Cinnamon Babe’s debut EP called “Fatherless” was originally released on the 25th of August 2023. We scheduled it for a September review, but we had so many submissions last month, it became impossible for us to add anything more. We are, however, delighted to be able to kick off a new month on Indieterria with a 5-star review for an EP that’s probably one of ourfavorite releases of the year. Cinnamon Babe aka Stormi Maya is not only fantastic, versatile singer and songwriter but also a model and an actress.This woman is so absolutely amazing that we cannot find the right words to describe her – we shouldn’t probably even try. Her music speaks a thousand words,and we can’t recommend “Fatherless” enough. Believe us, those 17 minutes arebthe best 17 minutes in the history of nu-metal. No exaggeration here.
Cover art of “Fatherless” EP
Official bio: CINNAMON BABE is an emerging LA-based nu-metal outfit led by model, actress, and outright hustler Stormi Maya. The Bronx native, who grew up on bands like TheCranberries and would later find inspiration from the rebellious voice of acts like Rage Against The Machine and Linkin Park, has come a long way to make this dream a reality. As a black woman, an ally of BIPOC and the LGBTQ+ community, and most of all, a survivor, Cinnamon Babe is Maya’s vehicle to tell her truth.
I know, I know, I’m going to receive a backlash on Twitter, again, for my review. It happens every single time we publish an article about metal music made by loud, outspoken women. When we review music made by females of colour, I’m instantly inundated with racist and sexist comments from men who can’t accept the fact that women from minority backgrounds are making metal/nu-metal music. God forbid, if the woman is also a feminist, strong minded and confident in her abilities – they absolutely lose their minds. I hope they will not be reading any further, as the waiting lists for the NHS on a weekend are like 14 hours long. They may not survive this experience. Everyone else, with brains bigger than just two biased cells, are invited to jump head first into the powerful and deafening musical world of Cinnamon Babe.
“Fatherless” offers 5 varied tracks: one brand new song (“Gaslight”), one collaboration (“The Man”) and three previously released singles (“Loose” issued on 21st of October 2022, “Bad Dog” issued on 16th of June 2023 and “Typecast” issued on 19th of May 2023). That’s 17 and a half minutes of intelligent, uncompromising, heavy and thundering mixture of punk, heavy metal, nu metal, rap-core and hardcore. We reviewed two songs off the EP separately as singles in the past (“Bad Dog” and “The Man” featuring Otep Shamaya from OTEP) so please click on the highlighted title of the track to read a full article about it. Short recap for those who may not have the time to go through our archives: both songs deal with the way society treats women and how it affects our every-day lives. “Bad Dog” is a protest against perceiving plan-speaking and opinionated women as a threat labelling them as bitches, wild or angry. If a woman speaks about the way she is treated, she is often harassed, badmouthed and receives the label of a “difficult” or “aggressive” person. “The Man ” approaches the same topic from a different perspective – many women wish they were born the titular man, simply because living in a patriarchal world is much easier for them. They are never labelled as hysterical or emotional, their word carries more weight and respect than women’s. They have better chances at career, are offered more opportunities in life and they benefit from patriarchal attitudes and customs. Of course, patriarchy can be incredibly toxic for men too, but it is women who suffer the worst, economically and mentally. “Bad Dog”, the opening number on the EP, sets the tone for the next 4 songs – Cinnamon Babe Says openly that she will not give up, she will not be silenced and she will fight for the better future of all women. She does it with grace, skill and an explicit language, but no woman ever got anywhere politely asking. Sometimes you just need to speak dirty, kick ass and push your way in, otherwise the doors will remain closed.
Cinnamon Babe by rock photography giant Jim Louvau
The second track “Typecast” reminds me of Veruca Salt crossed with Fear Factory. It’s probably the most unusual track that Stormi Maya has ever recorded in her career (minus the collaboration with Banshee on “Death of A Predator “which is absolutely insane, but that’s a different story). “Typecast” is more industrial, clean sung, with no rap and a crazy techno beginning. Lyrically, it is different too – it deals with unreasonable and excessive expectations women put on themselves and then panic about not being able to meet them. What I really like about it, is the really melodic chorus and very heavy guitars. It’s a sweet combination and the track is actually one of Stormi’s most popular songs on Spotify with more than 160k streams.
