Early Man "Closing In"

Early Man is a heavy metal band from Brooklyn, New York, now based in Los Angeles, California. Guitarist and vocalist Mike Conte began performing under the name "Early Man" in the early 2000s, and when drummer Adam Bennati moved to New York in 2003, the two formed the nucleus for the current line-up. Drawing influence from bands such as Black Sabbath, Mercyful Fate, Megadeth, Judas Priest, Kreator, Celtic Frost, and early Metallica, their traditional approach quickly gained the attention of the independent music scene and they released their first EP in early 2005 on Monitor Records. Matador Records quickly signed them and released their debut LP, "Closing In", in the fall of the same year. Lead guitarist Pete Macy was added to the band's lineup in 2005. The band has used several bass players over the years and at times will perform without one.

The band cut ties with Matador Records and signed with The End Records in 2008. They released "Beware The Circling Fin", a 4-song EP on October 14, 2008, and tours with Iced Earth, High On Fire, 3 Inches Of Blood, Toxic Holocaust, Skeletonwitch, and Valient Thorr soon followed. The follow-up to the group's debut album is entitled "Death Potion". It was recorded and produced by Jack Endino. "Death Potion" was released on July 20, 2010, and the band did a fall tour with Evile and Bonded by Blood. Prior to the tour Mike Conte announced that he had officially cut ties with Adam Bennati. The band is currently using various touring drummers for live shows.

In July 2011 it was announced that Mike Conte is the Composer for a new show debuting on the Cartoon Network called Secret Mountain Fort Awesome. Conte is in charge of all of the music for the show which premiered in the fall of 2011.

Closing In is the debut album by Early Man, released on October 11, 2005. There are clear influences from heavy metal bands like Black Sabbath and thrash metal bands like Metallica. Mike Conte's vocal style is very similar to Ozzy Osbourne and Rob Halford, while not exactly imitating them.

The album also features another heavy/speed metal attribute: aggressive, "don't fuck with me" lyrics, as heard on "War Eagle," "Thrill of the Kill," and "Evil Is."

Track listing

1. Four Walls - 2:42
2. War Eagle - 3:14
3. Death Is the Answer - 5:35
4. Feeding Frenzy - 3:23
5. Thrill of the Kill - 4:35
6. Like a Goddamn Rat - 3:10
7. Fist Shaker - 3:43
8. Evil Is - 4:27
9. Brain Sick - 3:32
10. Contra - 3:53
11. Raped and Pillaged - 3:51

Closing In received mixed to mostly positive reception.

Pitchfork appreciated the old-school thrash metal style, and the "galloping riffs and booming power chords". The only negative stated was a significant degree of uniformity throughout the album, with only 1 or 2 songs varying in style.

AllMusic also appreciated the ferocity of the older style, but heavily criticised both the uniformity but also stated "Closing In is numbingly derivative" with no pieces showing significantly originality.

Recording information:

Produced by Matt Sweeney.

Recorded at Water Music in Hoboken New Jersey, February 2005.

Engineered by Scott Norton.

Mixed at Headgear Studios in Brooklyn, New York, May 2005.

Mixed by John Agnello.