Review Summary: "It Hates You" is the album He Is Legend wanted and needed to make, regardless of fame, money, etc.
This is the bastardized stepson of "I am Hollywood" and "Suck Out the Poison."
It's mean, it's heavy, it's mysterious, it's beautiful: It Hates You.
He Is Legend is:
Schyular Croom: Vocals
Adam Tanbouz: Guitar
Matt Williams: Bass
Steve Bache: Drums
It Hates You is the name given to He Is Legend's latest offering. The first time I understood the album was to be called "it Hates You," my stomach somewhat flipped. It was a peculiar title that immediately brought forth visions of He Is Legend turning some sort of Death Metal band. However, this is not the case. This album is a carefully defined mixture of everything He Is Legend is known for. The album harkens back to the quirky nature of "I am Hollywood" and continues the brooding angst of "Suck out the Poison." Undoubtedly, He Is Legend have realized their potential with this release.
Dicephalous:
At first, this song begins with trickling guitars and a steady drum beat. This immediately caught me by surprise. All of He Is Legend's first songs traditionally kick things off with a bang. All of a sudden, the music shifts into a filthy punkish verse that slips right into one of HIL's catchiest choruses. My fears had been extinguished. Towards the end of the song, HIL break into a southern breakdown mixed with a little chugging and before things break into chaos- the song ends. A very strong start to the album. 10/10
Party Time!:
Immeditely out the gate, it is evident that HIL have included a noticable Grunge style to this release. The song unfolds with a grungy verse combined with female vocals. This in turn flows into the chorus which is somewhat poppy and catchy with Croom teasing "You gotta sing it baby, please, please, please..." After a completely rockin' guitar solo featuring one of those stadium rock guitar squeals, the song continues with another chorus and a little call and answer session with female vocals and abruptly ends. This song is a hard rockin' party anthem. 10/10
Everyone I Know Has Fangs:
Initially released as a demo last summer, I was interested to hear what HIL would bring with this song. Would they change anything? Or would they keep the song the same? Well, after listening they did both. The song starts with drums and bass which gives way to Croom using odd vocal effects on his voice along with a mysterious guitar accompaniment. The song then breaks into a fun chorus and slides back into the verse with classic HIL lyrics like "I just had the strangest vision, the apartment was on fire and you were covered in cherry pie..." This once again gives way to the chorus and then we are greeted with a slight alteration. A chant (that was never included in the demo) of "Everyone I know has fangs" over a charging guitar part immediately commands head banging. Things get quiet for a second until the chant resumes and then BANG! Guitars drop into a breakdown and we are greeted with Croom screaming to end the song. Quirky, Unique, He Is Legend. 10/10
The Primarily Blues:
This is the first song that was officially released off the album. It begins with guitar notes floating along until menacing chords destroy the delicate atmosphere. The verses consist of chugging guitars with Croom passionately singing over the heaviness. The chorus is extremely catchy with lines like "Don't know why you're so primary red, I'm primarily blue..." Once again, it should be stated how impressive Croom's vocals are on the album. He can literally carry a song. The bridge gets poppier until things quiet down. The guitars start to build back up and then we are left with a breakdown of sorts with Croom yelling, "I don't know exactly why I'm hiding!" A passionate and heavy ending to an amazing song. 10/10
Cult of She:
The song begins with a dark wall of guitar chords creating a menacing atmosphere. Then the song fizzles into an almost Reggaeton drum beat with psychadelic guitars floating above Croom's melodies. This of course doesn't last long until the pre-chorus explodes with frantic guitars that then meld into the chorus which features guitars you would expect in a Meshuggah album. The next verse is the same as the first except with full guitars. At this point, the song is in full motion. A bridge featuring Croom screeching "Ohh, ohh, ohh, ohh!" in a almost power metal voice brings us into the last portion of this chaotic song. Croom starts getting harsher with his vocals as he shouts "And we've been giving her mouth to mouth, but she won't start breathing, I thought the end of the world would be much scarier..." Behind him, the music gets progressively heavier with syncopated chugs until the song comes to an abrupt end. Soft, heavy, intense, wonderful. 10/10
Stranger Danger:
Ah, the epic. a seven minute monster of pure musical majesty. The song begins with Tanbouz picking away at sparse notes with the full band joining him seconds later, creating a mysterious backdrop. Things mellow down and Croom's soft tenor croons over the music featuring some superb bass playing by Matt Williams. The chorus features driving guitars and an anthemic melody. One noticable aspect of this song is it's mysterious beauty. This is evident after the chorus once it drifts back into the verse. Once the chorus flexes it's muscles again the guitars become noticably heavier after Croom sings "I think you better find a way out of here, because I don't think you'll like what I have become..." Suddenly, HIL break into an almost Pink Floyd soundscape for a minute or so, supplemented with a gorgeous cello over the floating guitars and sparse drums. As the climax approaches, everything drops out and then the instruments explode with Croom singing as passionately as ever. The song continues it's wall of sound with Croom shouting "...That is not the hardest part for me, it's just knowing that I won't see the light of day! Then, similar to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" the song stops quickly, and then Tanbouz and Williams explode into a heavy Stoner Metal riff which then concludes down to a quiet and spacey waltz to end the song. Eargasms gallore on this song. Almost a rock opera of sorts. One of the best songs they have ever written. 10/10
