I first became acquainted with this band almost 25 years ago courtesy of a song called “Tat Twam Asi”, which was on a sampler or something. I remember it being really interesting, reflecting the nu-metal trend of the time while swinging seamlessly between a solid riff, a clean chorus and explosive growls. My interest didn’t go very far, which given the plethora of bands and options out to explore there is normal, but I wouldn’t have much of a chance anyway as Earthtone9 split up in 2002. They did reform in 2013, releasing an album “IV” and now, 11 years later, here’s the next one.
So now to 2024. I hear power, aggression, melody and a clean chorus with the end product something not dissimilar to the Swedish melodeath of Scar Symmetry. “The Polyphony of Animals” oozes energy and flows like a river. Yes, it’s a metal song but it’s extremely infectious and brain-invading. There’s a heavy section at the end just to keep us honest, before the band fly out of the blocks with the fast and furious metalcore of “Navison Record”. A bit of Hispanic guitar changes the mood but only briefly as the tension cranks up before toning down to a shadowy passage. Up and down we go. There’s a faint eastern sound momentarily before the main refrain returns and the whole thing descends into heaviness. The vocalist shouts angrily, the chorus is clean, this song cannot be accused of standing still. This song is “Under the Snake”. In truth, I preferred the punkish thrust and simpler structure of “Oceanic” which follows. The guitar sound is deep. Progress is rapid. Heads will bang. It’s fast, hard and heavy with a clean chorus and a buzzing melody.
It’s strange to be calling something like this “retro”, but that’s how I felt when listening to parts of this album. I certainly felt this when listening to “Black Swan Roulette” with its nu metal build-up, expansion and chorus style. Earthtone9 deliver more than this. “Black Swan Roulette” is a good song because of its punchy instrumental line and hooks. “Lash of the Tongues” is more of a modern metalcore assault. The versatile vocalist screams his lungs out. The clean chorus is there as ever, weaving its way in. There’s a wondrous bass line. The drumming does what good drumming does and adds direction and power. It’s a proper metal song with interesting twists and turns. “Etiquette of Distortion” reinforces the brutality which has now entered the scene in spades. The riff is menacing. The drums hit hard. There is a juxtaposition of mayhem and the clean chorus. But this song goes impressively down a dark, dark avenue, invoking fear and wonderment. “Observe Your Course” takes us back to rampant metalcore, and will have any audience bouncing around. earthtone9 then show their versatility with the dark and dreamy “Third Mutuality”. Whilst more emotional than other songs on this album, the band inject it with power and force. “Strength is My Weakness” then thumps on like a march, with the customary mix of hard n heaviness and choral harmony. The drum takes us into a dark passage and a strong finish.
This album is full of energy and life. It’s instrumentally tight with good song structures. Earthtone9 don’t follow a strict formula but essentially “In Resonance Nexus” is metalcore in its style with its aggression, melody and chorus lines. Much of it is catchy and it oozes power. An 11 year hiatus hasn’t done earthtone9 any harm at all.
(8/10 Andrew Doherty)
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