The upcoming debut full-length album from the Richmond, VA based hard rock/grunge/shoegaze band, Roseneath, is a unique sounding mixture of raw aggression and mesmerizing calmness, thus creating a musical world of constant emotional fluctuation. Titled, “Nowhere Safe,” the band proves to have a strong grasp for writing catchy hard hitting songs, while being able to incorporate some epic melodic touches when needed.
I’ve reviewed an EP from this band not too long ago, and I was really impressed with their ability to put together such solid sounding tracks. The band utilizes a variety of creative sounding guitar effects and comes up with these simple yet powerful sounding riffs. On the new album I could tell that the band wanted to put even more emphasis on the chorus sections by constructing some vivid melodic hard hitting riffs to accompany the glossy soaring vocals. The mixture of shoegaze and grunge creates a very atypical sound that I think can appeal to a variety of rock fans.
The opening track, "Noisy," is an intense jam with plenty of adrenaline pumping rhythms and bombastic sounding chords, which is of course a perfect way to kick off an album. Roseneath is also able to create very mellow atmospheres where everything sounds so vivid as well as tranquil. I do not listen to this style of music very often, but when I do happen to come across it I always enjoy hearing bands that come up with full sounding guitar and drum arrangements. A lot of the songs on this album do have that full and all encompassing sound which drags you along by offering up a plethora of raw emotional energy. Tracks such as “Free Fall,” “Passerby” and “Over It,” really caught my attention because of the clever chord progressions and consistent drum parts. The music never sounds sloppy in terms of execution, nor does the band seem to be struggling to deliver cohesive sounding tracks.
Although the music is not overly technical, songs like “Rolls Credit” and “This Alone,” conjure up these refreshing riffs that at first make you feel at easy, but then can unleash a flurry of aggression. Another song that really caught my attention and ended up being my favorite song off of the album was the last song on the album, “Spill.” The opening melody and synth arrangements at the beginning of the track reminded so much of bands like Depeche Mode and The Cure. Overall the song has a very calming atmosphere along with these extremely catchy chord progressions.
Overall, this is an extremely well produced first album and something that can definitely appeal to a wide range of music fans. “Nowhere Safe,” is an album that I would highly recommend checking out, especially if you are looking for a refreshing hard rock release that incorporates shoegaze and post-rock elements to create a very dynamic sound. Roseneath’s ability to write such compelling and solid tracks is greatly welcomed in this day and age when a fair amount of young rock bands have come along to only offer up painfully generic mainstream sounding corporate radio friendly trash. Hopefully Roseneath keeps this same approach to recording music when working on future releases, because I would definitely welcome more music from them instead of some hipster band that plays the kazoos while crying about how the Whole Foods in their neighborhood was shutdown.
Turn up the volume and kick out the jams motherfuckers! Sonic Flower’s new full-length album, “Me and My Bellbottom Blues,” is one HEAVY psychedelic doom experience featuring plenty of tasty sounding riffs and killer bluesy 70’s hard rock inspired jams.
Based out of Japan, the band formed around 2001 as a Church of Misery side project. One can definitely hear the similarities between this band and Church of Misery, however, I would say that Sonic Flower's sound incorporates more bluesy hard rock elements. In my opinion, this new album really captures that groovy hard rock attitude, which takes you back to when bands would turn up the volume on their amps and crank out some hard rocking riffs. Throughout the entire album the band seems truly locked into these solid sounding compositions that flow with a very confident heavy and groovy energy.
Out of the seven tracks on the album, I find that thanks in large part to the strong production and really catchy sounding arrangements, listeners will not be disappointed when listening to this release. The first song, “Swineherd,” is one hard hitting psychedelic hard rock experience containing some really addictive guitar parts. The lead guitar playing reminds me of something straight out of the 60’s/70’s hard rock scene with that killer tone which makes the notes come vibrantly flowing out of the speakers. Other tracks like, “Love Like Rubber” and “Black Sheep,” are also very powerful sounding songs, especially when pertaining to the bass and drum playing. If you are fan of mighty sounding rhythms that allow for the guitar to explore these trippy thunderous landscape with an endless amount of distorted freedom, then you will find yourself really digging the songs on this album.
One song that I really liked which took on a very old school bluesy rock sound by coming up with a very clever blues rock inspired guitar intro was, “Quicksand Planet.” I believe the band did an excellent job arranging the song, and the vocal performance really caught my attention. I thought throughout the entire album the singer did a tremendous job in terms of his delivery and how his vocals complimented the compositions. Overall, the musicianship is so tight that the album may not come across as something new to the world of rock and metal, but the band's passion and fearsome drive definitely wins you over from start to finish.
For anyone looking for a groovy hard rock release with some mesmerizing bluesy riffs, then “Me and My Bellbottom Blues,” is an album that I highly recommend. I need to give a huge shoutout to Yukito Okazaki for mixing this album, because he did such an amazing job capturing the band’s profound heavy rocking energy on each track. With so many bands complicating their releases by doing way too much and losing sight of what makes a killer hard rock album, I really hope people take the time to check out what Sonic Flower is doing, because this style of music perfectly captures the true raw essence of rock and roll.
Remember the 90’s when gas wasn’t seven dollars a gallon, there was no such thing as TikTok and there were actual rock bands that played their instruments? Well, Roseneath is an up and coming rock band that blends 90’s alternative, grunge and a bit of shoegaze to remind us a bit of the 90’s rock period with their upcoming debut demo, “Shine.”
This two person band from Richmond, VA really caught my attention when they first reached out to me, as I do not get a lot of new bands describing themselves as grunge these days, or even shoegaze for that matter. Most readers of this blog know that I tend to cover a fair amount of death metal, black metal and bands that are looking to decimate your eardrums. However, I am a fan of all things hard rock and heavy metal, and have a very eclectic taste in music that has me listening to New Order one day and then Graveland the next. Roseneath is a group that does not seem to be afraid to explore their sound and draws from a variety of influences. I can tell that these are young songwriters trying to piece it all together, and I really must say that I respect the effort and creativity.
The entire release is full of simple yet very powerful melodies along with that hard hitting grunge guitar sound at times. “Blurred & Bent,” captures that Nirvana like energy where the riffs are dirty sounding, but you also have some mesmerizing moments to create a very calming atmosphere. The soaring vocal parts during the song also added an extra boost of raw emotion and I really liked this singer’s delivery. On the second track, “By a Thread,” the band deals out another solid piece of music that once again features some meaty sounding riffs. I will say that I was not as enthusiastic about the guitar mix at times, but I will be fair and say that these guys are not working in a top of the line recording studio and getting produced by Steve Albini.
For fans of more alternative rock, “Say Never,” will definitely be a song that I can see getting people to drift away into that soothing see of blissful distortion. For the most part, the overall arrangement is pretty simple and straight forward, although the band places a lot of emphasis on the chorus section which sort of reminded me of King’s X. In the end, my favorite song off of the album is, “Chasing Ghosts,” because from start to finish the overall recording is extremely tight. Right from the beginning the rush of thunderous distortion pulls you in without any warning and then makes way for a hypnotic chorus section. One of my favorite parts during the song is when the band does a quick pause for that dramatic effect right before jumping back into a mountain sized bludgeoning of unapologetic angst. The last song on the EP, “Shine” is a decent track and once again showcases a group with a hunger to write some tight sounding rock music that can hopefully appeal to wide range of listeners.