Rage Against The Machine-esque “Gaslight” is definitely my favourite composition on the EP. It starts right off the bat with a loud shout of: “I’ll give you exactly what you want from me…I’ll give you crazy, crazy!” and it goes faster and louder from there. Fans of Tom Morello will be delighted to hear the signature wah wah sounds in the background and Cinnamon Babe truly displays her screaming skills in this track. I mean, listen to her at the 2 minutes and 40second mark and my goodness, she has some powerful lungs! This lady is putting ZackDe La Rocha himself to shame with that shouting and the culmination just 20 seconds later is a masterpiece. The ending is also extraordinary – Stormi’s sweet laugh combined with “You are gonna regret it so much” said in a honeyed but slightly threatening manner is the best. I actually laughed out loud hearing it the first time. Seriously, I wished RATM would join forces and play with Cinnamon Babe one day. I keep my fingers crossed.
“Loose” is the oldest track from Cinnamon Babe’s back catalogue, having been released nearly 14 months ago. I have to say, it’s a bit of a weird choice, very rarely songs that are old are picked up to appear on a newly appeared EP. I’m not sure what is the rationale behind this decision, but I understand why several reviewers thought of it as an EP filler. I compared the version uploaded to her Spotify in 2022 and the newest one included on the Fatherless EP, and they both sound the same. Maybe it has an upgraded production, but I sadly wasn’t able to hear any differences.“Loose” is an excellent track with upbeat tempo, well defined rhythm section and superb heavy drumming. It even has an official video that can be found on Stormi’s YouTube channel with a whooping 200k views, but I’d rather prefer if we were given a brand new song instead. Complaints aside, “Loose ”fits very well with the rest of the tunes, so the flow of the release is smooth and enjoyable. Nobody, who hasn’t heard the song before, will be able to tell it’s an older composition. A rather brave move on behalf of Cinnamon Babe, probably dictated by its popularity on streaming services.
In all, “Fatherless” is a brilliant, solid debut from Cinnamon Babe, a band that I have held in high esteem for a long while now. In my humble opinion, they are the best new nu-metal act in America, comparable only to the brilliant Nova Twins in the UK. Stormi Maya, with her absolutely stunning stage/visual presence is a breath of fresh air in a stale & pale world of metal music filled up by Pantera worshippers and leather-clad wannabe bikers from the 20th century. Cinnamon Babe is on a mission – not only to give artists of colour their voice and their place back in heavy music, but also to represent those who are often marginalized and oppressed. We need more progressive people in the music industry, we need more feminists, more people of colour and from minorities. We also need those who have fresh ideas and new outlook on things. We can’t just sit idle listening to records that are 50-60 years old. We need revolution and Cinnamon Babe are not afraid to lead it. And I hope they are carving their place in the annals of rock and roll.
They truly deserve it.
You can follow Cinnamon Babe/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083326751466
https://www.instagram.com/cinnamonbabemusic
https://www.tiktok.com/@ultimatecinner
https://twitter.com/CinnamonBabe304
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0A64Cmp7_vsAbzTO5hYVXg
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0U2rJW6ug1KAvcegC2E004
And Stormi Maya as well:
https://www.weaudition.com/stormij
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm8598252
https://www.etsy.com/shop/CinnerBabe
Additional read for feminists and people who are not afraid of women:
https://www.revolvermag.com/music/cinnamon-babe-picks-top-5-nu-metal-female-empowerment-anthems#otep-jonestown-tea
https://www.metalsucks.net/2022/03/31/cinnamon-babes-stormi-maya-metal-purists-are-just-afraid-of-bimbo-hot-chicks-and-young-kids-taking-over/
https://consequence.net/2022/09/heavy-culture-cinnamon-babe/4/
“Fatherless” has been released independently since August 2023
Rita Dabrowicz
Indieterria 