Canadian metal band Max Chaos storm in with Ride The Wave, their first release, a hybrid of the rough and tumble of metalcore and the groovy hard hitting of nu-metal. The vocals of frontman Max Chaos, who has a voice that ranges between guttural roars and melodic yells, is a cathartic display of pent-up energy as he directs all the frustrations of contemporary living into the two minutes and seventeen seconds of pure energy.
The instrumentation of the track is also very explosive. Cutting guitar riffs cut through the mix like a razor, Justin Kills is pounding on the drums with thunder, his drumming is giving the song a backbone, his double-kick patterns are making surethat the mosh can be used to its full potential. New recruit Karlos Doom (formerly of Evil Dead) lays down the bottom end with bass lines that sound like an approaching storm. It was co-produced with industry legend Dan McConomy and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Dream Theater, Halford) and the production is a perfect balance of a clean and clear sound with grit and intensity.
Along with the song, there is a visually impressive music video that enhances the theme of escapism and rebellion in the song, switching back and forth between reality and an animated alternate persona. It is an appropriate overture to the larger-than-life character of Max Chaos, who is not only a musician but features in comic books and an entire, fully developed aesthetic world. In its first week at radio, "Ride The Wave" became the #2 most added track, receiving key support from influential stations like WPJX, WMFR, and WHPC. It also debuted at #30 on the Metal Contraband chart, further solidifying Max Chaos's presence in the heavy music scene.
Ride The Wave is not a debut, it is a statement of intent. And with an Order of Mayhem album in the pipeline, Max Chaos show themselves as a new and very powerful presence in heavy music a cross between sonic demolition and a spectacle of theatrics. And to those who like Slipknot or Lamb of God, or the insane vigor of metalcore in the early 2000s, it is a ride worth the ride.
