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Artist
The Hero Factor
12+ albums
travisindiehear moretulsavan risseghem
about
In Greek mythology, the Chimaera (pronounced ki-mera-ah) was an evil amalgamation of a dragon, lion and goat, a fearsome beast that sprouted fire from its mouth—not exactly the type of creature you want to spar with. What does that have to do with the white-hot Tulsa, Oklahoma band The Hero Factor? Why would the band dub its first major release the Battling Chimaera EP? Well, because keeping the band together over some six years—fighting societal pressures and major line-up changes—has felt a little like going toe to toe with the mighty serpent-beast, says founding member and bassist Eric Arndt. The disc finds the band not only unified after shaking off those personnel changes, but also emerging as one of the most promising pop-weaned indie rock outfits in the Midwest. Awash in keyboards and layers of sound and driven by the big-lunged pipes of thoughtful vocalist/writer Ben Kilgore, Battling Chimaera certainly suggests that The Hero Factor is winning any battle with any would-be or mythological demons. It finds the band drawing on everything from the hard-driving, avant pop of Muse to the passion-soaked vocals of Adam Duritz in songs touching on everything from heartbreak to the value of self-empowerment and self-love—songs tastefully informed by everything from Sigur Ros to Southern gospel.com It’s a sound that is miles beyond the southern rock, Black Crowes-inflected style of the original band, which was overhauled completely in early 2002, when bassist/vocalist/songwr
