Vol. #252: Lower 13 – “Transcend”
Rustbelt Rock Review
By: Z.M. Delgado
Volume #252: Lower 13 – “Transcend”
August 14th, 2026
Greetings and salutations, to you my Metal Family! Welcome back to the Rustbelt Rock Review. I am your narrator, Z.M. Delgado, here again with some fresh prose top peddle. This week I am really excited to bring you another killer release. This is the long awaited EP “Transcend” from Cleveland Prog Metal juggernauts Lower 13. This five song collections follows up their 2023 EP “Deception” which really blew back the hair of the Cleveland Scene. With the acclaim of “Deception,” the expectations were high for this new collection. I was fortunate enough to receive and advance copy of the songs and I set to work absorbing them at once. Now after a few weeks getting to know these songs, I am finally ready to breakdown my thoughts and feelings on “Transcend.” So without further adieu...
First up is “Reside.” This song launches the EP with some very misleading clean chords. One might think this album was about to begin with some soft ass shit. Wrong! These cleans are followed immediately by a very Metal distorted riff that crushes! This repeats once, before diving into the main melody of the song, heavy as stone. From there the Vocals drop in and, in typical Lower 13 fashion, they are a blend of high end cleans and filthy growls and roars. The music is Rockin’ as always; upbeat and exciting. It is complex without becoming… convoluted. Lower 13 has always had the ability to write not just heavy, but also very interesting songs. Lyrically this is a song about acceptance and of finding peace. The words from the chorus really drive this point home: “It’s taken me so long to see, that this is who I’m meant to be. And all I’ve been through I abide, I’m glad it’s here that I reside.” This song is about fighting through the trials and tribulations of life and coming out on the other side stronger. In a way it’s about deciding that your are allowed to be happy right where you are. To me, it’s a song about letting go of the pursuit and finally allowing yourself to rest.
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Track two is a little ditty called “Day by Day.” This one is a ripper; hard, fast, driving and intense. It blasts along at high speed with a sick riffs and some hammering Drumwork. Again the Vocals dance between cleans and growls, utilizing both styles to maximum effect. At 2:30 into the song there is an absolute Vocal explosion that really makes the song come to life. In my mind this is a song about trying to break out of a loop. It’s about being trapped in a nasty pattern of self destruction and living...day by day. It is also a song about changing your mindset and finding your own way out of the darkness. It’s a pretty powerful sentiment and when you couple it with Lower 13’s relentless precision, you get a song of exceptional quality.
Third, and definitely a stand out track, is “Giving up the Pain.” This song opens up with an absolutely slippery riff, that bends its way up and down the fret board. Early on it is a chuggy progression that trucks along with significant force. The song continues to evolve further and further as it plays out. The slippery riff returns eventually giving way to a melodic breakdown, which in turn swells to a snarling explosion. The music grows and transforms, leading up to it’s catastrophic climax. Suffice to say this song is one of those sonic journey’s that you have to take to understand. The lyrics seem to be about releasing oneself from the shackles of the past. About living with crushing anxiety, and being consumed from within by negative emotions. It is a song about the letting go of, the casting off of, and the giving up of... pain. Whatever the pain the narrator is describing is, is not clearly defined, which is what makes the song so powerful. The listener is able to connect to the lyrics... To project their own pains onto the song and then process those feelings accordingly. By keeping the subject matter nonspecific, Lower 13 has made their song more accessible. With all that being said, what really matter is that this track Rocks hard.
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Fourth up is “Waste,” which is possibly the heaviest song in the collection. It opens with a rumbling Bass line and then bursts with blazing speed and monstrous Vocal growls. The Drums are unreal; unstoppable and devastating. It has an utterly monster solo in it, whose notes dominate the middle of the song. This shredding piece of music is is nothing short of deadly. There’s not too much more to say about this one other than this: When Lower 13 drops this bad boy live, I’d keep my head on a swivel, because the moshpit will follow closely behind.
Finally closing out the EP is the title track, “Transcend.” This is my second stand out track in the collection. It’s heavy. It's powerful. It’s technical. It’s beautiful. It is all of these things and so much more. The opening is compelling, leaving me intrigued to hear what comes next. The verse riff is maddening, mindbending and twisted. The chorus is a masterful thing. It is so very well written. The lyrics, the Vocal melodies, all floating above a smashing riff and coming to a growling peak; it is perfection. Of course, it has all the musicianship we’ve come to expect from Lower 13, and all the emotional depth as well. It all there in the chorus. “There’s gotta be a reason, we travel through hell. It hurts to know those who fell. There’s gotta be a reason, we fight til the end. Remember all those who transcend.” Without digging too much deeper into this one, I just want to say it the albums unquestionable peak and a well crafted finale to the EP.
So in the end, what do I feel about Lower 13’s new EP? I have to say I think it’s brilliant. It is another sterling chapter in the bands catalog, adding another installment to their already very respectable body of work. It is also a big step forward in the bands evolution. While sonically it remains true to the L13 sound, emotionally it is a huge departure from the last release, “Deception.” While that EP was dark, angry and even vengeful at times, “Transcend” is it’s polar opposite. Often uplifting, positive and strong. “Transcend” is the powerful epilogue to the challenges the band spun out in “Deception.” in a way, this album is sort of the happy ending. Maybe I’m over thinking it. Or maybe even I’m under thinking it. It’s hard to say. Perhaps I’ve missed the point completely. So let’s set aside my deeper examinations of multiple album arcs for a moment. Instead lets talk about how uncompromisingly heavy this album is... How packed with sickening riffs it is… How many blazing solos and crippling breakdowns it contains… Because my friend, all of that is true as well. You see, when you listen to Lower 13’s “Transcend” you not only get a well crafted work of art, but also a bone cracking piece of Heavy Metal mayhem. It is both things simultaneously and so much more. From it’s magnificent song writing, to it’s hand crafted album art (No AI used!), this EP has incredible attention to detail and is more than worth your time. But you won’t need to dedicate too much time to it. At less than 30 minutes in duration, you’ll find yourself tearing through this EP and pressing play over, and over again. It’s just that good. So there you have it my Heavy Metal Family. Another great album to help guide you through the end of your summer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Thanks for reading, for Rocking and for supporting the Scene.
Until next time, Rock on, Rustbelt,
-Z.M. Delgado
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