HEART ATTACK MAN RELEASES “FREAK OF NATURE” - TRACK BY TRACK REVIEW
Hailing from Cleveland Ohio, the punk rockers Heart Attack Man are back with their new album "FREAK OF NATURE". This band is no stranger to breaking the norm and going against the grain. When it comes to this album, it is no exception to the rule. It has all the twists and turns that one would expect from them and it hits hard exactly when you want it to. It has all the best characteristics one would want in a modern rock record and they're not afraid to keep people on their toes. There is a recurring theme of death scattered in different forms throughout this record, leaving a feeling of uneasiness. Frontman Eric Egan's lyrical style hits a few different bases and it keeps the listener wondering “What the f*** is going on?", but in a good way.
“Practiced In The Mirror”
- This song starts very spacey and calm. Hinting back to remnants of one of their older songs “Moths in a Lampshade”. Right after a very catchy lyrical hook section, you're hit with this marching drum beat that brings the song home. You can also tell they wanted to do something different vocally too, with the falsettos and it is heard very clearly at the end.
‘Freak Of Nature”
- This was their first single/title track and for good reason. The intro guitar riff instantly gets your attention and it only gets better. It leads up to this huge vocal hook “I’m a freak of nature” and it plays along to the fact that going along with being different is the way to go. It’s okay to feel different and you’re not alone, we all feel that sometimes and it’s okay.
“Like A Kennedy”
- It starts with an old broadcast from when JFK was shot playing over a guitar and it really sets a tone. This song is more morbid lyrically than their other ones and that's saying something, because a lot of the album is. The bridge really sells it for me with Eric singing “dearly departed, we’re all gathered here today in loving memory….” and it all builds back into the catchy chorus hook ending with a gunshot echo, then BAM chorus. Great track.
“Late To The Orgy”
- LEAD GUITAR TONE is absolutely crazy on this track. Screaming chorus pedal and distortion pedal combo that makes the guitar sing. The vocals here remind me a lot of older Cake and I dig that a lot. The lower register is working super well on this one.
“Stick Up”
- In one of the more literal tracks on the album, the band is straight-up just singing about a bank robber/robbery. Again the chorus pedal on the guitars is so sick and makes it super catchy. It took me a few listens for me to get this one but once it hooked me, that was it. “This is a stick-up, put the money in the bag” Eric sings over and over again and it's so intense.
God Called Off Today”
- Another one of the morbid types of tracks, talking about death and how “...death is working over time and God’s on vacation” makes you think about life and how it comes and goes so fast. Stuff just happens and we really never know. A very deep track by HAM.
“C4”
- Right from the intro this slams you with this heavy drum pattern leading into those classic Heart Attack vocals that we all know and love. This is more of a track I can hear being on “Fake Blood’, kind of like an ode to that album in my opinion. Very raw, rock and roll, ending with a bang!
“On Your Bedside”
- The riffs on this song have such a 2000s hard rock feel to them. With the harmonics and the driving drums. Once more they bring up death but it’s them talking about killing someone, which is more personal and violent than the others.
“Clown School”
- The vibes from this song are a mix of their emo roots, new hardcore riffage, and that 2000s hard rock again. The use of “ha ha ha’s” as a melody stuck out to me a lot and is something different that you don’t hear very much in this scene. It reminds me of that one Olivia Rodrigo song “Deja Vu,” where she does that in her own way too and it’s cool to see in this genre too. The clown horn in this song was funny and amazing.
“See You On The Other Side”
- The DJ “Incubus” type of intro and that DJ type of horn in the background is a new step for them and I dig how they’re dipping their toes and experimenting. Always sticking to what they want to do and you can hear how the creative freedom drove this track. The riffs in this song are dark and melodic but don’t take away from Eric’s vocals at all, he still carries this song with his voice being the forefront. The whole song is a huge build up and it never does drop really, but it ends the album on a note of suspense, which is definitely a classic move for them.