I think listeners who are looking for an ambitious rock band taking influence from 90’s rock music whether it be grunge, alternative or shoegaze, will really be pleasantly surprised by this band. “Shine,” is a great first introduction and I believe there is a lot to build off of on future releases, especially when pertaining to the songwriting talents showed on, “Chasing Ghosts.” Roseneath is just the band the world needs right now as I find the whole rock is dead statement made by a lot of people to be rather pessimistic. I encourage artists like this to keep recording and performing, because you never know what they might record one day. Also, I would prefer to see more bands like Roseneath instead of young people doing those horrendous TikTok videos that are watched by mindless zombies.
After releasing their debut studio album back in 2016, the New York City based band known as Tower returns with one fearsome sounding release. The band holds nothing back and unleashes a thunderous heavy metal onslaught on their sophomore release, “Shock to the System.”
This band has a massive amount of raw and ruthless classic metal energy, which also conveys that no-nonsense rock and roll attitude. I hear a variety of influences ranging from hard rock to NWOBHM, but in the end this band is able to hammer out a sound that really comes rushing through the speakers with a confident and ballsy attitude. The twin guitar attack of guitarists James Danzo and Zak Penley is on full display throughout the album, especially when pertaining to the feverish sounding chord progressions and skillful lead guitar work. Also, the high soaring and confident vocals provided by the band’s singer, Sarabeth Linden, offer up a monumental boost of raw energy into the tracks.
Songwriting is always something I pay attention to when reviewing albums and bands that fail to compose strong and engaging songs usually lose me after the first couple tracks. In the case of Tower, this band is able to produce a solid sound that even though has been done numerous times before, definitely conveys a strong hard rock and heavy metal vision. For example, the opening track, “Blood Moon,” is a slamming piece of headbanging aggression. Drummer James Jones kicks things off by laying down some crushing rhythms that are followed up by a flurry of ear shattering riffs and powerful vocals.
The second track, “Prince of Darkness,” continues the loud and bombastic onslaught with a slightly slower tempo, while also being fueled by Sarabeth's passionate earth shaking vocals. On the third song, “Metatron,” the band arranges an instrumental composition featuring a variety of creative tempo changes and some blistering lead guitar playing. The lead parts are very precise, yet have that killer raw sound which never ends by sounding like a tsunami of random notes saturating the song and causing listeners to feel overwhelmed.
Probably what stood out the most on this album was how tight the band sounded, especially when considering that I've come across countless bands who play this style of music. Songs like, “Running Out of Time,” “Hired Gun” and “The Black Rose,” turn up the heat by demonstrating countless moments of catchy guitar parts along with very memorable chorus section. However, the song on this album that I believe stole the show had to be, “In Dreams.” The band draws some influence from eighties hard rock and heavy metal by crafting some epic sounding melodies. Add in some triumphant guitar riffs and earth shaking vocals that stretch across the landscape with tremendous force, and you end up getting one brilliant piece of music.
From top to bottom, “Shock to the System,” is a scorching release that comes charging at the global metal community with a relentless and wild heavy metal passion. The all around musicianship is really impressive, however the band’s songwriting talents along with their take no prisoners hard rocking mentality, is what I believe can help them stand out as they continue their ascent in the world of rock/metal. After a year of lockdowns and domestic insanity, Tower is coming out swinging with no remorse on this new album, so do not pass it up!
Indus Valley Kings lays down the monolithic sized heavy doom thunder with their self-titled debut full-length release. This trio of musicians takes listeners on a ride through an ancient city full of groovy sounding doom and pure vintage sounding ass kicking rock and roll.
As much as you hear the doom influences throughout the album, you also get this straightforward hypnotic hard rock sound which then makes way for some really catchy riffs. The musicianship is extremely tight and I find that this trio has a truly massive sound when hammering out their arrangements. Also, the singer’s vocal style provides a nice touch to the groovy sounding compositions that one can hear throughout the album. From top to bottom, there is not much to complain about and the production is very impressive as well.
The opening track is a crushing jam called, “Angels,” which sets up this fuzzy sounding riff laden atmosphere that comes sweeping across the musical landscape faster than a sonic titan. As I’ve stated before, the musicianship is very tight sounding and keeps you fully engaged once the band begins playing. Fans of classic 70’s hard rock that has that doomy psychedelic sound will really dig the slower more haunting instrumental arrangements that can be heard on tracks like, “The Method” and “Devil.” The guitar playing really stands out, especially when the guitarist dives into a mesmerizing solo that rips through these addictive sounding scales.
Other songs worth noting are “Phoenix” and “Rest in Waste,” which continue to explore the ancient distorted pathways first established by bands like Pentagram, Saint Vitus, Witchfinder General and Black Sabbath. “Phoenix,” is full of bombastic sounding compositions that take you through all sorts of twists and turns in terms of tempo changes. In the end, the band keeps the music flowing and doles out a mighty helping of blazing doom. You really have to give the drummer credit for maintaining such a solid sounding rhythm section that can be used by the guitarist and bassist for them to construct these monstrous sounding riffs.
Overall, I find this to be an enjoyable release and one worth checking out if you are a fan of solid sounding doom music. With so many doom bands all looking the same in their promo photos and playing the same generic sounding riffs, you really have to find those acts that truly standout. I believe Indus Valley Kings has a sound and approach which helps them offer something a bit different compared to what you usually hear. To be quite honest, if the riffs are ridiculously catchy and you find yourself banging your head, then you know a band is worth your time. Also, make sure you turn the volume up to eleven on your stereo when playing this album!
The spirit of hurricane sized guitar riffs and hard hitting cuts of glass shattering rock 'n' roll lives on through the music of Cobra Cobra! This band knows a thing or two about laying down some killer sounding hard rock/heavy metal riffs for listeners to sink their teeth right into. The band's debut album, "Life After Poison," is a tremendous display of passionate rock and metal fury that comes bursting out onto the scene like a renegade hammerhead shark going in for the kill. I caught up with the band's guitarist Derek Reeder to discuss the new album and some other topics of interest. Check out the full interview below:
Hello Derek! Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. With the recent release of Cobra Cobra’s debut album“Life After Poison” how has the feedback been so far? How pleased are you with the album’s overall sound?
Derek: Hey man! back atcha! Feedback regarding our debut Cobra Cobra album “Life After Poison” has been pretty rock solid I must admit. It's almost to the point of where, for example, when I ask someone about it their response is “there are no bad songs, every song is good”, that it’s kinda becoming just a cop out at this point LOL! But I find the more specific the listener gets the better the feedback is, as you know. Maybe I should ask, what’s your favorite guitar solo on the album, or whats your favorite most “well produced song", if you could point to one, etc. Did you like a chorus on a certain song? Did the lyrics touch you in any way? How about all the “hey’s” in our gang vocals LOL! We love to talk about this stuff all day long!
