| Musical Style: Metal/Hard Rock | Produced By: Jimmy P. Brown II |
| Record Label: Retroactive | Country Of Origin: USA |
| Year Released: 2018 | Artist Website: |
| Tracks: 10 | Rating: 90% |
| Running Time: 48:07 |
It was only a matter of time, wasn’t it? Hot on the heels of releasing the 3 Frogz / Roxx Records winter of 2018 ‘old school thrash’ Deliverance comeback album The Subversive Kind, founding member and front man Jimmy P. Brown II returns in the fall of the same year with his long awaited and highly anticipated debut solo offering Eraserhead. Attributing to Retroactive Records, Eraserhead presents with the type of marked musical divergences to allow the artist to delight fans of either side of the hard music fence in which he resides, or in a perfect world, those into both! Beginning in the early nineties, Brown distanced himself from the melodic speed metal and thrash of iconic early Deliverance releases Deliverance (1989) and Weapons Of Our Warfare (1990) and began a new era in the groups history that fans refer to as ‘the creative years’. Stay Of Execution (1992), for instance, took a musical heading critics like to define as ‘technical metal’, while follow up efforts Learn (1993) and River Disturbance (1994) were of similar style but with greater leanings towards the progressive. Deliverance closed out the nineties in like musical form with its first and only concept album in Camelot If Smithereens (1995).
This brings us full circle back to Eraserhead, which despite being released as a Jimmy P. Brown II solo album, picks up where the Deliverance ‘creative years’ leave off with a sound that that (as noted in his press material) ‘is full on heavy, metal, progressive, dark, and ultra creative but not thrash or speed metal.’ Actually, the Jimmy P. Brown II solo album part makes sense in light of how fans most often identify with Deliverance as speed metal and thrash, so it gives the artist opportunity to separate any technical metal projects under a different heading. That said, if I were to invite comparison it would be to Learn and River Disturbance, the least of not which being how Eraserhead features the same core group of musicians: Brown continues to handle guitar and vocal duties and Manny Morales and Jon Knox bass and drums, respectively. As for the vocal side of things, Brown has forsaken the at times high-pitched and others gruff and course style instinctive to old school Deliverance in favor of a lower register and melancholic style not unlike Eric Clayton (Savior Machine) and David Bowie but with a touch of Geoff Tate (Queensryche) thrown in.
Opening cut “Ego” does a good job recapturing the artists ‘creative years’ form. Moody and subdued, the song granulates at a bass heavy mid-tempo romp as crunch-laden guitars and Brown’s signatures opaque vocal delivery set the somber tone for that to follow. It is refreshing to hear such musical leanings from the artist following the passing of over twenty years.
“Stained” elevates tempo and heaviness in taking melody to even higher levels. Guitars in particular dig and bite, standing out with the type of catchy riffs to refuse to go away with repeat listen, making radio play (if such a thing even exists today) a distinct possibility. Instrumentally, Brown proves himself quite the underrated soloist.
Artist has never been as bluesy as on “Indecisive”, a catchy groove rocker combining an infectious front to back mirthfulness with Morales’ blistering funk flavored bass line. It works to the extent I am reminded of the Max Blam Jam project Blow Up Man to feature current/former Deliverance members Brian Khairullah and Glenn Rogers. Lone complaint is that a song the quality to “Indecisive” deserves to be carried out further than three and a half minutes.
Ensuring Newsboys cover “Entertaining Angels” receives the full Eraserhead treatment, as a medium good pop rocker morphs into a swarthy churner with an elevated low-end and abounding vocal melodies that further lends to the doleful setting. Much of the polish and luster to the original ends up factored out in the process while maintained is the same notable melody.
“The Scales” takes a lighter heading in comparison to much of the albums material, although still quite good. This manifests from how guitars do not hit quite as hard in reflecting some bluesy nuances, all the while bestowed to the backdrop is another grooving bass line. A calmer ‘angelic’ passage halfway in finds Brown lowering his register to mirror that of a flattering baritone form.
As much as I like albums first half, second in my opinion is home to many of its better tracks, beginning with showstopper “Memoria”. Finding Brown at the top of his ‘technical metal’ game, “Memoria” brings the type of moody vocal melodies and emotional guitar flavorings that would allow it to sound at home on Learn, my favorite Deliverance album by the way. Focal point is a standout melody that fails to wear thin despite the songs six-minute length, with a protracted instrumental section that fades to classical guitars at the end helping carry it out to such distance.
