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LTU is quickly gaining notoriety. For that, we have all of you, the loyal LTU fans to thank! Here's some of the feedback we've received. Keep it comin'! ****** October 01, 2007 LESS THAN UNDER is the next one from Sonicbids and the first release through them I wasn’t really sure what to think the first time through. I hadn’t heard anything like this in a few years at least. I wouldn’t say it’s original by any means, but I will say a few other things that’s for sure… The band began in Colorado in 2006 when Jace and Michael left their bands to form LTU; they have released one album ”A Life Less Ordinary”. Their next is to be produced by Arhue Luster (ILL NINO, ex-MACHINE HEAD). First thing I notice almost assume as the track, ”Deadbeat”, starts is the singer tries to sound like the old singer from MUSHROOMHEAD, second thing I notice Nu-Metal is pretty dead what are these guys doing? The second track, ”Polluted” features a typical poppy chorus with lots of shouting with a Nu-Metal kind of style; if this guy was to say “yeah” one more time in this song I might shoot myself in the face, the chorus is not just totally Nu-Metal pop crap. It’s also cheesy, as hell and I don’t know if the “40 oz to Freedom” is a reference to SUBLIME, but if you are in metal band leave SUBLIME at home. Dustin’s screaming in this song, ”Tap Out”, sounds like he ends every word squeezing something from his butt if you know what I am saying. A typical three chord riff, a big waste of time essentially. The lyrics are kind of like a worse version of BIOHAZARD lyrics or something much worse. The riff that begins the fourth song, ”Shot To Hell”, isn’t awful actually the first ray of hope, until the singer starts this kind whine. The riff kind of goes to shit after this and it just sounds boring as well the vocals sounding equally bad. ”Bridges” lyrics could fit into a HATEBREED song except in this song their delivery is kind of in a Rap style; awful song possibly the worst on the album, well perhaps behind the previous one. That was as far as I got. I think maybe if these guys came out like 8 years ago they would have big, but now they are just a joke to me at least. I guess I would recommend them to you if you like MUSHROOMHEAD, GODSMACK, or DROWNING POOL. Although, I wouldn’t really recommend them at all. END ****** September 29, 2007 MetalBro4Life, aka Kristoffer Infante, is an American actor and screenwriter. He loves all things metal! It started with Metallica, of course, and just snowballed into everything else. All metal, all the time! I'm the right man for the job. How do I know? Just read ahead. :) Interview/Report When you hear the phrase "industrial metal" what bands come to mind? Nine Inch Nails? Marilyn Manson? Ministry? Rob Zombie? Has anyone heard of Less Than Under? Shame on you, if you haven't! From listening to their songs available, maybe they're not what you'd call your typical "industrial metal" band. In fact, judging from the song "Polluted," they could hold their own with a band like Machine Head. They incorporate the best elements of hardcore, post-thrash, and hard rock - both lyrically and sonically. Speaking of Machine Head, the boys of Less Than Under managed to snatch a fellow by the of... oh, Ahrue Luster! Yes, the former lead guitarist of the Robb Flynn-fronted band is the producer of Less Than Under. That has to tell you about the potential greatness behind this band. In fact, when I spoke to LTU drummer Jason "Jace" Nimz, who I found to be quite accomodating and eager to discuss his band's future and where they plan to go, he tells me that Luster found THEM! For a band that's been together for two years and with one album out, 2006's "A Life Less Ordinary," having a man of Luster's stature could be overwhelming. Nimz tells me, though, it's strictly business and that making the music comes first. So what drives these boys to do what they do? For Nimz, it's all about staying positive and true to the music, even after getting a sample of "A Life Less Ordinary" trashed by Bubba the Love Sponge on-air yesterday during the weekly "Unsigned Band Review" even after all 4 judges - Spice Boy, Manson, Brent and Ned - gave it the thumbs-up. For some, that would serve as a crushing blow to band, maybe even as a sign to call it quits. Not so for Less Than Under, especially after Jace told me that that was the highlight of his day and that the next step is to