Born from the ashes of various Seattle rock bands,(and apparently a piano engulfed in flames as seen in the official lyric video/visualizer) the trio formerly known as Afterwords, now known as Heavy Air recently released their second single Burn Me on July 5th.

While it would be easy to pigeonhole a trio from Seattle as grunge, Heavy Air is so much more than that.  While clearly inspired from the scene that forever changed the music landscape in the early 90’s, Burn Me sounds a little bit grunge, a little bit nu-metal and yet extremely fresh and modern at the same time. Reminiscent slightly of Thirty Seconds To Mars, Burn Me is both volatile and delicate. You’ll want to play it loud and on repeat. Whether it’s Kyle Adams’ ferocious drums, lead singer/guitarist Sam Howell’s equally impressive vocals and killer riffs or Jacob Sacquitne’s bass being the backbone throughout, all three members shine on Burn Me. It’s impossible to pick out who’s the strongest here, which is one of the reasons why I think this song is so good. There’s something magical that happens when the whole band is contributing equally, and is mixed this well. Everything sonically and lyrically, has been meticulously crafted to perfection.

Burn Me is a song about reflection & self-reliance. “No one’s gonna save you/no one but you/no one even cares/not about you/It’s so sad, what you had/in your hands/is gone or is going away/Hold on/’cause that’s all that you can do” Sam sings with his silky-smooth, albeit somewhat raspy voice throughout the chorus. 

It’s this same DIY approach to their music that is sure to help Heavy Air attract a larger audience. If they keep making great songs that feel contemporary, yet evergreen like Burn Me, it’s only a matter of time before they become a staple on rock radio. 

Rating: 8.9/10

reviewed by Jeremy Schmidt