The Grandfather is a North Carolina chaotic hardcore/metalcore/rock n roll band that just released their first album 1222  on March 23rd.

The band consists of: Dillon Schiel – Vocalist/Lyricist, Jonluc Lowdermilk – Guitarist, Josh Smith – Guitarist, and Cory Lanza – Bassist.

On their Facebook page the band explains of the album, “We’ve worked hard and sacrificed a lot to get to this point and we think that is portrayed through the 6 songs on this release. So go give it a listen and if you want to you can buy it for $5 but there’s no pressure. We love you guys and we appreciate all the support we’ve received thus far. We look forward to what’s ahead and we can’t wait to unveil what we’re going to do next!”

The 1222 EP shows evidence of the influence of bands like Every Time I Die, The Chariot, and Norma Jean. But that totally isn’t a bad thing. The Grandfather delivers thought-provoking lyrics wrapped in crushing guitar, groovy bass, and punishing work on the drum kit.

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“June” eases the listener into the album with a piano, and strings-driven instrumental track.

“July” is a powerful track (with a wicked vocal performance) that calls us to die to ourselves, realizing our broken humanness, the brevity of life, and that “God is the only one who can fix our weary minds.”

“October” bursts out of the gates with The Chariot-like intensity. This choppy,  enjoyably chaotic track is about truly living,  how we question and “plug the emptiness with corruption,” but urging us not to be content with this life, as one day we’ll see the Truth.

“December” begins slowly, building into a driving metalcore tinged fury; a song about human connection, love, and the need for a love that is of God.

“January”s kick-down-the-door intensity makes it possibly my favorite of the six tracks. I love the variations in vocal style, and the back and forth on lines like, “Is the weight of the world worth the blood in your veins?/ Is the fight to belong worth the heart in your chest?”

There’s a rad metally riff that carries through “February,” a 2:30 min blast of energy. It’s a battle cry; a rallying call: “I have a choice to embrace my pain and change or live in a world buried by death and shame/ I don’t want to be buried/ Do you want to be?/ Will you stand with me?”

1222 is not a genre-defining, groundbreaking work, but The Grandfather sure doesn’t follow any formulas, either. A solid listen from start to finish. This is a band who knows what they want to do, and they skillfully bring the heavy.

The Grandfather’s 1222 is an intense ride: chock-full of throat-ripping vocals and a chaos that keeps you on your toes the whole way through. Heavy music fans will eat this one up.

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Tracklisting

1. June   3:30

2. July   4:57

3. October   2:50

4. December  5:08

5. January  2:39

6. February  2:30

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