“A Story Of Time” is closest any of the albums material comes to ballad territory. Not unlike “The Scales”, it is a lighter cut in which guitars reflects more of a rock heading, although acoustic guitars carry the dreamy verses, while rhythm guitar recoil for the warm and inviting refrain. The instrumental run near the end again finds Brown quite comfortable in a soloing role.
Another favorite is “The Swell Lot Of Thieves” with the fitting voice over intro to feature Humphrey Bogart! What we have is bluesy to groove driven hard rock - there is a bit of a slide guitar thing going on here - with a plethora of muscular low end and lower register layered vocal harmonies. Knox exhibits his abilities with plenty of drum rolls and fills ahead of the funk flavored instrumental section to feature guitars bounding between each channel.
“Digital Postage Stamp” storms and batters from the get go, Stay Of Execution like in terms of heaviness with its unabashed focus but also revealing more reticent moments to touch upon the eloquence and grandeur of River Disturbance. Further separating it is a refrain whose discordant touch borders on the punk influenced in terms of intensity.
Artist saves best for last with seven-minute progressive magnum opus “The Watchers”. Opening its first minute and a half dark and wistful almost to the point of Gothic, the song delicately drifts to reflective guitars carried over a bedrock of concentrated bass until picking up at once as stark rhythm guitars punch in to shore up the disconsolate (and brilliantly executed) refrain. Instrumental moments once more serve to highlight Knox’s motivated playing.
As for lyrics, I am unworthy to interpret Jimmy P. Brown II’s prose, so I am going to provide lyric snippets to several tracks and let you form your own conclusions instead.
“Digital Postage Stamp”:
You want to know what I believe
You want to know how I live my life
You ask me to give so you can receive
Though it may cause me pain and strife
But do you ask me if I’m hurting
Do you think about it or even care
Every stop to wonder if what you’ve read was true
Did you wonder if anyone was really there?
“The Scales”:
And when the arrows come, defame you of your life
You want to feel like there’s something worth holding onto
No matter what anyone says, beyond the worries and cares
Just want to believe
Have you every felt like you’re going through it all alone?
Like no one believes or even understands
It’s like you’ve been transplanted from home
Pressure all around a ransom owed
“A Swell Lot Of Thieves”:
They sneak in on the air of a net, a friend pose, you give they get
Kinda your fault, you opened the door, what once was enough
They’ve come back for more
Fool me once, fooled me twice
I guess that’s why I’m done being nice
Save your words don’t pollute the air
The thieves broke in and have stolen all my prayers
“Memoria”:
I dedicate myself to rise,
High above these morbid states of fear
Eradicate the notion of End
Let its silence bring sighs and a tear
Of all things past and now
No reason as to why or how
It’s that which we allow
The search and its bitter end
From darkness I will ascend
Torn hearts will find their mend…
Production shines with its manifold bass presence, noting that guitars and drums by no means end up overlooked. Cover art is also of quality with a darker bent in line with the Eraserhead musical leanings, while CD insert includes sketched portraits of band members in addition to easy to read lyrics and liner notes in a black font over a faded tan background,.
Fans of the Deliverance mid-period creative years can rejoice in the technical metal ways to Eraserhead with its full on progressive, dark and heavy but always creative disposition. Making it work is the power trio of Brown’s lower register vocals and at times hard rocking and others bluesy guitar focus not to mention the every bit proficient work of Morales and Knox. Give credit Brown for releasing not just an old school thrash album to satisfy fans of ‘old school’ Deliverance but also one to appeal to those whose tastes trend towards the group’s mid-period creative years. In the end, I find Eraserhead to stand alongside Learn as the best album released from Brown or at the very least represents a strong challenge for album of the year.
Review by Andrew Rockwell
Track Listing: “Ego” (3:55), “Stained” (4:13), “Indecisive” (3:31), “Entertaining Angels” (4:27), “The Scales” (4:32), “Memoria” (5:56), “A Story Of Time” (4:46), “The Swell Lot Of Thieves” (4:31), “Digital Postage Stamp” (5:23), “The Watchers” (6:54)
Musicians
Jimmy P. Brown II - Lead Vocals & Guitars
Manny Morales - Bass
Jon Knox - Drums & Percussion
