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everforthright

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"Ever Forthright – Ever Forthright"

I love the new brand of progressive metal that we’ve seen grow and flourish these past few years. Bands like Corelia, Behold Oblivion and Vildhjarta have all released notable material this year, gloriously blazing the paths carved out some years ago by progressive bands in the like of Meshuggah, Cynic, Between the Buried and Me or Protest the Hero. And now, at the end of the year we see the release of yet another interesting album, much like a patchwork of musical genres and styles, incorporating saxophone and jazz (djazz!) passages.

Now, before someone berates me, I know Ever Forthright is not the first band to incorporate saxophone into metal (Yakuza has done it, Ihsahn has done it) but they’re one of the first bands with –core influences to use it the way they do. Part of the hype is due to the use of this particular element, but most of it is due to the band’s vocalist – ex-Periphery singer Chris Barretto (who was replaced with Spencer Sotello as they were finishing Periphery’s debut LP). Fans that loved Chris in Periphery are dying to see how he will do in Ever Forthright.

Right off the bat, I’ll tell you – Chris Barretto is a beast. You might have noticed this by listening to the Periphery tracks he’s sung on, or some of the vocals he’s done for Friend For A Foe or Haunted Shores. We’re quickly introduced to his versatile range on “All Eyes on the Earth”: throaty growls and screams, and singing hitting some high notes. At this point we can also observe Ever Forthright’s characteristic sound, composed mainly of all kinds of spastic guitar work courtesy of Billy Anderson (who I have to thank for being kind enough to send me the album lyrics after I badgered him with all kinds of questions) and Nick Llerandi. The listener is treated to some dissonant guitar riffs, breakdowns and even an unconventional solo. Think Animals as Leaders with vocals.

This pattern follows us all throughout the self-titled debut. “Latency and Tendencies,” which has been previously released, features the first jazz interlude on the album, with a moment of down tempo and beautiful sax playing also courtesy of Barretto. Some listeners will be somewhat turned off by the saxophone, but sometimes the jazz instrument is also used more organically accompanying the other instruments, such as the outro of “The Little Albert Experiment.”

One of the best characteristics of this album is that much like Protest the Hero or Corelia, it features something for everyone. Metalcore and deathcore listeners are satisfied with the album’s heavier moments, while the progressive metaller can appreciate the singing, synth and experimentation. “Screen Scenarios,” for example, showcases almost all these elements during its glorious nine minutes and forty two seconds. “Infinitely Inward” is another example of this, spanning over six minutes.

“Reflections” is the album’s seventh track and only instrumental interlude; which features a moment of relief via its soothing ambiance and relaxing, lethargic jazz passage. No track on Ever Forthright can be considered filler material, and after an hour long aural experience, we find ourselves at “Clockwork”, the final track. Following trend, this track is an absolute adventure with huge riffs, disjointed piano playing and soloing which leads into Barretto’s soaring singing and closes the self-titled debut in a grandiose fashion.

While this reviewer had a blast with Ever Forthright, it’s understandable some listeners may find some discrepancies throughout the auditory escapade – mostly due to the odd intervals the jazz interludes are applied, sometimes halting a track altogether and slowing the tempo considerably. It’s also a long record – impatient listeners who prefer their metal straight to the point might have a hard time stomaching the amount of experimentation. But for the adventurous listener who wished Periphery had more balls or Corelia’s Nostalgia had a longer play time, look no more: Ever Forthright’s self-ti - The New Review


"Ever Forthright – Ever Forthright"

You may know Chris Baretto; he used to be in Periphery, and is currently in Ever Forthright and Friend For a Foe. Over the course of a few months, Ever Forthright released single after single, seemingly teasing us. Now we finally have their self-titled debut record, released at the tail end of last year. Does it deserve to be considered with 2011's great records?
The album opens viciously with ‘All Eyes on the Earth’ with spastic guitars and drums, mirroring bands that sound like they’re signed to Basick Records (this is a compliment of the highest order), showing that they instead want all eyes on them. Shortly in, you’re greeted to Baretto’s harsh vocals, which are fantastic. He can span the range for mid-highs to lows very well, and they sound like they have a ton of foundation under them. Then, you are introduced to his clean register, which are very well executed. His vocals sound like they are full of emotion and feeling, especially when singing a bluesy line as you hear often on the record. It’s also worth noting that it sounds extremely difficult to sing this type of music, as the key goes all over the place. Overall, his vocals make this album, as I can’t imagine anybody but Baretto performing the vocals on this record. Top-shelf performance, indeed.
The record is also unique in its jazzy overtones. I know hundreds of metal bands put jazz influence in their music, but Ever Forthright are one of a few bands that I know that do it so well. They don’t just play jazzy guitar lines on a distorted guitar, though axemen Nick Llerandi and Billy Anderson do do that on a few solos on the record. No, they make sure to go completely jazzy numerous times, with brushed drums, piano, clean guitar, and saxophone provided by the multifaceted Baretto. Jazz is my favorite genre, so to hear curveballs like this thrown in with such an adept skill level really blew me away.
Each member of the band pulls their weight. The guitars, as previously mentioned, fuse metal and jazz exceptionally well and bring numerous moods to the album. Keyboards, brought to us by Kevin Theodore, leave their awesome mark on many parts. However, I would’ve liked more keyboard overall, rather than just mostly the jazz parts. Jon Llerandi provides the bass, and it is massive, which is very welcome. And Jerad Lippi’s drums are just exceptional. He can add his personal flair to any part in a piece, where most drummers would just hit the drum on three and play the rhythm of the guitar on the bass drum. Very well done overall.
However, I have a couple of caveats with the record. Firstly, the band does have a tendency to over-rely on chugs. Sometimes, when the guitar is performing leads, it is backed by an omnipresent chugging, leaving a lot to be desired. Also, the production is really good, but it just sounds really digital. Moreover, some parts seem quite derivative. There are a few parts that sound very Periphery-esque in nature, and the atonal guitar lines seem overdone. Finally, and probably my biggest problem, is the length of this record. This record is much too long, at 72 minutes in length. The shortest song is about three and a half minutes, and it is a jazz interlude. If this record was about twenty minutes shorter, I’d be content.
However, despite my criticisms, this is a super strong debut record. I now consider Ever Forthright to be an innovator with it’s very strong jazz influence, and if they can fix their shortcomings, who knows? They have the potential to be one of the best bands in metal, and I cannot wait for them to realize their potential. Well done. - Heavy Blog is Heavy


Discography

Ever Forthright (Self Titled) LP - 2011 - Myriad Records

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Bio

Ever Forthright is a progressive metal band from one of the most musically diverse places in the world, New York City. Artfully fusing modern jazz, progressive metal, hip-hop, electronica, and other styles of music into an auditory landscape is one of the reasons why Ever Forthright are quickly becoming known as true architects of modern music. Most of the members have attended and/or graduated from some of the top jazz performance schools in the world. A wide range of musicians/groups fuel this bands sound, such as Meshuggah, Kneebody, Cynic, Deftones, Wayne Krantz, Suicide Silence, Jill Scott, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and many others. No filler, no rehashed riffs, just pure, original music.