Style: Progressive Metal, Djent (Mixed Vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Intervals, Monuments, Periphery
Country: New York, United States
Release date: 12 July 2024
Well, here we are. After thirteen years and a fakeout single (anyone remember “Riot Pt. 1”?), “Djazz” pioneers Ever Forthright have finally returned with their sophomore effort: Techinflux. Chris Baretto has been replaced on vocal duties by Mike Semesky (Intervals), but otherwise the lineup has remained unchanged besides the loss of keyboardist Kevin Theodore. Their self-titled debut is one of my personal favorite albums, so I had a sort of nervous excitement going into this release, and after a multitude of listens I must say… I am whelmed. I never truly expected this album to live up to the nostalgic, taste influencing effect the debut had on me, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping they would prove me wrong. I was much more tangibly worried about the possibility this album would be a flop, but for some reason I never really considered the possibility that it would just be, well, pretty good. And that’s what we got. Techinflux is pretty good, even great at times, but that the band has been away for over a decade and are trying to find their footing again is obvious.
Compared to the debut, Techinflux takes two steps back and keeps one step planted firmly where it always has been. The music here still sounds like Ever Forthright, helping the experience along greatly, but is also the root cause of most of my disappointments with the release. Although jazz influence still pops up here and there, Techinflux is much less jazzy than its predecessor. Calling it an “influence” is much more apt describing this album, as before it was a foundational core of the sound. The song structures are much more simplified, mostly sticking to a “verse, chorus” style, and the pacing is pretty consistently midtempo. The group never really takes off like they did on songs like “All Eyes on the Earth” or “Spineless”, and the writing as a whole seems more constrained than before. While plenty of syncopation, harmonic fuckery and playing with expectations is to be had, Ever Forthright never reaches the level they achieved previously. “The Well” is the closest they get – the opening riff refuses to give the listener an anchor point and the song structure is generally more sporadic than the rest of the album – but even that song would have been one of the tamer ones on the debut.
Credit where credit is due though, Ever Forthright still have some tricks up their sleeve, and they have the advantage of having first hand experience with the explosion of this kind of music in the early 2010’s. Some of this material was probably written during that time frame, or at least the scaffolding of some of these songs probably were. Certain stylistic choices hearken back to this early era of djent (synth choices, chugging syncopated riffs), plus one of the songs is literally called “Drop it like Harambe”… Cmon, really? Corny naming aside, the song is a good example of some of the idiosyncrasies of guitarist Nick Llerandi, who I am glad to see returning for this record. Some of the techniques that set him apart back in 2011 show up in the verse of this song around thirty seconds in; namely the clever play with subdivision that he has always been so good at, along with the creative use of sliding up or down to certain notes on the fretboard. Similarly, “Miso” is another standout guitar moment, the main riff on this track brings me right back to the early 2010’s. The patient, meandering groove is reminiscent of stuff Bulb, John Browne, or Mark Holcomb were doing at the time, and this riff probably ends up being my favorite of the lot.
The rest of the band is equally competent performance-wise, and each track has a standout moment.. “Rancho Cucamonga” stands out as far as choruses go – I like how it subverts expectations during the second half by modulating up a half step. There are just enough smart songwriting decisions like this one littered throughout Techinflux to keep me coming back, and while this record can’t hold a candle to the self titled, it at least shows that Ever Forthright can still hold their own in the scene. Personally, I am hopeful that Techinflux is the primer these guys needed after thirteen years away, and that whatever comes next will see Ever Forthright reclaiming their throne within this slice of progressive metal. Also, more djazz please.
Recommended tracks: Rancho Cucamonga, The Well, Miso
You may also like: Circles, Kadinja, Aviations
Final verdict: 7/10
Related links: Bandcamp | Spotify | Official Website | Facebook | Instagram
Label: Independent
Ever Forthright is:
– Mike Semesky (vocals)
– Nick Llerandi (guitars)
– Jerad Lippi (drums)
– Jon Llerandi (bass)
– William Anderson (guitars)
