The Human Abstract

Midheaven (Hopeless)
by Scott Hefflon

Hopeless discovered Avenged Sevenfold, and also signed The Human Abstract and Break the Silence, just to be safe. AS took off, as we all know, and their best album is, wait for it, Waken the Fallen, on Hopeless. The Human Abstract incorporate too much prog wank and spazz and screamo into their metallic blend for me, so all the moody intros and shredding solos and (mostly accurate) soulful singing in the world don’t distract from the “why don’t you go tour with All That Remains or some band on Ferret, their fans probably think you’re deep” aspect. There’re a surprising number of ballads here. But I don’t mean that as a pleasant surprise. I survived one Staind, thanks. This is the band’s second release, so perhaps they’re still trying to find themselves in a confusing musical world. Perhaps.
(www.hopelessrecords.com)