Zoid Entertainment
March 17
Words by Kris Peters
As much fun as it is reviewing albums from the heavyweights of the music industry, I also find the opportunity to have a listen to something fresh and unknown to me often has merits.
So it is with an excitement of the unknown that I sit down to listen to the new album from Chicago unit Aftermath called No Time To Waste.
All I know about the album is that it is the third and final chapter of a trilogy and is “a departure from the previous dark concept albums in the trilogy.”
So what better way to get acquainted than by hitting the play button?
We are introduced to the title track by an evil voice proclaiming “the scumbags are in control” which is a calming segue into a thrash-fueled vocal onset by Kyriakos ‘Charlie’ Tsiolis that soon leads into a rap-style breakdown before entering thrash territory again.
Stuttering guitars bring things down a notch as the monologue continues sporadically in the background until guitarist Steve Sacco unleashes a Rage Against The Machine style solo that momentarily transforms into nothingness before Tsiolis starts screaming once more, and we are back into the thick of things. Rap and thrash lock horns here in an engrossing battle that I can honestly say is unlike anything I have heard before. And I fucken love it.
Original Instructions washes to life courtesy of a reverberating guitar lick that moves from one speaker to the next as a monologue drawls over the top introducing proceedings before what can only be described as an aural explosion rips through the calm.
These guys have it all. Rock, metal, breakdowns, solos… you name it, it’s there.
And all before the halfway mark of the second track. This is groovy and thrashy as fuck, rolling along at a haphazard pace that is difficult to label but oh so much better for it.
Sacco is on song from the outset, attacking his guitar with reckless abandon as the world falls around him. His solos glide and soar and stutter, the use of different tones a massive highlight.
Rapid-fire vocals from Tsiolis give way to guttural roars and back again in an epic display of versatility that has me hooked from the first listen. There’s also more moments of rap-style delivery offset by traditional metal vocals, but two songs in, and I have already lost count of the number of different influences evident here – but all with enough originality to make them definitively Aftermath’s.
As if to remind me he is there, drummer Ray Schmidt closes Original Instructions with a wash of frenetic double kicks that transcend beautifully into the next track Transform & Destruct.
A wicked bass run courtesy of George Lagis kickstarts the track before Tsiolis rips over the top and once more reigns sonic destruction. His vocals shoot off in even more variables on this track, going from cleans to harsh to spoken with consummate ease, and, more importantly, without ever impacting the flow of the song.
Gang vocals abound as the aggression builds until Sacco once more acts as musical mediator with a well-timed guitar solo that will have even the most resisting of heads banging in appreciation.
It really is difficult to pigeonhole Aftermath into one genre and for the sake of respect I shall refrain from doing so. All I can say is that if No Time To Waste is a departure from the darkness of the first two chapters of the trilogy then they must have been dark as fuck because this shit is definitely as far removed from light as a band could get!
Up Is Down opens with a female voice reciting the age-old adage “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me”, before her male counterpart simply states “not true” and a measured and calming intro eases over the top of tempered guitars in a swirling, almost hypnotic pattern that perhaps does highlight the lighter shade of this album.
It is an interesting track, still bludgeoningly heavy despite the relative calm of the music. It is almost like a musical incantation of sorts. Sacco seems to be the conductor of sorts for Aftermath. Each song swings momentum and direction on the back of one of his solo’s in another interestingly unique string to the band’s bow.
SLAVeABLE (We’re Not Your Animals) begins with an eery female recital of “we’re not your animals” that repeats into itself as a screeching guitar tone looms ominously in the foreground, building a sense of danger that is soon confirmed by a guttural growl from Tsiolis that transcribes into more of a hard rock number that bounces between metal tidings and rock courtesy of a catchy chorus that seemingly links the initial statement of the unknown female heroine to the words dictated by the vocalist.
A nice bass run from Lagis halfway through teases something more sinister that is ushered in by Sacco as the bass and drums quicken to keep up with the sudden switch of intensity.
The pattern of the first half of the track is recycled with strengthened vigor that reinforces the point. I won’t call you guys my animals. Okay?
We Can Do This Together thunders to life with frenetic double kicks from Schmidt before Tsiolis reaffirms the point that as a team things are much easier with a swaggering tune that is shrouded in menace without ever unleashing the force.
Another plot twist emerges at the midpoint of the song as instruments battle for supremacy before Sacco once more assumes lead mantle and sends the track off into rock territory with a blistering solo that once more succumbs the track to his will.
Clever use of thrash-fueled vocals with almost spoken interludes adds yet another dimension to the music as the guitar soars throughout, almost like a guiding force and curator between good and evil. Powerfully engaging.
Echo Chamber also starts with a groovy drum roll before guitars join the fray and invite Tsiolis to contribute with another rap-infused vocal delivery complete with gang vocals and almost nu-metal style guitars.
This track is different again to everything that came before, which is a definite highlight of No Time To Waste. So far no two tracks sound the same, with a myriad of differing musical disparities combining at different junctures to ensure separation.
Another drum breakdown speeds things up again in Echo Chamber as the chugging of guitar fills the void, allowing the gang vocal attack to fully transpire and ram home the message of the song.
I have no idea where to even start thinking about what Strawman In The House Of Cards could be about, so as the track begins with a blues-infused guitar lick over scattered monologues the confusion intensifies, but I find myself drawn in by the complete flip in stylistic pursuits offered by Aftermath.
Just when you think you have the band figured out they throw something like this in which wouldn’t be out of place on the soundtrack to From Dusk ‘Til Dawn.
Soothing guitar continues over a slowly angering spoken word monologue that leads you down a path into desolate territory where gunslingers rule and the rule of thumb is quick or the dead. There’s even a Motown-type blues influence here and despite the track not veering off into anywhere near as many tangents as those before I find myself transfixed to this tune and swaying my body like a cobra coaxed from his basket.
We Don’t Want A Riot sounds like my kind of song and swaggers to life in another seemingly blues-influenced number that lasts all of 20 seconds before a cool as fuck guitar lick changes the pace quickly into a rocking tune that is still slightly more subdued in nature.
But I suppose riots don’t all have to be full-on, do they?
Tsiolis reclaims his demonic style vocals here, monstering the gang-style chorus and dictating in no uncertain terms who the leader of the rebellion would be should the need arise.
Guitars swirl haphazardly as Sacco wails and solo’s in abstract intervals, all the while Tsiolis mumbles his intent before breaking into an enforced ferocity that once more puts things back on his terms as the guitars continue to swirl in the background.
Alternating between out-and-out aggression and restrained intent, it is almost as if Aftermath are welcoming us into their inner psyche as they contemplate the thought of starting a riot and invite us to join the decision-making process.
As is to answer that very question a re-imaging of the John Lennon classic Give Peace A Chance follows and closes the album, with a heavier rendition bearing little resemblance to the original.
While the almost angelic cries of “give peace a chance” are retained everything else is given the Aftermath treatment in what is a surprisingly awesome take on a love song about peace and tranquillity.
While the message may be the same, the way it is delivered highlights the significance of the lyrics and makes them relatable to a wider audience that is unrestrained by the trappings of conventional society.
Aftermath have certainly delivered the goods on No Time To Waste, so much so that I will definitely be tracking down the first two installments of the trilogy and giving them a listen.
Top notch!
