Hello! This is Kyle Bishop, singer, songwriter, and piano player of the shitty band, Numbers. For some reason, HBIH thinks my opinion matters, and asked what I’ve been listening to this crazy year of 2012. So, without wasting anymore of your time, here are a few!
Friends of the site Numbers (of the super rad progcore variety) are about to embark on a tour next month with fellow Washingtonians in melodic hardcore band Burning Twilight in their tour, Almost A Disastour. Normally I’d be feeling too disenchanted over not living on the West Coast to be spreading the word on a regional tour that doesn’t affect me, but a) Numbers are sweet and they deserve the attention and b) they’re playing at a GameStop of all places. Say whaaaat?
You can check out the dates in the poster above and make it out if you can!
- JR
Numbers01. Introduction
02. Ice On Fire
03. Bravery
04. Please The Senses
05. Figured You Forgot
06. Oh Teh Monies
07. Give It Time
I’ve been a fan of Numbers from the start. Around the time when Kyle Bishop started snowballing hype for his band, I saw his vocal cover for Periphery’s “Frak the Gods“. Naturally, I kept up to speed with Numbers and followed them closely. The hype continued to build and eventually, I was hard pressed to find anyone with a tolerance for tasteful electronic music and some daring clean vocals to not be eagerly awaiting a tangible release. If you were paying any attention to Numbers before this review, you would know they consistently release demos, studio recordings, self-made music videos and song ideas. In fact, I had listened to the majority of this EP before it was released. Though I have to say, Numbers really know how to wrap a package and deliver! Their self-titled EP slays!
Numbers, to me, are unequivocal proof that metalcore bands can insert electronic influences into their music and not suck. In fact, Numbers are quite good at what they do, taking a slight progressive stance with influences from the likes of Protest the Hero and Periphery, while throwing in the odd jazz fusion section. We’ve been stoked on this band for a while, and now they finally have a release under their belts!
Mixed by 7 Horns 7 Eyes‘ Aaron Smith, Numbers’ EP is not only filled with great tunes, but it also sounds great. Numbers made sure to make the first impression a good one. Check out their EP below and make a purchase over at Bandcamp!
- JR
I think it’s safe to say that Numbers are now friends to Heavy Blog at this point (HI KYLE!). There’s something to appreciate a band that seems to put out a new song and accompanying video each month, and Numbers are always on the ball in that regard. Their new song “Please The Senses” hit YouTube this week and features—in addition to their core electronic-infused prog sound—a pretty sweet jazz break. Plus, the video looks nicer than their usual output. Not that they have bad output, but you can tell some extra care went into this one. Give it a once or twice over above and go give them a like at Facebook and tell them we sent you!
- JR
Of course you do. I did a post about them a couple of weeks ago saying you need to start following them, and now they’ve decided to be awesome and release a new song in the form of this video, which is entitled “Bravery“, and is pretty sweet.
It’s a very different song than “Ice on Fire“, but it’s still more of the same style of awesome that we should begin to expect from Numbers. The music is damn fantastic, and their rather unique use of synth and piano really places it ahead of their peers. The vocals are also very good; his cleans still lack some polish on a couple of occasions, but the shining parts outweigh the not-so-shining parts splendidly.
Of course, the harshes are fantastic. I’m sure after a little bit, his cleans will be flawless.
Keep an eye on Numbers YouTube and Facebook for more awesome tunes.
-GR
Every so often a band comes around and meshes numerous disparate influences to create a totally acceptable blend of metal. Now, I don’t know a whole lot about newly formed Numbers, but I can assure you that they are definitely worth the listen and fit the bill of the first sentence. Here’s some info about the band from their official facebook (which has 264 likes, COME ON):
“Started by Seattle musician, Kyle Bishop, Numbers is an Electrometal Jazzcore band hitting Seattle hard with brutal screams, catchy choruses, nerdy 8-bit synths, relaxing pads, pretty piano, and mean guitar riffs. This mashup of a band hopes you enjoy what you hear, and hopes to exceed expectations of not only their fans, but themselves.”
That description is pretty apt. Take a listen to their song entitled “Ice on Fire“:
The drummer Victor Olavarri graduated from Berkelee, and it shows: the dude rips about the kit. The string-wielders are fantastic – their riffs are catchy and powerful – and the vocals, handled by Kyle, are awesome. The cleans are a little rough at times, but during the chorus it’s on key, anthemic and catchy. The harshes are just fantastic, full of foundation.
The band also has some demos on their official YouTube page, but an official release has not yet been announced. Regardless, keep an eye out for these up-and-coming musicians as I’m sure their best work is yet to come.
- GR
