Early Man is a FUN band to listen to. Period. Originally from Columbus, Ohio but now based in New York, Early Man play a style of rock that is equal parts thrash and stoner metal. While some jump to cite The Sword, Wolfmother, and even Black Sabbath as the obvious sonic contemporaries, one would be hard pressed to find any band as enjoyable as Early Man. I mean this record just slays. And if I’m not mistaken I believe this was recorded as a two piece! Having since added a second guitarist. Now I know there is a glut of these so called stoner, doom, dare i say “throw back” type bands who worship at the alter of Sabbath, but few have given me as many repeated spins than these guys. Just listen to those riffs! if this record doesn’t get your toes a tappin’ or head a bobbin’ , then I’m afraid you may be dead my friends.

Heres what some people have said about Closing IN:

Riding in the thunderous pack of post-ironic metal is New York’s Early Man. Like fellow back to basics revivalists Three Inches of Blood, Early Man is a two piece with an unabashed love of Cro-Magnon NWOBHM. They sound so freakin’ sincere about what they’re doing, they manage to draw both the No Life ’til Leather crowd as well as those who buy Iron Maiden t-shirts to make some sort of dimwitted, cooler-than-thou social commentary.

As with their three song demo released last year, Closing In sounds like it should’ve been released right after Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All and Paul Di’Anno was just replaced by some dude from Samson. Back when metal was pimply, angry, and ugly. And while it’s metal in all its primitive glory, it’s also fairly accomplished. There’s a base of chugga-chugga riffs driving the whole deal, but that would be wholly unremarkable if not for the overall playing. They’ve got a handle on what makes an ass kicking head banger, and it shows in tracks like “Four Walls,” “Thrill of the Kill,” and “Fist Shaker.”

While the vocals occasionally touch upon a too shrill level, it’s still all good, straight-from-1982 metal. Early Man may be winking at us when they play, but they do it well enough that I don’t care if it’s a joke or not. – StonerRock.com

Anyone who has ever held a Gibson SG in their hands, felt the warm buzz of an overdriven Peavy guitar combo amp breathing against the back of their legs, and let loose with a windmill motion on the only chord they know how to play will no doubt recognize the mission of Columbus, OH’s Early Man. If their bio is to be taken literally, guitarist/vocalist Mike Conte and drummer Adam Bennati (insert inevitable “White Stripes of heavy metal” blurb here) were sheltered from the sinful world of rock & roll by their fundamentalist Pentecostal families until the age of 19. It was then that they found the antichrist in the tomes of Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and like good and pious disciples, applied the metal Gods’ lessons — and more importantly, their sound — to their rebirth. On their Matador debut, Early Man take up the mantle of primal, ’70s hard rock with such dogmatic intensity that you would swear the stories are true. Closing In is Paranoid-era Sabbath through and through. Simplistic heavy riffs and nihilistic imagery are delivered with the kind of ferocity that can only come from being locked in your basement during puberty by your hellfire- and brimstone-emitting parents. The problem is, there’s no irony. This is not the Darkness, Andrew W.K., or the Fucking Champs celebrating their deviant youth. Closing In is numbingly derivative, not just because it wears its influences like a bat in its mouth, but because there’s nothing even remotely memorable or engaging about it. It is an impeccably performed, recorded, and packaged parlor trick that thinks it’s a veritable anti-hair metal movement. Without a shtick, the listener is forced to judge each song against its predecessor. It’s a courtroom trial that Early Man have every right to be in, but not a chance in Hell of winning, and for the record, “Fist Shaker” sounds just like “Lack of Communication”…by Ratt. – All Music Guide

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