“Age of Madness” First Singles Review

“Age of Madness” First Singles Review: Released April 22, 2022

Group Members:

Jeremy Jordan (Vocals) Instagram: @jeremymjordan

Sarah Charness (Violin) Instagram: @sarahpinkviolin

Mikael (Bass/Guitar) Instagram: @m1kael_aom

Matt Graff (Percussion) Instagram: @matt_graff_music

Songs: “My First Enemy” and “Preaching to the Fire”

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Being a fan of Jeremy Jordan and having followed him and his work for over two years now, I’ve discovered a lot of new things I wouldn’t have otherwise.

I listened to Nightfall by Marisela Treviño Orta, where he played Ryan. I fell in love with his portrayal of Johann Faustus on Michael Mott’s In the Light: A Faustian Tale. I followed him as Varian on Tangled: The Series. I saw his character Jimmy Collins fall in love with Katherine McPhee’s Karen Cartwright on Smash. These are just a few examples of what being a fan of him has led me to find.

The thing is, I knew that none of this was his own work. I actually had no idea what his personal musical style was, or what he enjoyed creating. Even though I knew him as a singer, I didn’t know what spoke to him as a performing artist at all.

That said, I think that that (at least in part) just changed. Because I just got a closer look at a side of his artistic style that I’ve never seen before now…

“Age of Madness” Announcement

Last month, he released a video on Twitter announcing that he was finally going to release some music of his own – with a rock band he’d formed called “Age of Madness.”

If I’m being honest, this is where I started getting a little nervous. The announcement was very sudden, and I was kind of taken aback. I also know nothing about the modern rock genre, and I was having a hard time imagining him in anything other than theatre and television.

Don’t get me wrong, I was still excited for this, but I knew it was going to be very different from anything else I’d ever seen or heard him in. He hadn’t really shown this particular side of himself throughout all the work I’d seen him do. (Granted, he couldn’t, but still…)

Previews on Instagram

Earlier this month, about a week before the first singles dropped, the band started releasing little ten-second snippets of the songs that were going to be released first, along with brief descriptions of what they were about.

This was when my anxiety started to go away, and here’s why: those previews – along with the descriptions of the songs – sounded very intriguing!

The first singles dropped Friday April 22^nd 2022 at midnight. I’d been waiting up for them, so I immediately downloaded when it all released and listened in full for the first time.

My verdict?

Oh my God… I think Jeremy Jordan just turned me on to rock music!

This entire group is incredible! I’m trying to find the words to describe the very first song I heard on this and how it impacted me.

“My First Enemy”

“My First Enemy” is that first song, and it was the one that – based on the title alone – I expected not to like as much when I read it for the first time. Turns out, I was wrong… it’s actually the other way around for me!

I love the second song as well, but putting “My First Enemy” on the track list first means that the band literally starts off with a bang, and I love that about it! It’s one heck of a way to begin!

The message of the song is incredibly powerful, and honestly I feel I can better connect with the story being told in it. That may be why I like it slightly more than the other song.

Before I talk about “Preaching to the Fire” I want to discuss the group bringing all this together, member by member.

Jeremy Jordan (Vocals)

I feel like I’ve talked enough about Jeremy Jordan’s talent as a singer on here for this to feel like very familiar ground to my readers. Because of that, this section will only briefly cover his singing. I just have to say that he covers this new territory with amazing confidence and completely owns it! It’s like he’s been singing rock for years! That said, even with that, there was something else that caught my attention even more…

So, what stood out to me, more so than how he sang? Well, the truth is, I never realized what kind of writer he was until now. His lyrics for both songs are incredibly unique and perfectly showcase any story or message he wants to get across. Before this came out, his style as a writer wasn’t clear to me at all, so I couldn’t fully appreciate it. Well, I can now. He shows on this that – not only can he write – he’s really good at it!

