New Project
Sydney, Australia's latest rockers unleash a debut single which is destined to confuse your ears. On the one hand, New Project follows the stereotypical metal rule book. Present as always are drum beats which sound so powerful you can imagine every beat breaking a drum stick. Accompanying these are roaring guitars which guide the songs at a break neck speed and of course there are the obligatory, almost blood curdling vocals. All in all this sets New Project in good stead for a normal metal single and all seems to be on course but yet they manage to do the unexpected and completely confuse you by adding electronics and an obscure synth bass line which shakes your inner soul. 'Decay' may embrace all the traditional qualities of a good metal track but it also succeeds in adding new concepts. Although the vocals are projected as a scream, they fail to burst your eardrums as once again New Project have added their own little twist. Yes we can hear a screaming, anger fuelled vocalist but the vocals are also in a whispered tone which brilliantly forces you to dissect each word and digest New Project's socio-political messages.
'Sentinel' is in some ways the stronger of the two songs. Initially it is slow to start, with a gentle instrumental intro and softly sung vocals complemented by choral harmonies which would not be out of place in a monastery. All this leads you into a false sense of security though. Just as you are accepting that maybe this group can pull off a ballad, the heavens open and normal service is resumed. The music builds until it accumulates in full thrashing style, exposing the rawness of the group. Throughout all of this, New Project continually force you to question the world we are in, to question existence itself. With so much introspective pondering, New Project just might be the intellectual rockers band.