Once Human - Scar Weaver (2022) Hi-Res

The last we heard from Los Angeles’ resident groovesters ONCE HUMAN was 2017’s Evolution. The follow-up to 2015’s breakout debut, The Life I Remember, it looked at the time that vocalist Lauren Hart and guitarist Logan Mader‘s passion project was on the ascendancy. However, a period of dormancy followed and the metal world kept turning. Now, five years later, the troupe are back with album number three Scar Weaver and it is a resounding statement of intent.

Having more in common with the namesake of its predecessor, Scar Weaver feels like the natural and aurally dominant new strain of the ONCE HUMAN template. Perhaps bolstered by the extended time away, largely enforced by the last two years of COVID-related lockdowns, the record proudly displays an amalgamation of the groove metal staples of old and a modern, tech-metal sensibility. And the results are simply emphatic.

Opener Eidolon is an absolute skull crusher with dizzying technicality shown from guitarists Mader and Max Karon one minute before swirling into a copious amounts of groove whilst Lauren Hart dispatches her first vocal outings on the record with absolute ease. Deadlock is a guaranteed floor filler thanks to its bouncy groove and a sublime guesting from MACHINE HEAD‘s Robb Flynn, whose duets with Hart snarl with malicious venom, and the title track’s sheer unrelenting force just demands to be heard at full volume.

On previous outings, Lauren Hart has displayed plenty of flair to showcase her vocal talents, but on Scar Weaver, the ONCE HUMAN vocalist feels reinvigorated and has truly found her voice. From her commanding presence on the vertigo-inducing heights of Bottom Feeder to welcomed splashes of clean vocals, bolstered by her stint with power metal behemoths KAMELOT, on the anthemic Deserted, Hart never loses her footing in the bedlam. Instead, she’s the anchor that keeps the band’s sound grounded and meticulously calculated; just a cursory peruse of the booming Where The Bones Lie is testament to that.

It would be easy to label Hart as the star of the show, but that would be a discredit to the sheer arsenal of neck snapping riffage that Mader and Karon have conjured here. The sheer velocity of the breakdown on Erasure is of earth-shattering magnitude, the more prog-leaning flirtations on grand finale Only In Death are a welcome surprise and showcase the versatility at the band’s disposal whilst the snappy We Ride boasts some utterly brutal riffs whilst Hart spearheads the assault with yet another bout of scorching vocal work.

Scar Weaver is the definitive album from ONCE HUMAN. Calculated, precise and packed to the brim with killer headbang-worthy moments, its clear that the hunger and drive is very much alive within the quintet. Taking advantage of the prolonged time in the wilderness and the meticulous cycle of their rebirth, the band’s third album is a triumphant return and showcases a band ready to make a re-awakened world their own.