OneofYou - ReEducation

OneofYou

ReEducation
self-released; 2015

3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Kansas City, Missouri's OneofYou dish out a modern day protest record - screaming loud in protest with a battalion of blues metal riffs and powerful percussion!

There's a lot of problems with the world we're living in - rampant inequality, racial profiling, global warming, gentrification, economic instability, on and on it goes. OneofYou's Kevin Adams seeks to lay them all out, like a litany of crimes, on ReEducation.

ReEducation is designed to be a crash course in the ills of modern society, with each song tackling a difficult subject matter. There's the criticism of the blind sheep herd mentality, obliviously staying in the dark about global warming of "We Were Wrong." There's scathing commentary about police brutality on "Us Against Them" and religious persecution on "The Witness."

There's a lot that can be said on each topic. At first glance, Adams' lyrics read like manifestos of wordy, unbroken text that can leave you befuddled and lost. Thankfully, the thick quagmire guitars and popping percussion are compelling enough to make you look and listen closer. There's a lot to love in the details, from the galloping guitar solo at the end of "We Were Wrong," to the moody dark psychedelia of "Silence Kills," which should please those desperately waiting for a new Tool LP to drop.

ReEducate was recorded in a blitzkrieg 30-day recording session at Hope Studios. To their credit, as well as engineer/producer Matt Richards, it never comes off as forced or rushed, instead benefiting from the rawness and immediacy.

Anyone who thinks that metal is all about brain dead knuckle-dragging violence will have to think again, listening to ReEducation. It's not a perfect album - they can come off as a bit preachy and over-sincere, sort of like Zach de la Rocha fronting the Foo Fighters. If you're not paying attention, you might miss the subliminal messaging, as OneofYou deals in sarcasm and satire; just one more example that you shouldn't judge a record without digging your teeth in and really paying attention.

There's still power in rock n’ roll, even as it becomes a tired lifestyle commodity for most of the world.

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