It’s sad because in today’s musical climate, great music gets swallowed up on a regular basis. Luckily for you, our loyal readers, we’re here to shine a light whenever possible on said diamonds in the rough! Today we’re focusing on a band that shouldn’t need an introduction….but here it is anyway!
That band in question is Audiotopsy who feature in their ranks former members of Mudvayne, HELLYEAH, and Skrape and have returned with a blistering sophomore album that feeds off the energy of their debut to create a sound that’s all their own.
“War” takes listeners back to a time when it was okay to slap any two words together or deliberately spell your band name with the wrong letters and is just an in-your-face reminder of the potency when members of Mudvayne and Skrape collaborate once again as Audiotopsy. But it’s “Hologram” that follows which really starts this shiznit, though, with Greg Tribbett’s riffage on full display and shredding along while Matthew McDonough pounds away with reckless abandon behind the kit.
“Panic On The Airwaves” is like this Stone Temple Pilots/Alice In Chains hybrid combined with the absolute best tones nu-metal had to offer as lyrics like “I’ll forever be unhinged” ring out from Billy Keeton’s maw. Elsewhere, “Fade Away” is the kind of beast you’d come to expect when members of two nu-metal maelstroms collide as it pummels loudly yet retains a melodic side.
“Hurt Down”, on the other hand, is a wholly different mammer jammer with its’ moody and acoustic passages. For me, this is kind of like the third Audioslave album where it had similarities to the members’ former outfits but represented what the evolution of the collaboration should yield. That’s “Hurt Down” in a nutshell. “What Am I” continues that trend and is easy to hear why this was one of the bands’ lead off tracks with a catchy ass chorus accompanied by this sonic bludgeoning that’s easily become part of Audiotopsy’s signature sound.
“If Only” is loud and brash interspersed with proggy passages fueled by Perry Stern’s bass and McDonough’s syncopated attacks. Then we get to “A Death Benefit”. And it’s fucking weird. And that’s why it’s such a stand out. With this fuzzed out intro and a cacophonous array of swirling noises, this track like most on The Real Now is the sound of a band really finding their footing and creating something unique within the current musical climate.
The Real Now is out now via Megaforce Records and you can get it right now by clicking here or here. For the latest on Audiotopsy, head on over to this location right here.