Humanity Pending by Madison, Wisconsin’s Disappearance is my personal favorite album release of 2018. It has such a unique variety of sounds littered throughout its near-hour of recordings. There’s an underlying theme to this album, and the title about sums it up.
Disappearance has two vocalists (Chuck Wisco, Rob Straus) that layer each other’s screams and seamlessly switch off lines. To add more depth and variety, Wisco mixes in clean singing as well. Both vocalists bring a unique and distinctive guttural scream to the table, yet somehow blend really well together. They have a ridiculous sick bass player (Andrew Bosko) who even surprises you with some bass leads, and two guitar players (Brandon Austin, Aaron Elston) capable of shredding some leads or filling empty space with sick guitar fills. Last but not least, their drummer (Edwin Valentin) bleeds metal out of his veins and ties the whole thing together with some insane drum fills and beats.
On Humanity Pending, every song has unique character and sequencing to it. The album flows from track to track while maintaining individualism. Each band member has a good sense of each other’s skill set, and they allow each other room in each track to shine without losing flow within the song.
Without further ado, let’s dive into this album track-by-track.
Wolves Amongst Sheep
This was the first single released ahead of the album, and for a good reason. This song hits hard and is relentless! I really dig the production, especially the left and right pan of the beginning riff as it fades in. The chorus really keeps you captivated and sets the tone for the album. I really enjoy the guitar fills in this track, and the breakdown is as brutal as it gets! Towards the end it fades out to a heart beat monitor, then pans volume up to the outro, which really amps me up and helps the song end on a strong note.
To My Dismay
This song comes to fruition in a chill way. The midi background effects are really cool, and even though it is in a subtle context, they add a lot to the feel of the intro. The clean picking parts in this song are really unique and the layered low root hits behind them are on point. Shred them solos, boys! The ending harmony singing puts a distinct and new feel to the outro!
Substance Domain
I absolutely love the “bleh” scream that kick starts this song. The rhythmic, clean singing breaks up the feel. The production of this song as a whole is amazing! The background midi and sample sounds make you feel the desired effect and articulated the feel of this song. The bass solo is intense in this song! They utilize both vocalists extremely well in this song and play to their strengths. Disappearance does a killer job of using empty space and rests in between notes in unique ways from part to part.
Declaration
Even upon reading the title of this song, you already know the vocalists have something to say! Lyrically, I hear a sarcastic vibe to how things should go and how things actually go in day-to-day life here in America. This song has an amazingly well-written chorus, and you can hear his point in the pain and fluctuation of his voice. However, there’s one negative thing I hear in the chorus: it feels like he is just about to hit a higher note but just never fully makes it there. Towards the end there’s a really innovative, spaced out solo, and at the end of it everyone drops out and just the guitars carry out the end of solo to a really bad ass clean part. It flows into the final chorus really well!
Greed
There’s an ugly brutal feel to the intro riff, and that exact riff tells you the story of “Greed” before lyrics and vocals even comes in. There’s almost a nu metal feel in parts of this song as the vocals are essentially rapped over the music. This song’s meaning is pretty direct, but I look at that as a good thing. Sometimes–especially in metal music–you’ve got to skip the creative mystery and create a brutal, straightforward song, and “Greed” is just that! This song stays brutal without losing rhythmic feel, and your head never stops nodding. The use of arpeggios in this song is beautifully articulate.
Specific Notion
The midi starting this gem leads you flawlessly into the beginning riff. I didn’t see the clean, short picking interlude coming and really enjoyed it in an unexpected place. The chorus vocals feel like they’re flowing, and I’m enjoying it, but some of the notes towards the end are almost–but not quite–there. It’s like they’re just beyond his reach. There are also some nu metal feels in this song as well. I really enjoy how this band incorporates some other genres slightly splashed in their overall sound. It definitely helps keep their music fresh while still maintaining their identity. This jam has my favorite low and high layered screams in it. Devil horns in the air every time I hear it!
Children of Decay
I love the pinch harmonic and the space in between notes that allow the riff to breath. Both the vocalists’ talent and depth shines throughout this entire song. The contrast of evil and serene feels in this song really stand out. The blast beats and drum fills show off the arsenal of weapons that are at Valentin’s disposal. Dynamically, this is my favorite song on Humanity Pending. Every member of the band has a little moment to shine. It also features my favorite clean singing part in the album as well!
Dark Matter (instrumental)
This track has a theatrical movie feel to it and shows off their production skills. It tells a story without saying a word–a really hard thing to achieve.
Humanity Pending
This is the title track for the album. I absolutely love the harmony riff and the pause before the first verse. This song hits hard from beginning to end, with layered screams that are as brutal as it gets. The clean singing really breaks up the song nicely but it still doesn’t lose its aggressiveness. The clean interlude adds a nice touch and also sets up the breakdown in a “calm before the storm” kind of way. I love how, right after the interlude, everyone drops out, leaving the drummer, Valentin, to come in and foreshadow upcoming events. The echoing vocal at the end brings the song to a fitting conclusion.
Blinded (featuring Steven Lesko)
The harmony clean singing is arguably the best harmony singing on the whole album. Beautifully done! The pause interlude where there’s a guy voice going “…and now it’s time for a breakdown,” the most brutal breakdown on the album ensues, and this is my favorite moment of this entire album. Guest guitarist (Steven Lesko) lays a shredding solo on this track, nailing it to perfection with not only technical skill, but feel and space as well. Shred on brother! The outro feel makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. The way this song fades into the next is as smooth as silk.
Weslyn
I love the use of midi keyboard in this song! It adds a whole new feel to this song that cannot be achieved through guitar. Again, the production skills are shining bright. Aside from Steve Leskos’ solo on “Blinded,” this is my favorite solo on the album. I also really enjoy the clean tone mixed in with the layered stop and go patterning behind it! The song ended with the high bass lead during the outro–a really unique and cool way to conclude.
Get Low (cover)
This cover of Lil John’s “Get Low” makes me laugh and headbang at the same time! Disappearance did a ridiculously awesome job of making this their own, all the while staying true and doing the original justice. This song is brutal yet fun to the point you can pit or dance your ass off endlessly–it’s up to you!
Favorite track: “Children of Decay”
This song features the best vocals, use of vocalists, as well as the best chorus on the album. Also this song features my favorite sense of dynamics and acute awareness of each other’s strengths. It’s got the most character of any song on this album.
Least favorite track: “Specific Notion”
I actually feel bad putting this song as my least favorite track on this album. While I still enjoy this song immensely and think this song has plenty of great moments, I just felt that vocally this song could use the most work on it. While it might be the higher notes are just out of reach of his natural range, I appreciate any vocalist who challenges themselves as it’s the only way you can grow. However, in this case, it felt like it was detracting from the song rather than adding to the music. I found myself focused on the higher notes and trying to envision what notes should be there.
Favorite moment
It’s time for a breakdown interlude to breakdown! There were tons of moments during this album that I absolutely loved. From sick breakdowns, to harmony singing, to layered screams; from shredtastic solos, to sick drum fills, to dope bass leads, this album has it all! But that part is a standalone, one of a kind, extra add in part which leads to the most brutal breakdown on the album. Creating music is what bands do, but being able to even think of adding that in is next level creative thinking!
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