When tragedy strikes a band it can lead to some heartfelt lyrics and strong guitar to emulate the pain once felt. Such is the case with the alternative punk rock band Mest, whose lyrics and harsh sounds speak of an aching time.
The band first came together in 1995, on the South Side of Chicago. Mest started with a couple of family members and friends getting together to screw around on instruments in the hopes of something more. Tony Lovato, the front man and founder of the band, recruited his brother Steve to play the guitar and his cousin Matt as bassist. On drums is Nick Gigler. After a couple of years of club scenes, basements and parties, Steve left the band due to musical differences. He was soon replaced by Jeremiah Rangel, one of Tony's good friends.
Throughout the years of strenuous playing, Tony had been sending Maverick producer John Feldmann demos of the band's material. Feldmann liked the fresh sound of the group and had them open for his band in the Chicago House of Blues in 1998. In 1999, the band was signed by Maverick records and since then Feldmann and the band have been inseparable; Feldmann producing all four of the band's albums, including the soon to be released Photographs.
The new album is based on recent events in the lives of the band members, more specifically Tony, who after intense back surgery continued to tour. When the band played for the Warped Tour, a dream of theirs, Tony went on a binge of medication and alcohol that would send him to the emergency room a few weeks later for surgery on his back. Told that if he had waited a week later, he would have been paralyzed or have died, Tony saw a new chance at life and for his album.
"Wow, I didn't realize how serious this record is. Making this record was like a therapy session," Lovato says on the band's website.
The album, Photographs, is a melodic combination of thoughtful reverie and punk rock sensibility. The guitar and drums never lull in their pounding but Lovato's voice is more pensive and harmonious, giving a contradictory sound to the electric guitar but enjoyable listening experience nonetheless.
The first track on the album "Take me Away (Cried out to Heaven)" is fast paced and gets the blood racing. The guitar isn't clear-cut like the drums are in the background, but together they create a definitive sound. When Lovato sings "I cried out to heaven/ when I thought I'd lost myself" the guitar fades into the background and makes his voice resonate. The rest of the song is infused with reggae-like plucking of another, softer guitar in the background. It gives the song character and makes it sound imaginative.
The next song on the album, and the one likely to be released as the hit single, "Kiss Me, Kill Me," is slower and more melodious. The drums are soft and constant in the background. The guitar is strummed serenely and while there is a pace that isn't slow it isn't quite fast either. As Lovato croons "Kiss me/ kill me/ your kiss is torture/ but killing me would be too easy," the pace picks up a little bit and gives this tranquil song a head bopping quality. It's difficult to make a slower song want to dance down the street, but these boys have pulled it off in this punk rock song that evokes images of a capella.
On the title track, "Photographs," there is an acoustic guitar that opens the song but is soon lost in the sound of the electric guitars flowing melody. When the chorus chimes in "My photographs/ I want them back" Lovato's voice reaches a pitch that is at once soprano and at the same time classic to the punk rock singer. He manages to make his voice seem infused with emotion as opposed to whiny and hoarse. The guitar on this track is reminiscent of a pop group, however the harsh beats of the drum quickly reminds listeners that these are clearly not pop singers.
The album is a stunning achievement — a fantastic combination of heart racing guitar and drums with a pleasant front man. The band's ability to combine different genres of music along with writing about life altering moments makes them a great listen.
Grade: B
