Eight Hours Away From Being a Man

If one was ever forced to give a good example of contrasting loud and soft movements in math rock, Eight Hours Away From Being a Man may be all the proof you need. After a change in lineup left guitarist and vocalist Doug Lorig as the sole original member, newcomers Johnathon Ford (ex-Warlord, Mr. Bishops Fist) and Matt Johnson (ex-Blenderhead) completed the lineup on bass/vocals and drums, respectively, for what is no doubt a brooding, dynamic 11-song foray. Starting out with the blistering "Sperm Ridden Burden" and ending with the groove-laden "My Hands Are the Thermometers," somewhere in between the listener will find typical math rock fare, but not without its own share of creativity and drive. Whether it's the building, almost totally instrumental "Crop Circles" (which peaks when Lorig exclaims the only line of the song: "Where are all my friends?") or the amazing ending on songs such as "Kansas City," one is sure to find a good deal of wonderful music worth sinking their teeth into. Lyrically, Eight Hours Away From Being a Man finds Roadside Monument as yet another band that has taken obscure lyrics and made them memorable and quite quotable, too. When all is said and done, however, the story here is extremely familiar: another solid release from another underappreciated band.