move forward, keep flooding Bubba's office with more tapes until the metal world starts taking notice of the name "Less Than Under." So what are a couple of Jace Nimz's favorite skinsmen who influence his style? Scott Rockenfield of Queensryche and Morgan Rose of Sevendust, just to name two. And you can hear it in any "Less Than Under" song. He has a controlled, methodic way of playing, which compliments the rest of the band, as do the rest of the band. Dustin Hollmer (vocals) could be Robb Flynn's twin brother, going from hardcore growl to a quiet whisper before exploding into a fiery choral chant. Jon Maggard and Michael Aranda, while not a Tipton/Downing-style duo, come together seemlessly to produce a hard-rockin', yet vital metallic crunch like a fist to the face, with aid from the low end rumble provided by bassist Mike Gray. It's safe to say, judging from their tracks on their website, that "Less Than Under" are ready. Ready to take on the Family Values, ready for Ozzfest, ready for Sounds of the Underground. They can bring it. Don't be surprised when they explode onto seen after the second album drops, with titles ranging from "Beyond Hate" to "Peace," Less Than Under are going to cover all bases, please their current fanbase and open up new doors for themselves and new fans to follow through. "A Life Less Ordinary" .... BUY IT NOW!
Interview
MetalBro4Life: Hey, Jace! Jace Nimz: What's up, bro? Had a really good day in the studio yesterday. Ahrue [Luster] liked Polluted and Deadbeat so much that we've decided to actually re-write them using some of his ideas, and throw them on the next album. MetalBro4Life: That's awesome! Jace Nimz: Yeah. This next album is going to be off the fucking hook! MetalBro4Life: I liked Polluted and Deadbeat as they are now, but i'm all for it. I kept hearing the chorus this morning when I woke up. Jace Nimz: We do too, but I think the changes make them even better. MetalBro4Life: "Strike 1, Strike 2, Strike 3!" And that's only from the first listen; usually i have to hear a song 4 times before it clicks. Jace Nimz: (laughs) It's a fucking virus, baby! MetalBro4Life: You guys have a hit single there. Jace Nimz: I love it! MetalBro4Life: First, let me say that I loved "A Life Less Ordinary." But, if I may say it, you guys are not what I would call an Industrial metal band. You're definitely a post-thrash/hardcore group - Machine Head-style! For me, Industrial is more Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Ministry, Rob Zombie. Jace Nimz: No, I guess we're really not, but we were very much born out of the primordial soup of the Industrial music movement, and absolutely pay homage to our forefathers, such as Skinny Puppy, KMFDM, Ministry, etc. MetalBro4Life: You guys don't depend on computer trickery like they do, which is cool. So how did Less Than Under snag the former guitarist of Machine Head and current Ill Nino member, Mr. Ahrue Luster? Jace Nimz: Well, he lives in the Denver area. He was scouting out something to do and wanted to get more into the production side of the business, and work with bands that he could help take to the next level. He hit us up on MySpace, and we responded right back. Michael Aranda, our guitarist, realized first what an opportunity we had in working with him. I thought the whole thing was one cruel prank, since we all love the body of work that encompasses Ill Nino, so I called Michael, and we discussed it. We hit him back with a reply that same night, and arranged to meet him the very next day. From there, we've hit the studio hard. He's really challanged us to be more creative and thoughtful with our music, and I like to think that we're really helping him to refine the next phase of his developement. MetalBro4Life: So, having Ahrue in as a producer must have been a boost to the band's ego? I mean, you guys have been together for only 2 years and with just one album out. Jace Nimz: Well, I really like to think that it was because we were so bad-ass as a band, but the pure truth of it was that he was messaging a lot of bands in Denver. We just happened to realize the opportunity first, and jump on it before other bands had the chance. MetalBro4Life: Smart move. Is this Ahrue's first shot at producing? Jace Nimz: Yes, Ahrue is working with 2-3 bands right now, we're fortunate enough to be one of them. Less Than Under, as a band is a very unique mix of guys: I have never been involved in a project where everybody in the