Not harsh enough to prove incomprehensibly chaotic, and not soft enough to lose their biting and fitting edge, Heart Of Jordan capture a strikingly effective hard rock spot that’s all their own. The band blast ahead on their 2018 self titled full length, which rather than proving suited to a description in terms of this or that genre, delivers a personable heaviness that hits the listener wherever they’re at. It doesn’t leave them down, though- metaphorically yanking them up and throwing them into the mosh pit that in most cases, might just be in the listeners’ mind.
The band wield the various tools available to the modern heavy band with welcome precision. They carve themselves out a wildly contorted but exciting spot with a mixture of actually effective breakdowns, sensible rock/metal melody, and harsh but dynamic vocal work. There’s a whole wide range from harsh guttural screams to emotional clean vocals. Each presented component helps in the crisp, unique final presentation- nothing gets left behind, and the band sounds all the better for it.
Through each segment, there’s an apparent unity of artistic vision. The band sounds invested in their craft – they’re here because they both want and need to be, it feels. This feeling translates to piercing and affecting music.
They’ve injected their craft with a personality reflected both in the themes and the music that makes it stick out. This personality reflects in the vocals and the instrumental work on the album, which quivers around a center core of emotion. The songs shake, in a sense, presenting a sense of unease and intensity. There’s a journey being presented – it’s not just running into a wall of sound that sort of, kind of makes sense to turn on Heart Of Jordan. It’s exactly the opposite – a great time with meaningful music.
It’s music for a heavy music fan looking for a new experience with their music that they can jump right into.
5/5 Stars
Find the band on Facebook, and listen to them below, via Spotify.
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