The Chosen One

Okay, well, I guess we all have our comfort zones, right? And it is important for us to venture outside of these comfort zones and try new things, right? Kids, a fundamental life lesson is the risk for reward. There are times when the universe is kicking you in the face to go all-in on a job, a new location, that taco stand up the road, fighting your boss, whatever. You just need to take the dive and see what happens. Well, I checked out Destrage after hearing they were a progressive metalcore group. Yeah, I know how that label sounds (I cringed too), but again, challenge those comfort zones. The existence of Destrage at this point is almost a marvel. Metalcore is a corpse; even its hottest bands from back in the day are floundering for survival or have long since been buried by time and dust.

And as a side note, when I checked out Destrage, I saw they apparently lined up musically with Mr. Bungle. They also did this weird six-band collaboration with Blood Stained Child and a few other groups. Sounds audacious. At the worst, I thought this might be an experimental/progressive metalcore record with the zaniness of Mr. Bungle. Well, “The Chosen One” is quite a distance from that expectation. This is a metalcore album with glazes of minor experimental elements tossed in for spice. The core-like qualities are all here and on grand display. The vocals alternate between harsh and clean; the riffs are the usual stop-start sequences and other guitar arrangements metalcore bands apply; and there are breakdowns. They add in softer sections and occasionally shift gears, but most of the album is rooted in basic metalcore-isms veered a few degrees to the left, not enough to notice much of a difference.

The experimental elements? Well, at least they’re here. I’m being generous calling these elements experimental; most of the record’s atypical moments are just keyboards layered over everything. There is the restrained disharmonic guitar noodling like a geriatric mathcore group or Dillinger Escape Plan rearing its head in now and then, and it is what it is, I guess. The saxophone solo on “Mr. Bugman” is the album’s coolest part, but it took several times for me to register something out of the ordinary was happening after sitting through several songs going through the same motions. There is much to explore here by jumping off the creative ledge and seeing what sticks. “The Chosen One” remains oddly safe and trite despite the brief outside influence or musical guinea pig given its minor cameo.

Well, I sat through “The Chosen One” a few times, and it is not for me. At all. I’m glad I tried it out, and mad props to the band for sticking to their guns, but I have no need to hear “The Chosen One” again. Between band and reviewer, we are incompatible. I wouldn’t recommend it on its experimental merits, because it really isn’t progressive or experimental or anything like that. I guess this is something to check out if you enjoy metalcore, or if you are already a fan of Destrage and know what you’re getting into? I don’t know.

This review was written for: www.Thrashpit.com