band is completely down to earth. Our stage show is awesome, but we don't carry that "untouchable" quality into our interactions with our fans, and I think that makes a huge difference. MetalBro4Life: I like bands that are accessible. The whole "Axl Rose" thing rubs me the wrong way, and look at where he is... 16 years since the Use Your Illusion albums and still no Chinese Democracy! Jace Nimz: Absolutely. Anyone who loses touch with reality is destined to fail. We love hanging out with our fans, and being part of the crowd for our favorite bands almost as much as we love tearing it up on stage! MetalBro4Life: Do your shows ever get too crazy? Jace Nimz: I guess you'd have to define too crazy! MetalBro4Life: Well, let's see... bloody noses? Fights? Riots? Or is it just a good time? Jace Nimz: We like them crazy. We don't have a lot of moshing that occurs at our shows, and that's cool with us. We like that the fans are able to approach the stage, and party right along with us. We sing about the tough shit in life, but when we're up there, we want folks to be able to forget about the tough shit, and say "Fuck it! Tonight, I'm going to forget about my shit, and have a good time." The craziness we have is more along the lines of women walking around with our band's stickers covering their breasts, and women pelting us with their undergarments. MetalBro4Life: Nice! Have any groupies come a-callin' yet? Jace Nimz: I think we have our share of groupies and again, I think
the reason that our crowd continues to grow is because we don't view
them as groupies. They are our friends. We love and appreciate every
one of our fans that we have, and we consider ourselves fortunate to
have them. Jace Nimz: Yeah, the perks of local fame are pretty good right now. The "local" Clear Channel station avoids us like the plague, because we've gotten to the point where we are now in less than 5-7 years (the average time it usually takes for bands to gain noteriety around here), and we've done it without bowing down to them, and relying on their good graces to get there. MetalBro4Life: I say, fuck Clear Channel! That's why I got Sirius Satellite in the first place. So what inspired LTU to come together? Jace Nimz: Well, LTU was born out of a "Darkwave" band that was local to Denver. Michael joined with that band, and recruited me to bring in acoustic drums to a project that had been all electronic. That band had the opportunity to open for some pretty heavy hitters. KMFDM on the Hau Ruck tour, 30 Seconds to Mars, Flyleaf, etc. When it became clear that this Darkwave band was not going to fulfill our desires to move to the next level, we parted ways and started looking for other like-minded musicians. Michael knew Dustin, our vocalist, who came out of another project he was unhappy in, and we started writing. In about 2 months time, we had about 80 tunes to work with. Early on in the process, we brought in Mike Gray, our bassist, and decided to record the first album. MetalBro4Life: You all do the writing together, or separately and then combine ideas at meetings? Jace Nimz: We do a lot of writing separately, but the songs only realize their full potential when we come together. We really prefer to come together, and let things evolve organically. There is no one person in the band that strictly determines the direction and flow of all our material, though Michael is the guy who generally brings the most "seed" ideas to the table. So I guess to answer the question: We write together, since the ideas we all bring to the table evolve so much between the proposal phase and the final song. MetalBro4Life: And you guys are working on a follow up to "A Life Less Ordinary?" Are there any song titles and/or album title, or is it still in the planning stage? Jace Nimz: The album is still very much in the planning stages. We are, however, taking two songs that we know the fans love, and really putting them on the "sacrifical altar" so to speak, for Ahrue. Those two are Deadbeat and Polluted. I think fans will be very impressed with the rewrites we are doing to those songs. It's sort of a gamble, but I believe that it is a good gamble. We have about 5-6 songs in the pre-production phase right now, and have whittled down another 8-10 for consideration. We'll narrow that list down to 10-12 songs total for the next album. But the album has not yet been named. MetalBro4Life: What about touring? After the second album is done, where does