Music often reflects the story and the views of the artists. It reflects their emotions and even their deepest and darkest struggles, and with Secular Era & Drexl Bowie‘s freshest drop, “While Nero Played,” they share their view and take on the darker side that humanity doesn’t usually recognize. With the band’s signature sound, this metal rock project is something innovative from the side of the artists as they introduce the audiences to themes of greed, hunger for power, and war.
Secular Era & Drexl Bowie have been steadily rising in the underground scene with their unique music which is packed with heavy riffs laced with melodic rhythms and lines. Their musicality is something that I call a skillful balance between potent and focused, which makes the whole album dynamic as it carries sounds that truly connect with the audience. With this new album, not only showcases their growth in their skills as musicians, but it also showcases their grit to push toward new heights using their signature sound and musicality.
“While Nero Played” is an album released on November 1, 2024, a collection of 12 powerful tracks from the band that not only displays their skillset as artists but also dives deep into the horrors and darkness that humans often hide. It opens with “Master Morality,” a track with high-energy production accentuated by heavy guitars and drums right from its opening notes. The vocals were full of anger as they screamed lines of struggle to stay between right and wrong in situations—what a great sound to set up the mood for the whole album.
“Ides of March” follows through, maintaining the intense energy and anguish from the initial track. Consistency in this album is vital; as observed through all songs, the power and performance are all consistent with the quality—epic high. With “Martyr,” on the other hand, I hailed this as my personal favorite along with the track “A Night Nameless and Eternal” because of the driving sound of the track, making this a great song. I can’t help but bang my head along with each note being sung. Moreover, both tracks maintained the vibe of being full of anguish energy as accentuated with each pound of the drums, and each scream in the song – absolute bangers!
With “Plata O Plomo,” you can feel the intensity of each vocal being fired as it goes further into the conflict of a man and his darkness, specifically in dealing with his corruption because of money. This anguish is intensified by the relentless, powerful riffs of the guitar that go along with each hard-pounding drum throughout the song. Moreover, the lead track “While Nero Played” starts off with some plucks from an acoustic guitar that then erupts into something bigger of a sound. I personally like how this track is arranged—all the lines were perfectly placed, which goes along with each high and low of the song, which always ends up with an explosive climax on its chorus, which creates these big impacts for the listeners.
More tracks were also released along with the awesome tracks as described above. “Men of War,” “Women Whiskey Money,” “A Beautiful Lie,” “The Judge,” “They Don’t Know,” and “Slave Morality” carry the same grit and vigor that this album has, and for sure, these tracks will keep you focused and will make you ponder the things and situations around you.
Ultimately, Secular Era & Drexl Bowie have done a great job in producing this whole album. “While Nero Played” is power—it’s deeply connecting, thought-provoking, high quality in terms of production, and most of all meticulously done. This is a very engaging album that carries a lot of emotions that allow the listeners to feel and confront their darkest side. A very enjoyable listen too! Don’t miss out on this great release! Connect with the artists too and follow them for more music! Stream “While Nero Played” by Secular Era & Drexl Bowie now!
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About the Author
Tine Quirino, also known as Kristine, is a writer (frustrated one), a dreamer (serial sleeper), an INFJ (also INTP/J), a (professional) fangirl, and a good listener (‘literally and figuratively,’ she states).
She is just here, lurking somewhere, enjoying all your music. Music of any kind is still music, after all.
