Once Human

The Life I Remember

Written by: MBC on 02/10/2015 01:17:52

“The Life I Remember” is the debut album from American metal band Once Human founded by guitarist Logan Mader. Having previously been a part of bands like Machine Head and Soulfly, Mader has not performed on stage in years, instead focusing on becoming a successful producer with credit on albums from Gojira, Fear Factory, DevilDriver and many others. Apparently now the itch to perform is back with this new project that features otherwise unknown musicians.

Musically “The Life I Remember” is Gothenburg-inspired melodic death metal with some black metal thrown in the mix. It features fast, hard-hitting riffs and technical solos combined with epic strings and piano parts. In front of the band is female vocalist Lauren Hart who screams in a demonic high-pitched fashion similar to Angela Gossow of Arch Enemy fame. In some instances she even switches it up with some clean singing, but the less said about those moments the better. She does have a strong vocal presence though when it comes to screaming, although her delivery is somewhat repetitive and the tone of her voice can get annoying after a while. She puts on that over-the-top “I’m evil, fear me” performance that can be a little comical at times, especially with lyrics like these: “Condemned to die, you cunt. I am your poison, don’t fuck with me. I’ll break your bones, you cunt, so you can stay down and bow before me.” The accompanying music video to the song is pretty much as horrific as one could expect and features torture scenes resembling those of films like Hostel or The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. That song is called “You Cunt” by the way.

Overall though, this is pretty effective metal that would probably be great for banging one’s head and drinking beer to at summer metal festivals. Logan Mader is a skilled guitarist with a lot of experience and a good understanding of writing and arranging songs that are both brutal and melodic. The songs are not very memorable though, and by no means does this album bring anything new or even particularly interesting to the table. But if you are looking for a new album for a metal party, “The Life I Remember” just might be a winner.

Download: Ground Zero, Pick Your Poison, Terminal, Time Of The Disease
For the fans of: Arch Enemy, The Agonist, DevilDriver, Cradle Of Filth, The Haunted
Listen: Facebook

Release date 04.09.2015
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