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| Roadrunner Records, January 18, 2019 |
Tracklist
1. ...
2. Burn It
3. Animal
4. Prey for Me/3/
5. One of Us
6. Inglewood/3
7. The Innocent
7. The Innocent
8. Out of Control/3
9. Am I Here?
10. Coup D'Etalk
Jason Aalon Butler has made his mark in the influential, now-defunct post-hardcore band letlive., becoming known for his high-energy live performances as much as his frentic vocals. Rapcore act Fever 333, formerly The Fever when formed in July 2017 - about a year after the release of letlive.'s last album If I'm the Devil - introduces him to a new audience. Fever 333 is technically a supergroup since guitarist Stephen Harrison was part of the final lineup of Georgia-based hardcore band The Chariot, and drummer Aric Improta is from the Night Verses. Butler has become known in letlive. for his skill in switching from soul inspired cleans to piercing high screams very quickly. The band's sound is predominantly hardcore punk with hip-hop influences, and some surprises along the way.
After a short intro, the album begins with early single "Burn It", released late in 2018. The next two tracks "Animal" and "Prey For Me/3" are two of the album's stronger songs with a bit of an electronic edge, rapped verses, and great beats. Right in the middle, "Inglewood/3" is a bit of an oddity in the tracklist, sounding like a Yelawolf ballad before a jarring transition to a Scarlxrd screamo rap style near the 4:45 mark. "Am I Here?" is another song that starts off sounding like a radio-friendly ballad. Despite the inclusion of some background harsh vocals, this track offers a rare moment of calm on the album, albeit temporarily.
Strength in Numb333rs is a political album at its core. In a way it maintains some of the DNA of Butler's former band, as letlive.'s earlier albums were known for their intensity and also delved into socio-political and personal lyrical themes, but in a nuanced and metaphorical fashion. The message and music of Fever 333 is delivered in a far more straightforward manner. For example, letlive.'s "The Fear Fever" had the lines "There's a comfort in being scared/when you're the only one who dared/to make the gunsmoke black in a whitewashed town" discussing racial inequality and biases, but Fever 333 does so far more overtly. And given the bold and unabashed nature of Strength in Numb333rs' sound, the new approach fits the album better than subtlety would have.
One aspect that strengthens this message of Fever 333 and differentiates it from several political albums is the autobiographical tone it takes. Butler establishes himself as a well-educated eyewitness, which is critical for lyrical content of this nature. He has firsthand experiences growing up biracial in Inglewood, California, a city in the Los Angeles region known for a history of racial segregation. Police brutality, the disproportionate nature of prison system, and discrimination are common themes that are addressed. On a broader scale, themes of unity and empathy - in particular, a call to understand different points of view - are also present. The flow of the album does get disjointed at times, but that's part of what keeps it fun and unpredictable. Take another look before dismissing Strength in Numb333rs as just another political album or new supergroup project. While not perfect, this is a bold, ambitious debut that offers something more than a cookie-cutter take on the rap-rock genre and earns a score of 7.5/10.
After a short intro, the album begins with early single "Burn It", released late in 2018. The next two tracks "Animal" and "Prey For Me/3" are two of the album's stronger songs with a bit of an electronic edge, rapped verses, and great beats. Right in the middle, "Inglewood/3" is a bit of an oddity in the tracklist, sounding like a Yelawolf ballad before a jarring transition to a Scarlxrd screamo rap style near the 4:45 mark. "Am I Here?" is another song that starts off sounding like a radio-friendly ballad. Despite the inclusion of some background harsh vocals, this track offers a rare moment of calm on the album, albeit temporarily.
Strength in Numb333rs is a political album at its core. In a way it maintains some of the DNA of Butler's former band, as letlive.'s earlier albums were known for their intensity and also delved into socio-political and personal lyrical themes, but in a nuanced and metaphorical fashion. The message and music of Fever 333 is delivered in a far more straightforward manner. For example, letlive.'s "The Fear Fever" had the lines "There's a comfort in being scared/when you're the only one who dared/to make the gunsmoke black in a whitewashed town" discussing racial inequality and biases, but Fever 333 does so far more overtly. And given the bold and unabashed nature of Strength in Numb333rs' sound, the new approach fits the album better than subtlety would have.
One aspect that strengthens this message of Fever 333 and differentiates it from several political albums is the autobiographical tone it takes. Butler establishes himself as a well-educated eyewitness, which is critical for lyrical content of this nature. He has firsthand experiences growing up biracial in Inglewood, California, a city in the Los Angeles region known for a history of racial segregation. Police brutality, the disproportionate nature of prison system, and discrimination are common themes that are addressed. On a broader scale, themes of unity and empathy - in particular, a call to understand different points of view - are also present. The flow of the album does get disjointed at times, but that's part of what keeps it fun and unpredictable. Take another look before dismissing Strength in Numb333rs as just another political album or new supergroup project. While not perfect, this is a bold, ambitious debut that offers something more than a cookie-cutter take on the rap-rock genre and earns a score of 7.5/10.
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