Less Than Under

AMAZING MUSIC FOR INTENSE PEOPLE
Reviewer: Smash Face Zine
Can you say Absolutely Amazing! From the first track titled Bridges, which is filled with that old school SF style thrash riffs to the last track Payback that I have to say will most likely become an anthem song for today's generation. Less Than Under's debut album A Life Less Ordinary kept me entranced to keep listening from start to finish. I listened to the entire album that was streaming from the bands website and then when it was over I had to play it again, and again. I don't feel that I'd do justice by picking one favorite. This 4 piece unit hailing from Denver,Colorado has combined to make a great album from old school SF thrash riffs to more contmeporary riffs like Lamb of God, but then they mix in electronic treatments that resonate with a hint of Manson and Zombie. Imagine if Metallica joined forces with Disturbed and brought in Corey Taylor to belt out the lyrics. Wouldn't that be great and if that were to happen I'm sure that Less Than Under would be on tour as their support act. JACOB-SmashfaceEzine Keep your eyes on this up and coming metal outfit that I'm sure is taking the Denver scene by Storm!
- SmashfaceEzine

What sets Less Than Under apart from every other Metal band going right now is that they don't sound like anyone else in the Colorado scene. They not only have the power groove thing going on, but they also have taken the hardcore vibe and brought it into the Metal realm. This ain't Shakespeare wrapped in Brahms with crazy distortion like some Metal bands try to pull off, this is a musical fist wrapped in a chain. Every song on Looking Through You is angry and most of them are chant-along anthems of betrayal, revenge and violence. This is the CD you listen to to get your heart pumpin’ and your teeth clenched. - Colorado Music Buzz by Groovey

Reviewer: Heather M.
This CD was one of the best, start to finish. There are no Filler songs to skip through here. I can't wait for the next installment! - CD baby album review

LTU is quickly gaining notoriety. For that, we have all of you, the loyal LTU fans to thank! Here's some of the feedback we've received. Keep it comin'!

******

March 15, 2007

"I checked out your band's web site, looked at the pics, and listened to
some of your tunes(Deadbeat, 10 Times, Bridges).


Looks like you've got a full day gig on Saturday. I liked the sound and
particularly related to Deadbeat(that college roommate experience)."

-Name Withheld
Solutions Engagement Manager *A very large shipping company*

******

March 21, 2007

Firestorm Radio

"Hey there,

I got your disc in the mail and we have been giving it lots of airplay.

You all are getting some fans over here .

You are quickly becoming one of our most requested bands to play .

Keep rocking , we love it ."

Firestorm Radio Website www.firestormradio.com

Firestorm on MySpace: myspace.com/firestormradio

Please Request LTU on Firestorm Radio - Various Authors

Less Than Under-'Looking Through You'....by Cinn @ Road Crew Music Magazine

Thu, ..Mar 12, 2009......
....Denver.... based Metal band, Less Than Under releases thier second album 'Looking Through You'....
................................................................................
Denver, Colorado based metal band Less Than Under is nothing less than what you would expect out of a metal band, in your face and diving at your jugular! ....
In January of 2006, Less Than Under was born from the conception of Michael Aranda on guitars/programming/background vox, Jace Nimz on drums/background vox, Dustin Hollmer on vox, Jon Maggard on guitar and Kyle Loucks on bass. ....
Less Than Under goes by their positive philosophy of ‘All good things happen to those who deserve them’, while still maintaining the metal edge that makes metal music what it is, unrefined.....
On ..February 24th, 2009.., Less Than Under released their sophomore album Looking Through You, following their debut album A Life Less Ordinary.....
Looking Through You consists of nine tracks: ....

1. Bleed Me ....
2. Looking Through You ....
3.Break ....
4. Peace ....
5. Tap Out ....
6. Deadbeat ....
7. At War ..
8. Polluted ....
9. Beyond Hate ....

