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We've listed albums in order of star rating. Best first.
Reviews by Pete
Feenstra, Joe Geesin,
Pete Whalley
SEVENTH SIN Stranger
Among Gods
www.seventhsin.ca
www.myspace.com/weareseventhsin
A blend of power metal and
melodic rock anyone? Me first.
Yes it sounds strange but
it works. This 5 track EP/mini album opens with 'The Giant' which has thrash
written all over it, from the powerful harsh vocals, fast rhythms, the twin
guitar tearing away, but the keyboards add more than one extra dimension. Not
only is it melodic, but the keys add an almost Southern sound. Then there’s the
Mozart inspired burst of lead guitar interplay.
From then it’s mainstream
head on classic metal with a harsh power edge and big melodic feel. It’s mixed
as well as it’s written - the keys not getting drowned out. There are plenty of
top metal moments; Four of the five tracks run at over 6 minutes, and there are
touches of (later eras) WASP and Marshall Law.
At times it’s a little
overly heavy to work well, and the vocals are pretty extreme, a little too much.
One of this year’s bands to look out for, no question. ****
Review by Joe Geesin
BITCHES SIN The Rapture
(Bitches Sin Records / Metal Nation)
The NWoBHM Legends reformed in the mid 00s and released Uduvudu in 2008. This
new album follows on nicely and takes the band to the verge of extreme metal.
With support from the likes of Total Rock and Bruce Dickinson, the band have a
solid fanbase and have a decent album here too.
Opener 'Don't Let Go' is blistering to say the least, plenty of shred. Then
there is a surprise cover of Simon & Garfunkel's 'Sounds Of Silence' - which
works remarkably well.
After that there's some solid power metal that fluctuates between trad metal and
extreme, and the keyboard effects work well in some of the tracks too.
Bolstered with the aid of guitarist / produced Chris Tsangarides there is
blistering yet polished guitar oriented metal here. Pretty damn good. ****
Review by Joe Geesin
EDGEHILL AVENUE Just
Out Of Sight Street Date Records
Edgehill Avenue is a Kentucky based melodic roots rock band that draws on a
musical hybrid comprising southern rock, pop and soul. 'Just Out of Sight' is an
understated, song driven affair full of story telling narratives and powered by
the subtle 'push and pull' grooves of LaMont 'Phatbeat' Melson a magnificent
feel drummer and the mellifluous bass playing of John Poole.
But it's the core duo of Drew Perkins and Mike McLaughlin that forge the band's
crossover style with Perkins providing the songs and lead vocals. And it is he
who provides both the strengths and weaknesses of the project, contributing
several slow burning, lingering melodies that start laid back and poised but
grow in stature in the capable hands of a fine band.
Unfortunately though
suited to some sonorous subject matter, his nasal vocals are also the reason the
band never quite slip up a gear as he doesn't quite have the range to do so.
That's said his songs revel in a retro feel that always finds room to let a
piece breathe and gives the instrumentalists room to stretch out without ever
overstaying their welcome.
The arrangements on 'Just Out of Sight' neatly balance out the vocals and the
band's natural exuberance. This is especially so on the opening track 'Blood &
Fire' where Drew has the good sense to duet with an unaccredited female vocalist
and makes the most of some potent chord changes and a sweeping chorus.
The strong backing vocals
also feature on 'After All' as they subtly extends a vowel on one of Drew's very
best choruses; 'It Doesn't make much difference, in how you break your fall,
doesn't matter what they tell you, everyone will learn to crawl, after all'.
'After All' works well as a smouldering groove that is powered by a great drum
sound, a choogling bass and topped by electric piano as the band stretch out
impressively.
Edgehill Avenue toughen up their sound on 'Manifesto' with Drew adding processed
vocals and echo reverb as the band incorporate a proggy sounding organ and
wailing guitars. There's a bluesy/folk crossover on the piano led 'Reckoning
Day' with a languid chorus punctuated by rumbling bass and extravagant cymbal
splashes.
