Drowningman
Learn To Let It Go
Law of Inertia
A collection of demos and rarities, Learn To Let It Go showcases Vermont’s biggest (um, only?) schitzo-metal export during their formative years. The majority of the tracks here were unreleased and recorded in or before 1998, while the band was clearly still finding their sound. Two exceptions are “Static Mouth” and the original version of “Weighted and Weighed Down,” which both appeared on the band’s first 7” for Hydrahead and are the best indications of what was to follow. Other notables include “Kiss The Canvas” and “Where The Heart Is,” which were put to tape in 2002.
Admittedly, even the best tracks here are weaker than most of their previously released material, and casual fans will doubtlessly be a bit puzzled about the lack of smart-ass, tongue-in-cheek 12-word-plus song titles (can this possibly be the same band that released “A Quick Prayer to the Patron Saint of Dirty Rest Area Bathrooms and Clean Getaways?”). However, if you listen closely, you can hear the seeds of what would blossom into the urgent, panicked metal and fractured emo of Drowningman’s amazing Rock ‘N Roll Killing Machine full-length and the Still Loves You EP.
If you’re a new fan looking for an introduction to the band, this ain’t it. But if you’re a die-hard fan of the recently reunited killing machine, this is an indispensable glance into their early years and the birth of the smartass technical metalcore sound that they pioneered in the late 1990s.
Drowningman: http://www.drowningmanisnotyourbabydaddy.com
