ALBUM REVIEW: Gone Dark – Human Impact
HUMAN IMPACT exists as a conglomerate of established heavy music veterans; born from the minds of Chris Spencer [UNSANE] and Jim Coleman [COP SHOOT COP], with the additions of Eric Cooper [MADE OUT OF BABIES, BAD POWERS] and Jon Syverson [DAUGHTERS], there is propensity for immense ferocity seated within the very bones of this outfit. Seeking to capture the energy of their live performances within a studio recording, the band elected to craft an album with an ethos of rawness, aggression, and cohesion. The end product is their sophomore record, Gone Dark, a collusion of noise rock, industrial metal, and even moments of daring progressive showmanship.
From the outset, the experience of these musicians is clear to behold. Every element of the sonic fabric here feels purposeful and weighty, as the band utilise towering soundscapes of punishing riffs, thunderous percussion, and screeching feedback to convey themes of societal collapse, social unity, and the shedding of individualism. Above the sonic fray, Spencer is positioned in front of you, shouting directly into your face almost as if to herald the end times themselves. The result is a highly evocative experience that manages to somehow feel both gritty and cinematic.
Repeat can easily be marked as one of the highlights of the record, with its sludgy guitar riffs oozing out across hypnotic percussion that lumbers forwards consistently. Spencer alternates between a menacing gravelly drone and his signature abrasive shouting in a swaggering display of musical tug-of-war. The murky, grungy undertones also appear on Destroy To Rebuild, with its snaking guitar melodies that twist atop a swaggering undercurrent of monstrous bass and gang style vocals; it all makes for a brilliantly invigorating condemnation of the current flawed system, with Spencer bellowing “now is our time to resist”.
Beyond these highlights, the rest of the album maintains a solid pace and strong degree of quality. From the explosive acknowledgment of the fragility of modern society with the opening track Collapse to the snarling, driving Imperative, the album brilliantly flows through cohesive themes and dynamic ideas with no real low points.
Perhaps the only major critique that could be made of the record is that it is easy to imagine HUMAN IMPACT being able to push their sound into further extreme territories than they do here. The blend of musical styles on Gone Dark is well-crafted, but the extreme elements and sheer bombast could be dialled up even further, pushing the record beyond being simply an engaging political album, and more towards an extreme artistic statement. The experience and talent is clearly there; HUMAN IMPACT could be capable of something truly monolithic.
Regardless, what is offered on Gone Dark does make for blood-pumping listening. The album is a culmination of years of musical experience, and a product of a passion to create something real and electrifying. Supergroups can often feel less than the sum of their parts, but HUMAN IMPACT have bucked that trend in brilliantly brutal fashion.
Rating: 8/10
Gone Dark is set out now via Ipecac Recordings.
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