Anonymity is the new metal. Wait, or is anonymity the new nu-metal? Hold up, anonymity is aesthetic, metal is a sound that invokes a certain feeling, no matter if it is wearing corpse paint or bell-bottoms. Now that we have cleared up, we can proceed into the new album by buzz-band President, who are dropping their debut EP King of Terrors (ADA/Warner Music). The lead single, “In the Name of the Father” opens the album. It’s a great pop song that was a big hit with kids who are fans of other pop acts like Ghost, and Sleep Token. Unlike Ghost, these guys do not draw influence from ABBA or Andy Gibb, whose song “Love is Thicker Than Water” pretty much encapsulates the sound of Papa Emeritius and his band of trick-or-treaters.
President follows the Pop formula, once employed by Sleep Token before they became obsessed with dope beats and slow jams. It’s a simple one; the verse creates space for emotive soulful vocals to lure you in for a big, anthemic, hooky chorus. To market this as metal, you also need to throw in some djent guitars with technical drumming. But don’t worry, to take the sting from this, we’re mixing in multiple layers of harmonized vocals with a dab of auto-tune as the icing on the cake. “In the Name of the Father” might be catchy as hell, but “Fearless” feels like it allows you to look behind the masks and hear who they really are with its stronger pop leanings.
The emotion being conveyed here feels more genuine than the new Sleep Token album, as the lyrics are shrouded in less obscure metaphors about tasting caramel in arcadea and more of the “I cannot regulate my emotional nature” type of confessional that most of us can relate to in 2025. The vocals are pretty much the centerpiece, not just of this song but of the entire album, and the masked man gives an impressive performance throughout the album, falling somewhere between James Blake and Joji.
“RAGE” ironically invokes little feeling, even being slightly annoyed until the final minute of the song, when things kick into the more syncopated stomp. There is nothing wrong with this; it just takes a second listen to appreciate the song for what it is. “Destroy Me” has a more Nu-Metal feel, though things are dialed back to a Post-Malone level of intensity. The vocals dance around a TikTok beat bolstered by Myspace metal guitars. The album’s first actual metal moment drops in the last minute of “Ditionysus” when things come to a crunching conclusion. Though the majority of the songs feel like they are picking up where the previous song left off, with a more soaring emotional response on the chorus.
The opening measures of the last song almost feel like it’s going to be a cover of Bruce Hornsby and The Range’s “That Just the Way it is” until the heavily layered and auto-tuned vocals come in to bring the party to the kids. Guitars kick in enough for you to feel ok about listening to it on the way to the gym. At the end of the day, the key to this song is the fact that it’s hard to argue against a good pop vocal. Even this album’s mediocre metal riffs can’t take away from the keen ear for hooks this band possesses, so do not get fooled by the marketing gimmick; there is more to this than the hype.
The big takeaway from the President phenomenon is that it’s ok to like pop music. Plenty of media whores have jumped to defend bands like this by saying this sort of thing is metal. This is the wrong message. It makes you look like a cuckold for your record label. What we should be saying is- enjoy different types of music. If I listened to this album with the same ears I just listened to the new Internal Bleeding album with, I might be disappointed, but I went in with more reasonable expectations and found it highly entertaining, benefitting from stellar production, slick vocals, and smart songwriting.
It might help that pop music already makes up 15 percent of normal listening, with new albums by HAIM, Miley Cyrus, and The Beaches in regular rotation, and that number will likely jump to 30 percent on October 3rd when the new Taylor Swift drops. President met my expectations with this album. If you are looking for catchy pop tunes to get you moving in the morning, this album is worth your time, as it’s really well executed, working your ears like Fruity Pebbles tickles your tongue when you’re stoned, so ignore the masks and give it a listen.
Buy the EP here:
https://www.presidentband.com
9 / 10
WIL CIFER
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