Style: progressive metal, mathcore, also everything (mostly harsh vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Converge, Mutoid Man, The Manx
Review by: Tyler
Country: California, United States
Release date: 12 July 2019
[EDITOR’S NOTE: This review was originally published in the July 2019 edition of The Progressive Subway.]
This album is bonkers. I’d never heard of Freighter before this release, there was no expectation of what I was eventually going to fall face first into. These folks are a Frakensteins monster of basically every hardcore/heavy genre you could think of. That’s a lot of things it could be, and somehow The Den is all of them at once.
The raw energy of mid 2000’s hardcore shines brightly and prominently, while at the same time, incredible riffs of modern rock and metal bands are infused perfectly, and soaring above it all are goof ball-iest, over-the-top lyrics this side of The Manx. And then everyone in the band knows their jazz too. The songwriting and musicianship exhibited here are on another level. Songs like Stick Around And Do It Right Until You Get It Perfect push every creative muscle to the limit, and even then, Freighter seems like they can go another 20 percent further. I could have picked any of the other seven songs, and everything would still have been true.
The CRYSTAL clear production on this offering is sublime, and only adds to the experience. There are a lot of layers and textures that peek out just enough to make you smile when you notice them for the first time (shout out out the pan flute on Presto Change-O). I couldn’t nitpick anything on this one, which upsets me because I love to nitpick. But I loved every choice that was made on the production. Okay, fine. MAYBE the bass is too hot at some spots. Whatever, dude.
This review isn’t long. It doesn’t need to be. The album is a really quick listen, so it seems fitting. Take a few minutes to get your head pushed inside of itself by it. I hope you find something you like in this, because it’s probably there for you. You like punk? It’s in there. You need a death metal break down? Freighter’s gotcha, guy, listen to King Pigeon. What’s that? You only listen to pinball machine sound effects and noises? Easy peasy. The aforementioned Presto Change-O is the song for you. I don’t like to gush often, and I haven’t truly loved an album since 2014. But if the first few dates are any indication, The Den might just be where my heart is.
Recommended tracks: All of them
You may also like: I WISH I KNEW YOU TELL ME
Final verdict: 10/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram | Metal-Archives page
Label: Independent
Freighter is:
– Travis Andrews (vocals, guitars)
– Jason Braatz (bass)
– Matt Guggemos (drums)
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