First Jason-Jason Is Watching

Thom Hazaert Company
2012

First Jason is a band fronted by a certain Ari Lehman. For those of you who don't recognize the name he played the very young and decayed corpse of Jason Voorhees in the first Friday the 13th (1980). At the end of the film there is a scene when lone survivor Alice floats peacefully in the canoe before Jason (Ari Lehman) leaps up out of the water and pulls her underwater. The scene if truly shocking and has been on numerous top 10 "Most Scary Moments" lists. After Aril quite acting he found a career in music going on to be trained in classical and jazz piano. There is no question whatsoever that the guy is a highly skilled musician. He plays the keytar with a mad fervor. His vocals meanwhile are alright. Nothing fancy. While I could find no listing for the rest of the band they seem to be more than capable of keeping up with Aril. My only complaint would be the heavy use of the keytar. Guitar solos are few and far apart on this eight track release. Admittedly I have mixed feelings about First Jason. Novelty bands in general are nothing new. From Gwar to Dread Zeppelin I've heard it all. With First Jason it is obvious that Ari is looking to capitalize on his background. That said from what I have read though he is a humble and down to earth guy who loved being a part of the franchise so I don't fault him for taking pride in being Jason. I just wonder how many people will buy this just for the name? On the other hand I also wonder how many people will not give this a chance because of the name. Like something Jason himself would wield it's a double edge sword...or axe. This album (like First Jason itself) is a mixed bag. It could loosely be called rock/metal. I know that is what many are calling First Jason-a heavy metal band. Really it is more a hodge podge of rock, reggae, funk, punk, heavy metal and even hardcore. It is truly odd at times actually. Given that knowledge though you should really give the band a chance to stand on it's own merits before writing them off. First Jason is a band one has to experience themselves before forming any sort of real judgement call. While a lot of the songs here do deal with Jason some are just horror-related in general. Again it is a none-issue as the lyrics play such a small part in the overall experience that is this unique band. The band has made the rounds at various horror conventions and reports suggest they really put on a good show. It will be interesting to see if this developes into anything other than a one and done project.