He Is Legend - Suck Out the Poison
Rating
RIYL
Maylene and the Sons of DisasterFar-Less
Lamb of God
Down
Every Time I Die
Alice in Chains
Eyehategod
Tracklist
1. Dixie Wolf (The Seduction Of...)2. Attack of the Dungeon Witch
3. Suck out the Poison
4. Mushroom River
5. Opening
6. China White II
7. Serpent Sickness
8. Electronic Throat
9. Stampede
10. Widow of Magnolia
11. Pot Bellied Goddess
12. Cannonball Hands (The Tomato Parade)
13. Goldie's Torn Locks
14. (( (Louds
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So let’s go ahead and be honest about this – the whole southern metalcore thing is completely played. I mean, really, this whole trend was doomed from the moment that half the kids in your local scene eschewed Pantera, Down or even Eyehategod in favor of Maylene and the Sons of Disaster or whatever other beard-growing, boot-wearing Express-Carhart hybrid band that sprung up in the past year or so. Now, before you all go filing back through my reviews to throw my Maylene loving in my face, I’ll go ahead and fess up – I am no better than they are… well, ok, at least I do know that Pantera is almost single-handedly the reason for many bands you all cream over and I know that Down’s Nola could basically shit all over the “country boys” of your scene any day of the week (but that’s beside the fact).
So why on earth should we be compelled to care about another band that has all of a sudden re-kindled their love for BBQ and lost their razor on their way to pick up some flannel shirts? Try the following reasons on for size: this group’s latest effort has taken southern-tinged metalcore to a new level, they’ve shed their exclusively screamo skin in favor of intelligent, volatile rock songs, and currently reside in a southern-fried territory somewhere between their last album, I am Hollywood, and neighbors Lamb of God, Far-Less, and Alice in Chains. Is that good enough for ya?
Well, if you haven’t gathered it by now, the new He is Legend disc, Suck Out the Poison, packs enough ass-kicking, whiskey-soaked glory to put hair on your chest and land all of their previous fanboys on their pretty little rear ends. Combining the highly infectious screamo most everyone loves on I am Hollywood with elements of stoner rock, southern metalcore, and above-average radio-friendly alternative, Suck Out the Poison is as great as it is difficult to pigeonhole into one particular genre.
From the moment that the album kicks off, it’s pretty obvious that Suck Out the Poison is anything but I am Hollywood Part Two. The most apparent of the obvious differences comes in the form of Schuylar Croom’s newfound dirty, cracked, and weathered vocal capacity that can best be described as some sort of stout mixed drink consisting of one part Dallas Taylor (MATSOD) and one part Troy Sanders (Mastodon) topped off with splashes of Layne Staley and James Hetfield (whom you shouldn’t need band references for if you are listening to He is Legend)… and yes, it really is that damned good. Indeed, getting lost in Croom’s unbelievable vocal barrage of hearty growls, gravely singing and breathy, gasoline-soaked gasps isn’t tough; however, given the attention, the musicianship on Suck Out the Poison could just as easily steal the show.
This time around, these North Carolina boys have upped the ante by crafting track after track of meandering, sonically flammable southern metal riffs that alternate limelight time with guitarwork that has a Jekyll and Hyde personality which recklessly shifts between the erratically brutal and sensibly sane. As far as the drumming is concerned, it’s all up to snuff, as Steve Bache successfully provides a befitting wall of crashing, bashing, and blasting that serves as the match to what is nothing short of an all-engulfing sonic bonfire.
Now sure, I can see why a lot of people would have a difficult time getting into this disc, as it is by far the grimiest, harshest, and rawest disc in the He is Legend discography; but, what I don’t understand is the constant moaning of some fans claiming that the band sounds like nu-metal Korn rip-offs or whatever else they’ve cried about on Myspace. To put it plain and simple, He is Legend made the album they’ve been trying to make for a long time and it’s rather obvious that this is the album they’ve always wanted to make as well.
Just about every track on Suck Out the Poison dwarfs their previous efforts, but a few stand out well above the rest. My own personal favorite is the multi-faceted “Electronic Throat” which finds Croom putting on a vocal clinic, as the track features every little nuance of his voice, ranging from guttural screams to dingy growls to crackling clean sung vox. Making it even more enjoyable is the no-bones-about-it southern rock that boils up from the guitars throughout the song.