In terms of the production of the album, I’m pretty pleased to be honest. I love huge sounding albums that sound expensive. But let’s face it, we don’t live in the glory days of the 250k album budgets. If we did, it would be a night and day difference, and better overall from what we have now. When you think about it, what we had to play with budget wise was probably about the same amount as one of those expensive lunch’s for one of those older artists enjoying the huge record company budget back in the day, LOL. But that being said it’s very important for me to have a really prominent drum sound, specifically at the minimum a pounding kick drum and heavy toms. Even though I’m a guitarist, and that's my main instrument, 90% of the time if I have a favorite metal band, chances are it’s not because they have a shredding lead guitarist, but rather it’s the drummer in the group who establishes the whole attitude and spirit behind the band. And if you don’t have the right guy, it can be pretty challenging just to feel good about an album, or your project in general. If you don’t have that in place you are just phoning it in, so to speak, in my opinion. Not only am I lucky to have my brother behind the kit, but we both tend to agree on the same things musically for this style and know how important “playing for the song” is. And we more than put our hearts into every aspect of it, from choices in fills to specific crashes, double bass work, and never abusing the ride cymbal! LOL. It’s all real specific stuff. So we went as hard as we could with that, crafting each song. I’m hoping for even bigger and better production on our next album. The razor tight big production layers and sound is a staple of a lot of my favorite 80’s/early 90’s bands.
I was wondering if maybe you could give readers a little insight into the album and discuss the recording process. How long did it take to record the album and what was the writing process like? Did you go in before hand with all the songs already written, or did you come up with any new ideas while recording?
Derek: Yeah definitely! The album took about a month to record at home once I had all the songs worked out. Then the vocals came second, all of which took a lot of time in trying to find the ideas that we felt worked best. And after the vocal demos and sketches were tracked to our liking, we then had to re-record all 12 songs with full vocals. But the backstory is that the writing, as usual, takes the most time.
As far as the process goes, I start out every day with a scheduled time to come up with new riffs and ideas, record them, and then starting piecing songs together. Then my brother comes in and we work to create the ideal drum parts, and then finally add bass and vocals. Probably what you’re used to hearing in terms of an approach, perhaps not, but it's what works for us. At times we moved at glacier like speed, perhaps compared to other artists, since we really go through the arrangements over and over with a fine toothed comb. So the truth is this album is really a product of 3 long years. I mean there’s so much to go over - do we have all day? LOL.
And as to songwriting, early on as a songwriter I tried writing along the lines of what was the most tempting at the time for my tastes, generally 80’s shred metal lead guitar and sledgehammer 80’s riffs, which were the main elements of the entire album. I mean who wouldn’t want an album with killer riffs and runs through the whole thing, right?
Well, after a couple albums worth of that stuff, and you slay every dragon LOL, you really start to look into what direction you ultimately want to head in. Eventually, I knew that I wanted to take a stab at writing a complete album of 3 minute songs that would fit into the classic radio AOR pop format, only to realize later that all my favorite bands threw away the rule book a long time ago! They were writing 6 and 7 minute epic songs (Cemetery Gates for example) and having success. So, along with the fact that I was getting tired of just being the lead guitarist that can shred, I came to the point of just wanting to be a band guy. A band guy who contributes to the entire process of writing great songs with my band mates.
My tastes have always kind of leaned towards upbeat (obscenely) melodic commercial hard rock and metal songs. You know, the days of the record company filter and those million dollar budgets. Everything was on the line and you needed that sugar chorus or money riff that was gonna get the party started. It's fun to put yourself in that position, and that was definitely a template going in to this album. Verse-chorus traditional structure, but with less of a rule book, more freedom and experimenting with writing longer songs. Often I’ll put on a song to test out a PA system and then a couple minutes later have to walk back over and put another song on etc. There’s something about the longer approach!
Anyways, back to the writing, once I was flush with riffs the beginning of the album began. Recorded at home (Cobra Cobra studios), I tabbed out all my solos and parts and got to work. For drums, we booked 3 studio days over an 8 month stretch, 4 songs each day, at Tone Lab Studios in Portland, home of a fantastic engineer, Justin Abel. We really turned it on creatively there, and with Justin being a song writer himself, we got a couple of last minute nudges, especially with drum ideas before hitting record. That was actually my first time in a professional grade "home" studio. But after the first 4 tunes were dialed in I got really comfortable in that environment, which inspired me to spend even more time fine tuning the next 4 songs at home to prepare for our next session. I spent a lot of time at home perfecting the various parts and arrangements before our next studio session because, as you know, that’s when you get stuff done! The pressure hits and you really have to knuckle down and make it happen by the deadline.
While preparing for the final session's deadline, June 1st 2018, my monitors at home (Infinity Infinitesimal) blew up at the last minute. So I had to scramble to mix my demo parts for the next day in the studio with a couple of sketch throw away boom box speakers I ended up finding in the garage. There's always something!
Once I was up and running again I went from being ahead of the game to running behind. By the time I finished the solos and mixes it was 11am the next morning. But I showed up to the studio to critique parts for another 8 hrs after that! LOL, Let’s just say I slept like a baby that night. After that final date, for me the album on my end was done and we had the instrumental side locked down. We sent the tunes off to our vocalist and he got to work. This project was night and day, from a style standpoint, then anything he’s done. He went through hundreds of ideas before finalizing all his vocal performances. That took quite awhile, but he did an amazing job, and I couldn't be happier with his contribution.
I read a bit of your bio from another article and found out that you and your brother give music lessons. I was wondering if you could talk about that and how it eventually led to the formation of Cobra Cobra? Also, as a music teacher and guitarist what are some of your musical philosophies when teaching people?
Derek: The lessons side of things actually started at a local music store here in Oregon City. Adrian Music was a main stay for local players and students, then it became Blue Dot Guitars after one of the repair techs, also a teacher, bought the business. I managed to get hired on, thanks to my good friend Brandon Cook (The Loyal Order, Black n’ Blue) who was also teaching there at the time. From then, for a period of time, I taught guitar lessons during the day and then would mind the shop at night when the owner went home to try to sell guitars.
As far as musical philosophies go, I'd say I am a foundational type of teacher. I mean I didn't approach lessons based on who was popular at the time. I understood that the key to being a great guitar player was to learn from the best, all the classic rock guitar heroes along with some worthy blues guys. I mean, those cats were the ones who inspired all of us to want to play right? LOL. But, just as importantly, along with the proper foundation it's all about the work you are willing to put in. I am a stickler about establishing a regular and consistent personal practice regimen. It's like a bank account, no deposit made - no withdrawal available, LOL.
