Belay My Last, a metal band from California has indisputable musical ability and it’s all on display with The Downfall, their debut album. For the uninitiated metal listener, this may be a good band with which to get started.
Like armor or weapons pounded out on a blackened anvil and polished to a relucent finish, the tracks on The Downfall are adept and impeccably arranged. Nick Leavenworth and Ryan George provide some crisp and distinct guitar power. Lebel, the drummer, shows off excellent footwork, drilling some tough rhythms. They aren’t a brutal metal force, but they are blistering.
The musical sensibility of this band is refreshing. “Cycles of Suffering” has some fun progressions and really tight head-banging riffs. I was happy to hear two instrumentals on the record, “Cognitive Dissonance” and “Too Late for Redemption,” the latter of which is actually my favorite track. It sounds epic, with noble guitars and regimental drums. It’s only drawback is that it’s just a little over a minute long. “Cognitive Dissonance” reminds me a lot of Voivod, kind of like science fiction metal, otherworldly and very cool.
Expect the usual guttural bellows and scratchy screaming for vocals. However, they seem just a tad silly. In fact, the high pitch squeal reminded me ever so much of the Joker from Tim Burton’s Batman. Remember when Nicholson’s character fell from that tower and all that was left was that disturbing mechanical laugh? That’s these vocals.
Now then, you’d expect intelligently written material to accompany the music. Here is where Belay My Last falters. Their lyrics belie immaturity. The words lack imagery and certainly the songwriters, Jason Denney (vocals) and Garrett Harer (bass) lack a vocabulary. Profanity is uttered over and over again. It’s metal, it should be profane, you say. Well, the problem is that the words are used as fillers - something had to be said and these guys knew no other way to express themselves. Additionally, there are a number of re-used phrases and thoughts, enough so that it gets boring and repetitive.
I’m not sure what to make of the name, Belay My Last. According to dictionaries I referenced, the phrase indicates ‘disregarding or canceling the preceding thoughts.’ So, are they hinting that we should disregard this record after listening to it?
Well, it’s not one to forget even if it does try to accomplish too much.
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