Heart of Jordan is an Alt. Metal band with a mix of Metalcore/Hard Rock. Hailing from Lansing, Michigan, the band consists of Preston Mailand (vocals), Eric TenEyck (Guitar), Elijah White (Guitar), Alfonso Civile (bass) and Andrew Everett (drums). They released their self-titled, debut album in 2018 and have been on a fast track to success ever since. With an ever-growing fan base, Heart of Jordan is sure to be playing a venue near you soon!
Heart of Jordan began it’s journey in early 2017 with Eric and Andrew. Soon after, Andrew called in Preston after returning to Michigan from a run with some other bands in Florida. From there, Elijah took over for guitars and Alfonso took over the duties on bass. In less than a year, the guys were able to put together a debut album that is a killer! That is a testament to how strong of a bond these five guys. It isn’t easy to just put five guys together (whether they knew each other prior to or not) and create quality music. When asked how they have evolved in such a short time, Elijah stated “We have come leaps and bounds with our live performances. I’m excited to see how we take it to the next level….Personally, we have all grown tighter as band. We are brothers in music and that extends into everyones family.”
When it comes to creating the music, Heart of Jordan likes to take a group approach more than any other. They encourage each member to have input into the writing process. While the lyrics are mainly written by Preston, the music itself has a much more collaborative approach. Heart of Jordan released their debut album in 2018. It’s a ten track project that packs a punch and will have fans begging for more. The album starts off with “Throne Alone”, one of the best songs on the album. It’s the perfect way to kick off this heavy album. The dark guitar riffs and heavy drumming that coincide with Preston’s screaming vocals make for a sound that will have fans swinging their arms and legs in the crowd like crazy! In fact, when asked about their shows, Elijah had previously stated “we are full of energy and love to engage and interact with our fans. Expect a few bruises and scrapes in the pit.”
There are a few other songs that really stand out to me on this powerhouse debut album; “Shcizo“, “Deny”, “Deaf Ears”, and “Echoes Still Remain”. This isn’t to say that these are the only good songs on the album (each song is amazing), but these are the few that resonate more with me. “Schizo” had me hooked me within the first 15 seconds of the song. The amount of influences I was able to pinpoint on this song was amazing to me. From the deep guitar cuts similar to Pantera to the vocals that resemble Killswitch Engage, this song is a banger! “Deny” and “Deaf Ears”, two songs that follow up are my favorite songs on the album. What I took away from these two songs is a true understanding of how diverse Heart of Jordan really is. “Deny” has that classic Metal sound that would fit well with some of their biggest influences like Bullet for My Valentine and All That Remains. On the other hand, I get such a Hardcore feel from “Deaf Ears”. This is a song I can see pairing so well playing with a band like Comeback Kid. Band’s that can reach a diverse crowd always have huge appeal, and Heart of Jordan is no exception! “Echoes Still Remain” is the other song that really stuck with me. This song is different from the songs I have mentioned earlier, in that it has that Melodic Metal/Hardcore vibe to it. This is a song that fans will be singing the chorus along to without hesitation!
Heart of Jordan is a band filled with some amazing musicians. In an extremely over-saturated market, they are finding their own way to make a name for themselves and stand out in seemingly endless group of talented bands/artists. The band ended a interview a while back with a quote that resonated with me so much I had to include it; “Find a local band you love, go to their shows and bring friends with you, buy their merch when you have money, interact with them on social media, stream their music, watch them succeed.” This is exactly what I’ll be doing for Heart of Jordan from now on! Make sure you check out music from their most recent release on the blog’s Spotify playlist: After Hours Review! Keep an eye out for new Heart of Jordan releases in the coming months!