Human Waves
A Lie Nation
•
February 8, 2016
I'm genuinely brought to rage when I read comments that dissolve into arguments: "are they Blackened Melodic Death Metal or Deathened Atmospheric Black Metal"? I must ask what does it matter; most bands don't sit comfortably in one sub-genre, and more often than not, can display multiple influences with just one song. A LIE NATION are one such band and they do it perfectly. With a seriously cool cover, I hope becomes a common sight on t-shirts, the sound of trebely guitars burst into "Leech." A solid opener dealing with themes of a vampiric nature (without glitter) told through a mix of growls and shrieks. I especially like the biscuit tin sounding blast beat to reinforce the high end attack of the guitars. "Revolution One" is the satanic version of Simon Says; bare with me, it makes perfect sense: In the song, Simon Says becomes the metaphor for how we're forced to "Suppress all the feelings of your anger." The message is portrayed over some exceptionally awesome riffing with a diverse range of vocals, even the clean style fits after harsh growls without seeming disjointed. A chordal passage gives way to a slow building bridge with brilliant jazzy double kicks to maintain your attention. "Beyond The Realms Of Humanity" maintains the stunning musical ambition with well-placed dynamic shifts between soft and harsh, mirroring the juxtaposition of conforming to an ever changing world "as human values are torn apart." The only song in their native Finnish tongue, "Kuningus Kersimys", is multi-textured thanks to the use of synth, but as the vocals sound so much more natural, the aggression comes across 10x strong than in their other songs, it's like Miikka Pyykkönen has been let off a leash to attack you through speakers (of which my 100w stereo likely scared my neighbours.) For added fun, Google translate the lyrics and laughs at the results; the most I could get was doom, death and some more doom. Next time I'm asking Siri. Closing track, "In And Out Of Consciousness", hits home like David Haye hits an Aussie (too soon?), however it does offer many thoughtful and mellow sections. The lyrics work well over the riffing, with Miikka Pyykkönen taking on different personas seamlessly to carry the anxiety in the words. Honestly go to their Facebook page, like them, then follow the link to their bandcamp page. They're a straight up independent outfit looking for exposure the hard way, and this EP deserves as much grass root support for people who like heavier music.<
8 / 10
Excellent
"Human Waves" Track-listing:
1. Leech
2. Revolution One
3. Beyond the Realms of Humanity
4. Pouring Dark Cloud
5. Kuningas kärsimys
6. In and Out of Consciousness
A Lie Nation Lineup:
Jussi Tuomisto - Guitar
Joni Moisanen - Guitar
Miikka Pyykkönen - Vocals
Joonas Kokkoniemi - Bass
Markus Leinonen - Drums
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