Dead Heretic

Assisted Living have subtly oozed into my awareness with their album Is Coming. The band have stripped their sound to the core of what it means to be alternative. The straight edge razor has been used to slash it enough to make it gush blood and make mainstreamers nervous about the alternative label again. Raw is the new polished.

The sound is sombre and deep with an almost bluesy nuance from the guitars and vocals. But it does not last long before they yank the sound into a completely new direction, cannonballing into the rock pool and then crashing diving into the hard rock pool and getting water in the hard rocker's hair. The varied sound on Is Coming almost defies description. As soon I think of a phrase, the album goes and changes on me. The sound is edgy and loud. This album has been designed to play loud and get on your neighbours' nerves. And then, it drops back into something deeper, more profound.

Is Coming gets about as raw as you can get without having Drew the guitarist knocking your front teeth out using his guitar as a baseball bat. They have truly embraced what it means to be alternative, not only in the way they have put the album together, but also with the attitude and heart that have gone into it. Those combined have made Is Coming something different and unique out there.

Topically, the album is as wide ranging as the sound. Covering tracks like “Brando”, “Ghost of '57”, “Stoned Ape Theory” and more. Ten tracks take yoou on a wild ride in forty-eight minutes. My favourite track is “Empty the Sun”, with a harder sound, jamming with wailing and screeching guitars. You gotta love the fingernails-down-the-blackboard feeling. It is a track with real punch and emotive pull.

For real artists making a comment not only on life, but on the music industry itself, by just doing what they are doing, Assisted Living have produced a solid album in Is Coming. I have really enjoyed this one and it grows on me more and more with each listen.