Exclusive Review: Freak.The.Mighty – Vigilante (Single)
Artist: Freak.The.Mighty
Album: Vigilante – Single
Rating: 3/5
When you go to listen to new music, especially new bands, you always want something that is going to give you a reason to continue listening to them. You want something that puts you into a trance, not being able to turn away for a second, something that you can connect with lyrically… and something that will stand the test of time. After all, music is about the impact that it leaves on a listener. You may also want something genre-bending… something that keeps you guessing with each musical twist and turn. For that, you turn to Norman, OK’s Freak.The.Mighty who mix elements of industrial rock, hard rock, groove-filled bass lines and psychedelic solos. The band will release their debut EP, Remember the Monsters in the near future but for now… we’ll take a look at their debut single “Vigilante”.
The track gets you clapping/stomping along with the opening drum beat, which builds up and explodes into the full-band orchestration and is led off by a riff, provided by guitarist/keyboardist Ricky Mendoza that will get stuck in your head. Vocalist Josh Hight comes in and, immediately, you notice his voice isn’t completely destroyed by vocal effects… alright, we’re off to a good start! While his voice does break in spots, making you wonder if it’s worth continuing on…. it’s this raw, unprocessed vocal ability that MAKES it worth listening. Too often these days do we see music like this absolutely SLAUGHTERED by effects, the fact that he prefers his voice unprocessed makes him that much more of an incredible vocalist. Mendoza seems to add a bit of a southern rock feel with his guitar parts, which is cool, because it goes along perfectly with the catchy nature of the track. It’s one of those tracks you feel inclined to crank up to 11, grab a beer and rock out old-school to! I don’t know how big of an impact it will have on today’s world but it’s definitely something that leaves me wanting more. It should be fairly obvious what this track is lyrically about from the title but… in case you didn’t get it, it’s about the “do-gooders” in the world. It’s about the dual-life that comes with being a super hero… being a vigilante, never paid for your work but always gaining satisfaction out of kicking the bad guys’ asses! Mendoza adds: “I wrote the chorus about “Dexter” and the verses about seeing the evil that’s done and making sure the person who’s done that pays for what they did.”
Does Freak.The.Mighty stand a chance in today’s world with “Vigilante”, where difference is feared and people seem to want bands to continue churning out the same old, boring, generic material? While it has a lot of room for improvement, it’s definitely got the potential to get these guys off the ground. Be sure to check out “Vigilante” and pick up Remember the Monsters when it comes out!
