One of the most hotly contested topics in the music industry today is the concept of genres, or subgenres. The subgenre category of any given band depends heavily on its fans. Some fans may consider a band to be in a certain subgenre or category, other fans may categorize the band differently. Some bands may fit snugly into more than one category, or overlap categories, such as Nothing More, an active rock/metal quartet hailing from San Antonio, Texas. With Johnny Hawkins on vocals, Mark Vollelunga on guitar, Daniel Oliver on bass and Ben Anderson on drums, Nothing More has been categorized as rock, alternative metal, progressive metal. But, their true category is defined by the listener, and changes according to the listener’s tastes.
Nothing More’s latest effort, ‘The Stories We Tell Ourselves’ is their 6th studio album set to drop September 15, 2017. Nothing More has enjoyed success with their previous outings and this effort should be no different. They inherently exhibit all the requisite trappings of a young alt-metal band such as high-pitched vocals, strong drum lines and a hip-hop feel which is wildly popular right now. They don’t exhibit the extreme hip-hop vibe such as is apparent in bands like Hollywood Undead and the like, but it’s still there and still discernible to the untrained ear.
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The album opens with a short and very noisy intro dubbed “Ambition; Destruction” which leads into “Do You Really Want It”, the first full track on the album. The song opens with a slightly calmer feel than the intro implies. This track, along with all the tracks on this effort, boasts a great back beat, complex lyrics and a multi-voice and raucous chorus that blends well with the intense guitar work throughout the song. Lest we forget Hawkins’ high-pitched screeching vocals that so many contemporary bands have right now. However, Hawkins’ vocals stand out in a sea of emo bad boys that are currently saturating the market as they are strong, distinctive and fit well with the overall sound and feel of the band.
Next up is another short but unique intro, “Convict; Divide”, the second of six similar passages on the album. This one leads into one of the singles released to date, “Let ‘em Burn”. Again, as with all the tracks on this release, this is a great sing-along song. Hawkins’ vocals lend well to sing-alongs and will, no doubt, translate fantastically to a live setting. Following is “Ripping Me Apart”, “Don’t Stop”, and “Funny Little Creatures” which all have the characteristics described above such as Hawkins’ distinctive high-pitched vocals, intense beats and guitar work and complex lyrics. The more music this band makes, the better they become at it, infusing overarching contemporary ideas and influences which continually allows Nothing More to rise above the garden-variety alt-metal band, dare I even say metalcore.
“React/Respond” is the longest intro on the album at over 2 minutes. The track is mostly dubbed speech over an instrumental which then leads into “The Great Divorce”, and then subsequently, “Still In Love”. I think I see a theme here. The fifth intro on the album, “Alone/Together”, lends a kind of whispy feel which then leads into “Go To War”, another single that’s been released ahead of the album. This is also the one song for which a video has come out in support. It’s got a catchy chorus and, again, takes its influences from contemporary issues in society and the struggle within personal relationships. “Just Say When” is the lone acoustic entry on the album and brilliantly showcases the talent and versatility of Nothing More as a band.
“Accept/Disconnect”, the fifth intro on the album, is slightly shorter than “React/Respond” at just under 2 minutes and has a decidedly melancholy feel to it with a speech pattern dubbed over what sounds like a single guitar/bass track, which then leads into “Who We Are” and “Tunnels”. This guitar/bass structure continues into “Who We Are” and builds into another strong track mixing aspects of alt-metal and metal-pop into a crescendo of masterfully produced vocals and musicianship unmatched by most lesser-known bands of this type.
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The final intro on the album, “End/Begin” is another vignette with an overly melancholy feel which leads into the equally melancholy “Fade InFade Out” which has a wonderfully heavy guitar line in the chorus, but maintains the overall somber vibe of the song. The lyrics are rather heavy-hearted containing lamentations of the strain on a son’s relationship with his father. It seems a fitting culmination.
‘The Stories We Tell Ourselves’ is some of Nothing More’s best music to date. It is in your face and subdued simultaneously, keeping the listener on the edge of their seat waiting to see what is coming next. Highly recommended!