von From the first haunting chords, to the eerie masked stare at the camera, PRESIDENT announces itself with the same aplomb as the roaring into the mic to the pounding of drums and guitar that follow its relatively subdued intro.
On May 16th, new band, PRESIDENT released their first single, In the Name of the Father. The band follows recent trends of masked metal bands fronted by enigmatic lead singers such as Ghost and Sleep Token. Despite following that trend, PRESIDENT does appear to have a distinct sound and style for themselves based on the one song released which may separate them from the others.
First and most importantly, musically. And in this regard, despite some pop stylings, PRESIDENT is a modern metal band, blending various genres while still making sure to maintain a loud edge to maintain their metal roots. In particular blending more pop sensibilities such as voice modification and very smooth and catchy verses following standard rhyme schemes that leads into the pre-chorus, letting the vocals lead while the drums and guitar take a back seat. But this does not last as the singer roars “yet” reminding you just what kind of song this is and what you are about to get into. These elements stand in contrast to the raw metal elements as if the two sides are in conflict creating a sound that works due to the conflict not in spite of. So whether it is the pounding drums or roaring guitar in the beginning, the savage breakdown right before the outtro, or the way the lead singer screams “scare ‘em scare ‘em, make them worship” at the end of the chorus you are never too far away from the trappings of the genre.
An interesting element they add is narration. While not unique, one may think of the introduction of “To the Flowers” by While She Sleep, it does a good job of breaking up the song, add to the dynamic nature of the sound, without being too long that it distracts or detracts.
Visually, the music video could easily double as a setting for a horror movie. Darkness obscures the backgrounds, letting what little illumination spotlight what they want you to focus on. This seems to mostly be a large neon cross that is reminiscent of ††† (Crosses) and the masked lead singer. While other bands and singers have gone for more over-the-top looks, this one is a more subtle guise. The mask, a loose fitting human face that if you squint just enough resembles a ghastly dollar-store version of old Matt Smith, is simple yet lends itself well to the eerie nature and horror elements of the lyrics by giving space for expressions while firmly residing in the realm of uncanny valley.
Lastly, the lyrics. The words are superimposed over the video in big, blocky red letters allowing easy following as the song plays. This is great because lyrically the song is simple but can hint to a lot more. The lyrics, like with the visuals, lend themselves to a more horror genre. With mentions of “spitting blood” and “King of Terrors” in the third and seventh lines respectively it centers itself early within horror terms and visuals. Furthermore, the various mentions of religious terms such as worship, heaven, and even the title of the song, work with the visuals to create something that fits into the well established genre of religious horror.
These lyrics hint at leaning towards more what Sleep Token has accomplished with their lyrics in creating a larger mythos and overarching storyline which is more as well who try to build these characters and narratives around them. However, it is too early to tell what sort of mythos, if any, will be implemented further in the band and their storytelling. Whether these characters of the King of Terror, the Father and even if the lead singer inserts themselves into it as Sleep Token has as Vessel, get further developed as more songs get released will be fascinating to see.
While maybe not as unique of a trend as when bands like Mushroomhead and Slipknot first broke out into the minds and ears of metalheads, PRESIDENT has come out swinging with a strong debut single that reflects their look. By seemingly borrowing elements from various contemporaries they have created a sound and look that while may not be unique, is their own. If they can continue to build these elements, they may just be the next masked metal band to break it big.
Image: https://pixabay.com/photos/drum-kit-light-spotlight-rock-1784134/
