Customer Reviews

Midheaven

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Midheaven is an album to definitely get for all fans of technical music. If you are a fan of metalcore and breakdowns then this album is not for you.

Human Abstract's first full length "nocturne" was a huge and grand album that simply swung from huge guitar riff to another but bigger and grander and faster guitar riff to breakdown to breakdown. They simply showed all of the other bands that you could play lightning fast riffs and sweeps while playing songs of that genre.

This album is completely different.
It is not driven by guitars.
It is driven mostly by vocals and drums.

The mix on the drums stands out so much to me. In videos about production of this album the producer wanted the drums to be played in one take and not have a lot of cutting and pasting within the tracks. Human Abstract's drummer, who is amazing, met the challenge and was rewarded with a mix in the album higher than that of just about everything than the vocals.

Technically there are still sweeps and really fast riffs and amazing guitar work in some of the songs, but you really need to listen to this album on headphones to hear it all. This is not an album to blast when people come over, this is an album to listen to on your own.

The first two tracks are the closest to Nocturne. Track 3 starts off like a challenge to old school BTBAM and Dillinger Escape Plan to show that THA can also write extremely fast, off time songs that are extremely heavy and brutal... but this only last for a minute and does not transition well into the rest of the song. it simply stops and a whole new idea for a song begins never again shadowing anything heard in the first chaotic minute.

Overall, I really do like this album and do not want to show this review as a bad one.

"nocturne" simply destroyed the current metalcore scene and I think many people will be expecting an album bigger than that.

This album is a think piece... creative lyrics... well written and catchy choruses. Technical music is woven into the entire album and is not the main ear catching reason to get this.

I do like it. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

but I do wonder how some of the tracks that are "softer" will translate into a live show also? that remains to be seen.

Midheaven by The Human Abstract seems to be a fairly significant departure from what they did on Nocturne. In a nut-shell this album is still within the boundaries of the band's distinct style but with some major differences. For one thing, as some other reviews allude to, this album has a much larger ratio of radio-friendly songs than the previous one did. This has a lot to do with the fact that the music is largely driven by the vocals and drums this time around, but also because of songs like Procession of the Fates(a watered-down feel similar to work they did on Nocturne), This World is a Tomb and The Path(almost hoobastank-like pop-metal) and A Dead World at Sunrise(dark and moody but not that interesting).
I am not saying that these are bad songs at all but much of this album has a sort of pop feel to it that makes it catchy and appealing in the beginning but loses my interest in the long run. The real jems on this record are certain sections of songs like A Violent Strike and Breathing life into Devices which have the technical/progressive guitar work and counterpontal rythym lines that made me like the band in the first place. But even these songs don't maintain that intensity all the way through. Not necessarily a bad thing but their dynamically softer sections aren't always that interesting.
There are some things I specifically dislike about this album such as the distorted guitar tones (which sound thin, scratchy and dry at certain points) and the various instances such as in the song Metanoia when the vocalist is doing that political hardcore style talking over the music ala early Shai Hulud (I find that annoying to no end. Politics are fine but talking is for rap music). My dislike of the guitar tones also gives me mixed feelings about the fact that the guitars are mixed considerably lower than the other instruments. If the guitars sounded better I might be more bothered by this but its not that big a deal. All in all this album is fine to have on in the background while doing chores around the house but I don't feel inspired to actually rock out to it or play it at a party. Negative aspects aside, I still think this band has a lot of talent at song writing and I'm sure they'll get their balls back on the next try.

Let me start off by saying that this is Experimental Progressive Metal. The last 3 reviews nail it on the head so I won't say too much. The sound is different in a lot of ways. Gone are the heavy breakdown riffs. Screaming seems to be put to certain sections that are very predictable. This sounds like a weaker outing than their last album. Songs are stream lined to the likes of catchy choruses and very tame music. I know they lost AJ Minette but damn man. Was AJ the life of the band????????? New guitarist Andrew Tapley can play with the best of them it seems but maybe he does not have the CREATIVITY of AJ. I don't know but NEXT album I want much harder music like before. Lets give Andrew another chance to WOW us. All in all this album falls short. I was hoping for so much more. That aside I like it but it won't be stuck in my player like Nocturne was.

