Inclination - Unaltered Perspective
I have mixed feelings when it comes to “side projects.” Sometimes they can be great, and just as good as the “original” band(s) of the members, but sometimes they aren’t very good. One of my favorites, which can also be counted as a “supergroup,” is The Damned Things, the hard-rock group comprised of members of Fall Out Boy, Anthrax, and formerly Every Time I Die. They’ve only released two albums, but they’re both great. They show off a different side to the musicians involved, which is what a side project should do. I don’t care for side projects that just offer the same thing you can get in their original band, and that’s kind of what Kentucky hardcore crew Inclination does with their debut album, Unaltered Perspective. This is the side project of Knocked Loose guitarist Isaac Hale, and disclaimer, I’m a huge fan of Knocked Loose. I got on the train when their last album, 2019’s A Different Shade Of Blue came out, and it was my album of the year for 2019. I’ve only heard of this band within the last year, and I was excited to see they had a debut album coming out. They have a few EPs, too, and they’re good, but nothing special. This band is by the books metallic hardcore, but I was excited for the new record, mainly for Hale’s talent and pedigree.
I’ve spun this album a handful of times in the last couple of weeks, but I can’t say that I care for it at all. Well, I take that back, because I do like it, but this is also a bit of a disappointment, and it comes down to this album just being so bland and lifeless. These guys lean into metallic hardcore, like I said, and this album doesn’t do anything different. It has all the cliches you’d expect from an album in this vein, including spoken word passages that aren’t as deep as they think they are, acoustic intros and outros, as well as lyrics that are more political in tone. The formula isn’t too bad, but due to their sound being lackluster, the lyrics not being too worthwhile (although a few songs are very hard hitting), their vocalist not being that interesting, and the album feeling way longer than it actually is (it’s bad when an album that’s half an hour feels like it’s 40 minutes), I just don’t get into that much. I feel like I should, because I like this kind of music, but it’s not hitting. If you like Knocked Loose, you might like this, but this is a generic hardcore album that doesn’t quite stick the landing. They have potential, but this album is a bit of a stumble, here’s hoping they can correct course on the next one.