As for the creative side, I’ve usually written an album's worth of songs every 2 years, just on my own in order to have something to show for my efforts for my guitar students and friends and family. As things progressed my brother and I would spend time having fun just jamming and doing the instrumental thing for awhile, building our chops and carving out song ideas from our jam sessions. Whenever you have a sound proofed 7-day-a-week rehearsal spot, in our case the guitar store, plus with all it's nice gear, it’s hard for the wheels to not start turning LOL! So from there we just started utilizing that space at night and eventually we wanted to form a proper band.
So, we’d show up every night and run through tunes I’d put together at home. Then we recruited our first bassist and vocalist and next thing you know we played our first few shows which went quite well. But then the music store went down due to the recession, it was a pretty major setback. We felt like we kinda lost everything and so we had to re-group and build back up to what we had before the crash. We ended up renting smaller rooms in a commercial office space building in town till we got a bigger room, once we were back up and running I started renting the space out to local bands, which helped offset our cost to rent the space for our project. That’s actually how our we found Chris, our vocalist. His band Fallstar rented the space for rehearsals for awhile. But lately it’s been great to keep the current practice spot we have now. It’s not an every day thing like the old days, but the idea is to have at the bare minimum, a jam room with no noise ordinances which is what we have now.
But back to teaching guitar, my whole thing before a student signs up is to make sure they understand that our lessons program is a membership agreement. It is designed for the serious student who’s really interested in improving their skills. So with that in mind, we get started getting our skills up and running from a technique stand point, almost like a guitar gym. As I mentioned previously, I try to expose them to as many of the greats as I can, which in many cases are not the players that they are super familiar with. From there we get into listening to music on a deeper level. For a new student, just to get them excited about learning, I help them get started by learning a lot of hit song 'signature' riffs from every genre including 80's rock-Nu Metal where the riff can be as basic as 2 or 3 notes. Once I show them how basic some of it can be l usually get a “wow almost anyone can do this!” kind of response. And from there they begin to get inspired to start creating some of their own ideas. And no matter how basic it may be in the beginning, it’s always a lot of fun.
For advanced players there’s no shortage of scale based lessons/workouts that I utilize. I encourage consistent improvising over a wide variety of styles, until they start to shoot for a goal - i.e. "I have to be stage ready by January 1st"!, LOL. Once they’re there and they’re feeling pretty good, it's at that point that they want me to record them, LOL. I have to admit I’m still learning my engineering chops, but eventually I think it would be nice to eventually transition into an audio engineering role, while still accepting the serious student. Nothing I do is too mind-blowingly different from other teachers out there. But since I’ve been doing it so long it’s turned into something that is not just focusing on guitar lessons, but a music career training facility and launch pad!
Returning to the debut album, I wanted to know if there are any songs off of the album that standout the most to you? For me I really enjoy those triumphant chorus sections on songs like, “Free in My Head” and “Life After Poison.” There are plenty of catchy chord structures and tasty rhythms, which I think gives the album a very fierce and raw edge.
Derek: Nice! I really appreciate that - that was the desired effect with both of those. That’s actually usually my question to the listener! Typically it’s the songs that I struggled with that stand out to me personally because just getting them across the finish line was quite the arduous task. Starting out, say you have an intro riff/a verse riff, but no chorus riff and figure you can just finish the song easily after that.. it’ll be perfect 3/4’s of the way through, then it’s like holy (bleep) - now where do we go? for rest of the song. It really felt like that for the whole album, other than track one, “The Conquering." For some reason that one just came together but some examples for that were actually “Life After Poison” the title track and “The Overtaker”. Obscene amounts of time writing/scraping/rewriting etc. But truth be told I’d never worked harder on a song then on the song “A Little Dark, A Little Sick…”
The very first incarnation of the song had a completely different chorus section in the arrangement which when I thought it was a done deal, I realized that it just, in no way shape or form, cut it. So to find something I was happy with ended up taking weeks and months of day-in-day-out working to come up with the right build and parts. The exit riff at the end took like 6 hours one night as an example. But then again, when we were tracking drums and got to the end of the song, my brother nailed the ending drum lick in one take, our engineer Justin jumped up and said “you guys are freaks!” LOL. We’re so used to bands doing predictable endings, like a fade ending or an abrupt ending that is kinda awkward. It’s hard to come up with great endings but it’s something we work hard on since it translates live. All that to say though, you forget the all the time you slaved on a track later, and it seems like a life time ago, but I still remember all the hard fought stuff.
Another high point of that song to me is that it just so happens to be the song that really showcases Chris’ vocal abilities, it's the best one in my opinion for that. But I've been getting a lot of positive feedback on that one lately as the favorite song on the album, so I know there's something special going on there.
As a guitarist and songwriter, I was wondering if you could talk about some of your musical influences. Growing up what bands or musicians played a role in your development as a musician?
Derek: Haha, well I grew up in church where my dad would put a church band together and play on Saturday nights. It was his way of reaching out to the younger crowd who thought church people were really square, can I use that term nowadays? LOL. It was actually pretty cool how they’d cover Judas Priest songs, but change the lyrics to Christian lyrics, etc. He would also do some of his original songs with extended solos as well, so that was always a thing early on.
My uncle played guitar too and was a pretty big Eddie Van Halen fanatic. So when I learned my first couple of riffs it was nice to bounce those off him. He was someone I could call up and name any player and he would know who it was: BB King, Hendrix, Brian May, Steve Vai, SRV, Robert Cray, Eric Johnson, George Lynch etc.
In the very beginning I was kinda into the Eric Clapton 24 Nights era, where he had that kinda long haired skater haircut. I just thought he was so badass looking! Around that time my uncle was sending us Joe Satriani album samplers. He sent Flying In A Blue Dream, which had 3 songs on the album; The Forgotten Part 1 and 2, and of course Big Bad Moon. If I really think back hard enough, that may of been my first real introduction to guitar music. I knew Satriani ripped, I just had no clue what techniques I was hearing so I played that thing to death.
I kinda worked my way up, Clapton, a massive Led Zeppelin phase, then into early 80’s Priest. Even though I was into the older sound I started warming up to 80’s production sound and some of the Van Halen stuff I was hearing. Then from all the guitar and music mags around I discovered Pantera and that pretty much checked all the boxes for me: drum sound, production, the energy they brought to the table and how they incorporated that Van Halen excitement into a really aggressive Metallica based style. I ended up seeing Metallica live twice so got into them heavily for awhile, and of course Megadeth and Yngwie, and well you name it!
After I exhausted all that stuff I was turned on to King’s X from a drummer friend of mine, which took a little bit of getting used to but once it grew on me it really turned into 'the thing' - my new favorite band. You had the sledgehammer riffs but incorporated into a Hard Rock Pop sound, if you will, with crystal clear vocals you could actually hear. After learning 15-plus albums worth of that stuff I started to get into the big production of bands like T-Ride. Eric Valentine, and a band I heard about through him 'Scritti Politti', continue to be massive influences, the way they construct bass lines and all the studio wizardry. So that’s basically “the” style for where I’m at now..the Pantera rhythm section, Joe Satriani solos, and King’s X cleaner vocals no matter how heavy we get. Some of the classic death metal bands were a huge influence as well so it’s pretty across the board, from guitar hero to extreme heavy metal.
