As the pulsating heart of the Australian hardcore punk scene continues to beat, a new force has emerged from the depths of Brisbane. Half Man, a powerhouse collective featuring members from esteemed bands such as Phantoms, Primitive Blast, Mud, Mood Swing, Knuckledragger, Deathbed, Burning Season, World of Joy, Glitter Strip, and Wreath, has unleashed their blistering debut 7″ record, ‘Man Proposes, but God Disposes,’ via Burning Hammer Records.
Born from a fusion of classic death metal, powerviolence, and metallic hardcore influences, Half Man brings forth a sound that resonates with the primal energy of a sonic onslaught. Fans of Nails, Gulch, Mongrel, and Cold As Life will find solace in the unrelenting aggression and unapologetic intensity of their music.
The band’s raw energy and uncompromising ethos are palpable, propelling listeners into a maelstrom of sonic chaos and catharsis.
The record encapsulates the sheer force and sonic brutality that define Half Man’s sound. From the relentless assault of pummeling drums to the frenetic guitar work that slashes through the air, each track on ‘Man Proposes, but God Disposes‘ serves as an unyielding testament to the band’s unwavering commitment to their craft.
Lyrically, ‘Man Proposes, but God Disposes,’ is a collection of intensely personal and socially charged songs that delve into a range of thought-provoking topics.
Through ‘Man Proposes, but God Disposes,’ Half Man fearlessly tackles issues of imperialism, mental health, erasure of history, personal relationships, and self-acceptance.
Track by track, Half Man offers a glimpse into their raw and unfiltered perspectives.
Words by Keldon Theodore (vocals):
Track 1 – Man Proposes, but God Disposes
This song is about a painting that depicts a couple of polar bears eating human remains. They’re scattered in a wreckage of a British expedition that was lost in the Arctic in the mid 1800s. The painting is about how humanity (and in particular Britain) pushed for imperialism and tried to conquer everything they could, but nature still takes them in the end – maybe a bit dark for my usual writing style, which is more personal. But I have family that are indigenous Australian who have felt the fucked up effects of British Imperialism – and for me it’s funny to laugh at these so called expeditionary heroes being decimated by nature and resorting to cannibalism in their last moments, thinking they’re bigger than the land and it’s inhabitants, and eventually getting taking by the Earth. The original painting was said to be haunted so I thought that was pretty cool too.
Track 2 – Blue Morning
I wrote this song about the constant fatigue of anxiety and depression, and how it just wears you down beyond being capable of doing much other than sleep. It’s also about how that affects relationships with friends and family etc. It’s easy to forget the people who have been left behind by depression. It’s also got a hard ass riff in it, and little guitar licks inspired by the legendary Australian hardcore band Mindsnare.
Track 3 – Wish I Understood How You Don’t Understand
This is about a family member, he’s extremely mentally ill and never really had a chance growing up to be better, and I’m essentially saying, I wish I understood him better, but he doesn’t understand himself enough to even figure it out. It has my favourite pit part on the record too. It’s a personal song but an angry song, so it needed to be angry and stompy and driving.
Track 4 – Cult of Forgetfulness
I wrote this track about my country’s ability to sweep genocide and stolen generations under the rug, to the point where a lot of Australian’s are in denial. There is a period of massacres and wars in the 1800s and 1900s on the Indigenous people that own the land known as the “killing times” – which isn’t taught in schools yet still. Pretty horrific stuff that has been erased from Australia’s history.
Track 5 – As Cold As Life Can Get With You
Another personal one, a song about my partner who I love. The hardest track we have as well.
Track 6 – Drying Up In My Burning Sun
A track about gender dysphoria and being kind of broken by facing it all. The violence and just general contempt from people who don’t experience it is just so tiring. We got the band name from Trapped Under Ice’s Half a Person – but the line “I am Half Man” is how I feel a lot of the time, but I also think it sounds sick. This song has thicker and slower moments, which was us wanting to switch things up on the record.
Track 7 – I Cannot Be Killed
Similar to Blue Morning, this song being about mental illness – except it’s about how it hasn’t taken me yet, so I tell myself that I essentially cannot be killed. The big beatdown outro has 3 vocalists on it and it rips your head off – “I can’t be killed” being screamed at you is pretty fucking hectic. When we first recorded this we were all like “holy fuck?”
