Human Abstract, The - Midheaven (Album)
Concept album? Rock opera? The Wall emo-style? The new The Human Abstract album Midheaven is a mighty rock epic that has been on constant rotation on my player since I have had it. The album begins with A violent strike, a track that was completely unexpected. Not that I knew what to expect but it certainly wasn’t this.
Starting with an ominous drone, what follows is what can only be described as The Mars Volta meets Spinal Tap's Jazz Odyssey. There are time signatures flying everywhere, melodic vocals, growled vocals, and then bang! some fret-shedding chromatic guitar workouts. The latter were from nowhere, completely nowhere! I liken it to doing a bit of Sunday gardening when all of a sudden one your garden gnomes turns into Yngwie Malmsteen and causes a grassfire with some blazing guitar chemistry. Jazz-rock-metal fusion hasn’t sounded so good since Frank Zappa, and this is certainly an improvement on the musical masturbation that is a The Mars Volta record.
The spasmodic nature of the constant time signature switching makes you want to dance like a vertical worm, if you can picture that. The early highpoint is track 3, Breathing Life into Devices. Jazz-rock-metal magic with a killer anthem chorus. Following this is the power ballad The world is a tomb. Power ballads can be a tad outrageous at times but after the ridiculousness of the preceding track you think, ‘Why not!’ From here the album changes completely. The second half of the album moves towards straight ahead rock/balladry, which is presumably the second chapter in this rock opera. The first deals with the chaos and savagery of war. The second concentrates on the aftermath and the ridiculousness of it. This second half, whilst very different, pays repeated listens. It really shows a band with a lot of scope and ability.
This album will certainly not be to all tastes. For those who like an unholy union of Iron Maiden, Spinal Tap, and Zappa will love it. Those who feel too restrained to stretch the vocal chords out in a power ballad karaoke session need not apply.
The world needs this type of ambition in music. Very highly recommended.
