Guys, the J-Rock Expendables are here to show the kids what's what. "Heartless Scat" is Ningen Isu's latest track, and my introduction to the band, despite them having been active for 30 years. Don't let their age fool you, though; this song is epic. I did a long-ish form review at my blog, but here's the money paragraph:
“Heartless Scat” is a bottomless flame-thrower from the opening guitar arpeggio to very end of the final power chord; a relentless torrent of riffs, chug-a-chug-a power chords, military-precise double-kick drumming, and desperate melodic vocals. It recalls the best of Black Sabbath while sounding entirely current and utterly Japanese. It’s a dark and brooding track of a middle-aged man begging the gods to bestow upon him the simple joys of life denied to him despite his years of toil. That the lyrics are delivered with the perfect level of desperation by a man who looks like he might have actually lived this pitiful existence make them all the more powerful.
This is my Song of the Year for 2019 until something can knock it from that spot. It's gonna be tough to beat.