Looking Through You has raw, angry lyrics with a promise of intense metal growls that are sure to deliver you a healthy dose of bile, while the contrast of ethereal background vocals gives the album a nice blend. The heaviness and melody contrast should appeal to all metal fans.....

The crushing riffs and pulverizing beat of L.T.U.’s sound is fast and brutal and is sure to get your ventricles pumping. If it doesn’t, you need fibrillation to get it going because you’re probably dead.....

The songs on the album flow naturally together as the songs, according to Less Than Under, are about our reactions to the harsh lessons in life and how we react and learn from them, reminding us of the harsher side of life. After all, who hasn’t wanted to kick the world’s ass a time or two? Although I DO NOT advise doing this.....

While I would not suggest this album to any one with underlying mental issues, I highly recommend Looking Through You by Less Than Under to metal heads everywhere to feed your inner metal demon.....
- Cinn @ Road Crew Music Magazine

Jake’s Metal Works
Less Than Under
Looking Through You
By Jake Ryan
Published: March 20, 2009
It’s not often that a local band’s album has music fans chomping at the bit in anticipation for the release, or literally counting down the days before they can get their hands on a copy. Yet, Less Than Under’s newest album accomplished just that.

The wait is over.

February 28, 2009 marked the date that metal fans were able to get Looking Through You, the sophomore release from the Colorado powerhouse Less Than Under (lessthanunder.com and myspace.com/lessthanunder). Playing to over 700 rabid fans at their CD release party at the Gothic Theatre, the five-piece group performed with an intensity that showed they were just as happy to put the album out as the fans were to get it.

The recording process began in late-2007, with the help of Ill Niño guitarist Ahrue Luster producing the album. Like their first album, A Life Less Ordinary, they recorded Looking Through You in LTU guitarist Michael Aranda’s Barking Dog Studio. Aranda also mixed the tracks, with additional mixing and mastering by Dave Otero at Flatline Audio. With the release in March 2009, the final outcome proved that by not rushing the album, an amazing quality product could be created.

The album kicks off with "Bleed Me," a track that actually sees Ahrue Luster lending a hand by making a guest guitar appearance. Right away, you begin to pick up on new facets that LTU has added into their repertoire, namely multi-layered guitar harmonies throughout the music and an extended vocal range from singer Dustin Hollmer when compared to the band’s previous work. The music itself has an added complexity to it, which goes to show the members of LTU weren’t just blowing smoke when they repeatedly credited Luster for pulling the absolute best out of them as musicians. Adding more to the masterful layering within the music, the guitar parts during the verses have a singing quality to them, which stands behind the vocals.

Nearing the end of the heavy-hitting breakdown, an eerie acoustic guitar line begins to penetrate through the music. It is instantly obvious that LTU raised their musical writing ability to the next level.

The following song, which also happens to be the title track, begins to show listeners that Hollmer’s extended vocal range was not limited to a one-time occurrence. He has formed himself into a well-rounded vocalist by reaching higher up in the register without abandoning his traditional singing style that fans have always associated with LTU.

Tracks like "Break" and "Peace," without a doubt, capture the essence of the band’s attitude and lyrical content that has been there since the beginning. What else gets a crowd’s blood pumping and adrenaline flowing better than an LTU song, and what better way to encompass their style than lyrics like, "I use a baseball to solve all my sh*t,"?

Above all, one song comes across as the hands-down, standout track: "At War."

Beginning with a single guitar intro riff, each piece of the band comes in one-by-one, just before the song grabs you by the throat and drags you for an amazing three-and-a-half minute ride. The breakdown in the middle is a nice throwback to when metal bands would harmonize an almost evil sounding lick that stuck with you for years.

The album closes out with "Beyond Hate," a track that has proven to be a fan favorite live. It’s one of those songs that you can listen to, and feel exactly what the music is trying to tell you. It’s even easy to imagine someone singing the song’s hooks inside their head just after being wronged by another: "I want to f*ck you up, right now, right now. Step up."

