Seasoned members of the bands Sevendust, Alter Bridge, Creed, and the Tremonti Project coalesce on Human, the new-age heavy release from the individuals that have musically merged to form the group Projected. The album begins with an instrumental cut, “Intro.” Its zen feeling and complex guitar work sets the bar for the album as a whole with the initial piece building anticipation as it grows. All of that peaceful ambience crashes down with a super heavy, headbanging type riff that rides smoothly throughout track two, “Hello.” The charged vocals of John Connolly and Eric Friedman draw the listener in, even for the non-metalheads. This group matches the heaviness of their guitars with the violent, unrelenting nature of their drum patterns.
Projected have the metal brutality of Pantera that meshes so well with the style of their crisp vocalists that just border on screaming. On “12804,” the picking pace slows while heavier undertones remain for an emotionally fueled ballad that was written in memory of “Dimebag” Darrell. A super dirty riff backed by angry vocals opens up and chugs along throughout the length of “The Crown,” the eighth number that potentially has the nastiest lead line on the record. The final song, “Breaking Me” sounds like something evil from the start. Expected heavy instrumentals and an energized solo with the vocalist sounding like he is on the edge of needing throat surgery makes for a decent exit for Projected’s Human.
This effort was completed in an organic and low budget way, free from time constraints as well as pressures put on by record labels. With a superpower of a band like this one, even the heaviest moments of Human have potential to appeal to the mainstream in that undeniable Nickelback kind of way.
In A Word: Entertaining
