It was a cool December morning when I first listened to What's He Building In There's self titled album. I was both confused by and drawn in to the music. It was a strange day indeed. I sat down and listened. I listened and listened. Then, I ate some pudding, and listened some more. I was stuck. It was as if I had jumped into a shower way too early and the cold water made me shiver and shrivel... The album begins with a near-typical hardcore/metalcore fashion, but leads on forward carving a path very unknown to most fans of the hardcore/metalcore genres. I took that path and walked on it, despite the crazy twists, nearly unnecessary to's and fro's and all in the sake of trying out this nearly good thing that was very new to me. And throughout, I was surprised by the very great mix of screams, near-harmonies and curious breakdowns.
A lot of time, the album had me scratching my head wondering where it was coming from. Some of the mixes of riffs and vocals seemed off, but as soon as I began to really question everything, the songs would turn into something that sounded perfect and placed together unbelievably well. As I said, very strange.
My overall feel for this album is a good one. Definitely not something for the typical listener of metal or hardcore or anything of that sort, but definitely for anyone who is a fan of Mike Patton, or just plain Mr. Bungle. I'd say What's He Building In There? reminds me of a mix of melodic hardcore with some real eccentricity placed throughout. I'd give this album to any of my eclectic-preferred-metal fans or anyone looking for something way out of the ordinary.
