Monthly Archives: February 2011
Cult of the Fox – The Sea Beneath The Sand
Cult of the Fox – The Sea Beneath the Sand (2010, self-released)
1. “I’m Working On That” … 5:24
2. “Letters of Fire and Sword” … 5:03
3. “Out of Order” … 4:33
4. “The Sea Beneath The Sand” … 3:55
Band:
Magnus Hultman – Vocals
Per Persson – Guitar
Peter Svensson – Bass
Daniel Fritze – Drums
The Sea Beneath The Sand is old school heavy metal and the latest round of demos/EP (third total) from Sweden’s Cult of the Fox. Drawing on influences such as Manowar, Iced Earth, Judas Priest, Dio and Grave Digger the band plays in a traditional metal/’80s power metal style. They cite themselves as contemporary metal but I only really get that feeling (and just slightly) on the pounding “I’m Working On That”, which also seems to cross over into stoner rock territory.
Given that this is a set of demos, there is a simple and organic feel to the production but that works in favor of the songs, giving them a bit more teeth. “Letters of Fire and Sword” (great title!) is the EP’s true standout track. Just a galloping good time with some nice bass and it displays a bit of a thrashier of the band reminding of Metallica and Iron Maiden. “Out of Order” is an upbeat anthem about rebel-rousing and “The Sea Beneath The Sand” starts off slow and then picks up the pace with some Maiden gallop.
These demos are a solid listen and they shows that Cult of the Fox are a band with a lot of promise. I would definitely be interested in hearing what the band could do on an entire album. Recommended for fans of classic metal.
Highlights: “I’m Working On That”, “Letters of Fire and Sword”
http://www.cultofthefox.com
http://www.facebook.com/cultofthefox
http://www.myspace.com/cultofthefox
Animal Confession – Animal Confession
Animal Confession (2011, self-released)
1. “A Thousand Lies” … 3:55
2. “Light My Way” … 4:28
3. “Drown In You” … 4:37
Musicians:
Andrew Gharib – Vocals, Guitar
Sean Finnegan – Bass
Mike Hogg – Drums
Producer: Andrew Gharib and Chris Crerar
Animal Confession is an alternative/ambient rock group based out of Ottawa, Canada. It is the brainchild of the band’s sole member – Andrew Gharib. On this three song EP, the influences are obvious: Tool, the Deftones, A Perfect Circle, Nine Inch Nails, etc. Gharib himself notes U2 and Pink Floyd as an influence as well.
I’m finding that “A Thousand Lies” is my favorite of these three tracks. The guitars have crunch, the melody is there, the chorus is catchy. It was a wise choice to release this song as the single. The same can basically be said for “Light My Way”, which alternates between dreamy moments and guitar crunch. Next up is “Drown In You”, complete with some guitar distortion and again more melody. There’s a theme here — Gharib has done a great job of combining melody and heaviness. Neither is being sacrificed for the sake of the other. The album is dark, moody and there’s a psychedelic twist given it all as well.
Speaking of the man himself, Andrew’s vocals are absolutely fantastic. He does a great job letting the emotions come through in his voice whether he’s belting out the chorus or taking a low-key approach during some the the melancholy moments. The man definitely has a gift and is using that gift to its fullest potential on this EP.
I don’t follow the alternative scene much these days so I hate to even comment and what can/cannot be in this day and age but I can’t help but feel Gharib would’ve found some critical acclaim and commercial success in the alternative-friendly 1990s with songs such as these. Animal Confession is a “must listen” for fans of alternative music.
http://animalconfession.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Animal-Confession/150622668283886
http://www.myspace.com/animalconfession
Madlife – Angry Sonnets for the Soul
Madlife – Angry Sonnets for the Soul (2011, RBE/Fontana)
1. “Little Ray Of Sunshine” … 3:34
2. “Everyone” … 3:32
3. “Be Tomorrow” … 3:48
4. “Falling Apart” … 4:01
5. “Feeling Alone” … 3:25
6. “I Hate” … 3:19
7. “Think I’m Dead” … 2:59
8. “Money” … 3:06
9. “There I Stand” … 3:53
10. “Tantrum Of A Giant” … 3:03
11. “Screaming People” … 2:57
Band:
Angry Phil – Vocals
Isaiah – Guitar
Jimmy Minj – Bass
Kylio – Drums
Producer: Evan 9
Now this was a pleasant surprise! When this album arrived in the mail, based on the description of Madlife being an industrial rock act, I wasn’t sure if I would like it. It’s not a scene I was ever a HUGE fan of but I did like some acts like Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails, Static-X, Linkin Park and Powerman 5000. Even Marilyn Manson (who Madlife has toured with) and Orgy put out at least one album that I liked but I haven’t seriously listened to any of those bands since the late ’90s/early ’00s. Out of all the bands I just mentioned, the closest I could comparison to Madlife is Powerman 5000. Though this band is certainly not ripping off PM5K, a lot of the beats in the songs brought that comparison to my mind… even before I realized this album was produced by Powerman 5000 guitarist Evan 9! I think “Falling Apart” is the most like Powerman 5000.
Madlife isn’t as heavy or as electronically offbeat as bands like NIN, Static-X or Manson. They’re much more melodic. The band really does a great job pulling all of their influences together and coming out with one sound. It’s melodic, it’s modern hard rock, it’s industrial. A number of these songs bring me back to when industrial acts were all rage because they sound exactly like songs from that era (not complaining) but there’s also a number of songs that could just as easily find their way onto radio like “Be Tomorrow”, “Screaming People” and the awesome “I Stand There”, which is by far my favorite song on the album. By the way, kudos to vocalist Angry Phil for not resorting to the ugly screaming that is often found in industrial bands. Phil’s vocals are clean and convey a variety of emotions, depending on the song.