LTU go? Jace Nimz: Well, we were hoping to tour this summer, and had planned about 3/4 of the tour when Michael was in a pretty back motocross accident. Someone landed right on him on a 90 foot table top jump. MetalBro4Life: Shit! Jace Nimz: After the next album, we're looking to do a spring or summer tour. We're also hoping to work with Ahrue more to help us in that arena...get us in touch with people in the business, and get us attention in more areas of the country, so that a tour can actually pay for itself. We've also been in touch with other key industry players. We were fortunate enough to get our album in to the hands of the manager for Five Finger Death Punch. We really admire and respect those guys, and would love to go out on tour with them! There are other deals in the works, of course, but we're pretty hush-hush about them right now, just to the players involved. LTU has never considered itself a "local" band, per se, and we do not conduct ourselves as such. For example, for every show, we flyer a minimum of 5,000-7,000 flyers. MetalBro4Life: So it'll be Less Than Under and Five Finger Death Punch tearing up the U.S.? Jace Nimz: Wow! That would be an awesome bill! We could only be so lucky! MetalBro4Life: If you could choose another band to hit the road with, who would it be? Jace Nimz: The question of "who else" is way to mind-boggling, because we're such fans of music in general. Were it up to me, I'd love the chance to share the stage with Sevendust! MetalBro4Life: You guys have any management yet? Jace Nimz: No, we don't have management yet. I am looking at a possible endorsement with an awesome drum company, however. They are called PoBoy Drums. They are such awesome sounding drums! If I can make a quick plug? www.poboydrums.com MetalBro4Life: I've never heard of them. I'll have to check them out. Jace Nimz: They are based out of Littleton, Colorado and the thing I really like about them is that they make such awesome kits at such an affordable price. MetalBro4Life: What drummers influence you? Jace Nimz: I really like the guys who can make drumming technical as well as soulful. Scott Rockenfield from Queensryche comes to mind. I also really admire what Mike Wengren of Disturbed does behind the kit. And Morgan Rose of Sevendust. I really admire what Morgan does behind the kit. Someday, when I learn to play the damn things I wanna be just like him. MetalBro4Life: Do you apply any specific technique to your own drumming based on those who influence you? Jace Nimz: Sure. For instance, I am really working hard on my double bass chops right now. That is a direct inspiration from guys like [Lamb of God drummer] Chris Adler, and [Shadows Fall drummer] Jason Bittner. I love their quickness, but I also really want to keep the ability to incorporate the bass drum as part of the melody I create on the drums, the way Morgan Rose, and Mike Wengren do. Playing hard-driving blast beats is fun, but that sort of straight forward pounding for an ENTIRE song isn't always best for the feel of what we like to convey. MetalBro4Life: Adler and Bittner are my favorite drummers, too. Have you seen Chris Adler's bass drumming technique on youtube? Basically he kicks with the heel first and then comes down on the foot, so you have double the bass sound per beat. Jace Nimz: Yeah. That is one thing that I am practicing endlessly right now. I usually spend about 2 hours a night on that technique alone right now on the practice kit! MetalBro4Life: That's my favorite thing about drumming. The sound of a fast double kick bass drum. Pardon the expression, but that's what gets me hard! Jace Nimz: I love their precision, but I've never aspired to be that mechanical. I respect the hell out of guys that can do that, but I think of my drum kit as more of an amusement park...a one-person playground. I really like to be able to pull out of a fast, heavy piece, lay back, and watch the audience...I like to make direct eye contact with the crowd, and let them know that I am into it as much as they are. MetalBro4Life: When i'm at a gig, I always watch the drummer, too. I'm always fascinated by their coordination, rather than watching a guitarist noodle his instrument and showing off. Jace Nimz: Thanks! It's good to know someone is watching. Drummers, by their very nature are not often seen. That's why when you look at various pictures of LTU, you'll often see me standing on my drum kit in between songs. Like I said, I like