new music: teenage metal trio unlocking the truth deliver on their promise on their powerful and intense debut ‘chaos’ #soundcheck

With a bare minimum of overdubs, Chaos wisely chooses to capture the band’s live energy rather than try to mold them into something they’re not. Early live staples like “Monster” come off with the fire the band perfected over 3 years of constant performance, the interplay between the trio having the ease and chemistry of bands that have been playing together longer than Malcolm Brickhouse has been alive. Unlocking The Truth milk a surprising amount of depth from their all-fury-all-the-time formula, particularly on the epic “Escape,” which tweaks a Sabbath ode in new and exciting directions. On album highlight “Ravens,” Jared Dawkins makes a case for himself as the best drummer in metal, switching tempos, feels, and time signatures like they’re nothing.

Though most of the songs run through themes of heartbreak and betrayal, the band scores an unlikely posi hit with “FAYWB,” whose unexpectedly uplifting slogan contrasts against the angst of the music in kind of amazing ways. But it’s the late album track “Take Control” that takes all of the things that make Unlocking The Truth great and distills them into one perfect track. Ferocious riffs from Malcolm Brickhouse, while one of the best rhythm sections in metal today turns on a dime. The wait is over. Unlocking The Truth has delivered on its promise. And its every bit as intense as we’d all hoped.

By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK contributor