Looking Through You also gave LTU another chance to make adjustments and arrangement changes to three older songs, which all originally appeared on their first album. The tracks, "Tap Out," "Deadbeat" and "Polluted," have been some of their most recognizable songs for the past couple of years, but this opened up the opportunity to enhance each of them.

In a smart move, LTU added every song on the album slowly into their live set lists. Therefore, by the time the album was released, fans were already familiar with the tracks and all the more eager to grab the CD. They also showed a great amount of class in the manner in which they announced the change of the guard at bass within the CD’s gatefold. The insert reads, "We must say goodbye to our brother Mikey. All the best, Bro! And we welcome our newest brother, Kyle Loucks - Bass Guitar." Above it all is a new promotional picture of the group, including Loucks.

This album could very well be considered the local album of the year, if only bands were to be honored in such a way. All of LTU’s hard work was clearly worth the wait, and the anticipation surrounding this release by both the band and fans alike was well deserved. If you haven’t got your hands on a copy of Looking Through You yet, only one question remains: Why are you still reading this? Kick, punch, scratch and claw, do whatever you have to do to get this must-have album.
- Colorado Local Legends

Less Than Under is a name that seems to encapsulate the idea behind the music of this industrial metal band which tends to gravitate around an exploration of that dark part of life that exists underneath the average existence. Everyone experiences dark times; “less than under” is that time when you think you’ve been existing in the throes of the dark times and things suddenly get worse. Life can be harsh and when it turns from “this sucks” to “I can’t even think about how this feels”, you’ve gotten to even “less than under”.

The lyrics from this band grab you by the chin and force you to look at those moments that you don’t think that you can bear to look at. “Polluted” puts it most succinctly; there are times in life when you just feel completely toxic. Less Than Under strives to expose those times to the light and poke at them to watch them writhe. The effect is achieved lyrically but is hit-and-miss instrumentally. This isn’t to say that Less Than Under lacks instrumental talent but more that the music is technically good without always reaching this emotional pinnacle that the lyrics tug you towards. The lyrics are more metal than rock, the music is more rock than metal, so that the band hangs suspended in the air between the two genres.
Less Than Under is a new band, formed in 2006 but only adding their newest member as recently as March 2007. As the band continues to put their lyrics to the emotional test with deeper exploration of their instrumental possibilities, it’s possible that what we’ll see is the suspension between rock and metal serves to expose the underbelly of the music. They love to play live and have lots of dates lined up so they’ll be honing those skills as you read this.
- Metal Horizons - Kathryn Vercillo

Reviewed by Snidermann

Sometimes metal must be a gritty, dirty mess, not some sweet band with a tall good
looking singer up on stage trying to impress the ladies. Motorhead and Lemmy comes
immediately to mind and now Less Than Under can be counted with another gravelly
(but totally understandable) singer.
This music on this CD pulls no punches. When you listen to it, you'll probably
either really like it or you'll think it's shit. I am in the former category. "A
Life Less Ordinary" kicks you in the back of the head, hard and often enough to
black you out for a few minutes. Then, you put the headphones back on, take a few
aspirin and go through the whole thing again.
Even though the vocals are coarse, you can understand every word of the lyrics
and, after three spins, I still find myself trying to figure what they all mean.
Oh, what the hell, it's half the fun trying to figure this stuff out.
Song after song, "A Life Less Ordinary" delivers a action-packed metal experience.
This is the real deal: no hidden meanings, no fancy packaging, just solid heavy
metal. Man, I am sweating just listening to this. I'm going to have to get a
Gatorade and start yet again.
Less Than Under: Michael Aranda - Guitars, programming, backing vocals; Jace Nimz
- Drums, percussion, backing vocals; Dustin Hollmer - Vocals; Mike Gray - Bass.
For more information, check out http://www.lessthanunder.com.

