ALEDA - ON THE LIPS OF DISASTER

And continuing with this month’s apparent “expect the unexpected” theme, allow me to introduce you to Aleda. They’re... well... I suppose you could call them a metal or hard rock band. They’re definitely heavy. Which is funny, considering I found out about them through a Grammy winning hip-hop ensemble's website. (Do you know where your Okayplayers are?) Even funnier considering they’re highly-recommended by former said Grammy winning hip-hop ensemble's guitar player, Ben Kenney, who now plays in Incubus, who are about as heavy as a Kleenex.
Aleda's On The Lips Of Disaster has all the makings of something that both entertains and stumps me. The non-traditional time signatures remind me of the first time I heard Soundgarden, and their “fuck 4/4” mantra just plain rocked my world. The thick, milky density of their sound reminds me of Helmet and Tool; more specifically, what the bastard offspring of Helmet and Tool would sound like. And vocalist Colin Beauchemin reminds me of a lot of people I can’t really pinpoint, save for a few moments where he sounds like a more manly Bono.
I dug this five-song EP, because I haven’t heard anything really heavy and melodic in awhile that didn’t make me want to wring the sappy fucker’s neck who wrote it. It’s musically interesting, atmospheric, and strange. And it’s independent as fuck, so support it.