Review: 9Electric- Megalith
Almost 3 years removed from The Damaged Ones, 9Electric has unleashed sophomore effort- Megalith and it’s the first record without Micah Electric and Casey Mahoney, who departed in 2017.
While a strong debut is important, an even better sophomore record is almost more vital as it can make or break a band- showing whether or not they can continue the momentum. If they don’t it can be hard to rebound and recapture what they had. However, Megalith builds on everything The Damaged Ones accomplished and sees them going down a few new roads but keeping their foundation strong.
With a prominent industrial and Marilyn Manson-style, these songs are just catchy with not much filler. Every song is strong and no two songs sound alike and, while it’s hard to put a finger on exactly what it is, something about these songs is just plain great.
With a lot of style changes, 9Electric keeps things fresh and there’s plenty of material to sink your teeth into.
“No Evil” is calm, taunting with a poppy guitar riff to open. Something about this track is just charming; It’s a good way to open the album and lyrically fun to listen to
“God and Man” is musically an epic. High guitar bars with some impressive lyrics keep this Manson style song alive while their cover of Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want to Be” takes a dark, haunting direction.
“Stand in the Fire” is an electronic rock epic that starts slow and builds up with a techno rock element on the verses while “The Light” features Carla Harvey and some of the most personal lyrics the band has ever written. The Dueling vocals between singer Ron Underwood and Harvey make this one of the many standout tracks. It’s a soft adrenaline rush and a cry of pure emotion.
“Disposable Love” slows things down in the form of an acoustic ballad that wears Underwood’s heart on his sleeve. It’s a personal track and the strongest on the album while “Breathe” picks the speed back up and “Nothing 2 Lose” almost has a rap rock vibe. It’s definitely a step in a different direction. This and “Disposable Love” are the two strong points of the album. Think Linkin Park-meets-New Radicals.
Finally, “Dragging Me Down” and “Outta Control” close Megalith out in strong form, making fans want to listen to the record again and again.
In the end, it may have taken three years for this record to make its way to the public but it was well worth the wait. There are so many layers to Megalith that there’s not a dull moment and fans have plenty to sink their teeth into.
Rating: 7/10
-Reggie Edwards