new music: stream the debut ep from alternative metal act nepotism! #soundcheck

After the mediocrity of the late 90’s basically wiped out alternative metal and rap/rock, it’s taken 15 years to wash off the stink of Limp Bizkit, and make these waters safe to travel again. Columbia, South Carolina’s Nepotism wisely traces their lineage back to the greats; Rage Against the Machine, Quicksand, Living Colour, Faith No More. On their debut EP BLACK SHEEP, the quintet finds there’s life left in old sounds.

By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor

The album opens with a classic riff rock jam in “Let It Out.” The rhythm section of D (drums) and Moses (bass) anchor the song beneath the twin guitar attack of Justin and Luke. The key to alternative metal has always been a tight and inventive rhythm section, which Nepotism has in full force. The lack of overdubs or studio trickery highlights this fact. Frontman Rob shines brightest on the ragers, particularly “New American Drugs,” where he trades out the angst for a wry smile. “This is your brain on drugs” he shouts on the chorus in the album’s greatest early 90’s callback.

Where BLACK SHEEP is most squarely focused on conjuring the early 90’s, its best song is also it’s most timeless. “Nobody Knows” samples Malcolm X’s 1964 Speech to Peace Corps Workers, drawing parallels between the different levels of self-hatred and self-alienation. While loading a song with Malcolm X samples will certainly bring up flashbacks of Living Colour, there’s nothing wrong with paying homage to your heroes when you do something novel with it. “Nobody Knows” is that something, and points to a bold career for Nepotism.