In addition to Marilyn Manson, Madlife has toured with numerous modern metal acts like Bullet For My Valentine, Trivium and All That Remains. Coupled with the hooks and ready-radio songwriting talent found on Angry Sonnets for the Soul, Madlife could have a very successful future ahead of them. I’m glad I’ve been turned on to this band.
Highlights: “Little Ray Of Sunshine”, “Be Tomorrow”, “Falling Apart”, ”There I Stand”, ”Screaming People”
http://www.madlifemusic.com
http://www.facebook.com/Madlifemusic
http://www.myspace.com/madlife
Vega – Kiss Of Life
Vega – Kiss Of Life (2010, Frontiers Records)
1. “Into The Wild” … 5:17
2. “Kiss Of Life” … 4:20
3. “One Of A Kind” … 3:21
4. “Staring At The Sun” … 4:11
5. “Too Young For Wings” … 4:16
6. “A.N. Other” … 4:19
7. “Headlights” … 3:54
8. “Hearts Of Glass” … 5:04
9. “Stay With Me” … 3:51
10. “Wonderland” … 4:28
11. “What It Takes” … 4:38
12. “SOS” … 4:36
Band:
Nick Workman – Vocals
Tom Martin – Guitar, Bass
Dan Chantrey – Drums
James Martin – Keyboards
Produced by: John Greatwood & Vega
Another fantastic melodic release that’s blowing me away. Vega is a project put together by writers/musicians/brothers Tom & James Martin (they’ve written songs for House of Lords, Joe Lynn Turner’s Sunstorm and Khymera). They recruited Nick Workman for vocals, who had previously sung for the melodic groups Kick and Eden. Has anyone else ever noticed how many side projects there are in the melodic rock world? No one seems to have a full-time band! Everything is always a “project” and not a band, but oh well, as long as the music is good who cares!
So this is the second great melodic album I’ve heard recently (the first being Prime Suspect). This album is everything AOR should be. If more bands could put out albums like this, I would become a huge AOR fan. Sadly, I don’t think many people are gonna come close to touching this UK act!
So what’s so great about this album? Production, vocals, keyboards, just the songwriting in general… Melodies and hooks galore! Choruses that will have you screaming from the rooftops! Okay, maybe that’s going over board but the songs are very catchy. Every song on here is a winner and touches you on some level whether it’s uplifting anthems like “Into The Wild” or “Kiss Of Life” or ballads that tug on your heart like “What It Takes”. The lyrics are great too, I love all the positivity (not that AOR is ever negative but these particular get stuck in my head and speak to me).
I’ve seen some others talk about how this is great “British melodic rock”. I don’t know what that means. I just know that it’s melodic rock and it’s a fantastic album that I’ve spun about 8 or 9 times in the past week! Though the genre seems to be stuck in the ’80s sonically, this is one of the finest melodic rock albums you’ll hear outside of that decade.
Highlights: “Into The Wild”, “Kiss Of Life”, “Stay With Me”, “Wonderland”, “What It Takes”
Prime Suspect – Prime Suspect
Prime Suspect (2010, Frontiers Records)
1. “What Do You Want?”
2. “I’ll Be Fine”
3. “Change This World”
4. “I Never Knew”
5. “I Would Like To Reach The Sun”
6. “It Could Have Been You”
7. “Hear Me Calling”
8. “Deep In My Heart”
9. “So Strange”
10. “Watch Me”
Band:
Olaf Senkbeil – Vocals
Tommy Ermolli – Guitar
Mauro Catellani – Bass
Dario Ciccioni – Drums
Daniele Liverani – Keyboards
Produced by: Daniele Liverani
Prime Suspect is an AOR/hard rock group and the latest project from Daniele Liverani. I plead ignorance on the comings and goings of the melodic rock world but from what I can tell, Liverani has done quite well for himself over the years with projects like Empty Tremor, Daily Trauma, the Genius Rock Opera trilogy, Viewpoint and most recently, Cosmics, Khymera and the progressive Twin Spirits.
I have never listened to Khymera but I am told Prime Suspect sounds very much like them. So there ya go, if you’re a Khymera fan, you’re probably a Prime Suspect fan and don’t even know it! In fact, this album actually two other Khymera members: Tommy Ermolli and Dario Ciccione.
The comparison that I make myself is to House of Lords. Prime Suspect isn’t as heavy, but there is still that great balance between hard rock bite and a stellar polished production. The keyboards enhance the songs but don’t drown them, which is very important to me if I am to enjoy a melodic album and Ermolli also lays down some great guitars while singer Olaf Senkbeil is extremely talented. As good as the music is, it’s really Olaf that carries this album to being something special. He puts in a great performance all around.
In short, I think this is a great melodic release. Great vocals, catchy choruses, fantastic guitars, keyboards are used appropriately… what more could you ask for? The only clunker on the whole album is “I Would Like To Reach The Sun”. While the ’80s AOR vibe is present throughout the entire album, that’s the only song that offers a cheese sampler. The opening anthem “What Do You Want?” more than makes up for that misstep though, as do the ballads “I Never Knew” and “It Could Have Been You”. Offering up a slight twist is “So Strange”, which is a bit of a funky number. Definitely sticks out from the rest of the album and I enjoy it a lot.
Prime Suspect is well worth seeking out for AOR enthusiasts!
Highlights: “What Do You Want?”, “I Never Knew”, “It Could Have Been You”, “Hear Me Calling”, “Deep In My Heart”, “So Strange”, “Watch Me”
http://www.danieleliverani.com/
http://www.myspace.com/liverani
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=106086349434616
