The unique creative process that would become POE came from the mind of vocalist Charles Wooldridge, which began churning in late 2012, going from ideas, to snippets to structured sound. Taking the inherit evil concepts produced, joining them with the dark, twisted narratives of Edgar Allen Poe creating an album rich in vintage horror, classic sci-fi and what a horror host program with a background band would sound like.
Wooldridge along with guitarist Emmanuel Botch, bassist Francis Gebirge and drummer Aleksander Ladislaw have fermented a sound bringing the godfather of shock rock to the esoteric table with Mercyful Fate, Ghost, Avatar and ‘70s cult rock for a dangerous meeting. They’ve proven that Poe’s influence still travels the world from his American haunts to Italy.
They’ve created a record with songs fingered with elements of Mr. Bungle, Frank Zappa and Dario Argento horror. A clandestine haunted house, horror movie soundtrack of 13 songs with a vintage carnival side show vibe dubbed Of Humanity and Other Odd Things.
While their musical output began with 2015’s The Tell-Tale Heart EP bringing one of Poe’s most popular and revered tales of guilt and suspense to musical life, beating alongside the thumping drums.
In 2017 Sheratan Records took notice, signing the eclectic group. Of Humanity’s a blackened scope into the sick-sided darkness of human nature and the tortured soul, fighting with the good side for domination in every mortal. They’ve brought out the worst of Poe’s characters and the worst and most-wicked parts of our inner selves in song, as an audible warning.
Their music is both tribute and celebration to one of the early masters of the macabre, also functioning as personal creative exorcism’s to get all their bad stuff out. Though they also say, not to be so serious, you know what all work and no play can do to an unstable mind.
“Prelude” is a truly haunting introduction carried by a children’s rhyme as the music box plays deep in the attic facing the corner. Creepy and possibly more effective than Freddy Krueger’s looming nursery numbers with the track accomplishes a lot in 33 seconds.
“Puppet Show” dangles strings with an old-school creepy feel, the carnival lives, clean vocals sweep with hypnotic whimsical rhymes and verse with subtle menace.
“Love & Death” is a piano ballad while “You’re My Stream” forms an uncompromising free style female duet. The needle starts the tune, scratchy with age but rocks with piano keys.
“In Loving Madness” is a haunted tribute with some heavier guitars motivating spirits to dance as melodic strings play background to ominous things. Guitar notes shimmer out sounds of warning as vocals harmonize words, and forlorn clandestine emotions stir notes.
“Sehnsucht” has short emotionally stirring notes tangled in echoes, feedback and reverberation. Deep heavy keys give background and backbone as metal wages war in the senses stretching out the mind.
“Shipwreck” opens with an unsuspecting reggae beat, some supernatural background flavor and delivery as a twisted distorted sci-fi organ meshes in to mess with your senses. Feels like Willy Wonka, horror hosted with the dark side of The Sound of Music.
“Schizophrenia,” is a short ode to said condition as guitar notes climb up and down the metal scales and spine. “Why Does The Rabbit Want To Kill Me” is arguably the heaviest track with opera-like riffs and Queensrÿche vocal peaks.
Of Humanity and Other Odd Things is both scholarly to please students of Poe’s grim output and musically fulfilling for metal heads, rock fans and those that enjoy some science fiction with their mosh pits. Humanity drops April 5.