Better still is the
slashed chord intro of 'Red Sky', full of lilting bass, gospel style bv's, a
meaty chorus, a fat sounding organ and a sparring guitar finale. The six tracks
finish on a Neil Young style, slow burning languid groove with a meandering
guitar line and an impeccable rhythm track.
Perkins delivers another
heartfelt lyrical couplet; 'Strong enough to find my weakness, two hearts can go
down extra slow, And then I find my standard reflected in the golden glow' as
the song moves impressively towards a beautifully judged accapella ending.
'Just Out of Sight'
doesn't quite reach the heights to warrant comparison with The Allman Brothers
or Tom Petty, but the 6 self penned, well thought out songs are nicely coloured
by the band's own southern lilting grooves. The fact that they manage to avoid
cliché and sound fresh and interesting makes 'Just Out of Sight' worth
revisiting and justifies a 4 star review. ****
Review by Pete Feenstra
SOLEY MOURNING Zaire
(Saltdog Records)
Third album from this Midlands band and their most polished yet. The band came
under the melodic rock banner (melodic hard and crunchy with a touch of
mainstream, there’s no AOR here), and on this there’s a fair amount of funk and
a nod to the blues and mainstream alternative too.
The funk influences are immediately noticeable on opener 'Deadman’s Town', and
the riff on 'Gimme Sumthin’' nods back to the 80s and 90s.
The opening riff in 'She’s
Gonna Make It Shine' hints to Led Zeppelin, while there is a hint of Sabbath in
the opening bars of 'Groundhog Saturday', a track that later nods to RHCP.
'Simone' is a big ballad with strings and acoustic guitar which, like many of
the tracks, has a few catchy moments. It would be too easy to say this track
nods to Extreme but it’s much better than that.
As melodic (funk / alternative) rock goes it’s solid, polished, upfront, and
crunchy in the right places. The low key keyboards fit in well too.
Worth checking out.
***½
Review by Joe Geesin
CHRIS DUARTE GROUP Blues In The Afterburner
(Provogue)
This latest album from the guitarist once likened to the late Stevie Ray Vaughn
sees Duarte on blistering form.
Opening track 'Another
Man' has some chunky solid rhythmic beats with some smooth guitar over the top,
and a rough edge that nods to early ZZ Top, and 'Bottle Blues' nods more to
Hendrix. Elsewhere Vaughn and Trower come to the fore.
The vocals, slightly
husky, fit the music well, and throughout the undertones range from heavy
psychedelia to rock'n'roll, so there's a variety of rhythms and grooves. The
latter is obvious on 'Milwaukee Blues', which is bright and will get you
nodding.
Thoroughly enjoyable. ***½
Review by Joe Geesin
RISEN FROM RUINS You
Are More Powerful Than You Have Ever Been Led To Believe
www.risenfromruins.co.uk
Debut album from this
young and inspiring Christian rock band. They admit themselves there are 30
years of influences here and opener 'Alive' shows that well. From 80s stadium
rock (think the melodic end of U2) to modern heavy melodic rock, guitars and
keyboards work well.
Second track 'A Place
Called Eden' adds touches of power metal and progressive metal. Then compare
that to 'Breathe' which is more acoustic, atmospheric and big sweeping
keyboards. Even this builds to a solid rock sound well. The vocal harmonies work
nicely, bolstering the sound well.
A wide range of influences in what is essentially a melodic rock album with a
big sound and intelligent and meaningful lyrics. The influences and sounds
intertwine, but neither completely disappear nor overblow the song.
Well worth a listen. ***½
Review by Joe Geesin
JT NERO Mountains / Forests
This solo album from the pen of Chicago based JT Nero and The Clouds
frontman Jeremy 'JT' Lindsay harks back to the days of the classic singer
songwriter period of the late sixties and early seventies.
Citing Mark Twain and Sam Cooke as his biggest influences, the latter is the
more obvious spot with much of the material (and JT's vocal style) being not
that far removed from the soul that once inspired a young Rod Stewart. JT might
not have that same rasp, but there are similarities, as there are with Leo Sayer
(when he wasn't being a clown), and even folk period Bolan.