I wanted to get a little more information about your local music scene, as I am always interested in hearing about local music scenes and how the bands in those areas go about trying to book shows to perform their music live. Before this pandemic, what was the music scene like for rock and metal?
Derek: Thriving! Our scene here in Portland, OR was growing leaps and bounds. For starters we have probably the biggest tribute band circuit in the country. Every year during the summer they put on a massive tribute band festival called “Harefest”. And if you’ve never heard of it definitely see if you can catch some of the show's previous videos on YouTube. There’s been 8 or 9 of them in a row every summer so far, with the exception of this year. But often a typical year for that specific scene, for example, is they’ll start off with an 80’s Weekend in January, a big Spring Break Show, a pre-Harefest show and then Harefest over the summer. Then, they will put on a big labor day show, followed by a show around Halloween then finally a big New Years Eve Show. So that’s basically what it was like before Covid-19 hit.
Most of us have been in a tribute band, some just as a side gig to help pay the bills, but also while working on our original projects. A lot of original bands book local shows all year. Some bands pay to play, to gain exposure. It's like renting a club with a ready made audience haha. But some of the venues will pay unbelievably well for the tribute shows. I like to think eventually they will pay just as well for an original band like us once they see us start to get the same draw, or even better, as a good tribute band does. That would be the ultimate, to be able to transition to “The Real Thing”. So for us, at this point we’re just pushing through this current down time by writing, demoing material and doing music videos etc.
I’ve asked this question to other guitarists before during interviews and with the recent passing of Eddie Van Halen I feel like it is extremely relevant. Do you think we will see another Eddie Van Halen come along and inspire the next generation of rock and metal guitarists? Also, you fear that people will become less interested in playing an instrument due to the increase in the popularity of electronic music?
Derek: Wow. Yeah man, that’s tricky. As a guitar instructor over the years, I've found that upwards of 80% of the new student base coming in the door (young kids) don’t even have a handle on who EVH is. I’ve got to really hound them! It's an interesting phenomenon nowadays, but I've noticed that none of the new players out there attempting to shred like the 'greats' seem to be able to command anything close to the attention span of the listener that the players of the 70's did. Along with that, most of the time they pass on any influence an Eddie Van Halen could have by chalking it up as “Dad rock”. Never mind going even further into the actual influences Eddie had like Clapton, etc.
There’s a great saying I’ve heard kicked around over the years. That is "all the best guitarists were born in 54”. Interestingly, that is the year the Fender Strat was born too. Anywhere from within that 54-56 era you've got Pat Travers, George Lynch, Joe Satriani, Michael Schenker, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Eric Johnson, to name a few. It's hard to list off all of them without looking it up. Something about being that age and processing music the way they did without all the modern distractions, already makes Eddie or any of those guys way cooler than any of us, LOL!
What we can do, though, is encourage new players to develop an intense appreciation and passion for players like Eddie Van Halen, or Randy Rhoads for example. Instruct them that if they would just set a personal goal, if they would dedicate 6 months to digest that music and get into that mindset of taking the world by storm and imagine living in that 1979 world. If a student is willing to do that, then by all means there could very likely be some really scary players coming out of the woodwork in the near future. You can't build an Empire State building on a shaky and shallow foundation. You have to dig down to the bedrock of rock and roll. I always have it in the back of my mind to take my entire music collection and throw it off the proverbial cliff, and only listen to early Deep Purple, Hendrix, and Cream, LOL, and that kind of stuff!
As far as the electronic thing goes, I feel like it’s not quite the hit to the guitar community like I’ve heard over the years. I’ve recently rethought of the electronic scene as a new community of dedicated engineers and producers who’ve learned their DAW’s inside and out. A lot of them would gladly love to record a kick ass solo, or tell you "If I had to do some of your solos I’d be so F'd!”. So if anything, they’re very encouraging and still appreciate great guitar playing, they just can’t do it themselves. As much as that scene has come into prominence, kind of taken over, it’s still up to us true believers to keep finding the treasure there is to find in the metal and rock world and ultimately get it back on top, and to keep it on top!
Looking to the future what does Cobra Cobra have planned? I believe you had talked to me about doing a music video.
Derek: The future is an unwavering commitment to new music and continuing to push the envelope with all things musical with the freedom to explore, that is without any predetermined constraints. We definitely plan on letting things unfold naturally. Sometimes that feels like years of waiting around for someone to finish their part, or for the writing/mixing/mastering to be done. It's years upon years of slogging it out without a paycheck, i.e. “paying the price” up front, in full, in advance without any guarantees of success.
Mostly we do our music for ourselves, even if no one else gets to hear it, which I can’t imagine that happening. But even though we strive to make music that will have a world-wide impact, at the same time we kind of keep our expectations low, but we keep going for the gold each and every time we do an album. Our focus is on quality and being happy with the direction we’re headed in. We know we can stand back and let the 'word of mouth' do it’s thing at that point.
We’re actually all trying to get more motivated to promote ourselves on social media, when we’d rather be working on tunes. Our bass player is really good at it at the moment. As you mentioned, a Cobra Cobra music video is next. And with that there’s some serious option anxiety on the table of which song to choose. So that should be quite a surprise! In the mean time we’re 4 songs deep into new stuff, and of course have a couple instrumental albums already in the can, just in case ‘gun-to-our-head' we have to turn out a record under contract - we could do it, haha. But that’s all wishful thinking at the moment.
With our the student base we’ve already recouped the cost for our CD’s and shirts so at this point it’s just continuing to get exposure with that new listener out there, wherever that may be. So far we’ve had some pretty good luck in the UK with radio play and some of our connections over there. They’re loving it! Those people already seem like our closest friends. But between our CD release show, as soon as that’s an option, and the new video along with new material, we’re seriously pumped for the future and everything to come!
2020 has been a rough year for live music and people are becoming desperate for some sort of live music experience. Well, don’t feel discouraged and think that all hope is gone, because Fozzy has us all covered with a special livestream concert!
This coming Saturday, November 14th, Fozzy will be performing a special global livestream event called, “Capturing Judas,” at 9PM EST. Taking place at Madison Studios in the great city of Atlanta, Georgia, the event will begin with a pre-show that includes the world premier of the band’s highly anticipated film, “Fozzy Across America,” which was filmed the day Fozzy released, “Judas,” and covers their three show mini-tour that took place in three different rime zones on the same day. Right after the 30-min documentary, the band will perform the full, “Judas,” set for people to feverishly bang their heads and start mosh pits in their living rooms.
Fozzy is fronted by wrestling legend Chris Jericho aka “Le Champion” who has been a charismatic and well regarding personality in the world of professional wrestling. From his early days in Smokey Mountain wrestling to his WWE run where he became the Undisputed WWF Champion, Jericho has always excelled and given the people memorable matches. It should come as no surprise that Fozzy has become a powerhouse in the world of hard rock and heavy metal music. Jericho’s passion for rock and metal music is undeniable and the other members of Fozzy have proven to be solid musicians that know how to hammer out some juggernaut sized tracks. The band’s 2012 release, “Sin & Bones,” received high praise from the rock and metal community and brought the band’s exposure to even greater heights. However, the band’s seventh studio album, “Judas,” somehow eclipsed the popularity of “Sin & Bones.” AEW fans literally sing the album’s title track note for note when Jericho walks to the ring! The album has also done very well in the charts and that can be attributed to the band’s loyal fanbase.