Don't Touch that Dial:
Croom begins this song almost whispering over a soft verse with noticeable bass playing. The verse offers a very radio friendly beat with Croom and a female singer exchanging lines and then the chorus kicks the listener in the balls! The chorus is pure hard rock bliss with Croom singing "Don't sing that song unless you mean it, you've got to do it with a tear in your eye, testify! testify!" Completely rockin'. This is probably their most pure "rock" song they have ever written. The bridge then turns into a southern breakdown. This song is dirty, full of attitude, and unapologetically rockin'. 9/10
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions:
A song of two halves. the first half is dreamy, Pink Floyd-ish with a charming chorus that practically lulls the listener to sleep. Croom sounds completely wonderful within the musical soundscape of this song. The first half feels as if it could drift on forever, until the guitars get heavy for a second and then the music tenses up. Croom and a female singer share lines together until guitars completely rape everything of beauty. Croom storms back above the music, this time half screaming above the metallic fury proclaiming "I can't get excited about space!" This gives way to a last refrain of the chorus with extremely heavy guitars. The first time I heard this song I was completely blown away. A million plays later, I am still captivated each time. Simply powerful music. 10/10
Future's Bright, Man:
Almost hair metal guitars begin this song until a dancy riff leads the verse. The pre-chorus then erupts into a thrashy part which leads to a completely rocking chorus. The bridge then comes in with "na, na, na, na, na's!" Hilarious, but completely HIL. This is what makes them so incredible. This then gives way to another melodic part and then the song ends with more "na, na, na, na's" over metallic guitars and another epic stadium rock guitar squeal. Priceless. 10/10
China White III:
Well, the first two China White's were absolutely incredible, so when I noticed the third installment was goingto be featured on this album, I got extremely excited. "I am Hollywood's" version featured a half melodic, half devastating version, while "Suck Out the Poison's" version was arguably the heaviest song HIL had written in their career. What would the third installment bring? Well surprisingly, this may be the softest song HIL have ever written. And as a sign of any truly talented band, HIL pull it off tremendously well. The song features almost exclusive acoustic guitars and a bluesy/folksy sound centered around Croom's simply beautiful vocals. The song proceeds to play out into a small climax and then the song fades away. For He Is Legend, this is a beautiful song and as for the record, this song serves as the calm before the storm. 10/10
That's Nasty!
Middle Eastern guitars open up the song and lure you in, until you are absolutely knocked off your feet with what has to be some of the heaviest guitars you may ever hear. Drop A to be exact. This song is incredibly interesting because the verses are fairly poppy, while the chorus is rather dark and moody. Combine this with absolutely brutal guitars inserted in selected parts and you have a song that is truly nasty. The chugs in this song are remarkable. If I played this song in my car, my bass would no longer exist. The song gets noticeably heavier towards the end and then concludes with some "nasty" feedback and discordant tones. Who doesn't like some Drop A? 9/10
Mean Shadows:
Oh boy, the grand finale. This song storms right out of the gates with an undeniably heavy riff that could easily rip your throat out. The guitars are absolutely menacing in the beginning with Croom shouting over the musical mayhem. Suprising, the heaviness gets castrated by a soft techno-ish part with Crooms softy singing over the beats. Then we are greeted with the chorus. Just by listening to the chorus, it is clear this is the last song on the album due to epic sound. All of a sudden, the listener's testes are ripped from between their legs with some additional musical carnage until the techno comes back. Another chorus is offered until a bridge of sorts is introduced with some Croom singing "Don't you turn out the light, some things go bump in the night, afraid of my shadow..." Almost immediately, the song breaks into a dark storm of heavy guitars with muddled screams and moans until the chaos completely overwhelms the listener and then the song ends... Almost. A drum rolls greets the listener as the song detonates with a heavy riff not out of place on a Pantera record, which then fades out with the instruments getting progressively heavier as HIL conclude their latest and greatest record. 10/10
Total: 98/100
He Is Legend seem to get the short end of the stick because they stay true to themselves and make completely original music that they want to hear. It's almost logical to think this is why they titled their album "It Hates You." This is the album that hates any emo/screamo/Brtiney Spears album for their shallow and materialistic intentions and offerings. Is this album a challenging listen? At 57 minutes, somewhat. HIL have combined styles of Grunge, Hard Rock, Punk, and Metal to create a unique listening experience that will almost definitely become the best album of the year. Remember, this is not the HIL of old. There will never be another "I Am Hollywood" and HIL prefer it that way. This is the album He Is Legend wanted and needed to make, regardless of fame, money, etc. This is the bastardized step-son of "I am Hollywood" and "Suck Out the Poison."
It's mean, it's heavy, it's mysterious, it's beautiful: It Hates You.
