“Hi, my name is Adam Emanon. I’m a jack of all trades, a man with many interests, but an artist and music geek at heart.”
– Adam Emanon

Proclaiming yourself a geek opens itself to misinterpretation. Think what you will of the term, but don’t let it overshadow your expectation of Subterranean. Part three in a four part, entirely instrumental, EP themed side project from the self-proclaimed geek, it is anything but nerdy.

Fueled by an admiration for one-man projects, Emanon has single-handedly laid down his vision into eight tracks, challenging the structure of his previous works. Influenced by the likes of Trent Reznor and Devin Townsend (even the Ziltoid years), Emanon picked up a guitar for the first time just ten years ago. Arming himself with the necessary instruments and an undying drive to grow, he soon learned the bass and other instruments.

With each heavy hitting lick and distorted power chord, he noticeably grows within himself; rough around the edges, as is almost any self-produced one man project, Subterranean is an experiment in pushing one’s own abilities and knowledge. Immediately you’re drawn into the prominent bass riffs, while the leading guitar works to fill in the melody. This specific use of the bass is rather uncommon in most avenues of music. There is a sense of more than just heavy down stroked, distorted guitar and dark melancholy beats with each of these tracks. This lends itself to a very eye-opening view into Emanon’s abilities.

There is no missing the fact that this is a self made album, it has all the quirks of self-production. The reason this is worth the listen boils to down to simply the intricacies. With all the rough parts to the recording, there is an underlying power that finds its home in the layering. Using his guitar, drums, piano, stringed accompaniments, and prominent bass, the album holds onto a very promising talent.

Having about a decade of experience with all of these instruments, Subterranean, is certainly no prodigal child made superstar album, but this is definitely evidence of an artistic mind mixing with influence and dedication. Balancing out the difficulties of delivering an album entirely laid down and mixed by yourself, the promise the album brings overshadows any doubt in this geek.