NEWS4U JULY 2021 | MUSIC
FORTHRIGHT Local metal masters set to return with the musically expansive Anti Orthodox Somehow three years have slipped by since Evansville's Forthright released the blistering Kaleidoscopic Manslaughter, an intensely complex eight-song cycle that touched on all of their main influences, including Gojira, Death, Slayer and Metallica. Not surprisingly, the band's ability to professionally record new material - or to perform, for that matter - was severely hampered by the pandemic, a situation that contributed to the time-gap between projects. But mostly it comes down to one simple fact: Forthright albums are a bitch to make. And that's because each song evolves at a snail's pace with all three members - vocalist/guitarist Nick Bulger, guitarist Tyler Brown and drummer Eddie Goebel - offering input into the complicated writing process. Then there's the challenge of bringing such a musically expansive vision to life in the studio. In the end, however, all the pain involved in birthing a new Forthright collection is clearly worth it - especially if the first few shared tracks from the longawaited Anti Orthodox are anything to go by. "I'm also in a rock opera band called The Tapestry, so we've obviously been doing a lot of learning about classical music and choral music theory," Bulger notes to help explain the truly haunting nature of "Island of Sanity," a highlight on the upcoming album. It's a real step forward for Forthright with a mid-section that sounds like something off of The Omen soundtrack. "Tradition," on the other hand, barrels along like classic Slayer with a signature chromatic guitar figure - though Brown seems a bit surprised by the comparison. "The opening track on the album is even more Slayer," he promises. Meanwhile, the final track shared, "Throne of Bones" - originally intended for the previous release - enters like a musical jackhammer courtesy of Goebel's insane double-bass drum action before giving way to an anthemic chorus as Bulger shows off his melodic vocal chops. His versatility as a frontman remains Forthright's not-so-secret weapon. According to the band, Anti Orthodox will feature 13 tracks with the album structured in three parts for a dynamic, hour-long listening experience that boldly flies in the face of the current "singles only" mindset of the music industry. And the guys wouldn't have it any other way despite the sometimes tortured recording process. Succinct and amusing as ever, Goebel admits, "it sucked." But again, the end clearly justifies the means - or at least that's how Bulger sees it. "It's the best stuff that we've written and the best that we've ever sounded," he says, giving credit for the aural upgrade to War of Ages' Jack Daniels who mixed and mastered the album as well as to local producer Steve Tyner for capturing the heaviness of Forthright in the studio. The band is planning for an August or September release - and you can catch Forthright playing tracks off of Anti Orthodox live at Backstage Bar & Grill on August 21.
For more info, follow Forthright on Facebook.
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