In November, I went to El Corazon to photograph Korpiklaani, a Finnish folk-metal group. Opening for them, among others, was Actionesse. I hadn’t heard of them before and was expecting a folk-metal band in the vein of the headliner. I was very, very, very wrong. What I got instead was a furious onslaught of screaming guitars and howling brass — high energy, saxy punk that makes your body move without you even noticing. When I had a chance to review their debut full-length album, I couldn’t say no.
Paddy Moran (bass) and Jimmy Colven (drums) form the backbone of the five-piece, with Ian Reed as a whirling tornado of a frontman and guitarist. The brass section is comprised of Olivia Guinn (baritone sax) and Joel Kenworthy on a variety of shiny noisemakers.
After five EPs of evolution and cutting their teeth on the local scene, Actionesse has arrived at The Deep, Bright Below, their first full-length album, clocking in at 10 songs. While loud, often angry, and driven, the album is also saturated with catchy, sexy horn hooks, at times accentuating Reed’s vocals, but often demanding to fill their own space. I’m not a religious man, but I like to think that Joshua 6:20 is quite fitting here:
“So when the trumpets sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the trumpet, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. The people charged into the city, each man straight ahead, and captured the city.”
The energy of the band and this record is undeniable and irrefutable. My feet are twitching as I write this, my head banging in time with the beat. These are songs that require — no — demand participation. They capture the high energy of Actionesse’s live show as well as a record can, but this band can’t be solely captured in audio. If you have the chance, go so them live; they’re really that good. And buy the album and a t-shirt while you’re at it.
Here are a couple personal highlights of the album, in no particular order:
“I Want Doubts” opens the album with an extremely gnarly bass line but suddenly sends everything into chaos with a brass lead backed up by marching guitars. Reed’s vocals don’t enter the track until almost two minutes in. The song exemplifies Actionesse’s formula of high energy music that’s foundationally strong enough to carry itself. It not just a vehicle for lyrics.
“Well-Adapted Creature” starts with a minute-long, slow, pondering synth intro that slowly transitions into a brass-lead breakdown, eventually overlaid by a shouting chorus. It defies traditional song structure and feels experimental, yet only clocks in at 2:40. Instant replay is encouraged.
“Permanent Headache,” the longest song on the record at just shy of six minutes, closes out the album at a slower, though no less energetic note. While opening with driving power chords and stabbing horns, it quiets down halfway through, leading from a drawn-out build up into a euphoric, almost hopeful crescendo before fading into guitar feedback.
This album is raw — in a good way — and very well recorded for a first full-length album, especially for a (yet) unsigned group. The Deep, Bright Below does a tremendous job at capturing Actionesse’s energy, and stands on its own as a complete, fleshed-out work. This feels like a protest album, but a personal one. The listener isn’t just a bystander; they are invited to shout and feel and want and thrash alongside the band.
The Deep, Bright Below
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