SEPARATION OF SANITY - song review

SEPARATION OF SANITY - song review
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to present to you the aggro and articulate 5-piece metal and punk act hailing from Portland, OR: Separation of Sanity (S.O.S). I received a digital press package from Jason X (Vocals) within 24 hours of requesting it. I think I like these guys already; they mean business and were prepared. Like momma always said, never judge a book by its cover, but I have been fooled before and momma sure didn’t raise a fool. Are these dudes the real deal, I thought to myself? The press package I received was neatly organized; the files labeled in such a way that allowed me to cruise seamlessly through the works of Separation of Sanity. The band has produced a new LP, titled The Crucible, due to be released on 3/17/16. I am here to tell you about their awesome new single; Armed. One of two tracks being released as singles off of the album; the other being Drift. Listening to Armed once through my desktop speakers prompted me to immediately load it into ProTools and listen on my studio monitors. On the first pass, I noticed an awesome compliment of bass and guitar work during the verses specifically starting at :21. Along with the guitar overdub parts during the verses, I truly enjoyed the way the three layers intertwined, locking me into some sort of Separation of Sanity sleeper hold- all while preparing me for the chorus. It is here that Mr. X. himself lets loose his aggressive delivery while maintaining some personality and a nice overall gritty vocal tone. I got the hint that Jason possibly used a dynamic microphone for tracking. SM58? SM7B with a Cloud Lifter, perhaps? Whatever it was complimented both his grit and delivery, as well as the genre. The rhythm section, backed by Jackson Coffey and his click-killing percussive energy, blended beautifully throughout the entire song. The toms were wet and meaty during the more rhythmic parts, and his drums cut through the mix seamlessly when required. I do feel that the mix lacked a bit of low end, possibly from the kick and bass mix. Perhaps a little more massaging of the bass tone next time. Of course I am a bass player and am bias. Speaking of bass- apparently, there is a human named Ivar Forkbeard that plays the bass in S.O.S. Yes, Ivar Forkbeard. The bass work, with the groove and flow in the verses was as entertaining and impacting as his name, the bass run at 1:50 was sweet too. At 1:58 my ears truly wanted to snack on some sort of modified repeat of that 1:50 bass run but momma always yells at me when I want snacks… Speaking of snacks.. if you, the reader would like to hear some new heavy music, please, for God’s sake, take your ear over to facebook.com/separationofsanity and give them a like. Also, this St. Patrick’s Day, go and spend a few bucks on your copy of “The Crucible”, a sweet record that will keep those heavy metal and rock n roll cravings satisfied. Snack metal is my favorite kind of metal. I can’t wait to play a show with these dudes and also see what they blossom into. Dirtbag Smitty – Grade: (4 out of 5 horns)
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