Seconds Before Landing release EP

Seconds Before Landing release EP

URL: http://www.secondsbeforelanding.com/

With a harsh growl, Seconds Before Landing warms the burner in the first opening moments of “Maybe I’m a Weirdo,” the introductory track into the anthological series Trio. With a sleek set of percussive clicks, we descend into the depths of grime and neo-noir style contrast. Singer John Crispino starts to describe the life of an outsider, someone living on the fringe, someone set aside from the rest of society; partly out of choice, partly out of force. The self-aware attitude of our lead character takes a peek at self-deprecation in moments, but their irreverence is more powerful than any notion of depression could compete with.

With an almost R&B style sway, the “weirdo” confidently makes his way through this black and white word of garbage juxtaposed with elegant decadence with total despondence and disregard for what anyone else thinks of them. A flurry of colors circle around us as the song reaches a psychedelic fever pitch, evoking an angst-ridden rebelliousness that saves the track from becoming too repetitively analytical. In a sudden fade away, we’re instantly bombarded by the war drum of “1-9-2” which draws us towards a dark burning light that seems to be driving this character we’re starting to get to know.

Innermost contemplations become flares from the glowing flame. It struggles to burn on; its kindling is being attacked at the source, and it’s soon clarified that this is but the first of its struggles that lay ahead. The music churns as Crispino insists that we have to discipline ourselves much like a young child learning the ways of the world. We’re trapped in the cataclysmic shattering of glass walls that make up the world around us. There isn’t any escape in sight, and the darkness is overpowering the light at this point. For whatever reason, the cutting guitar solo provides another moment of relief, as if to come up for air from beneath the surface of a powerful whirlpool.

Sucking us asunder, “1-9-2” starts to drift us into the current of its tempo, only for Seconds Before Landing to again pull the sonic rug out from under us with “You Won’t Deny Me,” a lyrical and musical sequel that sees us finally emerge from the black into the vast underworld that was operating beneath us this entire time. The anticipation starts to get unbearable when Crispino croons his despair and anger, his vengeance that is becoming impossible to contain. We’re watching him come undone, and the music is unraveling beside him.

Another tizzy of strings fire past us with fierce adrenaline, and a soundbite from a news team at the site of a brutal slaying penetrates the hypnotic music as if to confirm our gravest fears. Our hero is an antihero, and this anthemic march into the abyss has been his declaration of war unto a world that has rejected and suppressed his voice. The band starts to again fade away, this time as the curtains close, and we’re left to contemplate what we’ve just witnessed in Volume 1 of the Trio series. I was moved, I was impressed, but more than anything, I need to see how this story ends. Seconds Before Landing had better get started on Volume 2immediately, because I highly doubt I’m the only new fan eagerly awaiting the conclusion of this fantastically poignant tale.

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Michael Rand