- Rough Edge Radio by Snidermann

Less Than Under
By Jake Ryan
Published: January 16, 2008

You can see their logo on hats, T-shirts and stickers at nearly every concert venue in Colorado. Everybody in the Colorado metal scene knows their name. They are one of the most recognizable bands the state has to offer, and they bring an earth rattling sound that sticks with you after hearing their music. They are Less Than Under.

Denver-based Less Than Under (lessthanunder.com and myspace.com/lessthanunder) consists of Dustin Hollmer (vocals), Michael Aranda (guitar/vocals/programming), Jon "Metal" Maggard (guitar/vocals), Mike Gray (Bass) and Jace Nimz (drums). They have taken the Colorado metal scene by storm over the past two years, and they have only begun to warm up.

Calling themselves Groove Rock/Metal mixed with a 20-ton beast stomping, LTU injects elements of nearly all subgenres of rock and metal, from hardcore to industrial.

So much of past and current music have had their effect on LTU. A fraction of the list contains Sevendust, Metallica, Pink Floyd, Slayer, Pantera and Hatebreed.

"There are so many great bands out there to take influence from," Aranda says. "But I also love the controversy bands have the power to stir up."

The evolution of LTU revolved around pooling the talent together from some fairly notable bands, and in the process forging a new sound that hits you like a runaway semi truck.

"Mike and I were in a dark wave/goth band in California, and we were opening for a lot of big name bands," Nimz says. "The band moved here to Colorado, but things weren’t going very well, so we broke up."

Aranda made a routine of working out regularly at Balley’s Fitness Center, and formed a bond with another regular at the facility. This would turn out to be future LTU vocalist Dustin Hollmer.

"We used to work out next to each other every day, and talked music all the time. We’d bring each other CDs we had and say, ’You have to check this out,’" Aranda says of Hollmer." Dustin was in another band at the time, and it wasn’t working out. We started talking about how we were tired off all the bullsh-t, and wanted to form a band that was just heavy and pounded on you."

Adding Nimz into the fold, the early stages of LTU began to form. On the first night the three musicians got together, two songs were written that would eventually make it on the band’s first album. Originally using programmed bass parts, LTU found they were missing the element of a live low-end bass player.

Enter Mike Gray.

"We wanted to get as far away from dark wave music as we could, and having an electronic bass was too close to it," Nimz says. "We found Mike in an ad, and we hooked up with him."

"They sent me the first MP3 of Bridges, and I wanted in," Gray says. "When I heard it, I was thinking, ’This is what I want to play.’"

When it came time to choose a band name, the musicians threw all their ideas up on a board to help them with the selection process.

"When you’re at your lowest point in life, and you don’t think things can get any worse, Less Than Under is when it bottoms out," Nimz says. "Things can always get worse before they get better. But it also represents having the strength to dig your way back out. When we were trying to come up with a name, Less Than Under was center-top on the board. I don’t think any of us really understood what it meant. But I began watching other people’s lives and what was happening to them, and the meaning became clear and apparent."

In an unusual move, LTU chose to record their debut album first before playing any shows. This would prove to be a highly beneficial decision for the band, as they had music to sell to interested concert-goers right off the bat. Recorded at Aranda’s Barking Dog Studios, the band widdled down a list of nearly 50 songs they had written to form their first album, A Life Less Ordinary.

"Everything was rehearsed, and we did very little re-writing," Nimz says. "It was like pure bombastic inspiration. We did some post-tracking, but the majority of it was recorded in one take."

And, as for the decision to record an album first and play live shows second, Nimz says it was all part of their master plan to take the route opposite from other bands.

"This isn’t just an expensive hobby; music is what we want to do. We wanted a product to bring to the market before we brought ourselves to the market."

Aside from online music stores, the album can also be purchased from the band at their live shows. However, they also advocate copying and downloading their music to help spread the word of the band.

"If one person bought a CD and burned it for five people, I’d be a happy guy," Nimz says.

Maggard adds, "It’s like Korn says, spread the music, get it out there."