On Mountains / Forests JT is more than ably supported in the vocal department by
Po' Girl's Allison Russell who also contributes banjo. It's a reflective,
bewitching combination with echoes of county, folk, gospel, doo-wop and classic
soul recorded in 3 days in August 2010 – either as a twosome, or with the
broader accompaniment of Dave Lindsay (piano and keys), Dan Abu-Absi (guitars
and mandolin), Ben Sidelinger (acoustic, dobro and banjo), Michelle McGrath
(guitars and vocals), Christopher Merrill (bass), and Mikey August (drums). That
sounds like a huge cast, but the sound is always suitably understated.
The result is that Mountains / Forests is not an album to be used as background
music. It needs to be listened to, focused upon and appreciated. That said, it
lacks obvious commerciality and is therefore likely to be limited in appeal to
those with an ear for the softer more accessible reaches of Americana. But if
Ray LaMontage can break through to the main stream, then there's no reason why
JT Nero shouldn't do the same. ***
Review by Pete Whalley
TIM BERTULLI The Rest
Of Them Days Independent Records
Canadian singer song writer Tim Bertulli appears to be a fiercely independent
soul to the point of playing all the instruments on his 13 track 'The Rest Of
Them Days'. The net result is like the curate's egg, good in parts. His
strengths range from his broad vocal sweep and an effortless southern rock
guitar style that owes much to the Allman Brothers.
But rather than build on
these strengths he repeats them in a series of songs that too often sound the
same and use similar mid-tempo arrangements. He also curiously manages to rhyme
some of his titles with the words 'Day'(s), 'Way' and 'Today', in a series of
songs that just don't have the narratives to sufficiently engage us.
And while the crisp acoustic intro and guitar/harp combination of the opening 'A
Day' is promising and 'Make It On' flows well enough with its chiming guitars,
Tim doesn't quite deliver the expected hooks, a fact not helped by a succession
of plodding rhythm tracks and basic drumming.
On top of that the whole
album is in desperate need of an outside producer to make the best of his
material. For while the title track has immediate appeal with its spiralling
guitar line and elaborate cymbal splashes, too much of the material here sounds
the same. He does add some 60's style harmony vocals on 'Come On My May' before
another trademark ascending solo, but like several other songs here it has a
bigger impact when heard on its own rather than as part of an album of similarly
paced songs.
Tim's main strength is his
guitar playing which is rich in tone and fluent in its delivery, but it's the
kind of playing ability that should bring an extra dimension to a song rather
than rescuing them. 'Make Another Day' for example, is much better and starts
off with an engaging opening verse and adds some imperious slide, but ultimately
settles for the ordinary rather than the inspirational.
The twin guitar led instrumental 'In My Arms' is a suitable contender for
potential radio play, but its delightful percussion line is hampered by the
staccato drums and doesn't quite have the lingering melody to make it memorable.
That said, once again
Tim's playing is fluid and resonant and has potential appeal for southern rock
fans. On 'Ill Be With Ya' he conjures up another meaty solo with a sing-along
hook, but a poor bridge and offers a light poppy coda on 'In Fidelity', albeit
with a bigger drum sound.
'The Rest Of Them Days' has undoubted musical merit but never really delivers
the lyrical substance of say John Hiatt, the intimacy of James Taylor or indeed
the autobiographical pull of Neil Young, the very musical influences found
liberally referenced in his PR kit. But he is a good guitarist, and an
expressive vocalist with an album that sounds like a work in progress, in fact
something that a decent rhythm section and an extra pair of ears could fix.
***
Review by Pete Feenstra
ELECTRIC EARTH Touching
The Void Tyss Music TYSS 7017
Sweden's Electric Earth is solid rock band who combine fiery moments with
occasional grooves. And while 'Touching The Void' does occasionally evoke early
Ozzie and Purple style intensity, they struggle to deliver the hooks and
coherent lyrics that might potentially transform their brand of hard rock to a
bigger audience.
