Nullus Rex – “Don’t Fall Prey”

Nullus Rex – “Don’t Fall Prey” – Single Review

Am I listening to this sideways or something?

Lyrically, don’t get it twisted, Dave Amaditz the mind behind what you hear in Nullus Rex is clearly always going to be the kind of guy that believes in saying something substantial, and I appreciate that.

As for the rest…I don’t know if I’m convinced we’re not moving further away from the accessibility he would want to pair with the kind of messages he puts into his tunes.  I could be wrong, and I’m sure there are many people out there that’d tell you that I am quite often.  We’ll have to dig into this single.

When I heard the first cut I’d gotten from Nullus Rex called “The Upside Down,” it was like everything was right where you wanted to find it.  When I heard the next single, “Robbing You Blind,” I started to notice the emphasis being placed much higher on the lyrical aspect than the rest.  Here on “Don’t Fall Prey,” I’m not sure there’s enough overall appeal for the message to spread as far as Dave might like it to.  There ARE potent pieces & powerful moments in this single for sure…but I think we’re talkin’ about a 50/50 split when it comes to what works undeniably well, to what sounds like it’s less engaging.  For myself personally, it takes about halfway into the chorus before I feel like “Don’t Fall Prey” has what I’m looking for in what I listen to…up to that point, I dunno man.  Like I said, lyrically, I don’t think there are really any issues here and I doubt there would every really be when it comes to the music of Nullus Rex – but like I was somewhat warning this project earlier on, music as a vehicle for message can be a tough thing to navigate.  I don’t want this to totally get confusing…I’m not suggesting that the sound of the music and vocals or the production isn’t good – heck, it’s actually great objectively-speaking – I’m just less convinced by the parts themselves & whether or not they have the widespread appeal they should have.  My gut tells me there IS an audience for Nullus Rex, but that it is narrowing in scope with each release…and I’m not entirely sure that’s the direction that Dave would want to go in if he had his say on that.  I would imagine he’d want the content he’s creating to be heard by one and all, given that it’s all designed to be warnings for the masses, and if he’s only appealing to a slice, that kinda puts the whole mission in jeopardy, doesn’t it?  Obviously no artist or band is ever going to reach EVERYONE and I get that.  I would also say that, not to get too stereotypical here, the Hard Rock crowd likely has the most folks that could really gain something by listening to what Dave is expressing…so there’s that to consider as well.  From my perspective, the most impactful part of “Don’t Fall Prey” ends up being found in its finale, roughly from around the 3:05-3:25 spot.  Is that too far into the song, given that it’s 3:57 in total length?  It could be.  Is a great finale enough to secure a favorable opinion on the rest?  It might be.  Is there a way to avoid both of those scenarios?  Absolutely.  I think you’ve gotta be extremely conscious and objective about music in terms of how it comes across to the listeners out there in relation to what the goals are from the creator’s point of view.  Like, in this instance, assuming that Amaditz’s songs ARE being created more as a vehicle for the message, I’d tell you that much is getting lost in translation here.  While the music hits hard without question, the vocals and lyrics can be a whole lot tougher to absorb in those moments of intensity.  I’m not saying the guy’s gotta go and create ballads in order to be heard, but I am saying that “Don’t Fall Prey” doesn’t give us a ton of help in that regard as clearly as it could be & if the words are going to be the main priority for this project, you’d never want them to be obscured.

Outside of the band (which has Stacy Horgan producing & performing, along with the vocals of Michael Carnell), from the listening side of the scenario, I think my main concern here is that “Don’t Fall Prey” sounds like it could be a song created by several hundreds of bands out there.  While it’s still fair to say that it does sound like a Nullus Rex single and fits snugly into the catalog of tunes we’ve heard so far, it’d be awesome to have as much identity in the sound itself as what comes through the lyrical content.  I’m not all that sure of what to say about that…it’s kind of a natural byproduct of hiring studio aces to do the job versus artists driving their own vision.  That’s no knock against anyone involved so much as it’s just the objective reality on how these kinds of relationships in music go.  Dave’s getting exactly what he wants with some heavy hitters he knows he can rely on, and I’m sure they’re more than happy to work with a songwriter that has something significant to say.  Everybody’s professional in the Nullus Rex camp in that respect, and they execute as such to the best of their ability.  Stacy does an unreal job making things sound incredible all-around, the music has that aggressive bite that you know Dave digs, and Michael can be outright superhuman in his biggest highlights without a doubt.  So…yeah…ultimately, I’m still always going to advocate on behalf of the pursuit of uniqueness, and perhaps a stronger balance of strengths between parts inside a song…but in terms of commitment to the material and bringing your best to it goes, I think what’s happening in Nullus Rex is always extremely commendable.  Maybe this or that could have been stronger, maybe it couldn’t…we could nitpick at songs all day long and there would always be something valid to consider I’m sure…in many ways, what matters most is the dedication to the moment, and if that’s the real measurement that matters, it’d be hard to ever take any points away from this crew.  Content-wise, even the best of the best will still experience fluctuation throughout their time…it’s entirely natural to have some ups and downs over the course of a career, or even on the inside of a single song – and it’s just as natural that what doesn’t appeal to one individual might still very well appeal to thousands of others at the same time.  I like what I hear in “Don’t Fall Prey” for the most part, and I’m sure others will too – but I do still want more outta the three creative minds and exceptional talents like Nullus Rex has the good fortune of having.  It’s the curse of being awesome I guess…they’ll just have to live with that assessment.

Find out more about Nullus Rex from the official website at:  https://nullusrex.com

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