Again, mark your calendars for November 14th and get your tickets for the event at "FOZZY.veeps.com." You don’t want to miss this if you are a fan of Fozzy! Also what better way to follow social distancing protocols than to watch a kick ass livestream concert put on by Fozzy?! If you miss this then you might as well put your hands in your pockets and hangout with that goofball Orange Cassidy who probably listens to obscure hipster nonsense and does not even come close to the greatness that is Chris Jericho!
If you were to ask me who is my favorite band on this planet and in the history of music, I would answer Rush without any hesitation. For many years I have been a devout fan of Rush and even did my high school senior project on the importance of their music.
Now for this recommendation I decided to actually go outside the Rush catalog and will be recommending Geddy Lee’s solo release, “My Favorite Headache.” Recorded in 2000, “My Favorite Headache,” was released when Rush was on hiatus due to Neil having gone through some personal tragedies in his life with the loss of his wife and daughter. During the break Geddy decided to continue to write music and collaborated with different musicians in the making of this album. Since 1974 Geddy had been playing with Neil and Alex, actually Alex and Geddy had know each other since teenagers, so stepping out and doing a solo album was a bit of a shock.
Although this is not a “Rush” album I think one can hear some similarities, especially in how the instrumental compositions are written. I find Geddy’s writing style to reflect his keen sense for writing melodies, which can definitely be heard in Rush’s entire discography. Lyrically Geddy does a tremendous job as well on this album by writing some very catchy and thoughtful lyrics. I would say that this album mirrors Rush’s, “Test for Echo,” which happens to be the last Rush studio album before the band’s hiatus.
The album begins with the title track and features Geddy’s unmistakable bass playing that provides a burst of fast grooving energy as the drumming picks up pace and the guitar parts come booming into the picture. This is definitely one of the more heavy sounding songs off the album and one that could have easily appeared on a Rush album. Now the second song, “The Present Tense,” opens with a strong chord punching riff and then transitions into one of Geddy’s uplifting verse sections containing these sweet sounding bass melodies.
Looking at the middle of the album you see quite a few well written tracks that all convey a unique and pleasant sounding identity. “Runaway Train,” is one of my favorite tracks off of the album. The full guitar chords used in the beginning create this massive sounding explosion as the bass tracks in the background pull you along this ever evolving musical landscape. Geddy’s vocal delivery is exceptional when pertaining to how his voice compliments the instrumental structures. Another song worth mentioning is, “The Angel’s Share,” which is an acoustic piece that is perfectly layered. I think the production value on this album is a major reason as to why the music comes across so profound.
The final part of the album is just as interesting with more well crafted and impressively recorded songs. I believe, “Still,” is one of the most powerful cuts off this album along with, “Grace to Grace.” There are both unique songs with dynamic compositions, however, they harmoniously compliment the album’s overall identity.
As a fan of Rush you would like Geddy to be playing with Alex and Neil, but I do believe that this solo album released during the band’s hiatus before they made, “Vapor Trails,” allowed Geddy to offer fans a great glimpse into his musical mind. After listening to this album you find a new found respect for what Geddy has done in Rush by realizing his sharp ear for writing such phenomenal music. If you have not listened to, “My Favorite Headache,” you are really missing a gem right here. The music still holds up today, because any music written with substance and integrity can withstand the test of time.
I do know that there is a special Record Store Day vinyl version of "My Favorite Headache" that came out recently. Hopefully they see the demand for this album and decided to press more vinyl copies, but if you somehow find it at your local record store...get it! I know I am going to be searching!
The title of this album, "Sex, Alcohol, Rebel Music," sort of gives you an idea about what X-Method's music is all about. Hearing an X-Method song for the first time is like getting a stone cold stunner from Steve Austin with JR in the background screaming, “Oh My God!” X-Method does not mess around and their style of hard rock/heavy metal gets right down to business. Also, these guys can throw a curve ball once in blue moon and they know how to write very powerful mellow sounding songs. Plus, there are sixteen songs on this full-length release, so you have plenty of opportunities to bang your head, drink a few beers and raise some hell.
Now, this is not my first encounter with the Bay Area based band. I saw them perform last year at a show alongside some local Sonoma County acts. X-Method really took me by surprise during their set and the passion that comes from these dudes is unbelievable. The band’s lead singer Abby is a solid frontman that knows how to deliver some crushing lyrics while being a true bad ass onstage. I think the entire band sounds tight which makes for some great music overall.
To begin, some of the songs on this release I have heard before when I saw them live and then there are a fair amount I first heard when doing this review. You have a lot to choose from, which I will say sort of happens when you have an album with so much material. Unfortunately, there are certain tracks I tend to glance over, because the ones that standout just seem capture my attention more. As I eluded to earlier, you can’t just simply call X-Method a hard rock or heavy metal. These guys blend hard rock and metal elements into their music, however, they never venture into territories where you would be taken by complete surprise. “Denied What’s Ours,” begins with an epic acoustic riff that morphs into an avalanche of chaotic guitar riff fury. The drumming kicks into high gear and the band puts their foot on the gas pedal. It is one of the more thrash like songs on the album and Abby’s vocals really inject an extra bite of raw aggression into the music.
Following the intensity of the first track, the album’s second song, “Brutal As Fuck,” kind of gives you an idea of how that song sounds. It is Brutal as Fuck! (I bet you are all thinking, thank you captain obvious...) Anyway, the track right after, “When Darkness Falls,” is one of those curve balls. The guitars create a more melodic vibe and the vocals mellow out for a bit. This is just a really well written song that uses a simple verse riff to lead up to a very soothing chorus. Another mellow song that can get pretty heavy at times was, “Waiting For the Rain.” The vocal performance matched with the acoustic arrangement is brilliantly executed. I especially liked the guitar solo which perfectly compliments the song’s deep emotional tone.
Other songs that I liked which I thought fit well with album’s title were “Southern Comfort” and “Fuck Sobriety.” I thought the punk vibe that, “Fuck Sobriety,” offered up was really adrenaline pumping. I can just see them playing that song live with a gigantic pit forming full of headbangers and punks going bat shit crazy. Lastly, they have a song on here called, "No Tey Vayas," which is sung in Spanish I believe. X-Method is kind of big down in Peru and the Latin America region, so I thought that was very cool.
In the end, X-Method gives listeners so much to take away from their album, “Sex, Alcohol, Rebel Music.” Even if one track really does not grab you, there are so many songs on this album that are simply well written to where you will find something that fits your hard rock and metal mood. I commend X-Method for their hard work and know they will relentlessly tour and raise hell once the album is released...It comes out in a couple days... so VERY soon!
