FAMILY was born in the United States around 2012 with their debut release "Portrait". At the end of FAMILY's first live set, they proclaimed, "We are FAMILY, and so are you" creating the very core from which these guys work. They are back with their sophomore release "Future History." This album comes in with twelve tracks and a listening time of right at 50 minutes.

The opening track, "The Dark Inside", off the bat screams Atmosphere and Alternative Metal. From that moment on I knew I was on a glorious ride. Except, so very different. The vocals bellow wonderfully but can also reach a growl that compliments the clean vocals nicely. The sound flows like a breeze with its Bluesy Jazz feel. Their musicianship shines high in this track. Every element they bring into this track works, from the unorthodox pauses to their what seems like muted vocals. This is an interesting track in deed. "Evacuation", track two, flows nicely from track one. It is a warning track. The evacuation has begun and it is not a drill. This 38 second, track two interlude is a little bazar in placement. However, it brings track three "Day Vision" right into play. This track is much harder and while keeping an Atmospheric Rock feel, there are definite Classic Metal elements everywhere. The guitars are infectiously sexy, the vocals remain gruffy and growled, the bass is beautifully low and the drums are fantastically grounded.

Track four, "The Trail", brings back in that little Alternative flare see heard at the beginning. The exaggerated guitar plucking at the start of the track gives this track an edge. This does continue throughout the track, but is not continuous. There is so much blatant love for the bass here. It makes my heart happy. All bass is purposeful, but not all bass is equal. There is a bit of technicality in this track as well that rounds this track out nicely. "Prison Hymn", track five, is another shorter interlude coming in a just under two minutes. It is an interesting little track, and as you can imagine is riddled with harmonic tunes with swept drums and acoustics. The tack is completely different from what we've heard and leads into one the hardest tracks on the album "Floodgates".

Track nine "Night Vision", to reach a point of Alternative Metal that I am not familiar with. There is the obvious Alternative sound, but there is so much more. The elements that intertwine in this track shatters that genre wall that many people like to hold on to. There is so much here, that maybe if you don't like Alternative per se, you may still find the beauty that is here. "Precedent", track ten, is my favorite of the album. There is a Blues vibe wrapped in screaming vocals that also vibrate and range during the course. This is another track where the bass is phenomenally done. The guitars have their unique solo and drums are done exceptionally. This whole track is on another level. The end particularly has a surprise that completely changes the tone. It shifts nicely into another short two-minute acoustic instrumental "Last Looks".

The final track, "Bone on Bone" starts hard and mysterious. Everything is down tuned and the vocals are gritty. The musicianship shown in this track alone would change the minds of the doubters. The feeling is almost like a sort of anthem. The end is completely different and has a very Folk-ish flare. This is the perfect ending to "Future History".

FAMILY nailed their sophomore release "Future History". While there are extreme bouts of Alternative Metal and Rock, there is so much more. There isn't a genre that doesn't have some kind of influence on this album. There is a Southern Bluesy Jazz that in an instant turns to a heavy Alternative Metal and then back into Folk. This album brings so much to the table and is a really great musical experience.