Writing and recording a pinnacle metal album is not simple. The process often takes the cooperative effort of three to five smelly dudes who spend every waking moment together arguing over who drank the last beer and why musicians shouldn’t attach their ego to the parts they contribute. After they’re nice and pissed off, the riffs and melodies begin to flow. Denver metal band Forty Fathoms are a relentless metal collaboration who’s EP, More to Hate, designates Colorado a place at the forefront of influential rock music.
Forty Fathoms are no strangers to the game as they used their resources and wit to access one of the finest rock producers of all time. Forty Fathoms recorded More to Hate with Kris Crummett of Interlace Audio who recorded Dance Gavin Dance, Issues, Emarosa, and many more. The recording quality is supernatural but magnificently honest. Listeners could easily conclude that each musician actually performed all the sounds heard from the album. More to Hate lacks (for the better) all the contemporary digital and synthesized effects which are slowly taking over all forms of popular music. One special aspect of this album is its absence of boring repackaged metal breakdowns. More to Hate is armed with crushing riffs, diverse phrasing, and tonal voicing which serves to support all the new ways vocalist Taylor MacNicholas is thriving as a singer. MacNicholas’ vocal melodies on this record are by far his catchiest and most memorable to date. Additionally, the tone of his voice is much more emotionally driven because the lyrics hold a greater poetic quality than those on previous releases. Lines in the song “Hollow Head” such as, “I don’t want to nail my own coffin/No more dirt on this grave/I found hope in the darkest room/Screaming my name” suggest an eerie, demented, yet positively hopeful vibe. On the track “More to Hate,” the chorus sings, “One day I’ll be someone to speak of/One day I’ll learn from my mistakes/I’ve got so much to love/But so much more to hate.” The dichotomy between hopefulness and despair truly evoke an aesthetic presentation of Forty Fathoms.
You will find yourself listening to this album on repeat and humming the melodies in your sleep. More to Hate is an album for all listeners where the cliche argument against death metal lyrics being difficult to understood doesn’t hold up here. Put it in your ears.
