Survival is an album of dark and meditative heavy rock. Hunter Hunt-Hendrix, Greg Smith, and Jeff Bobula have been playing together for over a decade and recorded this album as Survival with Colin Marston (Krallice, Dysrhythmia) at The Thousand Caves. Syncopated riffs, intricate rhythms and atypical time signatures create dramatic and complex melodic lines that provide a bed for chant-like lyrics. The group opperates as a collective, writing lyrics, riffs and singing with one voice. The album is a unique document that harkens back to post-hardcore, Black Sabbath, Magma, Aphrodite’s Child, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Aaron Copeland, The Smashing Pumpkins, and the first wave of math rock.
The galloping “Tragedy of the Mind” opens the album, triumphantly proclaiming, “Ending begins.” On “Since Sun” and “Tragedy (Reprise)” the group also employs acoustic guitars to create a hushed atmosphere of contemplation and reflection. The final song, “Triumph of the Good,” provides the Survival’s most cathartic moment; as the distorted, almost baroque guitars slowly ascend and get louder the group collectively sings “Forgive us” before all of the instruments line up to create a massive rhythmic assault.
Survival was born out of the ashes of band Birthday Boy. The songs on Survival emerged after years of retooling and rearranging, with the riffs, melodies, and song structures evolving gradually over time.
Tragedy of the Mind
