Storm Boy meld genres from around the punk and metal sphere on their reflective and hard-hitting debut album Beast Machine Theory
With the release of their impressive debut album Beast Machine Theory, Storm Boy have crashed onto the scene with an impactful and sharp collection of tracks that feel like they would have fit seamlessly into pretty much any era of hard rock and metal since the emergence of thrash in the 80s, with its hard edged style and intensity making for a wide range of memorable moments.
The album immediately establishes its credentials with the riffy and colossal ‘Hands Under It’, a track that sets the tone in impressive fashion. The track seems to only grow increasingly frenetic and intense as it progresses, yet has a plethora intricate and thoughtful moments that break things up and keep it feeling engrossing.
The glistening guitars of ‘In the Shadows of Fort Reno’ keep the intensity up, the bass in particular providing it with a punchy and dynamic appeal that never relents throughout. There is a really post-hardcore and punky flair to these tracks that just makes for these bouts of intensity and restless energy, and it keeps things feeling volatile and exciting throughout.
The propulsive and punky feel of ‘Tiny Fists’ is met with a similarly electric vocal performance, with the repeated refrain of “choose a side, one hand open and the other’s a fist’ making for a memorable moment that hones in on themes like responsibility and the choices we make, a theme that is increasingly apt in the current modern political climate.
Following the fun ‘Always Bet on Black (and Pink)’, ‘From Your Mouth’ is a track that has the feeling of a rallying cry, utilising gang vocals to create a feeling of solidarity and unity that feels right at home on a hardcore punk album such as this, echoing the kind of community and spirit that is at the core of the bands ethos.
‘…And Then Four’ is possibly the track that stands out the most on the album, seeing them stretch the confines of an already genre-fluid sound with an engrossing introduction that has a more sombre and grungy feel to it throughout, before ripping into their usual more hard-edged fare. The punky spirit and flair of their sound shines through this track in bile-filled, intense fashion, and it makes for a captivating listen.
The two tracks that close out the album come in the form of ‘Exploder’ and ‘the Minute We’re Born’, with the former being an uncompromising and restless track, characterised by its dual vocals and crashing instrumentation throughout, whereas the latter is a track that explores themes like life and mortality in a way that feels impactful and sobering. It makes for a really hard-hitting end to an album that is packed full of creativity and sheer, relentless force, with genres around the punk, metal and hardcore spectrum all coming together to create a really solid and powerful sound that explores themes that often feel more thoughtful and heartfelt than the brash nature of their style would suggest.
