Up From the Underground : The Unravelling's "Revolt"

Many genres in the metal family tree have seen a come back in the inevitable cycle  musical trends seemed destined to take, but industrial has yet to really see a come back the magnitude it deserves . While Youth Code might be the band  voted mostly likely to do this in truest form, this project from Canada that taking their best stab westward at it. They have come back after  having the lead singer  out of commission for a year due to heath problems. The Unraveling's  new single that is the first we have heard from this project since their 2010 release “ 13 Arcane Hymns”. This shows the project evolving from being just another Tool influenced hard rock band stuck in the 90s to something more promising.

Though their influences are not always worn on their sleeves they do shine through brightly at times. The first comparison that came to mind was this is what it might sound like if Devin Townsend decided to cover Nine Inch Nail's "Reptile". I think the results would not be too much unlike this. The guitar carries a similar chug to the one Reznor captured on that album. If you can be compared in any way to the "Downward Spiral "then you have made something that at the very least is on the upside of decent, since it is  one of the best sounding albums ever recorded. This makes the work of the duo’s instrumentalist impressive. This might not be prog since nothing wanders out of place, the song is only four and a half minutes, which is what the intro to a prog rock song would be. 

The vocal delivery falls closer to the God Lives Under Water side of industrial rock. When the singer backs off and employs a more subtle dynamic against the trickling single note melody the Nine Inch Nails comparisons might flourish. If you missed out on when this music peaked in the 90s these guys have a grasp of the more Head banger’s Ball style industrial, where the emphasis is the guitar rather than the electronic smoke and mirrors. The lyrics are one of this project’s strengths, they cloaked in metaphors while still being a harsh, but spot on criticism of big American materialism that spreads it's infection on a global level. 

Who would have thought the band would come across heavier without being as centered around guitar as their previous efforts? This might not rival Ministry’s tougher moments and Meshuggah certainly has nothing to fear,  its this tangible emotional rawness that makes up for the lack of blast beats and gurgled growls. I look forward to hearing what an entire album heading into this direction will bring from this project which has no shortage of talent and has begun to carve our their own identity for themselves with this release.  Check it out below.