Project 86 Evaluates American Society

When Project 86 frontman Andrew Schwab and his bandmates started planning their third album, they knew they wanted to create their most ambitious set to date in terms of scope and material. The culmination of that effort, Truthless Heroes (Atlantic), is a concept album geared to embrace a counter-culture reflection of American society today.

Project 86 formed in 1996 with a musical mission statement to "prove thought, spark imagination, and create emotion." The act's 1998 eponymous debut album—issued on indie Bec Recordings—as well as its sophomore effort in 2000, Drawing Black Lines (Atlantic), both served to amass a considerable fan base culled from both Christian-pop and mainstream rock markets.

Truthless Heroes, issued Sept. 24, shows a darker progression as well as a new standard for the band. Schwab explains, "Compared to when we first started out, we are as different now as a band can be while still retaining all its original members. We are the best we have ever been. Sonically, we have evolved. Our approach to songwriting has gone from creating a riff or simple emotion to building a reflection of a character and his experiences. We are going back to music as a defining resource."

Atlantic VP of A&R John Rubeli adds, "On an intellectual level, the band has much to say, drawing from a spiritual, political, and sociological foundation. Musically, their sound and influences reflect everything from East Coast hard-core bands to British new-wave to legendary rock'n'roll. The combination of these two things comes together to present unique subject matter in a dark poetic manner. This album is meant to provoke thought and elicit personal discovery."

To do that, Truthless Heroes—produced by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Monster Magnet, Porno for Pyros) and mixed by Sean Beavan (Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails)—was created and assembled in such a way as to create an implied narrative of a character's life as he travels throughout our cultural landscape searching for identity.

"The story has a tragic ending," Schwab says. "We wanted our story to reflect a critical response to our culture, especially in a post-Sept. 11 society. The concept for the album came first, and the songs were written and assembled with a certain ebb and flow in mind, depicting a loose assemblage of themes. We approached the album like writing a book with chapters.

"Each song represents a different subject but also serves a second purpose in the album's story as a whole. The album represents an aversion to popular culture, which is where rock music started out in the first place. We want our audience to think for themselves. That is our strongest conviction for doing this album."