For the most part 'Touching the Void' teeters on the brink of something the band
can't quite deliver. They open confidently enough with the groove laden
'Amplification' and for a moment they evoke the Joe Gooch led Ten Years After
but don't quite have the
requiste hooks. On 'Collision With A Sun' they suggest it's not for a lack of
trying as they make significant use of the repeated stanza; 'you leave me here
hollow, cause where you go I can't follow', without quite having the words to
make it happen.
And while vocalist Peter Gottlieb sometimes sounds like Europe's Joey Tempest,
he doesn't quite have the versatility to break out from a pleasant but limiting
vocals range to make more of the material. The band certainly does try to bring
something different to some of the songs.
They explore a grungy
opening on 'Free Fall' for example, making good use of some stop-time pauses and
repeated chorruses. 'Need This Time' is also the closest they get to a
sing-along chorus - if not anthem - but the lyrics are simply too obscure;
'every step from now on, it's my choice and at my speed, here comes peace to me,
are you read, I'm ready'.
By the time of the up tempo 'Skin Stretch' Electric Earth really rock out, but
the song suffers from the fact that the vocals sound as if they were melded on
as an afterthought. They finally decide to graft on a post Zeppelin wall of
sound to the title track which makes the most of the repeated line 'Everywhere I
go I think about you'. It's another example of a well intended structure that
lyrically falls short of the mark.
'Touching The Void' isn't a band album and on the other hand it's not
exceptional. Perhaps in an attempt to crack the wider rock market Electric Earth
simply try too hard to be something they are not. At times they rock hard,
explore some promising grooves and add steely riffs, but they lack strong songs
and their own unique identity. ***
Review by Pete Feenstra
THE HUMAN PROJECT Last
Train Out
www.humanrocks.com
The brainchild of Loyd
Vandergriff, this is The Human Project's fourth album and mixes blues, rock and
Americana with aplomb.
'The Friday Thang' is an
old school rocker, while 'River Rock' mixes country / Cajun with rock - an
accordion and fiddle fit in well. It's smooth and enjoyable. Then there's
'Requiem For Washington' which is a slow blues number, the vocals sounding
suitably smokey. A similar lyrical content to Steppenwolf's 'Monster'.
For the rocker the
standout track is 'Juke Joint Showdown', a rocking Southern number.
Loyd handles all the vocals and some guitar, and there's plenty of guests. A
good listen, enjoyable, but it's on the gentle and Americana side of decent
blues rock. ***
Review by
Joe Geesin
SOCIETY A Crooked Mile
'Retro' seems to be a major theme for 2011 and West Sussex three piece
Society very much have their collective fingers on that pulse. The major
surprise is that the band don't come from California, LA or the American West
Coast.
The band, consisting of guitarist Matt Wise, bassist Ben Lancaster, and drummer
F Kenny Scott specialise in three part harmony vocal Americana country rock. And
with a sound that echoes Crosby, Stills, Nash and particularly Young (when the
harmonica is deployed), James Taylor and The Eagles, it's an easy listening set
ideal for those endless 'top down, cross state' dusty roads.
The eleven song set from
the pen of Matt Wise, with guest appearances, particularly on pedal steel
(Spencer Cullum and Chris Pritchard), have that ‘authentic' late sixties / early
seventies sound. There's a clear stand out track in form of 40 Days, a number
that would match any of that glorious yesteryear, but elsewhere A Crooked Mile
fails to quite hit the giddy heights of those halcyon days. But perhaps that's
expecting too much. ***
Review by Pete Whalley
DEATH BED CONFESSION
Death Bed Confession
www.dbcmetal.com
www.myspace.com/deathbedconfessionsmetal
Debut album from a band
that have only been together a year. It’s pretty energetic heavy metal and
opening track 'House Of Cards' has a thrash stoner feel (ie fast Sabbath) and
rough vocals. The underlying sound is of classic metal and when that comes to
the fore it really works. 'Preacher' has a similar high paced feel. The guitar
work is good, the rhythms’ fast, the bass lines fast and doomy, and an overall
stoner with a hint of alternative.
