TALLAH – “Matriphagy” Album Review

SUMMARY

IN SHORT

I will not pretend to be the biggest fan of the Nu Metal or Metalcore genres, but I know a band with a bright future when I see it. TALLAH, who has influences from the likes of KORN, SLIPKNOT, and LINKIN PARK, is one of those bands. TALLAH’s debut album is like a modern reinterpretation of everything the most successful Nu Metal bands did in the early 2000s. They take it even one step further by including a hardcore edge and carving out their own unique sound. “Matriphagy is a concept album about how an overprotective mother pushes her son to the edge of insanity through psychological and physical abuse. Having spent two decades trapped inside a glorified prison, and after some failed rescue/escape attempts, the son, in a state of heavy delirium, does the unforgivable to free himself from his mother’s wicked hold.”

I won’t include any story spoilers in this review but I will say this: the album hits hard, drips with emotion, and is pretty unnerving at times. The musicianship is solid, and Max Portnoy’s drum work is superb (what else would you expect from the son of Mike Portnoy?). A lot of the album’s atmosphere comes from vocalist Justin Bonitz. Justin has a vocal uniqueness that makes him instantly recognizable and is unlike any other singer I’ve heard. His style is quirky, charismatic, passionate, powerful, and dynamic. Listen to “Red Light” for an example of his insane vocal range (I’m referring to both his octave range and the range of techniques he excels at).

“Matriphagy” frequently verges on the edge of all out chaos without crossing the line and maintains this balance from beginning to end. If the album has one drawback, the songs share too many of the same musical elements and lack nuance. Granted, I doubt the band is aiming for nuance with “Matriphagy”. Still, I would have liked the band to go more outside of the box and stretch the music, in the same way they stretch Justin’s vocals. In all, you cannot ask for much more out of a band’s debut album. TALLAH redefines Nu Metal and gives the metal community a kick in the ass with “Matriphagy”.

IN DEPTH

The album opens with a disturbing, unnerving, yet effective atmospheric intro. It is a good set-up for what the listener can expect throughout the album. The intro leads into “No One Should Read This“, which starts the album in brutal fashion, complete with guttural scream. TALLAH has no interest easing the listener into the album. In fact, the first full track is the most metalcore song on the entire album. A small gripe is there are moments in this song, and several others, where I struggle to understand the words of the song. Overall, “No One Should Read This” is an erratic and heavy track to open the album. It’s one of the weaker tracks but that just means the album gets better from here.

“Kungan” opens with a SLIPKNOT-esque vibe, instrumentally. Then it progresses into a groove overlaid with a rap-like verse. The track includes some great harmonies that remind me a bit of SYSTEM OF A DOWN. That said, the track as a whole doesn’t quite work for me and is one that I will probably skip in future playthroughs.

“Overconfidence” opens with the sound the tripods make in War of the Worlds (I’m convinced of it). And the song uses the sound effect to influence the opening riff. It’s a little quirky and one of the few but I enjoy it. This is the first track on the album that really begins to showcase Justin Bonitz’s dynamic vocal abilities. He raps, sings clean, sings aggressively, and produces more guttural screams. The chorus proves he can effectively hit the high notes during the “” lyrics. The riffs are grounded in Nu Metal and the track is not afraid to be messy at times – leaving in feedback from the guitars and the heavy breathing of Justin. “Overconfidence” is a well constructed track and has some of the best transitioning on the album. Overall, it’s a good song though it gets overshadowed as the album moves along.

“Placenta” is controlled chaos at it’s finest. The track includes rapid, and frequent, changes to the riffing and tempo. The vocals sound almost psychotic, which fits well with the track’s storyline. There isn’t anything left to say here, just listen to the song!

Up next is “L.E.D.”, a more traditional Nu Metal track – if you can call anything on this album traditional. It is probably the most accessible song on the album for those poor souls who aren’t metal fans. In addition, TALLAH hits us with a 7/8 time signature here which tells me the band isn’t afraid to think outside the box (though I wish they did more of it on the album). There is also a big tempo change with the breakdown which hits so hard it is almost disorienting. The breakdown certainly qualifies as ‘disgusting’ – which is meant to be a compliment.

The halfway point gives us the most diverse song on the album. “The Silo” is a bit softer, plays around with more clean vocals and showcases slower temps. That doesn’t mean the track doesn’t it hard, this is no ballad! There are two standout elements to this track. First, Justin Bonitz really showcases some quality emotion and theatrics in the vocals. It’s impressive to hear, even if you’re not a fan. Second, the chorus has a lot of subtle elements that aren’t recognized on first listen. The music plays around with flat and sharp notes. Initially, the chorus sounds as if the vocals and instruments aren’t even playing in the same key. However, give the song a few listens and you will discover that it really does all mesh together – it’s just not in a way most of us are used to hearing choruses. It is an interesting and inventive writing choice. 

“We, the Sad” has KORN-inspiration written all over it. KORN fans are bound to be intrigued by this track. I was interested by another element. “We, the Sad” is the best example of the band shifting gears. The transitions between clean guitars and distortion feel like a punch to the side of the head – they are well-timed and will make for great moshing in the future. I’ll also point out a consistent item throughout the album: the snare sound is great. It’s punchy and tinny and works for this style of music. The track is also a master class in writing lyrics. The lyrics play around with syllables and creative rhyming. The lyrics weave right into the song.

The ninth track on the album, “Too Quick to Grieve” is the only one that feels forced. The lyrics seem to be thrown over the top of the music, the opposite of “We, the Sad”. Aside from the “keep your head up, hold that smile” section, the lyrics flat out don’t fit. It is also the most forgettable track on the album, as it faded into the background for me. 

“Cottonmouth”, on the other hand, packs the heaviest and most intense punch on the album. And it’s packed into a 2:52 runtime. The track is more theatric and focuses on storytelling, but the music matches the emotional state of the narrator. I will just say this song stays with you for a while after it abruptly ends. It is not for the faint of heart.

“Murder Seed” brings the album back to it’s regular level of intensity. The song has great guitar work and the rap-inspired vocals utilize more syllable creativity to match with the beat. There is also a 20 second section destined to be one of the best metal moments in a long time. When you hear ‘I’ve been infested by people like you, who write things in cursive to seem more legit’ it sounds like it could have been sung be Chester Bennington and is a performed masterfully. The other sections of the song are heavy but, unfortunately, don’t really stand out.

Finally, “the borderline of pain” is an interlude that leads into the album closer: “Red Light”. This track was my introduction to TALLAH and remains my favorite. It is unlike anything I’ve heard before, and I immediately showed it to my family after discovering it. The lyrics behind “Red Light” are a madman’s rambling. The story is there, the themes are there, but everything is jumbled together in a stream of consciousness. The song does well to match the story. Justin Bonitz’s vocals are out of this world – erratic, confusing, strange, funny, and whatever other adjective you want to insert here. The riffs are great, heavy, and match the energy of the vocals. It is the perfect way to end an album and one of the best metal songs of the 21^st century.

HIGHLIGHTS

“Placenta”, “We, the Sad”, “Cottonmouth”, “Red Light”