HUMAN IMPACT

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INTERVIEW WITH GUITARIST / VOCALIST CHRIS SPENCER BY THOMAS PIZZOLA T he genesis of Human Impact - which features guitarist and vocalist Chris issues that are important to Spencer. “The world is changing, don’t you let it be out there and get absorbed by people. Then we plan to do as much touring as we possibly can.” where he is right now in his creative life. The future is wide open. Spencer (Unsane), keyboardist Jim know?” he says. “I’m sure you’re aware “These are guys I’ve known forever Coleman (Cop Shoot Cop), bassist of it. I walk down the street in New York It might have taken a long time to get and that I’ve always wanted to play Chris Pravdica (Swans, Xiu Xiu) and City and see so many phone zombies, to this point, but Spencer is content with,” he says. �� drummer Phil Puleo (Cop Shoot Cop, it’s ridiculous. A bunch of the stuff I’m Swans) - goes back almost three dewriting about is painfully obvious. This cades. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, is stuff that means something to me. each member of the band was tryI’m not going to write about how I’m ing to make a name for themselves love with some girl or anything like in the Lower East Side’s grimy noise that. I’ve traveled quite a bit, and I’ve and noise rock scene. seen how overpopulation affects the planet. So, I write about stuff like that.” “[Jim and I] always talked about making some music,” says Chris Human Impact’s live debut took Spencer. “We’ve always wanted to place last year in the band’s homework together. I wanted to bring Jim town of New York City. The gig went in to do samples for Unsane in the down as a major success, though ’90s when Cop Shoot Cop broke up. Spencer had a little trepidation Now we’re really doing it.” going into it.

The impetus to finally get together and create some music occurred after an Unsane show a few years ago, Spencer says. With that simple encounter, he decided to make Human Impact his main endeavor. Soon, they brought in Pravdica and Puleo, and they were a full band, ready to get down to the business of making some new noise.

The fruit of their labors is a self-titled debut album, which comes out on Ipecac, on March 13, 2020. Human Impact’s sound is layered and dense, and contains plenty of the grime and feedback you would expect from a band of its pedigree, but also has a slight melodic side, especially in the vocal lines, that makes it memorable. The lyrics deal with “Did I feel any nerves? Yes and no,” he says. “It was a no pressure situation. I say that sarcastically. These days everybody has their phones recording stuff. What if an amp blows up? Or somebody dies? That’s the only show we have on record for three months. I think we did alright.”

Expect more live action from the band in the near future. They have a record release show scheduled for March 14, 2020, at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, and then plan to hit the road for some touring.

“We’re looking at July for the States, and then in the fall, we’ll hit Europe and the States again,” Spencer says. “We are deciding to lay low for a little bit after the record comes out and

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KYLE BERGFORS

INTERVIEW WITH SINGER ADAM EASTERLING BY CALEB R. NEWTON T he fierce, Tennessee-based Easterling names inspirations like nu dom provided by looking for the right band Orthodox sound cathartimetal greats like Korn and System of emotional tone, no matter the genre cally direct on their new album a Down, alongside other bands like conventions. Let It Take Its Course, which drops Feb. Deftones and Lamb of God. The band’s 7, 2020, via Unbeaten Records. The nod to nu metal, via their combination “One of my main goals vocally with this band pack plenty of the ferocious, of straightforward intensity with swingalbum was that I didn’t want to yell a physically devastating riff-attacks ing dynamics, provides a perfectly part unless there was no other way to that those familiar with their backcomplementary entry point for the poiground in hardcore may latch onto. gnant emotion at the core of this album. But here, Orthodox also dive into grimly solemn-feeling dynamic swings, Easterling explains that the lyrical like they’ve personalized the devasperspective features a struggle with tation, and it’s got a sinister face. Vowanting to lash out against an assailcalist Adam Easterling’s piercing, nu ant who hurt a loved one. metal-esque range highlights these dynamics perfectly. “I guess I would want it to catch on that you can’t have love without hatred “There’s a lot of songs where it’s like: there to compare it to,” he shares. here’s this riff that kicks ass, here’s “There are bad things that are done with another one, here’s another one - good intentions. Outside of the overall are you still keeping up?” Easterling concept that is written about, there was explains. “But we do have songs that a lot of the idea of, you don’t realize have that verse-chorus-verse struchow dark that you can become until ture. That was a lot more fun for me something causes it in you. I don’t think to write, when we were able to find it’s ever really a choice. I think it’s just a way to use elements of all ends of something that’s planted and grows.” the heavy music that we are inspired from, and make them fit without it Easterling and Orthodox tied these sounding forced.” observations together with the freedeliver it,” he explains. “I would sit and think of as many different types of vocal delivery as I could that would work. And I was like, if there’s nothing that would fit here outside of yelling, then that’s where we’ll yell, right there. But I didn’t want it to be another album that was centered around just aggression. I wanted there to be a genuine build in every aspect of the music.”

That build shines through powerfully, and Orthodox’s dramatically intense music lets listeners confront these dark areas head-on. Easterling explains that the uniquely poignant, shared experiences provided for by the new album add to the community around hardcore music, which the band have been touring in since 2013. The band still get a reception from friends in the hardcore community around the U.S., regardless of the steps that they’ve taken away from the musical style’s strictest confines.

“They still show up, they still wear the t-shirts, they still support us - and that to me means almost more than them liking the new record and singing along,” Easterling shares.

Ultimately, Orthodox feel committed to the grind, and the soul at the core of it.

“We never learned lessons from advice,” Easterling jokes. “It was always, let’s fuck this up, and then we’ll figure out what to do next time.” �� �� ��