Against Himself

My favorite thing about Against Himself is I never feel I have to be fucked up to enjoy being around them.  Don’t get me wrong, they’ll definitely tear down the fucking house both sober and fucked up.  But it’s clear when you’re around them they aren’t doing this to create a lifestyle to be fucked up.  This is all about the music, no questions about it.  Burning Bright spent the afternoon walking the back alleys of Old Town taking band photos of the “new line up”, or is it back to the “original line up”, let us explain.

Let’s start with the bass player, it’s been somewhat of a struggle settling on a bass player.  Against Himself is one of the most driven bands in Denver right now.  They’re not doing this just to be able to brag to friends they are in a rock band.  They have a clear vision of where they want Against Himself to go and are willing to do whatever it takes to get there.  This means sacrifice and dedication.  This might mean you have to quit your day job to go on tour, you might have to be broke while investing in the success of the band, you might have to sell your camera to buy a bass guitar, you might have to miss your tinder date to make it to rehearsal.  This is something Dave, Jimmy, Kacey and Dalen have done for the past few years.  It’s a willingness to place the band ahead of most things in life.  

Finding a bass player willing to commit on this level has been a challenge.  Because of this, Kacey, who was playing guitar in the band, offered to play bass.  I was stoked when I heard this.  Kacey is a riffy, kick ass guitar player.  I started imagining the licks he’ll be throwing down on bass and I got excited.  No one is sure if this is a long term solution but it has always felt the four of them are Against Himself and any fifth member has been an add on, the Jason Newsted of the band, someone who just hasn’t quite fit in.  They are keeping the door open for a fifth member.  Whether it’d be someone to take over at bass or someone to play guitar along side Dalen, the door is open.  The good thing now is they don’t have to force the issue.  They don’t have to try to get someone to fit in that doesn’t belong.  They can wait to see if the right person shows up.  And in the meantime, Against Himself will keep throwing down their power rock songs.

Last November Against Himself released their debut album “The Awakening”.  I love guitar riffs and this album is full of great riffs.  The album comes strong starting with “Within”, a song that is getting some radio play followed by the title track “The Awakening”.  But the deep cuts on this album like “Reborn” and “Machine God” add the depth to make this album strong  from start to finish.  Perhaps the strongest lyric performance is in Rio Bravo.  You’ll hear the anger against a crowd who beat and burned alive a 16 year old girl accused of having a role in a taxi drivers murder.  Was it vigilante justice or a fiery murder in the streets of Rio Bravo?

Against Himself is ready to head back into the studio.  They have all the songs written for their second album.  They just need Kacey to finish the bass parts on the songs, understandable considering this is a new role for him in the band.  They are looking at playing some festivals this summer and are looking into some tour options.  The biggest thing I got from the band today was the intention to have fun and a want to enjoy the process.  The music industry can be a “Cutthroat Republic”.  Against Himself doesn’t want to get caught up in that.  They intend to stay focused, kick ass and tear down the house while doing it.