Early Man are two Pentecostalists who discovered heavy metal at age 19 and were subsequently shunned for it. This explains a lot given the sheer reverence and horn-throwing excitement found on Closing In. It's a history ... more »lesson as well as a continuation of classic metal liturgy. This is straight-up rock riffs and metal melody and rhythm. "Four Walls" kicks off the record with a dead killer guitar line; "War Eagle" is Iron Maiden for these times; "Death is the Answer" picks up where classic Black Sabbath left off; "Feedin Frenzy" is a mid-tempo thrasher that wouldn't sound out of place on a Megadeth or Exodus album. Contrary to these descriptors, it is by no means a carbon-copy effort. This is serious without being over-burdened. There's an exuberance that defies irony and makes all 11 tracks sound fresh and invigorating. It may cause you to bite a hole in your lower lip while your foot kicks along with the bass drum--it's that kind of metal. --Robert Arambel« less
Early Man are two Pentecostalists who discovered heavy metal at age 19 and were subsequently shunned for it. This explains a lot given the sheer reverence and horn-throwing excitement found on Closing In. It's a history lesson as well as a continuation of classic metal liturgy. This is straight-up rock riffs and metal melody and rhythm. "Four Walls" kicks off the record with a dead killer guitar line; "War Eagle" is Iron Maiden for these times; "Death is the Answer" picks up where classic Black Sabbath left off; "Feedin Frenzy" is a mid-tempo thrasher that wouldn't sound out of place on a Megadeth or Exodus album. Contrary to these descriptors, it is by no means a carbon-copy effort. This is serious without being over-burdened. There's an exuberance that defies irony and makes all 11 tracks sound fresh and invigorating. It may cause you to bite a hole in your lower lip while your foot kicks along with the bass drum--it's that kind of metal. --Robert Arambel
CD Reviews
Sabbath Circa 1970 + Maiden Circa 1983= Early Man
J. Brittman | Long Island, New York | 02/16/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"If today's metal scene has left you yearning for the days of old (i.e. Priest, Maiden, Sabbath) then Early Man is the answer to your prayers. Early Man sounds almost exactly like early Black Sabbath around the time of their debut or the Master of Reality album. In fact, some will probably accuse Early Man of being nothing more than a Sabbath clone band, which in many respects is valid. But you can deny these guys have the riffs and the old school vibe going strong on Closing In. The singer sounds like a mix of early Ozzy and a twinge of early Geddy Lee. The riffs are fast and plentiful. War Eagle and Feeding Frenzy are my personal favorites. There is no let up on this album as it rocks from beginning to end. The riff in Death is the Answer to my Prayers is almost an exact clone of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath with a few minor adjustments. While Early Man may not be the most original band to hit the metal scene, they have resurrected the old school of metal with Closing In. There is tons of potential here. Overall, for metal fans who enjoy the old school, Early Man will satisfy your craving for stripped down, bare bones heavy metal. Recommended."
British Metal Throwback
Matthew J. Weaver | Colorado | 01/31/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"First of all, I should make one thing clear. While there are two members of the band on this recording (guest guitar is present on several tracks), this is multi-tracked as a full band: lead and rhythm guitars, bass guitar, vocals, and drums. This is not a "White Stripes", "Local H", or "Black Keys" band. In other words, you will hear bass in the songs, even if it is mixed like AC/DC (not really noticable).
Early Man hearkens back to classic British Metal ala Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, with a nod to Motorhead and Black Sabbath. They are not the first band to do so in the vein of indie rock (versus established metal) as the F!cking Champs have been doing it for a few years, albeit with a more round sound (synths). All that said, it also bears strong resemblence to Screamo punk rock (Thrice, Bleed Through, etc). In fact at times, Conte's vocals sound exactly like the more melodic stylings of Thrice while other times the vocals sound like a Rob Halford/Bruce Dickenson/Ozzy hybrid croon.
A few songs take a while to build up steam and, honestly, come off as cheesy ("death is the answer to my prayers")... but given a few measures of mid-tempo rock, the sound opens up to minor pentatonic riffage. Honestly it sounds like a punk band (think Black Flag... not whatever is on TV these days) playing Judas Priest in the Screaming for Vengence era. That is not a bad thing. The guitars lack the "crisp" overproduced sound of super strats with active pickups and California boutique amps that pretty much helped kill metal (pop metal and the other junk that is popular now). Instead it has that punk/British metal crunch and bass... much like older Judas. The bass, when it is locked in a groove really sounds like Steve Harris (the "gallop").
The sound is refreshing and though it is fast, it is not as technical or produced as even early Metallica (the "California" sound) or Megadeth (both were good... but this is a new time). Conte's setup is pure vintage Black Sabbath, aside from standard tuning (a point of pride for the band): SG and Orange Amp at eleven... no pedals. Good stuff and much better than the type of music that passes for metal today, which is why it is really more of a British Metal/punk hybrid (not unlike Burton-era Metallica).
Where the music differs from the Judas Priest/Maiden formula is in the subject of the songs as well as the lack of "poppy sounding" G-A-C-D style progressions (something Maiden and Priest did in some measure). The songs are darker and hearken more towards Danzig and the Misfits. The other key difference between the British bands of yore is the lack of "dueling guitars".
In summary: Early Man takes metal seriously, perhaps too much so, but the band has alot of promise. They are well paired to tour with long-time Black Flag fans Fu Manchu. Actually Fu Manchu playing Priest is not totally off, in terms of points of reference. This is not an album that would please modern metal fans, this is more of a traditional sound... for some reason it's the kind of thing alot of punks (whatever that means these days) will like, much like Fu Manchu.
Recommended."
Fistbangin' mania!!!
D. Galante | watchcity, Ma | 02/08/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"A couple of young dudes just totally going for it, it's 83' all over again. Using "Kill Em All" as the template, these dudes proceed to thrash in fine fashion for the next 40 minutes. You WILL bang your head. This is the perfect album for those of us who ask ourselves as we listen to classic albums by the "big four", Testament, Overkill etc..."why can't new bands sound like this"? Death to irony, the thrash torch is being carried by Early Man with class and passion...and if you're looking for more assurance that metal will never die, check out High On Fire, Municipal Waste, and The Sword. The trend is dead, you can't fake this s$%t.
"
Early Man is the answer to my metal prayers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Robert A. Loya | Kansas City, MO USA | 10/12/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This by far one of the best new bands ive come accross. Im a fan of all types of music, but the metal does hold a special place in my heart. This album manages to find a great balance of honoring the old and usuing it to create a new highly enjoyable sound. This is the kind of metal I've been looking for, no BS, just rocking. EVIL IS is a stand out and how could you not like a band that has a song called Death is the Answer to my Prayers? Great album for a haul on the mountain bike. I particularly enjoy the breakdowns during almost every song and the dude actually sings too, which is a welcome relief from the monster voices of other so called metal. This is for the fans of good music period, those who hated St. Anger and cried for Master of Puppets II, here's your gift."
Vailtrail.com/ weekly shuffle/ CD Review by Samantha Donen
Samantha Donen | Denver, Colorado | 11/08/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Early Man, Closing In
Do not assume Early Man, a 2 man metal thrash band from NYC, is anything like the White Stripes. Capturing the late 70's metal sound, Early Man thunders pure driven rock throughout their debut album Closing In. Their musical kin are Motorhead, Judas Priest, Dio, Merciful Fate, Minor Threat, and Head of David. Crank your stereo up to 11! Closing In will appeal to metal/punk heads and adrenaline/sport junkies...
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1