Tales of Mike - Human

Tales of Mike is a one-man metal project from Germany, formed in 2022 by musician Mike Heß. The band plays a style of old school laced metal that combines epic metal and doom. After a slew of singles, a demo, and an EP, Mike is ready to drop the debut album “Human.”

I wasn’t sure of what to expect from this album, mostly due to the oddly titled name for the project but the PR company that sent it to me is a pretty good one so I figured why not check it out?  

Definitely glad I did. “Human” is a rock solid album that I had a lot of fun listening to—from start to finish it doesn’t miss and is on point with the combination of its styles. The production is fantastic—clear, crisp, but captures every cleverly written note without sacrificing too much of the heaviness and doominess. Is that a word? It is now.  

After an interesting intro song, “Nomen Est Omen,” that introduces the album, the album kicks into high gear with “Nevermore.” This song begins with killer riffs, making it immediately evident that Mike’s tales involve a lot of kick ass guitar playing. The bass rumbles effectively, pulling the rhythm along with it like aftershocks from an earthquake. The music is just melodic enough to be just catchy enough. The vocals ride the line between a power metal type yell and something along the lines of screaming but it’s all put together in a well rounded package. The guitar solo in the later half showcases more of Mike’s insane skills—this dude can shred. 

“Human Masquerade,” begins with the roaring of a crowd and groovy riffs—the energy is there and it’s blood pumping. This one is a bit faster with some pretty damn big riffs, the intensity of them almost going into extreme metal territory. The galloping riffs during the chorus are huge as are the vocals. From there it slides into a face melting guitar solo—this song just doesn’t stop. I really like it when the drums suddenly kick into high gear, effectively turning the song into a battering ram.

“Hourglass,” is another banger that has a thrash feel to it. At this point in the album, it’s evident that these stories aren’t afraid to introduce other genres into its doomed out metal style–and there isn’t anything wrong with that. This song is full speed ahead, with a dash of melody and operatic vocals for good measure. The last 23 seconds are maddening and offer up a brief moment for prime head banging.  

But that is part of the album’s charm. “Human,” is an album that doesn’t rest or repeat too much—it knows what it is, does what it needs to do, gets in and gets out. It’s just over 32 mins long too, so repeating it over and over isn’t an issue at all—and, trust me, you are going to want to give this one several spins!

The last song is the aptly titled “Swan Song,” and it ends the album on a high note. Furious double bass injects a heavy, rapid fervor into melodic passages with catchy vocal rhythms. The middle passage is rather atmospheric with spacey keys/guitar and drumming that pulls the ears around the moment to capture every detail. 

All in all, Tales of Mike’s “Human,” is a fresh album with an epic vibe that I found highly enjoyable. Hopefully, this Mike isn’t done and has a lot more tales to speak off. 

Rating: Great