When Two Towers Fall - Social Media Heretic

When Two Towers Fall

Social Media Heretic
self-released; 2014

3.3 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

The band When Two Towers Fall is giving us an idea of what their debut album will sound like by letting us nibble on a two-song EP entitled Social Media Heretic. The band comprised of Derrek Sammons (vocals), Tim Johnson (guitar), Jay Stoa (bass) and A.J. Brantley (drums) are a metal band and with these two songs sound somewhere between A Perfect Circle and Mindless Self Indulgence. I can’t say there was much on these two songs that separates their music from the countless of metal bands barking up the same tree. They implement tropes such as palm muting and demon-like growls that are effective yet predictable. 

The first song “Patterns Of Buttons” begins with guitar, some cymbal work and vocals. I immediately noticed a similarity in Sammons'  vocals with that of Maynard James Keenan, which becomes even more obvious in the second song. It doesn’t take long for the band to step on their distortion pedals and rock out. The band can deliver the goods as they impress with a technically difficult guitar solo and screeching vocals. 

Sammons screams lines like “Feel it in your hands" and “You sacrifice yourself” where you can practically picture the veins in his neck about to burst. The song is a little over three-minutes and when it’s over if nothing else you feel that you have been adequately rocked. 

“Admittance” is the second track, which is a bit more dynamic than the first track. This track reminded me of A Perfect Circle but even more so of Keenan’s first band Tool. The track wasn’t very meaty. It’s under three- minutes but feels even shorter. The band gets in and out left me feeling unsatiated. There wasn’t quite enough meat on that drumstick.

Social Media Heretic leaves a lot of open questions about how the band’s full length will turn out. There is no doubt that can deliver a good dose of metal but can they find a sound that will differentiate them from an over saturated surplus of bands out there. There is really only one way to know and that’s by taking a listen when it’s released in the not too distant future. 

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