of restraint, bursting into a bombastic orchestral arrangement towards the end; almost as if afraid the audience would lose interest if the assault on the senses were to cease for too long.
Clearly ‘Now And On Earth’ was born with a vision – one they single-mindedly pursue – and indeed such a grandiose and bold sound is a welcome addition to a scene, where atmosphere is all too often neglected in favor of low-tuned aggression. Sure, it’s far from perfect, but the extensive improvement ‘Now And On Earth’ represents over ‘Skip The Foreplay’ shows that Brett Gurewitz’s faith in these musicians was more than justified – and I'm sure both him and myself will be watching with anticipation to see what they come up with next.
Listen To:
Intoxicated
Majesty
No Way Out
I still jam it every now and then.