After being sent what seems like a lot of black metal lately (I still have yet to figure out why...), I am finally getting a chance to check out what the world of hard rock has to offer this year. Coming from the UK, Stone Kings packs a hard rock punch to the jaw with a slight metal under cut that mostly contains stoner rock and subtle doom touches. This band is jumping out into a sea of countless acts who play a similar style of music. Some groups are able to standout by having great songwriting skills and a truly heavy recording sound, while others drown in the waters of boring repetitious sounding hard rock that calls itself doom or stoner rock. Call it want you want, but if it does not sound engaging and interesting, I am not buying it!
Now, Stone Kings has twelve tracks on their full-length release, “From Creation to Devastation,” so you get plenty of opportunities to check out what these dudes have to offer. In my opinion, bands similar to Stone Kings that I have reviewed tend to write the same sounding tracks over and over again to where the entire album is pretty much based off of the same riff. There were a few songs I felt sounded repetitive, but overall you get a fair amount of unique sounding tracks.
The album opens with the distortion blasting instrumental track, “Creation,” that also contains this mellow vibe at times. It sort of reminded me of old Alice in Chains where you have that balance between heavy and soothing. Song number two, “Far Out,” has a very basic sound, but is written in a catchy manner. Again, I hear a lot of nineties hard rock influence, especially in the vocal delivery. The band sounds tight during the song and the guitar solo added a nice little kick. Track three, “Head Shot,” builds up with a crushing drum and guitar section that I quite enjoyed. The lyrical content and chorus section were a bit lack luster, but the guitar riff helped boost the song’s energy with a fierce tone. “Out Cast,” the following track, uses that strange vocal effect that sounds like the singer is singing through a megaphone. Honestly, the song was just a continuation of what you heard on the previous song.
I think track five, “Krokodil,” was where the band really got me tapping my foot to the bluesy hard rock/doom sound. The guitar player throws in a mean sounding solo of note ripping aggression. As I stated earlier, you get a little more than just the same type of tracks on this release and song number six, “Time Out,” is without question the one that I think stands out the most. The song features an acoustic guitar riff mixed with a more solemn and melancholy vibe. Powerful lyrical content also provides a deep message for listeners to take away. The next track, “Full Throttle,” returns straight back to the more grooving hard rock sound. Two tracks that also caught my attention towards the end were, “In My Place,” and the thunderous instrumental outro, “Devastation.” Both well written songs that contain these explosive moments of tire slashing riffs and glass shattering cymbal hits.
Overall, Stone Kings maintains a strong identity throughout this album, even if the music wasn’t exactly clicking with me. I did find moments where the music was not anything new to my ears, but I will acknowledge that there are tracks which help push this band towards the front of the modern hard rock line. For hard rock standards these guys are not bad, however, I think there is more to be done and if they keep pouring their hearts and souls into recording more music, who knows what they might be capable of doing? I will say that the talent is there and this release is definitely worth checking out.
Los Angeles doom trio Ironaut hammers out some killer axe wielding jams on their five song self-titled EP. Heavy sounding tunes that display musical brutality and Sabbath like grooves, allow listeners to feverishly bang their heads and have one wild hard rocking time.
I think what stood out most vividly on this EP is the tight sound that the band was able to create with each track. The music really flows and for a trio they have an impressive full sound. I am reminded of bands like High on Fire and Orange Goblin, because the band combines these fast paced speed demon riffs with these moments of slow skull crushing terror.
The ferocity of the opening track, “Horned Goat,” demands attention by constructing this unforgiving verse riff. Also, the band writes these pissed off sounding lyrics that compliments the instrumental compositions quite well. Ironaut’s guitar, bass and drum structures are very basic doom and hard rock in style, so if you are expecting a progressive and dynamic release, you might be setting the bar a bit too high. Their style definitely puts more emphasis on simple yet brutal sounding riffs, which is why the band does a solid job coming up with these hard hitting doom rock pieces of music. “Yellow King,” is a slamming song and features some bombastic drumming. I think the drumming at times gives the band an extra kick of aggression.
Song three on the EP, “Acid Wash,” is one of my favorite tracks from Ironaut on this EP. The intro guitar riff sounds very seventies psychedelic hard rock and even mixes in some quick tempo guitar and bass parts that gives the piece a hardcore punk feel. “Atomic Voyage,” actually changes up the band’s usual songwriting formula with an acoustic intro that paves the way for a haunting doom composition. Finishing off the EP, “The Dead Look in My Eyes,” keeps the reverb dial turned up high and the band’s singer/bassist continues to shout out vicious lyrics with a loud and harsh vocal tone. The song contains so much musical attitude that you just don’t hear very often in the world of music, especially that crap they play on MTV nowadays(if they still play music).
Now, I have reviewed a fair amount of bands who play this style, but Ironaut did find a way to throw in their own musical personality and the group sounds really tight. Also, for a three piece they seem to offer a loud seismic ground shaking sound. I think my only suggestion would be to keep experimenting with those slow and evil sounding atmospheres like on “Atomic Voyage,” while consistently throwing down unforgiving riffs like on, “Acid Wash.” Overall, it is doom and it kicks major metal ass...enough said as to why you should check this band out.
You don’t hear too many strong up and coming rock and roll bands these days. To be honest, I usually stick to the various forms of metal since good basic classic rock style bands are in short supply. Well, Kirra is a rock band who seems to have a formula going that might get people like myself interested in a more straightforward style of rock music.
I think the classic hard rock structure is a rare form these days since most indie rock bands have saturated the music market with watered down nonsense. Kirra revisits that nineties chord punching hard rock sound with their debut album, “Run Away.” Sharp reverb riffs and raw grunge type vocals dominate this twelve track album.
The band injects some heavier moments during certain songs, and those subtle parts give the sound a slight surge of aggression. The lead guitar playing is precise and fits the songs well. On the opening track, “Tappy Gilmore,” you hear the band taking a solid rock rhythm and developing the piece into an overall catchy rock song. Track number two, “Fly,” maintains that basic bare bones rock and roll mentality with some flashy leads thrown in. Other songs on this album such as, “Lies” and “Lay You Down,” feature similar arrangements to the beginning songs, but the leads and riff offer some variation if you listen closely.
Towards the end of the album, Kirra keeps hammering out nineties style hard rock music. The musicianship is not mediocre, however, the style of rock that these guys play is not looking to push technical boundaries. Songs such as, “Stay,” may not be to my exact musical preference, though I do see the potential to where Kirra might connect with a rock fan searching for a solid catchy sound. “Too Far Gone,” was probably my favorite song on the album and the opening riff really stands out. The song has a great main groove and seems to set up this endless drum and guitar highway of rock and roll.
I think Kirra is possibly one of the most unique bands I have listened to recently, because they are going for a simple hard rock sound. They aren’t playing technical solos or incorporating ambient musical atmospheres, but just hitting away at their instruments like so many rock bands in the past. Some of the songs tend to have very basic rock lyrical structures, but I do believe this band’s sound can attract a wide fan base. If you want some solid crushing hard rock to play as you are driving around town in your car, then check out Kirra’s, “Run Away.”
