Given that this album was separately released as two different albums, you can buy them apart with the same pricing structure, though remember that you won't get the closing song "Bismarck" if you buy them this way. Also, I'm not reviewing the original version of "In Ruins" here, for 3 reasons: Mike took it down and heavily changed it on purpose, this review's gonna be long enough already, and with only 3 surviving songs from the original copy, it's basically a different album now as a result. With 14 songs running for over an hour in total length, let's begin our review of "Weight of the World"!
This album begins with the five songs on Mike's "Hourglass" EP, whose lyrics and themes focus on contemporary social issues as a warning to civilization. The first track is "Be Us", which revolves around gender & racial discrimination issues like assimilation and the refugee crisis. A hard rocking number that builds nicely to the choruses, the song has a good edge to it, and Mike's melodic singing is a good match! The song's well performed, but aside from the bridge, there isn't a lot of variance to this song and it's structure once you get past the first chorus. The song is a solid rocker if you don't mind that though! Second is "Carousel", which alludes to the cycle of trying to survive with a low income despite constant inflation, though the song's name plays into the music proper, taking on a carnival music theme in the verses, complete with some more progressive guitar riffing. Points for creativity, though the choruses are a little too talky as Mike tries to fit in the lyrics."Carousel" is a fun listen, especially with the lyrics contrasting well with the music, but if you like radio hard rock, the experimentation here may lose you. Then we have "Fire & Fury", which is about if global conflict is necessary, complete with audio samples of political speeches by three American presidents (one of which providing the source of this song's name.) This track has two basic themes, with the verses taking on a low morose structure before Mike suddenly amps up the aggression and intensity on the choruses, and while jarring at first, it's effective! The song is well composed and the tonal shifts work well, and while this is an early highlight, less politically minded listeners may not take to the minute-long sample bridge. Fourth up is "Lest Ye Be Judged", inspired by the West Memphis Three murder trial in 1993 and how that case was handled. While the lyrical stretches maintain a mid-tempo, serious vibe, Mike's extended guitar solo is arguably the best I've heard from him yet, showing his technical skill very nicely!
While this song is worth a listen for the guitar solo alone, the verses and choruses work well in their styles, and for someone who's followed the case and Damien Echols' art & writings, it's nice to see a local musician show their support for the West Memphis Three and the injustice they dealt with! The original EP's title track & closer "Hourglass" follows the preceding number in it's themes about looking to blame someone rather than actually finding a solution, and how the former can lead to negative consequences. The longest individual song on "Weight of the World", this song runs for it's first 5:30 as a slower, deliberate song exploring the politically charged message, with Mike's serious low singing a good match for the draw out guitar work, but he does let loose on guitar for a heavier faster close to the song, possibly a thematically reference to global conflict ahead of the sequel. Not my favourite song on the "Hourglass" half just for it's largely downbeat mood, but it ends well!The seventh song is also the first on the March 2018 re-release of Mike's 2017 debut album "In Ruins", which was heavily re-worked from it's original form, with only 3 returning songs on the now-canon reissue. Thematically, this album reflects "the aftermath" of the events warned on the "Hourglass" EP, and it starts here with with "Interlude", which originally was part of the next song "Lost", but was broken into it's own mini-track for "Weight of the World". Running for an album-low 66 seconds, this just has various simplistic notes being played, some reminding me of a xylophone. This all suggesting a ticking clock, possibly following the global conflict alluded to on "Hourglass", and while it's not much of a song on it's own, it sets the mood for the oncoming full songs well enough!
Track #9 is another track that survived the "In Ruins" reboot, namely "Childish Leaders", a double meaning name referencing both the conduct of major global heads of state, and how we could be better off if children were leading governments. A shorter and harder edged song, this song has a catchy vibe and what sounds like a funk inspiration on the riffing, but that flute effect in the backing instrumentation is woefully out of place, and the music cadence sometimes struggles to accommodate some of Mike's lyrics. The softer last 30 seconds ends things on a happier note, and while this song isn't consistently on point, the heavy nature (musically and thematically) works well! Next is "Aylan", inspired by the death of 3 year old Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi, which was highly publicized in news media in late 2015. The third and final returning song from "In Ruins" 1.0, this sees Mike dive into an upbeat punk sound, which is an interesting contrast to the serious lyrics.
With no lyrics to worry about, this is honestly Mike's best showcase as a pure musician on "Weight of the World", with each intended battle (as seen here) getting it's own distinct musical approach, from heavy and fast to slower and dark, and the guitar, bass, and drum tracks all get moments in the sun! As such, this hardly feels like it's almost 7 minutes long, and it has a little something for everyone (except vocals), so I'd definitely get this album for this song if you have the choice!
My biggest note is that some songs have too much dissonance between the serious lyrical themes and the more upbeat/casual nature of their music, and if there was intentional irony in that, it wasn't overtly obvious. We haven't heard much from Mike McCleary musically this summer, but he's a very talented and socially conscious musician, and this album continues his progression upward from the preceding CD "Weight of the Truth", so be sure to check those and his more recent albums at the above links! I hope you guys liked this month's CD review, but what's coming next month? I don't 100% know, but it will be a new album review! At this juncture, three different albums are in the running (Sykotyk Rampage's "Live at the Paris Hilton", SweetKenny's "Management", and Redundant's self-titled debut EP), and while I'm currently leaning towards the original crash band based on earlier release date, Redundant would jump ahead in line if they had a September concert lined up.In any event, stay tuned for that next month, and for more news and notes on the site this week! Thanks everyone!
