Feed The Rhino – ‘The Silence’ (Album Review)
When an album forces me to go back and listen to bands who came of age in the early 2000s, it’s automatically on my good side. Feed The Rhino’s love of Deftones and modern metal-spiked hardcore is well-established, but the moment The Silence got started, the first note I wrote came out as follows:
What the fuck?!
The first section you’ll encounter on starting The Silence is of course the intro to Timewave Zero. It’s a serious statement of intent that sets The Silence apart from previous Feed The Rhino efforts, using Kraftwerk-style synths and clean, shiny guitars. Then a sick and solid 2000s alt-metal riff kicks in, and any fans of that once-maligned style are guaranteed to be sold immediately.
Since I definitely fit in this category…fuck yes.
“Feed The Rhino have balls of adamantium, and they’re not fucking about.”
Essentially, Feed The Rhino v.2018 sound like a turn-of-the-millennium metal band with Frank Carter on vocals. This is the sound of a band wearing their influences on their sleeves while giving zero fucks. The Silence also sounds like the album Feed The Rhino have always wanted to make.
The evidence comes in consistent waves of dirty riffs, wah-drenched guitars, searing chorus hooks, stomping grooves, and subtle odd-time twists and turns. Calling The Silence “passionate” would do it a disservice – Feed The Rhino have balls of adamantium, and they’re not fucking about. The title of All Work And No Play Makes Jack A Dull Boy – a plainly obvious reference to The Shining – is a minor exception, and even then it’s easy to see it in a more serious light.
In 2018, coming up to two decades after alt- and (whisper it) nu-metal peaked, bloated, and collapsed under hypercritical pressure, I think it’s awesome to hear a band take the best of that era, and twist it into a new sound that feels current and immediate – not nostalgic or ironic. With The Silence, Feed The Rhino have claimed that sound as their own – and they deserve to own it. Fair fucking play.
LTK RATING: 87% (Essential Listening!)
The Silence drops February 16 – pre-order it on iTunes here.
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