Los Angeles, California based band, The
Human Abstract, are a little different from
a lot of the run-of-the-mill Metal bands.
Their name comes from a poem by William
Blake which analyzes the way we, as
humans, live. The lyrics are on a much
more personal basis than the brutality of
bands like Hatebreed and Lamb of God, but
are not as sappy and romantic as those of
most screamo bands, that have been
spreading like weeds as of late. Instead,
like the poem from whence they were
named, their lyrics come from a deeper
state of emotion. Man’s voyage
throughout life, rather than the heartache
of being dumped. Penned by a man of
modest demeanor, but overwhelming
passion, the lyrics are perfectly
complimentary to the complex, multi-level
soundscapes created by the band. Sitting
beside me, on the ground in front of the
law offices of Ohle and Ohle, Nathan Ellis
shared his thoughts.
When The Human Abstract was given an
opportunity to take to the road on the Take
Action Tour, they eagerly accepted, even
though it meant putting the recording of
their latest album on hold.
Human Abstract, are a little different from
a lot of the run-of-the-mill Metal bands.
Their name comes from a poem by William
Blake which analyzes the way we, as
humans, live. The lyrics are on a much
more personal basis than the brutality of
bands like Hatebreed and Lamb of God, but
are not as sappy and romantic as those of
most screamo bands, that have been
spreading like weeds as of late. Instead,
like the poem from whence they were
named, their lyrics come from a deeper
state of emotion. Man’s voyage
throughout life, rather than the heartache
of being dumped. Penned by a man of
modest demeanor, but overwhelming
passion, the lyrics are perfectly
complimentary to the complex, multi-level
soundscapes created by the band. Sitting
beside me, on the ground in front of the
law offices of Ohle and Ohle, Nathan Ellis
shared his thoughts.
When The Human Abstract was given an
opportunity to take to the road on the Take
Action Tour, they eagerly accepted, even
though it meant putting the recording of
their latest album on hold.
“The tour’s been great so far. A lot of
the shows have sold out.” “We did
Warped Tour in a van last year because we
had a pretty big merch debt last year, and
merch is, like, the entire ins and outs of
money for a band. You’d think that bands
make their money off the albums or the
shows, but that’s not really the case. We
were able to clear our merch debt by the
end of the tour.” The reason Nathan said
that they did this is because “you can make
the decision to look like a rock star, or you
can make the decision to benefit the band
in the end.”
The “Red Bull guy” then walked by us
and offered up some of the power nectar.
“He’s got like a Red Bull bar back stage.
His one job is to get everyone sloshed on
Red Bull before we get on stage.”
Nathan provided some insight as to the
lyrical content of their upcoming release.
The album is a concept album with lyrics
based on non-fiction. Nate claimed that he
enjoys “writing lyrics that have something
to do with my life; otherwise, it may come
off as being fake, because it is. I’ve never
made [a concept album] before. Every
song has a double meaning. It’s one thing
on the surface, but
the shows have sold out.” “We did
Warped Tour in a van last year because we
had a pretty big merch debt last year, and
merch is, like, the entire ins and outs of
money for a band. You’d think that bands
make their money off the albums or the
shows, but that’s not really the case. We
were able to clear our merch debt by the
end of the tour.” The reason Nathan said
that they did this is because “you can make
the decision to look like a rock star, or you
can make the decision to benefit the band
in the end.”
The “Red Bull guy” then walked by us
and offered up some of the power nectar.
“He’s got like a Red Bull bar back stage.
His one job is to get everyone sloshed on
Red Bull before we get on stage.”
Nathan provided some insight as to the
lyrical content of their upcoming release.
The album is a concept album with lyrics
based on non-fiction. Nate claimed that he
enjoys “writing lyrics that have something
to do with my life; otherwise, it may come
off as being fake, because it is. I’ve never
made [a concept album] before. Every
song has a double meaning. It’s one thing
on the surface, but
has a deeper meaning.The album has 4
acts. I started looking at quads, and they’
re endless. There are just so many. So, I
started taking these quads and applying
them to the four acts. It’s a double
apocalypse. It begins with an apocalypse
and ends with an apocalypse. The idea is
that man repeats endlessly. It’s a story of
the history of man, but it’s also a story of
an individual. It’s a message that we’re
trapped in a cycle right now. It’s kind of
an old Hindu idea, also, that we are kind of
doomed to recycle ourselves. It’s a pretty
dark album.”
Toby Wright is producing the new THA
album, and “Toby Wright produced the
first album I owned; Metallica’s …And
Justice For All. He also produced a lot of
the Alice in Chains stuff, and he was good
friends with Layne Stayley. He was telling
acts. I started looking at quads, and they’
re endless. There are just so many. So, I
started taking these quads and applying
them to the four acts. It’s a double
apocalypse. It begins with an apocalypse
and ends with an apocalypse. The idea is
that man repeats endlessly. It’s a story of
the history of man, but it’s also a story of
an individual. It’s a message that we’re
trapped in a cycle right now. It’s kind of
an old Hindu idea, also, that we are kind of
doomed to recycle ourselves. It’s a pretty
dark album.”
Toby Wright is producing the new THA
album, and “Toby Wright produced the
first album I owned; Metallica’s …And
Justice For All. He also produced a lot of
the Alice in Chains stuff, and he was good
friends with Layne Stayley. He was telling
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