Originally conceived in 2002 out of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Hierosonic's steady career has spanned more than 9 years and several hundred performances, solidifying the band as a staple within the realm of underground rock music.
Made up of frontman Ben Stewart, guitarist Jarred Cannon, bassist Mike Stang, keyboardist Brandon Kroster and drummer Randy Elmy, Hierosonic last year released their LP Consciousness. Fame. God. Money. Power. in the US via Soundmine MusicWorks, a record that has received a substantial amount of praise.
The record comes as the band's 3rd full length release, following on from Pornos and Razorblades (2005), Kymatica (2009) - with the addition of the Circuits and Wires EP which appeared between the two in 2007. CFGMP is set to become available in the UK from 21st May, preceded by the first single from the album; The Media Taught You That.
CFGMP comes as a definite 'step up' from the earlier records (available in the UK via iTunes), as production has obviously been gifted with a more extensive budget, allowing the tracks to expand into the realm of 'Radio Friendly Unit Shifters'; bigger, deeper sounds with the kind of punchy hooks that cannot fail to grab attention. Musically, parallels could be draw with say Faith No More at their popular height, or the more obviously anthemic style of Fall Out Boy.
Most notable is the directly political, impassioned lyrics of Ben Stewart - delivered with force. Unusual as it may seem to frame such raw anti-establishment sentiment within the context of a high energy musical style seemingly aimed at commercial success, the whole manages to gel. Perhaps it's all part of some 'master plan'? Evidently it works however and through the simple medium of going out on the road as much as is possible, Hierosonic have built up a sizeable loyal following. This is easily shown by the fact that when their overworked tour-van decided to die, it was quickly replaced (to the tune of $15,000) via a fan-driven pledge project through kickstarter.com.
In their own words:
"Hierosonic prides itself on raw, energetic performances both on stage and in the studio. Keeping it fresh, the band consistently redefines its rock music heritage with the musical language of industrial and hip hop."
"Combined with a healthy dose of meaningful, thought-provoking lyrics and pop hooks, Hierosonic is carving out a powerful new sound with a unique familiarity that's bound to turn heads across the entire world."
hierosonic links
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Myspace | Reverbnation | iTunes (UK)