*Yes, for your information… I do really like this EP/Album. I could only say it here in the appropriate format. ILY*

By the sounds of “A Home We’ve Never Seen”, Vegas’ music scene just got better and should be turning some heads and raising eyebrows.

Carver, best known from Death in Motion (aka DiM.), stepped out to the forefront as a lead vocalist, instead of a back up, and is showing what a shining light he can be. But then to be really exceptional, you gotta have great music behind the voice as well. Thankfully, that’s exactly what Pariah Was One provides. A cocktail of musicians from various bands (Vile Child, Astoria, and bipolar to name a few).

This was a needed fresh breath here. Blending Progressive, Alternative, Metalcore, and ‘Djent’ elements into a cohesive tasty Metal cocktail of awesome. It helps even more that the vocals were produced by Gemini Syndrome’s Aaron Nordstrom, which if you know that band, you can hear the influence. If you don’t know that band, obviously you should listen to them.

One thing I was most anxious about hearing from Pariah Was One were the lyrics. Knowing Carver *coughCalvincough* the way I do, I knew the lyrics would be a really important factor and I wasn’t disappointed.

“What’s On Your Mind?” is about the obsession with negativity on social media, and how *everyone* is a social justice warrior. No matter what ‘side’ you’re on, you spew the same amount of negativity, and we’re all guilty of being addicted to our phones and social media. Understandably, of course. It wouldn’t hurt if we all cared a little more about what actually matters though, right?

“Bad Reception” takes a good look at how we all communicate with eachother. Could be in person, online, people we love, or even those we don’t know whatsoever. I love the line ‘cater to our egos in heated debate – spoken gasoline won’t always burn with hate’.

“Paisley” is something that I can relate to personally. This song is about the loss of his mother and watching it all unfold and what he felt internally as he handled that loss just before and after. I myself lost my dad to cancer last year, which is something I deal with on a daily basis. I understand it. I feel it. I know it. It wasn’t until the ‘come back’ scream at the end that I was hit in the feels. That’s all I’m saying about that.

“Out of Reach” is about losing your grip on your reality. Mental health is a major hot topic in recent years, and even with instant outreach at our fingertips, it seems as if calling out for help isn’t real… until you follow through with ending things. Only then do people seem to pay attention. Struggling to wake up and act as if everything is ok, when you’re not ok, is a legitimate issue. I also face this, and understand completely. As much as we think we control our mind, sometimes it is not controllable, and darkness does and will set in and change everything. The most sane of people can be brought to their knees by their own mental doing. Keep fighting.

“Eden Gone Dry (Paradise Lost)” could hit home for many. We’ve all had relationships we thought were great, but were actually very negative in the long run, and probably did more damage than good. And yet we still crave that person or the ‘love’ we thought we shared.

“Andromeda (A New Home)”… aliens.

Kidding. Humans suck, basically. The break for ‘We never asked for this – A dream is now a wish – awar into a war – We can’t take much more’ is fucking bad ass. The ending is also a favorite part.

“Nova” is my personal favorite track and what I would imagine is a highlight live. Just fucking balls out ass kicking awesome. Almost reminescent of Gojira but also KoRn. I don’t know. But any song about the sun ending has to be great.

Hidden track is really neat-o too.

I’m very pleased with this EP, and I’m glad it finally happened. I hate that I haven’t seen Pariah Was One live yet, but it will happen soon, and that’s a promise to myself.

I only wish this was an album, just because I want to hear more. But I know more music will come sooner than later. Bring it.

Rating? 4/5

Reviewed by Marcus Miller

#PariahWasOne #AHomeWeveNeverSeen #DeathInMotion #DiM #LasVegas #Vegas