Nullus Rex – “The Upside Down”

Nullus Rex – “The Upside Down” – Single Review

As an unapologetic lefty that has the luxury of looking at the world through a privileged Canadian lens, to say that what we’ve been seeing happen down south of us across the border in the USA has been tough to witness would be a massive understatement.  I think we’re all aware of how much duress the good people of the United States have been under, but it’s one thing to watch it from afar and totally something else to actually have to experience everything happening firsthand as a US citizen.  As I like to make clear in these moments where music collides with politics, especially in this particular climate – we have no problems with the majority of the folks living in the USA – it’s the leadership we all object to.

Now…when it comes to this new single “The Upside Down” from Nullus Rex, we can hear the political commentary at the core of it all without question.  It’s 100% intentional as I understand it, as “Nullus Rex is not a band – it’s a politically charged Hard Rock music project from the mind of Dave Amaditz, created to speak truth to power.”  I’m always going to be interested in something described like that, yessir.  You can start to do the math from there…Nullus Rex was created this year…they’re based outta Nashville…the debut single was released this year…and a certain orange asshole who shall not be named on these pages of ours leads the current US administration seeking to turn this whole damn planet into “The Upside Down,” increasingly seizes power wherever he can find more to take.  Combined with “The Upside Down” crown on the jack-in-the-box, clownish character that sways on the screen in the lyric video, and the clever references you’ll find in the lyricism of this single – you’ll know who this song has successfully targeted.  Nullus Rex chose to not directly name or address anyone here, but if you’re paying attention like you should be to the words & such, there’s no mistaking who this song is all about.  Need an example?  How about this line from the main hook – “Told I’m to follow the crooked king clown” to start.  Could be anyone, right?  How about this one that gets a little more specific – “Where I come from we ain’t got no kings, so don’t drop to your knees for this gold loving fraud.”  You’d have to be sleeping to miss the connections that tie it all together, I assure you.  Dave has done an excellent job of giving his lyrics just enough of a mask that he could cite plausible deniability, but like I was tellin’ ya earlier – we know who this song is about, and we can SEE with our eyes, the many reasons as to why a protest song like this is more important now than ever.  With the intensely venomous rasp of vocals supplied by singing Michael Carnell, and the work put in from Stacy Hogan (A Writer’s Paradise Studios) for the performance & production of the music, everything has come together seamlessly for this trio of talents making this song come to life.  I really like how Dave’s words continually focus in on the subject more and more as the song plays on…you get like, a bird’s eye view of what this is all about through the metaphorical beginning, then another verse where things are spelled out just a little more clearly and feel closer to home, and then of course the chorus and bridge tie everything together perfectly.  It’s like, cinematic & cerebral in that regard…like a story that is told in three or four separate acts, if you will.  In any event, I couldn’t possibly agree more with the sentiment and energy expressed in this song – it’s got the right mix of aggression and urgency in its message, backed by a potent mix of hard-hitting music.

In that respect…the whole what’s it gonna sound like question & such…I’d probably tell you that a song like “The Upside Down” would be akin to what you’d get if you could merge the music of Incubus, Chevelle, and the All-American Rejects into one…yeah…that should do it.  You get this like, intelligent sound that’s crafty and smooth like Brandon Boyd in the vocals at times, and raging to the extremes like you’d find in Chevelle when the song surges into its peak intensity, with hooks that are still fully appealing to the ears like you’d find in something like the All-American Rejects.  That’s my explanation and I’m stickin’ to it.  It all sounds good to me though…no stones left unturned here…the details stack up nice and the work has clearly been put in from start to finish to get this both polished up & professional, but also able to retain its raw edge & ferociously resilient spirit required to make the message as potent as it’s intended to be.  Do I have any issues with “The Upside Down” at all, or any criticism?  Not really.  There’s one line that kinda eats at me a little, but it’s one that we kind of have to live with.  Dave knows what I’m talking about already, right Dave?  He backed himself into a bit of a corner by using the line “The first thing he destroys are small houses,” which is a genuinely brilliant metaphor for the division we’ve been experiencing in families and at home due to the current nature of politics – but you have to somewhat Eminem yourself outta that situation, because there’s not a ton of words that rhyme with “houses” easily – so Dave actually elected not to use one at all.  Instead he chose to use “mouses” – which isn’t even technically a word.  “He’s on the prowl for small mouses” – it’s another solid metaphor for preying on the perceivably weak, which is all the orange anus-face ever tries to do with his time.  So like…I mean…if you’ve ever written a song yourself, you know how situations like these occur and how relatively easy it can actually be to write yourself into a corner like that…and the real art is finding your way out of it.  I don’t mind what Dave came up with there, but I’d probably tell ya I don’t exactly love it either…I feel like I appreciate that he was able to figure something out, and I get what he means by it.

At the end of the day, that’s just a fun observation and not a substantial objection…something for Dave to think about from one writer to another I suppose.  When it comes to “The Upside Down,” I’ve got nothing but praise for it – it’s a song that’s been created out of necessity and exasperation, reflecting the frustration of the people through the intensity of its sound, and highlights the desperate need for this whole planet of ours to wake up & collectively change course quickly before it’s perilously too late.

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

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