There’s been a bit of a buzz around the West Palm Beach scene lately about a brand-new EP that was just released last week. “End Times” by PATH OF TOTALITY, dropped a piano on the heads of Florida hardcore. Always a sucker for an album with an apocalyptic cover, I had to see what the hub bub is all about.
Opening track, “Bent Neck“, starts out with a spoken word introduction from the Italian movie, “Salo”. Right off the bat, visions of ALL OUT WAR start dancing through my head. Immediately, a barrage of drop tuned heaviness blasts you in the gut and hits you with what I can only describe as “death by chugga-chuggas!” Pounding drums and rattling bass lines by former bassist, Matt Miller, only solidify the back drop for Trevor McCauley’s gritty, often demonic vocals. “Denouncing Science Is A Fool’s Game“, starts out with a cool Machine Head style guitar riffs before the vocals come back and bring doom-core back into the picture. Trevor Wade and Kyle Weurth trade guitar duties on this effort, as such heaviness can only be conceivable with 2 guitar players. Now, as if they were fixing the hole in my heart with some “proper beatdown music”, “Chin Check” sucker punches you in the face like Mike Tythin’ himself! Thunderous drop tuned craziness until the end where some joker declares “That was awful!” The last 2 songs, “The Raven King” and “Bible Beater”, further showcase the bands knack for heaviness and properly showcase the talents of drummer, Joe Hennessy. With changing time signatures and other curve balls thrown in there, it makes you think that it took more than a few practices for new bassist, Tyler Dumais, to pull off the riffs on this record. Overall, this album is a good mix of hardcore, metal and straight up doom. My only suggestion is that whoever writes the lyrics for this record maybe try some yoga, meditation, a good therapist or something. I mean, someone please check on this guy already! But then again, what good music ever came without a bit of suffering?
There’s been a bit of a buzz around the West Palm Beach scene lately about a brand-new EP that was just released last week. “End Times” by PATH OF TOTALITY, dropped a piano on the heads of Florida hardcore. Always a sucker for an album with an apocalyptic cover, we had to see what the hub bub is all about. The band has been around a little more than a year and already gained a reputation of crazy pits. A video with over 50,000 views has been circulating around Facebook of them playing a song that ends in a fight at The Unit in Port St. Lucie, FL after a “crowd-killing” incident. This brand new five song EP hits hard. Real hard. A nice mix of beat down hardcore with some drop tuned doom metal thrown in as well. After ten years in the local scene, bored and frustrated, this band’s members formed with a mission to bring excitement back to the shows. Looks like they walk the walk as far as sticking to their game plan. The machine gun style guitars of Trevor Wade and Kyle Weurth mix well with the tight rhythm section of Tyler Dumais’ bass guitar and Joe Hennessy’s drum kit. We sat down for a brief minute with lead vocalist, Trevor McCauley to discuss this Beast of an EP.
BENT NECK
This is a song I wrote about a friend who battles with mental illness and watching him struggle with depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts and behaviors. I wanted to let others know that they are not alone, that they’re not the only ones going through this, and that they need to talk to someone before it’s too late.
DENOUNCING SCIENCE IS A FOOL’S GAME
I wrote this song in the mindset of immortality and what it would be like to live forever. But only the negative parts of it. I liked the concept of it.
CHIN CHECK
This song is about standing up to Bullying. Sometimes walking away is the best way to handle things. Sometimes you got to check the motherf***er in the jaw to let him know you WILL NOT be a victim any longer.
THE RAVEN KING
This song was written about Norse mythology. The birth of it as well as the religion aspect of it. I have always found it extremely fascinating, and our guitarist is very heavily into it. So, I wrote this song for him.
BIBLE BEATER
This one has the deepest meaning behind it. I wrote this song for all the kids who grew up in a strict religious environment, full of judgment and oppression. I mean, to the point where they feel they can never be who they truly are. All because of the fear of what their friends, family, church and community think of them. I wrote this song to encourage them to stand up for themselves, and to be the person they truly want to be, and to know that there are people in the community and many religious facilities who will support them and love them.
