Pull on the Strings

Pull on the Strings is the third studio EP by the American alternative metal quintet Osmosis. Issued on July 16, 2013 under Serjical Strike Records, it is the first release since 1998's The Dragon Ball's the Most Important Body Part to include Adam Guerilla as the lead guitarist; Guerilla took over permanently for Shawn Lorelei, who last contributed to Osmosis' seventh full-length studio album, Soul Society.

Composition
Regarding the musical direction of the band's extended play, Bass player Ash Beale had this to say on the band's website:


 * "As an experimental band, we always try to mess around with our musical style. On the first album we released, Osmosis had a bit of a streamlined way of doing things; nothing much at the time, just the five of us having fun with what we did and playing the funkiest alternative metal you've ever heard. Every other subsequent record? We became serious musicians and, ever since the addition of Phoenix, Osmosis now happens to be that weird musical act people hear and see today. {laughs} What are our fans expecting out of Pull on the Strings? Some really, really odd instrumentation, that much I can say. We get a kick out of alienating the general public with our creativity when it comes to the sound department! It's gonna be almost like "L.D. 50, Uroboros, and Pork Soda engaging in sexual intercourse"!"

Promotion
The official track listing, album information, and cover art for Pull on the Strings were unveiled on May 18, 2013. On May 22, frontman Marco Simmer announced that their first single off the extended play was to release very early in June; "It's Not a Crime if No One Finds Out", Pull on the Strings' lead single, came out on the 4th of June. According to the band, the entire EP has been said to be leaked by July 9, 2013; which is one week from its release date. On July 1st, a music video for the first track "Hypocritical Hypocrites" was produced. July 9th marked Pull on the Strings' leaking in its entirety.



Track listing

 * 1) "Hypocritical Hypocrites" - 4:21
 * 2) "Angel/Devil" - 3:18
 * 3) "It's Not a Crime if No One Finds Out" - 4:46
 * 4) "The One to Surpass God" - 6:19
 * 5) "Unquestionability" - 5:34
 * 6) "Fuck. Me. Running" - 5:27
 * 7) "Elusive" - 3:32

Singles & Music Videos

 * It's Not a Crime if No One Finds Out; June 4, 2013

Music videos

 * Hypocritical Hypocrites; Wes Richardson

Hypocritical Hypocrites

 * Directed by Wes Richardson. The music video for "Hypocritical Hypocrites" is mainly about a small boy being stranded on a dark island. During his time there, he can be seen digging giant holes all while placing mementoes (for example, a broken toy robot with maggots all over it) into each of them. These scenes are entwined with clips of the band, Osmosis, performing the song inside a colossal box made out of liquid. Abstract visual effects are in use for a majority of the video.

Osmosis

 * Marco Simmer - Lead vocals, keyboards, turntables
 * Adam Guerilla - Lead guitar, acoustic guitar, lap steel, programming, vocals
 * Ash Beale - Bass guitar
 * Phoenix Laston - Rhythm guitar, saxophone, backing vocals
 * Corey Farrell - Drums, percussion

Studio credits

 * Emilie Autumn - Violin and harpischord on Track 2
 * Mike Einziger - Piano on Track 5
 * J-Mann - Additional vocals on Track 6
 * Tue Madsen - Producer, mixing, mastering
 * Flemming Rasmussen - Engineer
 * David Bendeth - Additional mixing
 * Toby Wright - Additional mastering
 * Hiromu Arakawa - Cover art
 * Alex Pardee - Layout, illustrations

Album details

 * Released: July 16, 2013
 * Genre: Progressive metal, alternative metal, funk metal, experimental rock, avant-garde metal, heavy metal, electro-industrial
 * Label: Serjical Strike
 * Producer: Tue Madsen