The Earth And I - The Candleman (2017)

The Earth And I is an up and coming band from Warwick, NY. "The Candleman" is their first release.

I went into this album blind, knowing nothing about the band, and having no idea what I was in for.

My first impression was that it sounds like a female Anthony Green over a band that's combining modern Djent chugging with an early 2000's post-hardcore sound. I honestly hadn't been expecting that I would like it as much as I do! It's radio friendly and very accessible while still having quite a bit of weight and flexibility in the instrumentation. If you are nostalgic for stripey hoodies and dyed black hair, this band will make you feel funny downstairs.

The Earth And I's (TEAI) melodies are an exercise in contradiction. They have what I describe as "Beauty and the Beast" vocals with the clean soprano female lead of Kendyle Wolven accompanied by the heavier supporting harsh male vocals of Guitarist Daniel Siew & Bassist Nick Petromilli. TEAI's guitar lines seem to do the opposite, with menacing over-driven, ethereal and glassy leads creating light, clean counter melodies around heavier central groove-laden riffs. It's deceptively complex while somehow still creating an open and uncluttered sound . The bass and drums play in 4/4 the entire time yet still seem to keep us on our toes.

I haven't gotten a chance to sit down and take a hard look at their lyrics yet, but what I've picked up from the initial listen is memorable, fun, and very conducive to cranking up your car radio and making yourself look ridiculous to everyone else in traffic. They've got a remarkably well constructed sound, and I look forward to hearing where they go from here. I don't like throwing number ratings at things, but 14 year old me is holding a sign with the number 10 written on it for some reason.

If you like this progressive metal sound, and want to listen to more similar artists, I'd recommend checking out some of Anthony Green's more ambitious projects, like The Sound of Animals Fighting, modern Tool inspired Prog bands like Soen, as well as Coheed and Cambria’s earlier music. Enjoy the tunes, and stay mathy San Diego! Writer: A. Mowry Editor: M. Chan The Math Rock Times