Metalcatto
I keep exploring things I would normally pass on. Everyone else at MER Industries is busy with life, so it’s time for me to try the old school Hard Rock and Heavy Metal ride that Who on Earth is planning to deliver with It Takes the Village. I wonder: to do what? Raise a child? Maybe I’m missing something, but I’ll dive in and find out.
Well, I’m not sure I missed anything, because the track titles here are exactly what you’d expect from any radio rock band back in the 2000s. Sure, there’s nostalgia baked into the formula, but this goes beyond simple retro appeal. It’s straight up cheesy in a way that might make you blush like the first time you sat on the throne and realized the toilet paper roll was completely empty. There’s just a lot of that Creed energy running through these songs. If Creed was a decent band, of course. The comparison isn’t entirely fair, but it’s also not entirely wrong.
I know that was probably offensive to some readers, but It Takes the Village isn’t devoid of merits. The production is clean and professional, the tracks are enjoyable enough, and they offer some genuine fun. They rarely overstay their welcome, which is always a plus in my book. Probably the singer takes the cake here, delivering performances that elevate otherwise standard material, but the rest of the band is doing their best to support the vision. So now it’s time to bash the album a little bit, as is tradition.
You see, the issue with this album is mostly in the aesthetics and songwriting. It’s simply been done many times before, with little deviation from established patterns. It’s hard to offer something novel in such an explored niche, and It Takes the Village doesn’t really try. There are also too many tracks here. They work better as individual pieces than as part of a cohesive puzzle, which might bother those of us who have grown accustomed to more theme-driven, immersive extreme Metal experiences. The sequencing feels arbitrary, like a playlist rather than a journey.
It was a challenge for someone with my particular tastes, but I do think It Takes the Village can offer the dad-Rock audience something respectable to listen to. If you’re a fan of the crazy, unhinged, or brutal side of our Metalsphere, you’ll have to look in another theme park entirely. You’re just not tall enough for this particular attraction. Consider yourself warned.
Label: Independent
Release date: 8 May, 2026
Website: https://whoonearthus.bandcamp.com/
Country: USA
Score: 2.5/5.0
Metal Eclipse Reviews 