With their self-titled debut album, “Adema,” the local boys join the ranks of Korn and Orgy for getting the Bakersfield music scene out to mainstream audiences. In a post-grunge music genre filled with manufactured boy bands and pubescent pop divas, this new generation of alternative music is a mixture of angst-ridden lyrics, fueled by pounding drums, thrashing guitars and a frontman with a voice that is both whining and raw.
One of the 12 tracks, Adema’s “Speculum,” has much more heart and feeling than other songs on the CD.
“… I was so much an outcast, no one ever liked me cause I wasn’t wanted, I was so different from the rest of them, all messed up on drugs, from the speed and I never got to sleep…”
“Speculum,” is a heartfelt song about remorse and loss. “… Half the world wouldn’t know what its like to lose a seed, maybe you can understand how it feels, I cant reach that soul, you’re probably watching over us, know that I think about you, its killing me.”
Lead singer Mark Chavez, who is the younger stepbrother of Korn frontman Jonathan Davis, has a voice like Davis, bringing soul and feeling to the sound of the group.
While no one can accurately predict exactly how long these types of bands will be around, as long as pop music tops the charts, Adema and others will most likely be around to rebel against it.
“… I’m on the outside, take apart of my life, why would I let them make up my mind and be misled? I have had enough of who they want, leave me alone, there’s pain inside.”
Those are lyrics from “Pain Inside,” another song about rage and alienation. Adema’s somber and industrial sound has no doubt found a following, not just with their local fans, but with their first single, “Giving In,” they also have found heavy radio station play. Songs like “Drowning,” also paint a picture of total pessimism.
“… Life has always been a problem, can’t you see I don’t fit in, people have said they have said that I’m not okay, I lost my mind numb me till I wont feel pain again, it’s like a needle in my spine, it stings inside, poisons me with time.”
Some say that the rock music of today has lost its edge. Although most rock acts today may not have the staying power of veteran rockers like Eric Clapton or Aerosmith, the new comers like Adema are getting music out to a young audience, which suggests that they will be around for some time.
The alternative music scene is filled with these types of bands, all rage-filled young men with much aggression and pain in their sound. Bands like Adema use music to get their point across. Adema’s music is loud, abrasive and above all, real.