Ever Forthright – Techinflux

So, a few weeks ago I was watching a music reactions live stream on Twitch, and the streamer said “Let’s listen to the new Ever Forthright”. Next thing I know, I was listening to the full album on repeat and taking notes to write this review. It was one of those rare jaw-drop moments when you hear something new that you just weren’t ready for, and it absolutely blows your mind. Not only was it insanely technical, but also groovy, catchy, original, atmospheric, and most importantly, very weird! If that sounds like something you’d enjoy, then let’s jump in! Oh yeah, and if it doesn’t, please keep reading anyway.

It’s been a while since I listened to a djent album. There are many influences coming together in the stylistic mixture on “Techinflux”, but at the core of it, it is as progressive and djenty as it gets, so I’ll take the liberty to slap that label on it. And when it comes to djent, it’s actually some of the best I’ve ever heard. At first it reminded me a lot of Intervals’ only album with vocals, “A Voice Within”, and I especially thought the vocalist sounds very similar to Mike Semesky. As it turns out, the reason why the vocalist sounds so much like Mike Semesky is because the vocalist is Mike Semesky… and for those unaware, that’s definitely a good thing! He has a unique approach at making his voice sound very calculated, almost mechanical with regards to rhythmic play, precision and pitch accuracy, but still brings forth so much emotion in the tone. He also has a gritty and powerful scream tone that packs a hefty punch when set against technical and impactful music, which this album has a lot of. I often feel like his vocal parts are written as if they could be played on an instrument, and like he’s slicing the vocal patterns in the same way that djent riffs are loaded with slices. What that means is that this album is phenomenal when it comes to rhythmic structures, and that’s before I even started talking about the instrumentals, so let’s have a look at what’s going on there…

Ever Forthright – Tambora

Insanity… that’s what’s going on there. Again, that’s a good thing. Before even looking at each instrument in turn, the obvious thing to notice is that the music strikes a supreme balance between complex time signatures and catchy, infectious groove. In my view, the best way to make progressive music, is to combine complex elements with hooks and groove that are immediate and gripping enough for even a non-prog listener to get a feel for the song. I know that’s how Intervals got me into progressive metal, particularly on the modern/djent side of things. Jerad Lippi’s drum sections display fantastic versatility. He can handle complex sliced kick patterns in a typical djenty fashion, as well as odd placements on the snare and cymbals, but he can also bring forward some pretty straightforward grooves, and the best thing is how he can switch from catchy to off beat and back again, either through ludicrous transitions, or just on the spot without any warning. He’s also just a very fast drummer, and that comes in handy for the parts that are intended to sound rushed and chaotic, like the intro riff to ‘The Well’. On the flipside though, he’s also very good with finesse, playing some sweet jazzy grooves when the music goes atmospheric (‘Tambora’ and ‘Techinflux’ have the best moments).

A similar skillset can be found on guitars. There are technical, djenty and chaotic riffs all over the place, but not without their fair share of groove that will at least get the listener to bop their head, if not full-on headbang (cough cough me). Guitar runs are mixed in with low chugs and galloping, in a never-ending frenzy of technical skill and energy. Even the background riffs that play under choruses or solo sections are very interesting and complex, although they don’t flash out enough to distract from the primary melody that takes full focus. And again, in the jazzy sections, there is fantastic clean guitar noodling, my favourite moment being on the outro to ‘Tambora’. The bass parts are also just the right amount of crazy, often going on a different route than the guitar riff, so the bass grabs the listener’s attention quite a lot. I was particularly surprised to hear some parts that sounded similar to a guitar solo sweeping, except it was happening on bass.

And while I keep mentioning guitar solos, maybe we should have a look at those as well. Guitar leads are quite frequent, although they don’t always come in a clearly designated solo section. A lot of the times there may just be a short moment where some fiery swirling up and down kicks in for a while but doesn’t develop further. However, when the full solos kick off (‘Rancho Cucamonga’), there is a lot of variety. It’s almost hard to decide whether what I’m hearing is a progressive metal solo, or a combination of jazzy and bluesy influences, but what it comes down to is a moment where technical skill, unexpected melodic choices and complex rhythmic approaches, all seem to come together.

Ever Forthright – Rancho Cucamonga

When we sum it up, the band creates a rich, full soundscape, overflowing with energy. Despite all the complexity, the composition is very engaging and gets under your skin, making you want to move along to the grooves. And although the song structures are unconventional and all over the place, to the point where I hesitate to call anything a “verse” or “bridge”, each song has at least one section that can be clearly identified as a chorus, with a hook that will stay in the listener’s head. ‘Marquee’ is my favourite when it comes to catchy vocal lines.

There is also clever use of piano, which adds a lot of atmosphere to the softer sections, most notably on the ridiculous, 12-minute long ‘Techinflux’, which takes the listener on a strange, dark, yet mystical emotional journey that I haven’t quite figured out how to process yet. I think a band is truly original when the emotional experience they create doesn’t really match any words that our vocabulary has put together to describe emotions. And the closing track does exactly that. It sounds strange, otherworldly and different in a way that I can’t really put my finger on.

When I put it all together, I think ‘Techinflux’ is one of the biggest surprises I’ve had this year. It’s technical, complex, catchy, refreshing and original in all the right ways. At just over an hour of total run time, it tends to get slightly overbearing. I expect that if rhythmically complex djent isn’t you’re go-to genre then sitting through the full album could get a bit tiresome. But the songs also work great to be listened to on their own, so that’s not a big problem. And given that there’s been a decade since this band’s previous release, I think releasing a ton of music is not only allowed, but strongly encouraged. And on that note, I advise you not to wait any longer and to dive into ‘Techinflux’.

Track List:

1. Kickfun (05:48)
2. Tambora (09:06)
3. Rancho Cucamonga (06:46)
4. Drop it like Harambe (04:28)
5. Cryptoface (05:20)
6. Marquee (04:25)
7. The Well (05:39)
8. Miso (07:16)
9. Techinflux (12:51)