To Humans

The rich sound of To Humans is a combination of flowing vocal harmonies put against parading guitar riffs. This trio from Apple Valley, CA, has the technical aspects of a prog-rock band but all the energy & infectiousness of alt/indie rock, essentially giving you the best of both worlds. Check out To Humans’ latest album Metacognition, just re-released on California Street Music, on their Bandcamp.

For Fans Of: Arctic Monkeys, Cage the Elephant, Smashing Pumpkins
Social Sites: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bandcamp

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band.
Danny Toranzo (Vocalist/Guitarist), Jeremy Lombardo (Drums), and Ace Anderson (Bass)

What’s your hometown (or what are your hometowns)?
Apple Valley, Mojave Desert, California

How did the band come together? How long has it been?
The prototype of the band started in 2012, but our current state has been around since mid 2013.

How have you grown since you started?
We’ve just begun to not overthink our creative process, yet push ourselves till it sounds nice and buttery, yet crunchy and fat.

What sets you apart from other bands?
It’s tough answering that question without coming off as self-aggrandizing, but we just think that we have an eclectic blending of styles of music, and we can be pretty groovy.

What’s the best part about being in your band?
The best part about being in our band is also the worst part. We tend to be out of our element at shows with the bands that we play with, but it’s awesome when people set differences aside and dance with us.

More times than not, influences tend to bleed through. What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making?
Current bands that inspire the actual sound of our band include but are not limited to: The Dead Weather, Smashing Pumpkins, Arctic Monkeys, and Cage The Elephant

What would you say the band has already accomplished and what do you have your eyes set on next?
I’d say that we’ve already accomplished finding our own artistic voice and were able to closely translate that into a record. Next, we’d like to continue expanding our sound and playing bigger and frequent shows.


Thus far, what’s a favorite memory or something quirky that’s taken place with the band (in-studio, onstage, or elsewhere)?
We honestly haven’t encountered something particularly memorable just yet. Come out to a show and make some memories with us.

Is there anything in particular that you’d like people to take away from listening to your music?
We’d like if people heard our music and were able to just think of how something in their life may relate to what we write about, for people to start to think that maybe music can be more than just a time filler, but a means of communication.

If you could change something about the music industry, what would it be?
We would change the idea that bands have to partake in the arduous process of writing and perfecting their live sound AND THEN, do the job of promoters at venues and pay an absurd amount of money to play for three people. The concept of frequent and local visitors at venues is rare, but is prevalent in different scenes and subcultures.

How did your band’s name come about?
When this band was embryonic, it was just a duo (drums and guitar), and it was called “Two Humans”, but we added more members and became lazy and just swapped out the “w”.

What’s the biggest mistake someone’s made while playing?
Failed to enjoy themselves while playing.

Any pre-performance rituals?
We try to find a hookah lounge for before or after the gig.

Is there anything else you would like to add?
We just re-issued our debut album via California Street Music, and would love if some people wanted to check it out. Big thanks to Ashley and PoZ for conducting this interview with us! - PropertyOfZack

So, what do you do when you're a drummer and your dad is also a drummer but not just ANY drummer. He's one of the most iconic metal drummers ever. What is a son to do? Join a power trio and put out an album filled with some of the best hard rock this reviewer has heard in a long time. That's what you do.

The band is TO HUMANS and the drummer in question is a young man named Jeremy Lombardo. Metal fans will undoubtedly recognize the surname and guess that Jeremy's dad is none other than legendary Slayer drummer, Dave Lombardo. More than that, the album, "Metacognition" was mixed and mastered by Jeremy's brother, David A. Lombardo. There's nothing like keeping it in the family.

Now, I'm only singling out Jeremy Lombardo because the press material makes a point of saying "TO HUMANS, featuring Jeremy Lombardo, son of ex-Slayer drummer Dave Lombardo". While this may be a good way of piquing the interest of metal fans, those looking for the second coming of Slayer will be a bit disappointed. Spoiler alert; TO HUMANS sounds NOTHING like Slayer.

In addition to Jeremy, TO HUMANS also features Danny Toranzo on lead vocals and guitar and Ace Anderson playing the bass. To call this group a "power trio" is a bit of an understatement.

"Metacognition" only borders on the metal genre and is more along the lines of a progressive hard rock album. What we're dealing with here are three extremely talented musicians who's style of play is easy to listen to, understated yet complex.

One of the things you'll notice right away, especially considering to emphasis on the Jeremy/Dave Lombardo connection, is how reserved Lombardo is on the drums. The sound is excellent and the beats are generally complex but not so much that you can't tap your foot to them.

Toranzo's voice is clean and pleasant throughout "Metacognition". This gives the listener easy access to the lyrics which are poignant and expressive. A couple of times, especially on "Too Much To Ask", Danny seems to channel the late Layne Staley of Alice In Chains with his vocals.

And, considering this is a power-trio, the guitar and bass create a surprisingly full sound. The talent of Anderson and Toranzo is apparent and the melodies they have created are excellent. One of the clearest examples can be found toward the end of "Puzzles" where the two really open up and shred leading into a crescendo that is hard to top.

As I mentioned, the music on "Metacognition" is more in the vein of so-called alternative or indie rock. As Jeremy Lombardo explains, "Our goal is for this album to prove that honest expression and emotion can still survive as an art". With that in mind, TO HUMANS has achieved their stated goal.

The band cites as influences Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Arctic Monkeys. Personally, I found parts of the album to share some characteristics with the last Queens of the Stone Age record.

On this record you'll hear some great hard rock ("Tenacity"), a touch of reggae ("Antagonism") and, if you're into that kind of thing, some really interesting time signatures ("Cagedbird"). And, just confuse fans of percussion a bit more, there are even a couple of songs with sparse drums or no drums at all as on "Isolation" and "Meet Me By The Wall".

While this is not your typical metal offering, or really metal at all for that matter, "Metacognition" is a superb album and I, for one, am glad that I've had the opportunity to hear it. If you're in the mood for something different, yet approachable with a style that I feel will stand the test of time then you should certainly check out To Humans. And I'll just bet that Dave Lombardo is one proud poppa. As he should be. - Bloody Good Horror