Tallah's sophomore album The Generation Of Danger honestly caught me by surprise near the end of last year. My only experience with them was Vanilla Paste, which I love a lot, but otherwise didn't know much at all about the band. I knew they were up and coming, and highly praised by their fans, which usually is a good sign, but I definitely wasn't ready for what this record had to offer.
Tallah's self-coined "nu-core" sound is unbelievably innovative and unique, evident throughout this entire mind-blowing record. The sheer density of skill and talent in writing and performing is unmatched, and they honestly do stand out so much in the vast seas of the modern metal scene. It's been a very long while since I've been this pleasantly surprised by a record from a band I don't know much of.
The sound diversity that Tallah achieves is amazing, especially with a near-live soundscape design. With a turntable/keyboardist alongside the generic band setup, their members collaboratively manage to produce a variety of intense emotions, projected into a wild storyline thought up by their vocalist, Justin Bonitz.
Justin Bonitz and Max Portnoy contribute a lot to the core of Tallah's sound. Both of them are very talented and experienced musicians, especially in the genre of chaos. The rest of the members also play a big part in forming the essence of Tallah, whether it's the scratching work or the riffage, but it is undeniable that the bulk of Tallah's specialty is perpetuated by Justin's incredible vocal work and Max's drumming and creative vision with every element.
I admire Justin's completely unhinged and theatrical performance and style in all his work, but this record especially. He's pushing the limits both personally and in the entire harsh vocals scene, whether it's lows, highs, or indescribable monster sounds. It just wows me how vast his vocal range is, hitting the lowest of lows and the highest of highs with complex techniques, whilst fusing classical clean singing and rapping into the mix, to produce such an adaptable and versatile voice so full of character and personality. It is immediate and evident that in his vocal performance, he is completely in the headspace of the characters in the storyline and portrays it very well, whether it's insanity, rage or hope.
Their instrumental work is beastly, both in technical execution and songwriting. I honestly can't imagine being able to write or play something with these many layers of complexity, something so intentionally chaotic yet organised, something that aims to be relentlessly intense but never pretentiously brutal. The drumming is truly stellar and is unmistakably the backbone of the entire record's energy, and the texturing by the guitarists and the keyboardist is so on point. There was never a moment in this record that felt out of place, everything fit in and made sense, they had a consolidated and concise sound and everyone was on the same page.
This record has so much intricacy to it that I simultaneously cannot do justice in deconstructing it but also could never stop talking about it. Putting this record on again and again the past few months, I never stopped finding new things to admire and adore about this record, and fell in love with just about every song, one after another. It's honestly quite a feat, I've never felt this conflicted about picking a favourite song from a record before. I thought my favourite song was Telescope, but then it became Wendrid, then it became Dicker's Done, then it became Shaken (not stirred), then it became Headfirst, then it became Thistle, and for some unsubstantial amount of intermittent time I really liked Stomping Grounds and Of Nothing too. It's actually unprecedented for me to have so many songs on one record be on such a high bar that I can't pick a favourite.
This record has captured my heart in a way that no other record has. It really was more than just heavy, it was an eye-opening flavour of expressiveness, raw unbridled skill and unbelievable quality. I've always loved controlled chaos, but this is a new level of chaotic and I am only more in love than ever with music, modern metal and Tallah.
Rating: 10/10