Lynch Mob continues to dish out that classic hard rock sound and their new album is no exception. Titled, “Rebel,” the band’s 8th full-length album is full of tasty distorted riffs and slamming rock jams.
George Lynch is probably one the most hard working guitar players and has been involved in plenty of different projects over the years. Ever since he left Dokken he seems to put out albums under the Lynch Mob banner on a consistent basis. Now, some of those releases were not exactly winners, but the recent albums are getting good reviews from fans. I think having Oni Logan back in the band helps since he sang on that first Lynch Mob album and he also has a strong bluesy hard rock type voice to compliment George’s guitar playing.
“Rebel,” features eleven tracks of hard rock bruisers. I personally felt the album was very basic sounding in certain areas and did not do much to separate itself from the last Lynch Mob album. The band seems to fall into that category of musicians from the eighties who used to play arenas and now play in bars or casinos. Still, the band’s sound on this album is pretty solid since these dudes have paid their dues on the road and are accomplished rock musicians.
The opening track, “Automatic Fix,” has an edgy sound and features a hard rock’n main riff. Oni sounds good while he narrates the vocals, but I felt the song was a bit bland in certain sections. Once George started throwing in a few leads and the heavy riffs began to come out, I think the song was able to become strong again. The lead guitar playing does add a little boost of excitement, especially when George messes around with different effects. Songs like “Between the Truth and a Lie,” and “Testify,” start to get a little more interesting. The band puts together some creative rock compositions with catchy melodies and dynamic riffs.
For a band that is full of musicians have been involved in numerous other projects and are getting up in age, Lynch Mob’s “Rebel,” was an overall decent release. The band is able to write some classic sounding rock tracks with a modern kick. However, if not for George’s playing, I do not think I would have enjoyed the album as much. For anyone who likes hard rock and George Lynch’s guitar work, this album is worth checking out. The band will probably go on tour soon with the release of the album, so check your local rock bars!
Now, a review for one Relapse Record’s finest up and coming rock groups, Royal Thunder. The Atlanta, GA based band return with their sophomore album, “Crooked Doors.” As if people can’t stop listening to their debut release, “CVI,” the band has found another way to keep fans glued to their speakers.
“Crooked Doors,” demonstrates Royal Thunder’s great song writing abilities and amazing musicianship. The production value along with the different guitar sounds captured throughout this album, have an unbelievably unique and distinct sound. Also, singer/bassist Miny Parsonz, has a voice that can captivate listeners while drawing them into this pleasant dark world that delivers such great raw emotion.
The first song, “Time Machine,” is a perfect introduction for anyone who may have not heard of this band before. At first the band constructs this mellow psychedelic atmosphere and becomes heavier when Miny’s deliver becomes more aggressive. The song is a journey through a whole diverse canyon of sounds and the quality of the recording does the track so much justice.
Track number two, “Forget You,” begins with a short burst of feedback and then explodes into a hard hitting doom rock riff. The guitar tone is bold and unapologetic just like the lyrics of the song. The follow up song, “Wake Up,” starts off a lot different and takes on this psychedelic vibe. Each note rings out over Miny’s voice with perfect pitch and mind numbing tone.
Songs like “Floor” and “The Line” have a classic hard hitting sound. I really like the song, “The Line.” The lyrics are constructed in this extremely powerful manner. One verse that stood out is, “Throw your best friend into the fire and then spit them into the grave.” The way that she says those lines with such furious emotion is utterly amazing.
“Forgive Me, Karma,” is a bit slower, but progresses with a variety of different compositions. I really liked how the guitars were recorded and the guitar effect used for the introduction riff is very calming. Track number seven, “Glow,” has this mix of blues and psychedelic rock, and is an overall decent sounding track. “Ear of the Fool,” is another well written piece of music. From the drums to the guitar chords used, there is a sense of unity and every sound works to form one strong musical entity.
The track, “One Day,” continues the more solemn sounding hard rock approach. For me the guitar solo on, “One Day,” is full of great emotion when the notes ring out as guitarist Josh Weaver glides through the scale. The final two tracks, “Bear I” and “Bear II,” were a bit of a surprise, however, they were a creative way to end this album. The tempo is drastically slowed down and the band seems to fade away. “Bear II” features a piano piece that gives the song a pleasant sound and helps wrap up the diverse psychedelic doom rock journey.
This album was definitely an enjoyable listen and full of many different great hard rock songwriting writing examples. The music has raw emotion, a quality that you do not get most often these days. I think this band as a whole has great chemistry and the album’s overall sound speaks for itself. “Crooked Doors,” is a must listen for fans of creative rock music that does not fail to capture your imagination.
To be honest, I have never been the biggest Stryper or Dokken fan, especially Dokken. Go watch one of those Dokken videos from the 80s. They are all prime examples of ridiculously cheesy hair metal videos. However, Michael Sweet from Stryper and George Lynch who used to play in Dokken and has been involved countless other projects, are both very talented musicians.
I may not particularly enjoy some of their past work with certain bands, but I will say that these men have had long careers and worked hard to get to where they are now musically. Both guys are rock veterans with many years of experience, and getting them together to work on an album is not a bad idea.
Sweet and Lynch offer listeners a well rounded rock and roll release. Also, accompanying them on this album are two other very talented musicians with impressive backgrounds. On bass you have James Lamenzo who used to play in White Lion and Megadeth. Behind the drum kit you have Brian Tichy who has worked with numerous rock and metal acts such as Whitesnake, Ozzy and Billy Idol. All around the band is full of talent and the songs definitely capture this group’s solid musical chemistry.
I was particularly impressed with the songwriting on this album. You hear very straight forward classic rock songs with bit of an eighties classic metal touch. George’s guitar can created some graceful sounding riffs while Michael’s voice provides the perfect melodic touch. There are also times when George can crank out a ripping guitar solo. In the eighties George may have looked like a cave troll that over did it with the hair spray, however, the guy always knows how to lay down a decent sounding solo.
The songs on this album are solid to the core and the opening track, “The Wish,” sets the tone for want is to be heard on the rest of the album. Sometimes the songs take on this heavenly and rather soothing sound classic rock vibe. Now mind you, there are some crushing hard rock moments like on the songs, “Time Will Tell,” “Divine” and “Hero-Zero.” George can create these bluesy sounding rock riffs that make way for Michael's powerful sounding vocals. Say what you want about Stryper’s old yellow and black outfits, Michael can still sing and he injects so much emotion into each song. The song, “September,” is extremely moving and overall just a well constructed piece of rock music.
In the end, I think that every song on this album is written with complete musical consideration. If you are looking for a good sounding hard rock release, this album is well worth your attention. All the musicians in this group dig deep to find their best inner musical talents. I recommend listeners forget their past opinions about some of the musicians’ former bands (Dokken), because this release is something that really took me by surprise. I am glad that their are still musicians who are writing music with substance, and they can also play their instruments pretty darn well too. Unfortunately, they can’t erase those outrageous photos from the 80s.