Sarah Charness (Violin)

Now I’m going to move on to Sarah Charness, the violinist. And the first thing I want to say is that her playing is incredible! It especially shines through on the first track when the song slows down and listeners are given a chance to digest whatever Jordan has sung through the microphone and her violin playing immediately comes in after him and accentuates the message. In my opinion, her playing makes that song!

On the second track I don’t really hear her violin, but I think she’s backing up Jordan’s vocals instead! As a matter of fact, I think they’re all backing him up vocally and – if they are – I like how she and the other band members come in for this gentler number in a different way. It’s beautiful!

Mikael (Bass/Guitar)

I want to talk about the bass/guitar player, Mikael, next. I really like his playing! In both tracks, his work stands out, backing up the vocals beautifully, again highlighting whatever is being sung through the microphone!

In the first track, his playing is more intense to match the theme of the song, while in the second one he goes at that song’s theme in a gentler, softer way that I really appreciated hearing after the very loud nature of the first song.

Matt Graff (Percussion)

Finally, we have Matt Graff on drums. Again, depending on the song, his playing varies. In “My First Enemy” he has to go at it harder and keep up with the fast playing of the other instrumentalists, providing the backbone of the pace of the song. And he nails it! He plays at a rate and with an intensity that is perfect for the emotion being portrayed.

In “Preaching to the Fire” he has to slow down a bit, but he does it without any problem and again provides the backbone of the musical aspect of the song. His playing helps build up the sensual theme that that song goes for. It matches the emotion being portrayed perfectly.

“Preaching to the Fire”

Speaking of “Preaching to the Fire”…

Like I said earlier, I had predicted when I first read that title when I was preordering the album that this song would be my favorite. It ended up not turning out that way, but I still really like it. I love the fact that the song has an almost seductive feel to it that pulls you in right away.

I also have to mention briefly that, in the lyrics, the events of the song are likened to a religious experience, and Jordan goes with that theme throughout the entire thing!

I feel like using religion as a parallel is a very unique way to convey the message, and it works really well! So, even though the song’s not my favorite, I still really like what he’s going for here. Also, the instrumentals and backing vocals perfectly complement the lyrics! It all comes together flawlessly!

“My First Enemy” Music Video

One last thing I want to mention before I wrap this up is the music video the band released the day after this came out. It was for “My First Enemy.” Jordan tweeted the night the singles released, saying that a music video for the song was going to drop the next day. I hadn’t expected that so soon after the release!

The video itself conveys the story and message of the song perfectly. I watched it once and immediately felt affected by it. I don’t want to say too much about my reaction in case some of my readers on here haven’t heard the song yet and want to, but I will say that the emotion fit with what was happening. The message is clear and powerful, and it got to me right away!

As for the child at the center of the music video, his acting was spot-on! It was so well done that I wanted to just reach out and give him a hug when it was over. He did great! I’ll provide a link to the video at the end of this post. There are also optional closed captions on it, so we get the song lyrics as well!

Conclusion

So, “Age of Madness,” honestly, ended up exceeding my expectations! I don’t even know what to say. These songs blew me away! I am so, so happy for Jeremy Jordan and the entire group for coming together to make this vision a reality! I am also very excited to see where this is going to go next!

In the end, I guess I’ll leave you with this: if you like Jeremy Jordan (or, heck, even if you don’t care about him in particular and just enjoy rock music), I have to recommend this group!

They are all amazing and deserve to be heard! And, remember, this is coming from someone who had reservations about it, who listened to very little rock before this. They really do a fantastic job and leave an impression that is incredibly powerful and moving!

Before I close, I can’t forget the links: the music video for their first track, “My First Enemy,” can be found here.

Also, the band’s linktree, which includes links to where the music can be purchased, the music video, their YouTube channel, and their Instagram page.

All in all, I had a fantastic time with this introduction to “Age of Madness”! If these songs are any indication, we’re in for one heck of a ride with a group of extremely talented artists! I personally can’t wait for what’s to come next with them!