'Here Comes The Pain' does
just that to your eardrums - in the nicest possible way. This typifies the album
in being as loud, rough, noisy and earsplitting as possible without being too
extreme and remaining (at least in fair chunks) kinda enjoyable. Lose the troll
with dysentery vocals and it’d be even better. ***
Review by Joe Geesin
SWIMMING Ecstatics
International
The second album from Nottingham's experimental Swimming (John Sampson
(vocals, instruments), Peter Sampson (drums), Jonathon Spittlehouse (guitar),
Andrew Wright (keyboards), and Blake Pearson (bass)) is just as difficult to
pigeon home as their debut The Fireflow Trade (2009).
Oft compared to a multitude of others, perhaps most notably Eno and Duran Duran,
those comparisons still hold good. The experimental ambient techno sounds that
pervade and ghost through the album add a beautiful sheen, and while Swimming
are no pure pop band, John Sampson's vocals do have an undeniable Le Bon feel,
as some of the more melodic aspects do to elements of the Duran Duran sound. But
then I'm also reminded in places of Heaven 17.
So what you get is the pop sensibilities of some of the eighties finest, blended
with swirling synths, psychedelic rock and drum machines. It's an unusual blend
and one which is likely to attract a hard core following. Whether that
translates to the mainstream will depend on which route the band chooses to
pursue. ***
Review by Pete Whalley
HOUSTON! Mechanical
Sunshine
www.myspace.com/houstonband
www.houston-rock.com
This is Houston!’s second
full length album and mixes electro gothic sleaze/glam metal, hard rock, kitchen
sink and etc.
It’s rough and in your
face from the outset, and the techno segments really annoying. When they get to
the hard rock it’s good and solid, 'Let Me Shout' having from good vocal
harmonies in the chorus, an 80s rock feel, and the sleaze angles elsewhere make
for a few catchy moments.
The programmed sound on
the intro to 'Mechanical Breath' make you want to skip it, the gothic segments
don’t work (dark gravel noise) and don’t keep you, this is typical of many
tracks where some angles/segments detract from other actually rather good bits.
The better segments include some good vocal harmonies, dome great riffs, and
when the hard rock has just a nod of sleaze or gothic it does work well.
But too much of the album
was just too much. **½
Review by Joe Geesin
KARNIVAL KORPUS
Whatever Comes Next
www.karnivalkorpus.com
Debut album from this
modern rock band that mix metal, blues rock grunge.
There is a hint of 70s/80
rock and rock'n'roll (the opening to Burning Fuel a good example in terms of
both rhythm and riffs) but the post grunge and 90s influences and strained
vocals (punk influences there) just muddy and muddle the sound.
'Six Feet Under' adds a
touch of funk and alternative, some nice touches but comes over as forced and
jumbled.
Some good angles, some
neat guitar work, potentially enjoyable but the result is just ordinary.
**½
Review by Joe Geesin
ANOTHER FAILURE Another Failure In The Making
www.reverbnation.com/anotherfailure
www.myspace.com/anotherfailure1
Debut album and the band
seem to be making quite an effort in self promotion; self promoting this new
album seems just the start.
While they seem to be described as thrash / speed metal this music has far too
much attitude for that. From the outset the music is aggressive and there is a
punk / DIY feel too, giving an element of hardcore to the sound.
The lyrics too are not only aggressive but angry; this could almost go in the
same hate-metal category as Kreator. The riffs, like the vocals, are rough,
punchy and sometimes come fired out so fast it puts rap to shame.
Some of the sound effects
include mechanical resonance and crushing rocks. Quite apt really.
There are changes of pace
and sound, but the forced aggression and speed metal is always there.