to treat my drum set like my own personal playground, and that includes climbing all over it! MetalBro4Life: Ah, so you're a Keith Moon-type? Jace Nimz: Yeah...sort of Keith Moon-ish. MetalBro4Life: I like drummers who are not stiff and like to be visible. Do you do drum solos at your shows? Jace Nimz: I don't do drum solos. In fact, we as a band don't do many solos at all, even during the music. MetalBro4Life: I agree, drum solos went out with John Bonham. So going back to the upcoming Ahrue Luster album.... Jace Nimz: (laughs) Well, it's not an Ahrue Luster album. It's still VERY much Less Than Under. MetalBro4Life: My bad! I'm hyped up on Doritos and MonsterEnergy right now. Jace Nimz: Monster FUCKING rocks!!! Please sponsor us guys!!! MetalBro4Life: Yeah, it's got me twisted in the wind right now. What I meant to say was the Ahrue Luster-produced album. Jace Nimz: (laughs) I know, just busting your chops, man. MetalBro4Life: I reckon there's some songs written and named on the next album? Jace Nimz: We do have several songs that we've debuted in front of audiences at some of our last few shows. The two titles I can give you right now that we know are going on the album are "Beyond Hate", and "Peace." MetalBro4Life: I like the duality of the titles - "Peace" and "Beyond Hate." Do you guys have that yin and yang in your lyrics? The positive and not so positive? Jace Nimz: Actually, "Peace" in itself is a dualistic song. The vocal hook in the chorus is: "Give peace a chance...to fuck shit up!" MetalBro4Life: (laughs) Get the listener in a calm vibe and then slap them with something brutal. Jace Nimz: LTU's lyrics are about being at the bottom of the barrel, being shat upon. We want to inspire and encourage, to motivate those that are at that point, or have been at that point to rise above. MetalBro4Life: But not preachy, I hope. Jace Nimz: Holy SHIT no! We're heavy. Period. We're brutal. We're a cold hard look....a close up, raw, in your face, no blinking, no bullshit look at the hard realities of life. But we're also about How to overcome, how to be stronger than your adversities. We dont PREACH anything. We tell it like it is. We know about that fucker that crashed on your couch for a year...that fucked your girlfriend, and drank all your beer...We had the same asshole stay with us too... MetalBro4Life: Let's talk about your tape being played on Bubba the Love Sponge for a second. First, why choose Bubba? Who thought of going that route? Jace Nimz: The choice on Bubba was because Dustin, our vocalist, has Sirius. We also love the UFC, and Mixed Martial Arts in general. Bubba's show is something that Dustin really likes to listen to, and when we heard about the unsigned band review, we decided to go for it. We also knew that he has one hell of a dedicated listenership, and that the exposure was a great opportunity. What we didn't know was how it would turn out. We're getting about 1,000 more plays a day on our MySpace page now, just due to that appearance. MetalBro4Life: Well, it got my attention. How did you guys feel when you had Manson, Brent, Spice Boy, and Ned saying "yeah, we love it!" and then Bubba overruling them and smashed the tape? Were you guys all together listening? Jace Nimz: That was the coolest moment. When he smashed our CD, I admit I was absolutely jazzed, because I knew that it would cause a shitstorm of controversy, and sure enough, it did. The show airs really early in our timezone, and honestly, we don't all have Sirius. We did get a friend to tape the show for us though, and listened to it later. Dustin was the only member who heard it live, but we were on the phone at 5 AM, just after it aired talking about it. Having Bubba smash the CD was the best, BECAUSE everyone else loved it. Any press is good press, but that kind of press...well, it's got us all totally stoked! MetalBro4Life: Did you guys learn anything from what was said from Bubba? Jace Nimz: Yeah, we learned that Bubba is an old fart! MetalBro4Life: (laughs) He's only 41. Jace Nimz: OK, Bubba's a classic rock-loving, middle-aged fart! But, like I said, the outcome couldn't have been any better. The simple fact that there was so much controversy on the show was totally cool with us...I think the worst would have been if they were totally "ho-hum" about it... MetalBro4Life: And they have been in the past with other bands. I say, keep flooding their offices with more tapes! Jace Nimz: Yeah, I think that may be