Tallah - The Generation of Danger

It's been a while since one of these.

Heard people in a Discord I was in clamour about this album saying how hard it was. Hard might be an understatement because this is easily one of the best nu metal/ metalcore albums in BOTH genres history. Nu metal in 2022 has been quite bad, with Korn, Disturbed, and Slipknot all releasing sub-50 albums. This is like the fan-made version of many of the best in the genre, the Sonic Mania of nu metal if you will.

This is one of the most mentally insane releases this year. The singing is nothing short of schizophrenic, constantly switching from clean Bennington-esque vocals, Corey Taylor yell-rapping, to laughing, to crying, and a whole spectrum of growls. I kid you not, the screams on this album puts so many vocalists to second place, the pig growls, guttural howls, growls that sound like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, to bloodcurdling yelling. Anyone with an affinity for metal vocals would love this to death.

THE BREAKDOWNS ARE SO FUCKING BRUTAL. Stomping Grounds has one that gradually builds up in tempo a la reverse timed explosive, and the one on Thistle is FUCKING DISGUSTING!!! One of the nastiest breakdowns I've ever come across.

As for structure, it's a love letter to 2000s and 2010s metal. The Impressionist left an impression on me for the drum break halfway through. The aforementioned Stomping Grounds has electronic elements that Mick Gordon would have used on the DOOM soundtrack. There's record scratching and atonal math rock licks on Shaken, ones that I admire even if the rest of the song is in the lower echelons of enjoyment for me. But these tracks will bludgeon you with how hard they hit.

This album is a brass knuckle punch to the head. One of the most violent and volatile releases of the year.