Whither the Tide
The New Chemical
Independent Release
2012
Electronic Rock is a very difficult style of music to get right. It either comes out too cheesy to be taken seriously or rocks so hard that the electronic components are barely audible. Whither the Tide is a three piece band from Minnesota that has attempted to overcome both of these fallacies with their debut release, “The New Chemical”.
I’ll be honest. When it comes to music, I am all about first impressions. If a record doesn’t draw me in within the first minute, I am not impressed. This is not the case for “The New Chemical”. The album’s death march-like opening track “Century”, sucked me in within the first ten seconds. Drummer Rich Zasada’s chops mesh perfectly with the electronic drum loops that are layered beneath throughout most of the album, something that is not easy and requires near perfect precision on his part. Jeremy Montoya the lead singer and the man behind all of the synth samples, is the one that brings it all together. His voice has an unbelievable amount of dynamic to it. Deep whispering, shining falsettos, and the occasional, yet powerful scream would make him an instant favorite for fans of Maynard James Keenan and Trent Reznor.
As the album progresses, it becomes very obvious. This band can write songs. Nearly half of the tracks on “The New Chemical” could easily fit on any rock radio station, yet they still manage to have a great deal of originality to them that would make other bands such as Filter or Gravity Kills jealous.
Despite all that this record has going for it, I would have liked to have the songs speak to each other more. Don’t get me wrong, nearly every track is flooring, however by the end, I felt like I had just listened to 12 songs by Whither the Tide as opposed to an album. There was no statement, idea, or theme that stayed in my head after I walked away. Perhaps I am just a sucker for concept albums, but unity is definitely a key factor for an album’s success.
At the end of the day, “The New Chemical” doesn’t disappoint by any means, and I am incredibly excited to hear what will come from this band next.
I’ll be honest. When it comes to music, I am all about first impressions. If a record doesn’t draw me in within the first minute, I am not impressed. This is not the case for “The New Chemical”. The album’s death march-like opening track “Century”, sucked me in within the first ten seconds. Drummer Rich Zasada’s chops mesh perfectly with the electronic drum loops that are layered beneath throughout most of the album, something that is not easy and requires near perfect precision on his part. Jeremy Montoya the lead singer and the man behind all of the synth samples, is the one that brings it all together. His voice has an unbelievable amount of dynamic to it. Deep whispering, shining falsettos, and the occasional, yet powerful scream would make him an instant favorite for fans of Maynard James Keenan and Trent Reznor.
As the album progresses, it becomes very obvious. This band can write songs. Nearly half of the tracks on “The New Chemical” could easily fit on any rock radio station, yet they still manage to have a great deal of originality to them that would make other bands such as Filter or Gravity Kills jealous.
Despite all that this record has going for it, I would have liked to have the songs speak to each other more. Don’t get me wrong, nearly every track is flooring, however by the end, I felt like I had just listened to 12 songs by Whither the Tide as opposed to an album. There was no statement, idea, or theme that stayed in my head after I walked away. Perhaps I am just a sucker for concept albums, but unity is definitely a key factor for an album’s success.
At the end of the day, “The New Chemical” doesn’t disappoint by any means, and I am incredibly excited to hear what will come from this band next.