The L.I.F.E. Project – ‘The L.I.F.E. Project’ [EP] [Album Review]

For a good chunk of his musical life, guitarist Josh Rand has been part of American alt-metal band Stone Sour. However, when frontman Corey Taylor announced the band was going on hiatus following the completion of a two-year touring cycle in support of their Hydrograd album, Rand found himself with the opportunity to finish up something that had been sitting on the backburner and so was born The L.I.F.E. Project.

With a clear vision of what this new musical project needed, Rand enlisted the talents of Paralandra vocalist Casandra Carson and the first fruits of this partnership can be heard on their self-titled EP. Comprising of five tracks, the first thing you notice as opener “Ignite” wallops you right between the eyes is Carson’s enormous vocals. Instantly, Carson’s booming voice fills the room grabbing your attention. Rooted firmly in the classic rock/metal drawer, Carson’s voice matches Rand’s musical vision for The L.I.F.E. Project as the dark, hard-hitting “Purgatory” is a true wall-shaker.

“The Nothingness” is another thunderous offering as Josh matches the powerful performance of his musical partner with some rattling classic metal guitar work. Away from the attention-grabbing performance of his former vocalist/bandmate, the partnership of Rand and Carson is almost too good to be true. Blistering riffery is matched with equally hard-hitting vocals with the end result nothing short of explosive.

Hurtling towards the finish post, the pair break things up with “Worthwhile,” a beautiful, piano-drenched affair that certainly shows this project isn’t just about shaking the fillings in your teeth. The band cruise over the finish line with the glorious closer “A World on Fire.” A huge track both vocally and musically, it leaves you hoping that now that the Stone Sour guitarist has a bit of time on his hands, this won’t be the last we get to hear of this impressive match-up of talents.

The L.I.F.E. Project Track Listing:

1. Ignite
2. Purgatory
3. The Nothingness
4. Worthwhile
5. A World On Fire

Run Time: 21:19
Release Date: July 9, 2021
Record Label: Bloodblast Distribution