the strategy we'll use. We'd love it if our fans (new and old) would flood them with calls, too! The very coolest thing though, was seeing our MySpace page light up. Since July, we've been getting hit pretty hard with friend requests (started with 2000 or so, and have been getting about 50-60 a day since then). After the BTLS show, we're hitting about 90-100 a day, and many of those friends already have one of our songs playing on their profiles. That's really cool to see! MetalBro4Life: I hope when this is published, you get some love from the Aussies. Jace Nimz: Man, I'd LOVE to play for the Aussies! I know those kids love metal, and I would love to see that country! MetalBro4Life: Where do you see the band going? Any long term goals? Jace Nimz: Oh, yes! The goal from the get-go has always been to tour the world, meet new people and PARTY with them! In a nut shell, that is our basic strategy. Honestly, this is the first band I've been *privileged* to be a member of. It's also the only band I've been a part of where I will actually load up our own songs on my iPod and rock out to them! MetalBro4Life: Are there any fears that something might change? Relationship with girlfriends and family, or are you guys prepared fully for what is expected from a kick-ass metal band? These things take their toll. Jace Nimz: There are always those fears, but very early on, we all had these conversations with ourselves, and our family and friends. From the beginning, it's been a very clear expectation on all of our parts that there are things that would take sacrifice. MetalBro4Life: Any final words for any potential new fans who may want to pick up on Less Than Under? Jace Nimz: Come out! Party with us! Introduce yourselves! Become our friends! We love the feedback, and we love playing for everyone. We are so lucky that we have so many people that enjoy our music! Thank YOU!!! MetalBro4Life: Well, my friend, thank you on behalf of myself at Heavy Metal Nation and to all prospective LTU fans everywhere. Jace Nimz: My brother, thank you!
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June 1, 2007 Various CD Baby Reviews 5 out of 5 stars MINDBLOWING ****** June 1, 2007 ****** Reviewed by Snidermann ****** May 18, 2007 Less Than Under is a name that seems to encapsulate the idea behind the music of this industrial metal band which tends to gravitate around an exploration of that dark part of life that exists underneath the average existence. Everyone experiences dark times; “less than under” is that time when you think you’ve been existing in the throes of the dark times and things suddenly get worse. Life can be harsh and when it turns from “this sucks” to “I can’t even think about how this feels”, you’ve gotten to even “less than under”. The lyrics from this band grab you by the chin and force you to look at those moments that you don’t think that you can bear to look at. “Polluted” puts it most succinctly; there are times in life when you just feel completely toxic. Less Than Under strives to expose those times to the light and poke at them to watch them writhe. The effect is achieved lyrically but is hit-and-miss instrumentally. This isn’t to say that Less Than Under lacks instrumental talent but more that the music is technically good without always reaching this emotional pinnacle that the lyrics tug you towards. The lyrics are more metal than rock, the music is more rock than metal, so that the band hangs suspended in the air between the two genres. Less Than Under is a new band, formed in 2006 but only adding their newest member as recently as March 2007. As the band continues to put their lyrics to the emotional test with deeper exploration of their instrumental possibilities, it’s possible that what we’ll see is the suspension between rock and metal serves to expose the underbelly of the music. They love to play live and have lots of dates lined up so they’ll be honing those skills as you read this. ****** March 15, 2007 "I checked out your band's web site, looked at the pics, and listened to ****** March 21, 2007 Firestorm Radio "Hey there, I got your disc in the mail and we have been giving it lots of airplay. You all are getting some fans over here . You are quickly becoming one of our most requested bands to play . Keep rocking , we love it ." Firestorm Radio Website Firestorm on MySpace Request LTU on Firestorm Radio ****** |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 24 October 2007 ) |