CD Review – The Only Constant by Moneta
Vendetta Red and Taking Back Sunday had a baby. It was raised by the Foo Fighters and Blink 182… And they named it Moneta. What is the only constant in life? It’s Change. And with a few subtle
tweaks to their sound and a couple personnel changes Moneta has done just that in a great way with their new album The Only Constant, set for release on March 18. They brought in a new vocalist Jordan Thompson, (formerly from the band Striking Back) and Benjamin Brockman on bass and also added Chris Holbrook on guitar. Together they add a great depth of sound.
The album kicks off with a song called “The Jackal and the Lion”. It feels like someone cutting off an anchor that was dragging them down. It’s a hard rocking song and might be the only angry feeling song on the album. But it starts the album off with great intensity.
The rest of the album leans towards being more positive. As it progresses it is more about righting wrongs and healing wounds that had been inflicted when you were younger. As on track number five.
All my Fault was the first single released from the album and it sounds like they have rerecorded and remixed the song for the album. It sounds even better than the audio for the music video. Your Own Way was a great way for the band to build and intro for All My Fault. That song is an ode that everyone has, to that one person that got away. It is powerful in its simplicity. The music and vocals flow together to create a picture of a person forgiving themselves and the person that they loved for mistakes both made.
Next on the album there are three more rock songs that will rattle your teeth with bittersweet but ultimately positive lyrics. However track 10, “Save Me From Myself” is a revisiting of a song from the previous album, “This Is All Happening Now”. It was rerecorded and remixed into a new amazing song with the new vocalist Jordan.
The song “Save Me From Myself” is a story that a lot of listeners can relate to and possibly have felt like in their life at least once. A story of redemption and needing loving people in your life to save you from yourself at times. And that story accompanied by the heavy guitar riffs and pounding drums makes for an emotional experience that everyone will feel individually. But ultimately like the rest of this record it has a positive message.
The next song that I would like to mention starts on track 12. “The Greatest Trick Ever Pulled” is a well thought out intro into track 13, “The Devil Inside”. It opens with a devastating display of brutal guitar lines, by far the most brutal on this record. It is also one of the most emotionally charged songs on the album. Who can say that they have no inner demons? Well this song is about what happens when you embrace all your inner demons and your inner angels. This song tells the listener to be who they are and be proud of it, and make no apologies about it.
The record ends on track 14 with the song “We All Live To Die”. It may not be the strongest musically, but emotionally and lyrically it stands out. This song is the perfect metaphor for metamorphosis. It gives you the uncomfortable and entrancing front seat to a soul that has gone through a life changing event, and come out a better person. A fitting end to an album that is a paradigm shift, a metamorphosis for this band.
Check Moneta’s Facebook page for purchase info: