Beyond this Path

Forced Rejection

FORCED REJECTION is a Southern Groove Metal band hailing from Spain. They were born in […]
By Jessica Pearman
April 6, 2015
Forced Rejection - Beyond this Path album cover

FORCED REJECTION is a Southern Groove Metal band hailing from Spain. They were born in 2010, and with almost three years under their belts, released "Made of Pride", their debut demo in 2013. Now the guys are back with their first EP, "Beyond this Path", released in 2014. The EP also includes the three tracks from their demo, "Made of Pride", as bonus tracks. "Beyond this Path" comes in with seven tracks (three of which are the bonus tracks) at about 32 minutes of listening time.

From first play, I heard many mixtures of styles and elements that make this EP stand out among other releases. The vocals are intense, but moderate enough for those who don't enjoy growled vocals, and heavy enough to please those who do. The musicianship shown throughout this EP is phenomenal. Every element, every twist, every harmony, and every melody just work: creating unparalleled work for a Southern Groove Metal band.

These elements include everything from vocals reminiscent of ROB/WHITE ZOMBIE, riddled with sounds of AVENGED SEVEN FOLD. The guitars are a mixture of Hard Rock, Rock n' Roll, and Heavy Metal. All perfectly combined to create a hard, new school sound with the most obvious takes on old school sounds. It's like learning from the past and creating newness with it. The bass is oh so low, sometimes matching the grunted vocals and sometimes surpassing them with depth that is out of this world. The drums are brilliant. They don't over power, but still have the presence needed to make kick ass music. Everything combined is an explosion of goodness for your ears.

It is somewhat difficult to pick just a few songs to elaborate on because this entire EP is chock full of guitar riffs, melodies, bass lines, lyrics, and percussion that is all worthy of mention. However, that would be too long, so here are the tracks in which I enjoyed for all the above mentioned and more.

Track one, "Payback", starts of strong coming in with a guitar riff that hooks the listener from the push of the play button. This track reminded me of listening to a ROB ZOMBIE album, without the horror lyrical content and with a vocal variation that took this track in a different direction. The guitars and bass stay pretty low, and I do love how, while the bass isn't something that's put in the forefront of this track, it does have a large roll in the overall sound produced. All that perfectly balanced with the drum work makes for a very satisfied listener.

"The Storm", track two, is another one that starts hard, but a bit slower than the first. One of my favorite things in this track is that the vocals showed a bit of accent, which I believe is something that should always show, even if it's a tiny bit of the overall feel. The tone is higher and more energetic, hence the name of the song, I suppose. It is complete with one of the best guitar solos on the EP.

The bonus track, "Made of Pride", is probably the hardest track on this EP and is one of my favorites. This one is pure Metal meets a badass southern outlaw. The vocals are hard and intense and the music is very gruff, until the mini prelude that includes an acoustically picked sounding guitar solo and a softly spoken vocal.

I cannot stress enough the magic in the music these guys create. It has its own sound but you can hear the influence of other bands roaming through the tracks. I am totally in love with the sound these guys have created. There's something different and something comforting to the sound.<

10 / 10

Masterpiece

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"Beyond this Path" Track-listing:

1. Payback
2. Beyond this Path
3. The Storm
4. XII
5. War Girl Soul
6. Made of Pride
7. Stoned Devil Blues

Forced Rejection Lineup:

Oscar Cantero - Vocals
Ody - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Hector Lekuona - Guitar
Juilio Molina - Bass
Fernando "Pirulo" Lledo - Drums

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