The Human Abstract

The CD cover of this band’s second full-length features a man screaming in agony as he holds his hands to his face. This is a rather appropriate image, as parts of this album produce similar reactions. Although there are plenty of ear-catching elements of fascinating, scale-smashing guitar lines, the album falls flat when it comes to vocalist Nathan Ellis’s cleaner, quieter sections, which come off sounding like a bad Incubus impression. And if you don’t already like Incubus, then that should be enough to stop you in your tracks. The inclusions of the aforementioned tricky and tech-y guitar sections are perhaps the only saving graces on Midheaven, especially in the heavier parts of the songs, which mostly range from the unpleasant and atmospheric to the better and fuller-sounding heavy bits. Perhaps in the future, the Human Abstract will lose the lesser elements on display here, but until then, there are better options out there.