NEW HE IS LEGEND DATES, EXCLUSIVE TUTORIAL
Last month MetalSucks reported that He Is Legend had firmed plans for the recording of a follow-up to 2009’s It Hates You, a heavy rock classic with a shockingly low awareness-to-awesomeness ratio. That also goes for He Is Legend’s full-throttle live show: I’ve attended HiL gigs in the company of like 30 dudes — this despite HiL jamz’ ultimate suitability for mega-arenas before undulating seas of fans. Put it this way: Green Day, Muse, He Is Legend. That’s how it could be.
It hasn’t yet worked out that way for HiL, but lol we fans would just as soon keep this gem for our private ogling, so to speak. And our pants are flamin’ hot since The PRP reported this weekend that the new HiL itinerary has four new Fall dates. In the spirit of fellowship, we share this info with one and all — right after a brief crash course in HiL sweetness.
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20 MINUTES WITH HE IS LEGEND: A CRASH COURSE
Song “The Primarily Blues”
Album It Hates You
Year 2009
It Hates You‘s shape is similar to Deftones’ Around The Fur: It begins with three super songs, but signals a level jump via a monster fourth track that blows off your ballz/boobz. And “Blues” has a similar iteration within its frame: First your ear engorges via the crushing verse riff covered by a tinkling, chiming drone guitar and Schuylar Croom’s tasty, two-dimensional melody; but then the jam goes supernova at the bridge (2:37) where harmony vocals kinda fly overhead then join formation with Croon’s main vocal. Sweet jesus that’s smooth.
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Song “Decisions Decisions Decisions”
Album It Hates You
Year 2009
He Is Legend was awesome right on their first album, but not until It Hates You did they master menace. And that’s what seethes beneath the hot, battered lid on the cauldron of “Decisions Decisions Decisions,” a sad jam in which Croom takes a step-back view of his people and ponders their purpose. “Who would you like to hold on to?/Who would you like to erase?” he asks, capturing perfectly the feeling of having grown at a different rate than friends and aching to bring them up to speed or cast them aside with no prejudice. After um it says here 71 listens, I still hold my breath when the jam devolves into a Brendan Perry/Scott Kelly ghost story cuz u know that calm is about to be shattered.
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Song “Future’s Bright, Man”
Album It Hates You
Year 2009
It’s impossible to be unimpressed by It Hates You‘s unconventionally structured choruses. Most move like the beginning of a foot race, where the band fires the starting gun only after warning us to find our mark and get set. Check out “Future’s Bright, Man” which pivots on a measure-long drum fill and a Stan Ridgeway-style dispatch and then takes an unusual route to resolution. Plus the shit just cooks! One of my all-time favorite moments in music at 2:21.
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Song “Mean Shadows”
Album It Hates You
Year 2009
Okay this is the closing jam on It Hates You, and as such is charged with a huge task of being a finale of finales, like bringing the Death Star in for a light landing. And holy shit apparently that bastard doesn’t come down quietly, so “Shadows” has like 800 guitar tracks (harmony themes, ringing chords, crunchy riffs, pick scrapes out the ass), and these featherweight sub-verse passages to contrast the quiet of the flight deck to the cacophony on the landing strip. Okay sorry I’m beating this aircraft analogy to death. Kinda like this song’s last 2:30 beats other records to death.
Oh hey side note: I was sent an unmastered (?) version of It Hates You; on mine, the “Mean Shadows” finale doesn’t fade out. I’m going to loop it for like ten more minutes and youtube it please stand by lol.
And those tour dates starting Friday:
Friday, August 24 Asheville, NC at The Garage
Saturday, August 25 Richmond, VA at Kingdom
Friday, September 28 Dayton, OH at McGuffy’s House of Rock
Saturday, September 29 Nashville, TN at Hard Rock Cafe
-ADF
