Last time I checked, nu metal was supposed to have ended its reign in the music industry when Korn started to fade from public consciousness in 2002. Five years have passed since then, and Lye has yet to see the memo.
To All Of Those pays respect to the chunky and groovy guitars of this particular style of metal. It’s nothing mind-blowing or groundbreaking, but it does satisfy the listener’s curiosity for heaviness, as well as the occasional calm-after-the-storm usually contained in the music.
“The Devil And His Queens” crashes through the gates with fleshy, down-tuned and hard-edged riffs. On the other hand, the lighter and more serene parts used on all of the songs easily pass as nu metal staples from back during its heyday. Also, instead of using harsh vocals, Nate Storm utilizes a clean singing voice, which would easily draw comparisons to Maynard James Keenan during the Lateralus era.
In fact, I would probably be saying how this album is basically a rip-off of all things nu metal if I could make this review more of an analysis, but that would be unfair. Instead, To All Of Those seems to simply have been released five years too late. The band would have nicely fitted in the company of Linkin Park, Chevelle and Godsmack, all of which were vying for nu metal supremacy back in the day. They are all good but their sound was simply aped from bands prior to them (Korn, Deftones, Rage Against The Machine), and Lye is aping the apers. Not the best company to be associated with.
It doesn’t help that there are only a few shining moments in this album. All of the tracks, save one, suffer from plodding song lengths and unoriginal material. The variation of moods with the juxtaposition of heavy and non-heavy parts has been done ad nauseam by other artists, and will not be enough to keep the interest of listeners. On the other hand, musicianship is never a question with the band, especially with guitarist George McClintock.
Overall, this EP is just too dry and derivative for its own good. The only thing worth hearing is the awesome and sprawling title track, which has one of the most pumped-up choruses I’ve heard in a long time. Otherwise, there are other ways to spend your money, like buying an album of an artist whose musical style never dies.