As a matter of fact, on the CD itself of A Life Less Ordinary, the band placed a note stating, "SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC! Share this disc with everyone you know, but PLEASE, if you like what we do, show us by buying your OWN copy of this disc!"

Their tactics worked, and the band quickly began to make waves in the Colorado metal scene, gaining a very respectable fan following almost immediately.

"It helps that we’re very approachable," Hollmer says. "We get to know our fans, and think of each other as friends. Even when we’re handing out fliers to our shows, we take the time to introduce ourselves to the people we’re giving them to. I mean, it only takes about 20 seconds. You may not get as many handed out as fast as other people, but they also don’t throw our fliers away or on the ground. I’ve seen it where a couple bands were handing out fliers while I was after a show, and the ground was littered with them. But you know what, not one of them was an LTU flier."

"When we play a show, we don’t ask people to come out and watch us. We say, ’Come party with us,’" Aranda adds. "That’s how we think of our shows. You need to take that time to get to know your fans. And it goes from there. When you see someone you don’t know singing your songs back to you from the audience, that’s when you know you’re doing your job."

Gray says the band has a core group of people who sell merchandise for the band and help promote their shows. To show their appreciation for all the help they’ve received, LTU has held parties and barbecues for this close group of friends and fans.

In January 2007, the initial groundwork was unintentionally laid for the addition of a second guitarist: Jon "Metal" Maggard.

"We were playing a show on Jan. 20th at the White House Lounge, and we were having some technical difficulties," Aranda says. "Jon rushed on the stage and gave us a hand. We didn’t even know who he was. We found out he was the guitarist for Cevrance, and we tried to get him in the band for a while, and he finally said yes."

"I played my first show with the band at Wyatt’s Torch," says Maggard, who to this day still pulls double-duty by playing guitar for both LTU and Cevrance.

The year 2007 brought some exciting news to LTU regarding the recording of their second studio album. Their music had made its way to a very notable guitarist with a national and world-wide fanbase, Ahrue Luster. Luster is known for his work in Machine Head and his current band, the Latin metal group Ill Niño. He signed on with LTU to produce their next album.

"He hit us up through Myspace," Aranda says. "He liked our direction, loved our sound, and he wanted to help take what we already had to the next level. We’ve all been fans of his music, and he’s worked with world class producers."

"He’s improved the band tenfold. Now we’re in the pursuit of perfecting perfection," Maggard says, to which Hollmer adds, "Ahrue is pushing us hard, and it’s pulling the best out of us. I actually go home from practice or recording sessions, and I have homework now."

"He’s really helping with the evolution of the band," Gray says. "And evolution is the key word, because LTU has always been constantly evolving."

The band says though they haven’t written nearly as many full songs as they did for A Life Less Ordinary, they have thrown away over 150 song ideas for the new album, which has a tentative release timeframe of Spring 2008. They are in the tracking and pre-production phase of the recording at the same time. LTU doesn’t want to release the album title quite yet, letting it remain a secret. But, they are interested in fan participation for another piece of the project.

"We’re interested in people submitting art for the album," Nimz says. "All they have to do is send some samples to the band."

When it comes time to mix the album, the band is still somewhat unsure of which direction to go.

"I mixed our first album, and it was a learning experience," Aranda says. "Ahrue has shown interest in trying his hand at mixing, and we also have a European mixer from Denmark who’s very interested in mixing it. Ahrue and I are probably both going to mix the tracks, then send them to him and let him do a test mix. We’ll get some opinions on the sound at that point, and decide which way we want to go."

Myspace has proven time and time again to be an excellent promotional tool for local bands across the country, and LTU is no acceptance. With a friend count of over 15,000, and many friend requests still pending, they have proven to be one of Colorado’s most popular metal bands. Their Myspace page has seen over 43,000 views, and they have nearly 225,000 plays for the songs they have posted on the site.

"If you break it down, nearly everyone that has viewed our myspace page has stuck around and listened to all the songs we have posted," Hollmer says. "And when other people post our songs on their own Myspace pages, we get credited for those plays, too."

