Within the past few years, dude-metal has enjoyed a renaissance of sorts, but more often as tongue-in-cheek fluff than balls-out rock. As someone who grew up cranking Kiss and AC/DC, I'm instantly leery of any band that relies too much on irony and kitsch when playing this style. Perhaps as an attempt to curtail those concerns, the one-sheet that Matador sends along with two-man metal band Early Man's debut full length goes to great pains to make the band seem authentic. As much space is devoted to describing their gear as the band members themselves, one of whom sports a Kreator t-shirt in a recent press photo. It felt like they were trying a little too hard. There's even a quote about how Conte only uses a standard tuning "mainly for the sake of pissing off the nu-metal world." Let the music speak for itself, guys; especially when it works this well: For everyone who misses traditional, heavy rock, Early Man has come to assure you that you aren't alone.
Closing In is a classic guitar-driven heavy metal record. It's a throwback to early 80s thrash, the era before speed often became a substitute for creative ideas. Every song is built around galloping riffs and booming power chords. The album's opener, "Four Walls" sets the tone with explosive chords giving way to a crunchy, palm-muted rhythm. The chorus, which layers reverb-sodden, call-and-response vocals with a catchy guitar lead, is one of the strongest on the record. "Death is the Answer", which also appeared in a slightly different form on the band's self-titled EP issued last summer, begins as a bludgeoning, Sabbath-esque metal-march, with echoing vocals and lyrics revolving around the crowned prince of heavy metal, good ol' Satan himself, before picking up the tempo midway through.
The album's primary weakness is its uniformity. There's only so much that can be done with mid-tempo, riff-driven metal, but the album is well-paced, with strong tracks sprinkled from start to finish. "Like a Goddamn Rat" appears at the midpoint, and its hi-hat heavy, almost-dance beat just begs for some serious head nodding. On "Evil Is", Conte trades in his smooth croon for a gruff Kill 'Em All-era Hetfield-esque bark to great effect.
Younger listeners who are looking for artists comparable to the newer, speed-and-fury style acts that cover the metal landscape may be turned off by Early Man's old-school vibe, as will anyone looking for silly theatrics and camp. But as someone who still appreciates the keep-it-simple-stupid attitude of classic 70s heavy metal, Closing In is a resounding success.
