Feelingless – Metal Against Animal Cruelty
Release Date: 2nd December 2022
Label: Noble Demon
Bandcamp
Genre: Hardcore, Metalcore, Death Metal, Melodic Death Metal.
FFO: August Burns Red, Rise To Fall, Soilwork.
Review By: Andy Spoon
A big part of the history of metal comes down to protesting the established system, whether it be government or social. If there is some perceived injustice in the world, metal is one of the favored art forms to raise hell about it. Loudness, anger, chaotic energy all give rise to the dynamics of emotional or visceral intensity. I think that being able to get that energy focused in one direction is one of the best “Tools” that metal has as a musical art form. Listening to jazz standards about the genocide in Yemen isn’t going to resonate with art consumers. However, shoving some loudness in the face of the listener awakens a unique chorus of emotions that could emphasize exactly the outrage that the artist intends to convey.
Just look at how energetically bands like Gojira and Cattle Decapitation have raised awareness on issues across generations of metal listeners for the last 20+ years. Unless you’ve lived under a rock, the Metal Community has a growing group of anti-war, anti-fascist, pro-environmental, anti-religious-extremist bands that seem to be more “in your face” about modern issues than many other rock genres.
On December 2nd, Feelingless releases Metal Against Animal Cruelty, a full length album with over a dozen cross-genre guest appearances to raise awareness of issues involving the lives and treatment of animals across the world. Brainchild of Hugo Markaida, Feelingless was designed to force discussions which involve the world in which animals live, mainly during the pandemic, which had highlighted some of the inequalities between nations and their resident animals. While that might be a little tenuous to connect, I think that it makes sense. Markaida, an animal lover, felt serious unfairness on behalf of all those who suffer, including animals. One of the main themes of the album is the viewpoint of exploited and mistreated animals. For example, a bull being killed for sport in Peace.
Sonically, the sound is a diverse blend of power metal, metalcore, and death metal. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what “sound” to expect when spinning the album. It’s fairly fast-paced with high points of drama and melodic refrains on most of the tracks, something that helps casual listeners soak up the themes. Having so many guest instrumentalists and vocalists makes the album give a “rounder” sound than one might expect. There is clearly a lead-guitar-heavy emphasis across the entirety of Metal Against Animal Cruelty, which is headbang-worthy for damn sure. If you like to jam out with some serious lead guitars, this could be an album to check out.
A favorite track of mine was Nostaliga, a super-heavy track featuring excellent guitar and key solos. I wanted to listen to it over and over again. It’s just a great track. I think being able to incorporate guest instrumentalists and vocalists is something enviable. A bazillion recent hip-hop albums can’t be performed live because every single track is a duet with a guest. This entire album is meant to be a joint effort of musicians across genres of metal for a singular purpose, advocate for animal rights. I can’t help but appreciate the fact that it’s going to have a wide swath of sounds. Some are 100% up my alley, some are really not.
For instance, I didn’t care for Pride, with the older style of vocals. It’s not my particular style. I feel like it’s got a very “Iced Earth” feel, with a little modern metalcore in the vocal section. While it’s not my particular type of track, if you’re a fan of Voivod or Exodus, you’d probably really enjoy it. The guitar work is solid, as it is on many of these tracks. I find that the melodic power metal is really something that generally deviates from the metalcore of the rest of the album, giving it much more the “mixtape” feel than a single, contiguous art piece, which is fine. There’s no requirement that this album follow any particular motif across every minute. Take that how you will, though.
What’s interesting is how many artists wanted to be part of the project, representing bands like Soilwork, Mors Principium Est, Rise To Fall, and Solution .45 (among many more). Sometimes, it’s nice to know that so-many rockers care about some of these issues enough to do their small part. Sometimes, we aren’t sure how our talents and abilities could be used for a non-associated cause. It’s refreshing to see it work in real time, as these metal musicians and artists pull together to create something that they believe has some effect in the world, with all proceeds going to good causes in pro-animal circles. Mixing power metal, metalcore, and a dozen guest contributions, Music Against Animal Cruelty is a seriously-engaging, guitar-heavy romp with a great message and all proceeds go to benefit the cause. 
(3.5 / 5)