I've listened to this album quite a few times already and I've come to a conclusion. Although this album is good, Nocturne is the far superior album. Midheaven is a much different sounding album although it does stay true to THA's progressive hardcore style. They are still clearly talented and this album shows it.

But there are flaws with this album. While listening to it, I knew there was something wrong with it. I had a lot of problems with it, but the biggest problem I couldn't finger. One problem was the cheesy organ-esque keyboard. It really annoyed me at first, but after getting used to it, it wasn't so bad. But I could definitely do without it. Another thing was the nature of the track This World is a Tomb. That track completely took me out of it. It's soft, flowery and feels more like Sara Bareilles than The Human Abstract (yeah, I went there). It really has no business being on this album. Of course, I'm sure that some people might enjoy it, I was just blindsided by that coming from these guys. The last track, which I was expecting to be something as epic as Vela, Together We Await the Storm, is a simple soft track. It's not overly terrible, but I was looking for a more powerful. Two of these kinds of track on a 10-track metal album just doesn't do it for me. In fact, The Path makes it almost three. Good song, but some WEAK guitars at the end of that track.

No, none of those things were the real problem. The real problem that I've come to realize is the departure of lead guitarist A.J. Minette. It had a far greater effect that I thought it would, and I'm sure most people won't notice it at first, but eventually, I think most will realize what he meant to this band. The keyboard is almost overpowering because the lack of heavy guitar riffs. The keyboard actually overpowers the guitars and that's a big problem. This album sound far less aggressive because of it. There are no driving breakdowns in any of the songs and none of them are guitar driven at all. Most of these songs are driven by the vocals of Nathan Ells and while I love his vocals, they don't have the same effect.

After waiting out for their album, I can't say I'm disappointed, because this album really isn't bad. In fact, it's a good album. It's very unique, artistic as well as poetic. Although there are some tracks I could do without. But without the amazing guitarwork from Minette, this album isn't the masterpiece I was really expecting. In fact, it looks like Nocturne was the masterpiece to begin with. In any case, now I realize that A.J. was the true heart of THA, and it's now that I'm feeling the true effects of his departure. He's a hell of a guitarist, and will be missed.

Midheaven is a good album with a couple of standout tracks like Procession of the Fates and Metanoia (almost sounds Nocturne-esque) and some more subtle pleasures like A Violent Strike and Breathing Life into Devices but overall the guitarwork leaves a lot to be desired and some tracks are particularly weak. Good album. It's no masterpiece, but it's good and definitely worth the buy. Just don't go in expecting another Nocturne. Look for more keyboard and vocal driven songs, and a toned down sound in terms of being hardcore.

After hearing Nocturne and then putting this on, i almost pulled my hair out it sounded SOOOO TERRIBLE! It's not even the same band! When i hear The Human Abstract, i EXPECT to hear the Human Abstract. So WTF? this album REALLY REALLY SUCKS and it proves that even famous musicians can screw up sometimes. Seriously, this album SUCKS. I'm glad that for their next album they gave the old singer the boot, he was GREAT in Nocturne, but apparently let that get to his head and i blame him for how much this album SERIOUSLY SUCKED! 0 stars if i could.

MIDHEAVEN should not be judged in terms of technical prowess, it is very much an album that appeals to popular audiences and audiophiles that are on the fence. The sound quality is exceptional, the overall compositions are a tad bit shotty and the lyrical content is very deep. Key tracks are "Metanoia" and "Echoes of the Spirit" (IMO), another catchy tune on the disc would be track three which I am drawing a blank for its title. The album is worth $10 (how much I bought it for when it first came out in Hot Topic) but does not retain the epic quality of Nocturne.