Another notable track is the album closer “(((louds” in which Croom pairs a looming, foreboding clean vocal with an extremely savage, Dallas Taylor-esque scream all across another set of southern-soaked guitar lines. Speaking of the final track without touching on the female vocals that weave themselves in and out of the track would be impossible; however, that may not necessarily be the best thing in this case, as they are much too drawn out and seem awkward and misplaced in the end (plus, her histrionic belting isn’t really anything to write home about).
Two last tracks that deserve special attention are the anxious and possessed “China White II” and the risqué, down-home “Goldie’s Torn Locks” which highlight an undoubtedly darker lyrical side of He is Legend than what we are accustomed to hearing. The latter of which seems to take notes from Reba McEntire’s “Fancy” which He is Legend covers on their Black Unicorn EP, as it takes on the perspective of a broken down truck-stop hopping female that makes promiscuity her profession.
Now, while Suck Out the Poison is one of the best southern rock-metalcore hybrid albums to come out in recent memory, it does have one significant flaw – a lack of cohesiveness and a legitimate “flow” at times. The most obvious of these moments are the two instrumental tracks that really come across as unneeded filler tracks rather than interludes that encourage fluidity or exhibit beauty (though neither is necessarily bad, just out of place); however, also breaking up the flow are a few songs that seem a bit drawn out. In reality though, harping on those small problems may indeed be anal, so it should go without saying that they in no way overshadow the greatness of this album.
In the end, yes, a lot has changed in the He is Legend camp since I am Hollywood; however, it’s a welcomed and beneficial change, as Croom and the boys have really opened the floodgates on this release and let their true talent shine through. To put it bluntly, Suck Out the Poison just isn’t made for everyone, because it’s undeniably raw, rough, intelligent, haunting, and downright dirty. With that being said, though, if you love gritty, unwashed, rough-around-the edges southern rock with a heavy dose of good ol’ boy metal, then your copy of He is Legend’s Suck Out the Poison should be just as worn and weathered by year’s end as the tales of cursed experience that fill the album to it’s rusty brim.
--Jayme Barkdoll
Comments
Minnesota
At first, I didn't see what the hype about this disc was as I found I liked I am Hollywood and their first EP a lot more, but this really grew after a few listens. Other than the flow problems, this is a solid disc.
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Manchester, England
great review though, I'm really looking forward to hearing this disc, I loved I Am Hollywood, so It'll be interesting to see how I feel about this one.
DeKalb, Illinois
Solid effort, solid review.
Washington
here's to cheap sex and codeine in a hospital bed...
Fort Bragg, CA
Manchester, England
San Francisco, CA
West Haven, CT
The Cityscape Burns Brighter By The Hour.
Minnesota
Find me EVERYWHERE:
Dubuque
Facebook / MySpace
View Chris Conlan's profile on LinkedIn
Cincinnati, OH
Columbus, Ohio
Recommending: Anberlin, Interpol, Chamberlain, House of Heroes
San antonio, Texas
Props to He Is Legend for trying something different to them though, I'll give them that much.
San antonio, Texas
Washington
here's to cheap sex and codeine in a hospital bed...
San antonio, Texas
Listen to either The Truth, There's Gonna Be a War, or Bullet With a Name. If they had anything from "Statement" posted on here, this wouldn't even be argued.
http://www.purevolume.com/heislegend
Now listen to Stampede, Mushroom River, or Dixie Wolf. Tell me you don't hear any similiarities and you my friend, are a liar. Face the facts; He is Legend = Nu-Metal.
Oklahoma
Tuscaloosa, AL
Washington
here's to cheap sex and codeine in a hospital bed...
DeKalb, Illinois
To be honest, a lot of people can make very different comparisions in song similarity. My favorite example. Green Day's "Macy's Day Parade" compared to CCR's "Have You Ever Seen the Rain", both feature similar strum/muting techniques on the acoustic guitar in the verse. Though the chord progressions are both based on the pentatonic scale, the chords change at different intervals. A lot of excellent musicians find influence outside of their "cookie-cutter" genres, don't be surprised if you might look at their influences as.... less than noble.
Want an easy target? Go after Jet.