The new album from Project 86, Knives to the Future, picks up thematically from where their last album, Wait for the Siren, left off.  Much like Truthless Heroes, Knives to the Future tells a story, in this case, one of a soldier regaining consciousness after a battle with no memory of who he is.  The songs provide the soundscape for the soldier’s journey to find out where he came from and who he is.

For those who don’t know of Project 86, it may come as a bit of a surprise to learn that the band has been around with various lineups for 18 years, being formed in Orange County, California in 1996.  From a career standpoint, the band has released eight albums, two DVDs, two Eps and one live album, with likely now over 500,000 units moved worldwide.  The band has seen the good and bad of the recording industry, starting out on Tooth&Nail records to gain fame and attention, then sign to Atlantic Records where everything literally went wrong for the band.  Following that rough period, the band self-released one album then rejoined Tooth&Nail for a few years, leaving at the end of a contract in 2011 to use Kickstarter to fund their Wait for the Siren album that was released in 2012 and featured a variety of guest apperances ranging from Head (Korn) to Bruce Fitzhugh and Rocky Gray (Living Sacrifice) to even Blake Martin (A Plea for Purging).  For Knives to the Future, the band recorded in Steelman Studios in Van Nuys, CA with Matt McClellan and the band producing and Steve Evetts mixing.  At this point in the band’s history, singer Andrew Schwab is the only remaining original member, but throughout the band’s career, Schwab’s distinct vocals and a general sonic quality to the band have made their songs easily recognizable. Continue reading »