I guess it's true what they say, you have a lifetime to write your first album and only a few months to write your second and for THA, it really showed. Plain and simple this album could have been a lot better but there's a few factors to consider. I give this little "disclaimer" because I like this band a lot but this album seriously under achieved. The most noticeable difference is the change in style, compared to Nocturne this album is not as heavy and much more vocally driven. In part, this is because of 1. Lead guitarist/song composer A.J. Minette leaving the band and 2. Nathan (the lead singer) wanted to write a concept album and it is obvious he had a lot more input in the production of this album and 3. The addition of a new guitarist and pianist whose names I cannot remember. These 3 things lead to the change in style IMO, but the problem isn't the style, it's the quality of the songs. Nathan's lyrics come off as somewhat pretentious and are nowhere near as clever as people seem to think, in fact they're pretty gimmick-y. Another problem is that he does NOT have that great a voice, his screaming is ok but his clean vocals are whiny and he strains himself entirely too much. This can be good sometimes and it comes off as "raw" and "genuine" but not for the whole damn album, I mean how many songs can you do some moaning noise over? With the departure of A.J. the neo-classical influence was seriously toned down for more of a hard rock/metal vibe, sure they play fast and have a bunch of sweeps on guitar but they don't compose music the way A.J. did, you wont be hearing a solo like that of the title song- Nocturne on this cd but you will hear the guy doing sweep picking solos until you're bored of it. Lastly, the f-ing production on this cd was atrocious. The guitars sound TERRIBLE, I mean the tone - there is entirely waaaay too much treble and nowhere near enough bass on the guitars, everything sounds chirpy and squeaky and it doesn't matter how good of guitarists dean and the other guy are, bad tone is bad tone and the levels of Nathan's vocals were waaaaay too high, I never understood why you would focus on the weakest part of the band. All this being said, there are some shining moments but it seems like they're within the songs, not the songs themselves. I can pick out parts of a song I like but I can't say that I don't fast forward through a couple of minutes of songs when I give this album a listen. I'm not saying THA needs to go back to their "Nocturne style" but if they're going to go down whatever path they are currently on, they better be good quality songs that are well produced. On a interesting side note, Nathan Ells was removed from the band and A.J. is back as a writer/producer, I guess even they realized they let THA become the "Nathan Ells show". All in all, this band has the potential to be one of the new kings of technical/prog metal but right now that's all it is- potential. Hopefully their 3rd album will be a lot better.

I was originally a big fan of Nocturne, and when this CD came out I listened to one song on YouTube and just forgot about it. Its true, this CD sounds nothing like Nocturne, but the thing is, its still a great album. I gave this CD a second chance two weeks ago and I really started to appreciate it. You cant really compare this CD to anything but if i had to id say its kind of like a progressive Linkin Park, but better. Trust me, if you like metal and you liked Nocturne, give this CD a chance it will grow on you.

I was expecting to see THA's second album continue nudging metalcore into a new direction, but it doesn't. It all but abandons it. It seems THA has gone progressive. And they're very good at it. There's still riffing and screaming, but also vocal harmonies, keys, and greatly varied song compositions. Prog-metal-core? Prog-core?

I was really missing AJ, the departed guitar player, when I first listened to this. But how I understand the new direction better. This is definitely NOT a guitar-driven album. But whoever is putting the music together definitely knows what they're doing.

The vocals are outstanding, as on Nocturne. Ells is one odd dude, but his vocal expressions benefit from it. And there are lots of vocal harmonies that add depth to this album.

I'm not sure who writes the lyrics, but they're outstanding too.
"Forging insight
by pagan torchlight,
in cadence warlike

Rain down and cleanse my soul
Flow like a river"

Yeah! Bring the crescendo!

Don't pass this album up because you were expecting another metalcore album. This is good stuff.

My only knock: it's just 43 minutes long.

I cant write to much, I agree with almost all of the negative reviews on this subject. AS OTHERS HAVE SAID, THIS IS NOTHING LIKE THEIR PREVIOUS CD. The vocals suck. The songs are mediocre radio played washed up "safe" songs.
I would recomend getting the new Norma Jean or Protest the Hero before ths cd.
-J