Keeping up with the amount of daily pending friend requests, on top of running a successful band, has proven to be an almost daunting task. Therefore, the band has enlisted their street team to aid in maintaining the fan requests.

"In July, we had 2,000 friends. By the end of the month, we had 3,000 pending requests alone. We were working harder on marketing and promoting the band, and it was working. There was just no way to keep up with it ourselves; we had to focus on music. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s a great problem to have," Aranda says, to which Hollmer adds, "One problem we had was we were trying to respond to each and every comment we got, and things started to back up."

To help out with the countless comments and questions, as well as help cater to their growing fanbase across the country, a friend of the band started a Myspace page in August 2007 dedicated to the band’s newly formed fan club and its street team: The Deadbeat Fan Club (myspace.com/ltufanskickass).

One aspect of the band that helps add to its appeal is the lyrical content of their songs. Utilizing the angry lyrics that LTU has become known for, Hollmer believes fans can easily connect and relate to the band’s music.

"I lived in my car for a f--king month," Hollmer says, explaining the inspiration for his lyrical writing style. "The lyrics come from personal experiences in life. Everyone has songs about love. But not everyone can relate to love. Anger is powerful. Everyone can relate to anger."

Another reason for the popularity of LTU is the band members’ relentless promotional abilities. If you know what they look like, you can easily spot at least one member of LTU at almost every local concert in Colorado promoting the band.

"It comes down to the question of, ’How many people do you want to know who you are?" Maggard says, to which Aranda adds, "In this industry, especially on the local scene, you have to do it yourself. We all do it, both the band and our friends. Band promotion is a 24/7 business. Either go all the way or get out. We go to local shows to help support local music, and we usually have a stack of our fliers in our pockets. So we can’t help but hand them out while we’re at a show."

Their music has gained notoriety in other avenues of pop culture, as well. Their song Tap Out has become popular in the sport of ring fighting such as the UFC due to its relevant lyrical content, and has been used by several people as entrance music.

"When we wrote it, it was inspired by Mike Nickels," Hollmer says.

Nickels is the co-owner of Twisted Sol, a tattoo and piercing shop in Denver, as well as a mixed martial arts fighter. He also trained under fighting legend Ken Shamrock in the third season of The Ultimate Fighter, a UFC reality TV show.

Others to use Tap Out include mixed martial arts fighter Chilo Gonzales, a Colorado native, and the Denver independent wrestling organization SAGA.

The local metal scene has its fair share of problems, but it also has plenty of positives to help balance it out.

"There’s going to be a lot of eyes on Denver because of The Fray," Hollmer says. "So, there’s going to be a lot of people and big names coming here."

"We have a lot of respect for the other bands in Colorado, and we support them by going to their shows," Aranda says. "There are a lot of people here in Colorado, but for some reason it’s considered a second-tier market, even to national bands. Some of that is because of the promoting. The key word in promotion is ’promote,’ and promotional companies don’t really do that here. They act more like booking agents. It’s pretty simple: Bands need to unite. We need more promoters who are honest. There’s a lot of killer music here, and it’s sad when you drive past the Ogden or the Bluebird on a Friday or Saturday night, those prime nights, and they’re closed."

Because of this, the next step for the band includes branching out of Colorado to the surrounding states this year, while at the same time remaining true and loyal to the state they made a name for themselves in.

"You might not get played on the radio, but that doesn’t always matter," Aranda says. "Look at Lamb Of God; you’re not going to hear them much on the radio, but they’re huge. That’s the kind of angle we have to take."

LTU enters 2008 with the utmost optimism. They have earned the attention of people throughout the music industry worldwide, and this is obviously just the beginning. Yet, in the end, it still comes back to those that have made them what they are today: their friends and fans.

"We appreciate all of the people who are there for us," Maggard says. "We want to be there for them and give them all we got." - Local Legends