So you know how it is when you have an older sibling, you inevitably end up sponging off their music collection, and some choices stick, some are a passing trend. Well one such choice that certainly wasn’t a passing trend (for me at least) was He Is Legend. These North Carolinian monsters who’s name is an adaptation of the 1954 book I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, have been formed a stronghold in my record collection since the first listen. Under that name to date they have released 6 records, each with their own charm, but equally met with varying reception. Just as a taster for you, the track Sand is definitely worth a listen which is one of the singles off the latest record Few, which landed earlier this year (a crowd funded album by yes, us! The fans). It Hates You was there 2009 release and their third album, which was the follow up to Suck Out The Poison in 2006, an album which seems to divide fans but is still a strong entry to the bands collection of work. The opening track of It Hates You comes in the form of Dicephalous, a special brew laced with groove. Right from the get go, it plugs straight into your ears with an enticing riff, swiftly followed by someone switching on said groove with the drums and bass entering proceedings but then just as quickly dropping into a hard rock chorus with a bit of punk for good measure. Even if you are new to the band, this song is enough to demonstrate the bands skill and creativity, and giving you a taste of the manic gritty vocals of Schuyler Croom. Now the album has wet your appetite, next on the menu is the appropriately named Party Time!, which hits you square in the face opening straight away with a chunky riff. Following close behind is the wailing lead guitar which pulls you in with each note. Once that guitar has you in it’s grip, the track unleashes the rest of the band to you. This one is definitely named right, it is the party starter of the album. It’s here also that were treated to the first taste of Bibis Ellison, a fellow North Carolinian who appears again later on. Hot on the heels of Party Time! comes what could be deemed the hook of the album, that being Everybody I Know Has Fangs. In some respects this track is a culmination of the previous two, merging the groove driven bass from Dicephalous and the wailing guitars from Party Time!. After the second chorus though is when we’re treated to a new flavour of this monster album, but still it retains that sing along quality to it, which I should point out is no bad thing at all. Don’t go thinking I’m comparing it to Pop music. The pre chorus driven forward by on point drumming courtesy of Steve Bache is dang catchy though, thrusting you straight in that hook of a chorus.
The Primarily Blues and Cult Of She continue to dish up what has already been offered but still with hints at new angles and influences. These two on the album feel like a build up to something more to be shown off, as if this album hadn’t shown it’s colours enough. A more mellow tone emerges as the album progresses, but still with the powerful foundation laid out by previous tracks, Stranger Danger chimes in with a heavy intro leading to a somewhat open mellow verse, which lets you crawl inside and buckle up for the chorus. Although being one of the more mellow offerings, there’s still plenty of room for the that groovy bass to flex it’s muscles in-between each hammering chorus. A blistering breakdown will drag you kicking and screaming to a sublime goodbye from the piece.
Enter Decisions, Decisions, Decisions. After a brief respite from the mellow with Don’t Touch That Dial, this is arguably the deepest song on the album, but oh it’s good! This track dredges up the remnants of the tone left behind by Stranger Danger and capitalises on it. Opening with a gorgeous bass line sweetly played by Matt Williams, which is soon accompanied by haunting vocals, this is a track you can really crawl inside, oh and just you wait for those guitars carrying you through each chorus. Hold on tight though, you’re gonna come back down at 100 miles an hour into the ground in the second half, which is brought to your ears with a melancholy duet of Bibis and Schuyler. Future’s Bright Man to a degree feels like the grittier older brother of Dicephalous, it has it’s similarities but is unique in it’s own right. A track which definitely shows that the album is fully breaking sweat and flexing it’s muscles, just begging you keep going, to keep listening. For those of you already familiar with the work of He Is Legend, you’ll understand the story in China White III, but for those in the dark, on the previous two albums Suck Out The Poison and I Am Hollywood are the previous two pieces to the China White story, which all link via there lyrical content. Even without that context this track is superb in it’s own right, a much more down tempo, acoustic and moody track, this is the stripped back He Is Legend, but you’ll soon be met by yet more flavour. Right off the back of it comes the ominous downtuned guitar from That’s Nasty. Sounds like spaghetti town in here right? Some serious crunch in this one. Certainly the heaviest piece on offer, at least sound wise. The verses are glittered with a clean guitar coated in reverb just plucking notes over a monstrous guitar riff, a riff which really fills out in the chorus. Just as ominous as the guitar was coming in, it does the same as it leaves you, but its beautifully slow as it rises in pitch with a growling bass beneath it. The last arrow in the quiver of It Hates You is delivered by Mean Shadows, throwing you straight into the monster that sounds like a mix limbs from everything we’ve heard so far. Thumping drums, gritty vocals, groove driven bass, and relentless guitars commanded by Adam Tanbouz. Then it drops into an eerie sounding calm which appears stripped back from what was shown upfront. The intro riff makes a ferocious comeback before the tracks finale, a war cry almost from the instruments themselves, borrowing from the slow decline of That’s Nasty, but returning again for one final attack on your ears. From this album, my 3 top picks would be as follows: - Everybody I know Has Fangs - Decisions, Decisions, Decisions - That’s Nasty