The Finite Beings – “Journey Of Trials”
The Finite Beings – “Journey Of Trials” – Single Review
So let’s see where we are…somewhere around three & a half years of listening to The Finite Beings?
Y’all know me…I call things like I hear’em, but I’m also first in line to give credit where credit is due too – and I gotta say, one of the first thoughts I had after giving “Journey Of Trials” a spin was that The Finite Beings certainly have a sound they can call their own, and I’d definitely be able to pick’em out of a lineup blindfolded at this point after having listened to their music for as long as I have now. We’ve experienced some ups and downs as they evolved as a band, which is natural. They had highlights we can remember like the first single I ever heard from them called “The Shade,” they had moments that I questioned them a bit more, like on the single “Hope Is Sleeping In Grace’s Arms” – and they summed up their recent material in a tight set that went on last year’s A Shell Of What Could Be EP. The Finite Beings have put the work, and to be completely fair to this New Jersey-based band, it’s been noticed.
I mention all this for context dear readers, dear friends…because this band knows to expect nothing but honesty from me, pass or fail, just like you do. It’s in saying that, that I gotta hand it to’em – “Journey Of Trials” is a genuinely strong song to add into their catalog, and if there was something they could have somehow done better here, I’m not personally hearing it. In fact, it’s actually a lot harder to figure out who the real star of the show is in a performance of this caliber, which always suggests that what you’re hearing is the achievement of a unified band, playing together as the singular entity they’re meant to be.
As I listened to “Journey Of Trials,” I felt like my favorite elements of this tune rotated throughout the entire lineup…it was merely a matter of what I was paying attention to most that would go on to make the biggest impression each time I gave their new single a spin. For example, when I pushed play for the first time, it was easily the depth of the bass in “Journey Of Trials” – it’s a massive part of this new single and the remarkable dynamics it reveals. It did also reveal the only mystery I couldn’t solve here…are we just going with ‘guitars’ now when referring to bass, or am I missing something in the credits? Who is responsible for this awesomeness I’m hearing? I didn’t see a name tagged to that, so I’d assume that it’s likely played by one of The Finite Beings two guitarists, either Donny DePaola or Hunter Kino. Trust me, the guitars also make a huge impact on this song too…there are a couple of solos you’ll find on “Journey Of Trials,” and they both sound freakin’ fantastic, though they are notably fairly short. I suppose if there was one spot of opportunity I could cite for the band this time around, that’d be it. We might be living in a world filled with short attention spans, but too bad for those folks – play longer solos despite that! Anyhow…you get it, the musicianship made an immediate statement in “Journey Of Trials” as I listened.
When it comes to the signature sound you’ll hear from The Finite Beings, I feel like so much of that is due to the work that Michael Nicholas puts into his vocals. Dude’s a master of sleek, slick, and sly sound – and yet, when he wants to detonate and bring more power to what he’s singing, he’s fully capable of doing that too. So I’d put that like…probably third on the list of what had me paying close attention to “Journey Of Trials” spin after spin after spin. For some out there…perhaps those that haven’t been listening to the band as long as I have been, I’d fully get it if it was Michael’s vocals that sunk their hooks into the people’s ears first for many out there…there’s not a hair outta place in what he does with his voice, and he’s a perfect fit in the way a song like “Journey Of Trials” reveals its dynamics from part to part. Drumming-wise, his high standards still apply to all that he does…but I’ll admit to that being one of the last things I noticed about what makes “Journey Of Trials” as strong as it is…at least at first. Eventually, those drums got their due credit, as they should – they’re precision perfect, and pack a whole lot of punch that is essential to how this song shifts from its verse to chorus & back again. Were it not for starting to pay closer attention to how flawlessly and fluidly the structure of this song was working in their favor, maybe I’d have noticed how much the drums contributed to that earlier on. But can you really blame ME for that? They’re the ones that put all this awesomeness together at once!
Anyhow. You get it. The Finite Beings have done an exceptional job on “Journey Of Trials.” The lyricism deserves a shout-out – it’s a conceptually strong song. The production deserves a serious shout-out too, because that’s dialed right in perfectly to harness and enhance all the gripping aspects of a song like this one – AND…the call on that came from INSIDE THE HOUSE, with Hunter Kino ensuring the awesomeness of “Journey Of Trials” came out exactly as they envisioned it would. What else, what else…I mean…you get the point by now I’m sure…it’s the execution and focus they’ve put into EVERYTHING – the attention to detail is staggeringly good, and that’s the facts, Jack. They’re going the extra mile, and that counts for just about everything in my opinion…they’ve truly made sure no stone has been left unturned, and as a result, they’re rocking with authenticity and justified confidence on “Journey Of Trials” – great job guys.
Find out more about The Finite Beings from their official website at: https://www.thefinitebeings.com
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