Just the Tip

Hailing from Vancouver, Expain is a solid five-piece that conjures the best of metal. Not exactly thrash, nor progressive or even metalcore, but certainly a lot of the above, it swims in raging waters where technique, grooves, speed and melody meet. Beautified with an artwork from no other than artist Tony Koehl (Deamon, Gorgasm, Malignancy, Heavy Lord, and many, many more), this first album has many attributes to attract both eyes and ears.

While the band puts forth its sense of humour across the visual, none should take Expain as a joke band. The notion of comedy could in fact be misleading when we think that bands such as the exalted and flamboyant Iwrestledabearonce have made it the background theme of their show. The punk aesthetic of the booklet reminded me of the early days of crossover bands, with a nice “new school of thrash metal” logo not unfamiliar with the likes of Havok, Toxic Holocaust or Municipal Waste. Lyrics use different styles with varying levels of success, and themes ranging from gore to hardship and persistence. For these reasons, there is something almost juvenile about the content of this album – including the strong focus on individuals – but Expain tries to turn it into something fun and compelling.

The music is a different story. Just as much as its musicians send the impression they like to party hard, Expain is able to stay focussed when it comes to their instruments. While thrash bands like Revocation pops to mind, I can’t help thinking about other more progressive metalcore influences such as early Between the Buried and Me and the cohesiveness of Black Dahlia Murder. Like a pool noodle, Expain is light but hitting hard and fast, yet you can squeeze it as much as you want – there’s always juice remaining inside.

The intricacy comes from the double-axe attack. Way more melodic than any of the aforementioned references, the guitars (and bass) never fall into cheese but rather provide the muscles and articulations that keep this monster moving. They move up and down the scale of their necks, providing spotlight moments such as in “A.T.M.”. Meantime, the less eccentric drums and vocals keep a straight backbone, as in thrash metal. Overall, I found Just the Tip very convincing on the musicianship level.

It probably wouldn’t be such a punch in the face if it didn’t have this top-notch production. Matthew Roach (Greenhouse Studios, Vancouver) produced, engineered and mixed the album, giving it a very commercial metal finish. As a result, the album’s dynamic textures are highlighted and help making Just the Tip a very enjoyable listen. An impressive first full length for Expain, Just the Tip sets the picture straight with a big smile.

“I can’t believe this has happened to me / Head banged so much I can no longer see / Tendons are snapping, I am starting to bleed / Neck dislocated, this must be the end?” (from “Headbang Your Head Off”).

- TheBlackHull
[Originally written for blog.metalmadeincanada.ca]