Be prepared, this music
will induce a headache. This is more thrash metal than the doom bollocks of
Venom but just as noisy. **½
Review by Joe Geesin
SHOOT THE BREEZE Nomadism - The Sonny Terrance Brentwood Story, Final
Chapters
www.myspace.com/rockwithshootthebreeze
www.stbrock.com
After you get over the
silly title, this is blistering rock'n'roll from Norway.
Blistering isn't always a
good thing; here the music is upbeat and uptempo but technically nothing bad
going on, but there's a lot I can't put my finger on that doesn't work.
Some odd sounds and a lot
of disjointed jangliness hint at alternative rock, and 'Days Of Burdened Times'
has an overlying guitar line that grates a nerve or two, hit the skip button
there. Then 'Redrocks Longest Tale' mixes track rock, there's definitely an Iron
Maiden line or two in there, with late 80s / early 90s guitar pop / indie.
Remember Deep Blue Something? There's hints of them mixed with rock and metal -
odd.
Plenty of 60s and 70s rock
influences, no bad thing when you get duelling guitars, but the 80s and 90s
influences don't work so well. Trouble is, a lot of it happens in each song so
it's hard to pull out the best bits, let alone the best songs. **½
Review by Joe Geesin
UNTIL DAWN Until Dawn
www.myspace.com/untildawn
www.reverbnation.com/untildawnband
Debut album and a huge
slice of hardcore mixed with classic metal. Lots of noisy riffs, heavy bursts of
machine gun drums and shouted cheese grater vocals. And that’s just the opening
track!
'Slice Of Life' is more
uptempo and the guitar hints and Maiden and Judas Priest, but the effect is
dulled by the overlying hardcore. The quiet bit in the middle seems strange too.
'By These Hands' is
largely more balladic/melodic, but the bursts of a troll shouting/shitting
gravel do kinda detract. That aside it builds into a decent metal track.
Some good stuff, but if you’re getting that I don’t like the hardcore bits, nor
understand them, nor indeed want them, then you’d be spot on. **½
Review by Joe Geesin
MICHAEL AND THE
LONESOME PLAYBOYS Last Of The Honky Tonks
Prior to being struck down by a life threatening disease in 2009 Michale
Ubaldini was a purveyor of rock 'n' roll Americana, with a leather jacketed
Greaser lifestyle.
The Lonesome Playboys project is, in many ways, his 'comeback' - an album
recorded live in the studio with no overdubs and on analogue tape. It's a
rebellion against what country's become and strips it back to the bare bones of
old school honky tonk country blues.
The sentiment of the album is summed up perfectly in the lyrics of the title
track - 'Honky tonks are closing down, killed off by the modern country sound.
Chart music is what we've got, instead of rhinestone, beer and the Tombstone
waltz'.
The album is about as far removed from the current Nashville sound as it's
possible to get - a four piece with pedal steel and resonator bottleneck guitar
being the full extent of the 'special effects'. Which makes Last Of The Honky
Tonks a niche product with a sound that it's difficult seeing have a mainstream
or crossover appeal. But with a current nostalgia wave, anything is possible.
**
Review by Pete Whalley
INSTANT HOBO Honey The
Horse
I was unsure, at first, whether this was a ‘novelty’ record. But no, it’s
for real.
Instant Hobo are an Arizona based three piece fronted by guitarist / vocalist
John Feula who grew up in Florida on a mixed diet of Americana (in the form of
Johnny Cash and Hank Williams) and the British hard rock of Zeppelin, Sabbath
and Purple).
Formed in 2006, they serve up a strange collection of rockabilly Americana (with
the odd jazz twangs thrown in for good measure) and just occasionally slipping
into something more mainstream - in particular, on Marshall Pass the band could
pass for a very respectable rock outfit (although the self production leaves a
lot to be desired).
But for the most part the image that springs to mind of Honey The Horse is the
sort of album the Clampett simpleton son Jethro might get in a groove to - much
to the dismay of Granny and Jed.
Probably an entertaining hoedown act, but as for long player longevity, forget
it. *½
Review by Pete Whalley
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