This is My Epic from Fredericksburg, VA with their new EP “Viscera”. My Epic was formed in 2005 and they label their own genre as Rock & Roll. With “Viscera” they reference the Latin term for the inner organs as the thread that runs through the tracks of this EP, each song alluding to a human emotion tied to physicality. Well, my gut feeling says that this could be interesting to say the least.
“Viscera” is the first in a series of annual EP’s. And every EP will be followed by an annual tour.
They will hit the road soon with For Today on their farewell-tour.
First of all I want to mention that three of the five songs exceed six minutes of playtime, so don’t expect a short EP. As a matter of fact; this EP is longer than some longplayers of many hardcore-bands.
First track ‘Ghost Story’ immediately grabs your attention. It begins spheric and with acoustic guitars and then quickly being picked up by bombastic guitars only to return to quieter music. And if you are surprised to hear screaming in a My Epic song and if you think to hear Shane Ochsner of Everything In Slow Motion; then you are absolutely right!
‘Memoir’ again begins on a quit note, beautiful serene piano takes you to a place of inner rest. When we reach the chorus the song even takes another step back to slowly building up to what I can only describe as epic music. Just check out the video at the end of this review.
‘Cesura’ is a kind of instrumental interlude. And only this short, 1:37 minute, interlude gets you exited to hear more.
The fourth song ‘Wifes’ Tale’ is a more uptempo rock-song, but even in this song they keep their calm. This song can be a bit compared to Everything In Slow Motion on their last album. It is not a copy, but just to give you an idea what to expect.
Then we already have reached the last song ‘Open Letter’. This song is, for me, the absolute highlight of this album. It deals with questions that we can all relate to if we are honest, Christians and non-Christians alike. Almost the whole song consists only of a few chords, the variety comes from the different tempo’s. At two-third of the song it is building up a to, again, just epic and bombastic rock proportions. Than the song seems to end for a little time and then we have an outro of clean guitar and singing. This song keeps you listening breathless from the beginning to the end. A true masterpiece.
Well, was my gut feeling right? I can say wholeheartedly: yes! This album is for everyone who is into this kind of music but also for hard/metalcore-freaks just like me. It is a warm welcoming change from all the hectic music that I normally listen to. Goosebumps all over…..
Rating: 9/10
Written by: René Woning
Track list:
1. Ghost Story
2. Memoir
3. Cesura
4. Wifes’ Tale
5. Open Letter
Band members:
Aaron Stone – vocals, guitar
Jesse Stone – drums, backing vocals
Jeremiah Austin – bass guitar
Tanner Morita – guitar, keyboard, backing vocals
Discography:
“I Am Undone” (2008)
“Yet” (2010)
“Broken Voice” (2011)
“Behold” (2013)
“Viscera” (2016)
Record label: Facedown Records, May 2016
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Video for ‘Memoir’
Video for ‘Ghost Story’