Early Man

Early Man
Closing In
(Matador)
The heavy-metal primitivism of Columbus, OH’s Early Man may seem like an odd choice for a Matador release. But it just goes to prove that America’s premiere indie-rock label is not too shy to put its stamp on something even if it doesn’t fit neatly within its expected paradigm. Replete with screaming power chords and equally sonorous vocal wails, Closing In executes everything from speed metal (“Evil Is”) and Ozzy-inspired black metal (“Death is the Answer”) with equal vigour. It even shoots a spitball right in the eye of anticipation for the Darkness album, with squealing vocals that try to out-do the squealing guitars to no avail. Sometimes it is easy to forget that Soundgarden and Metallica were doing this stuff well over a decade ago.
—Dave Hayden