Album Review: Devin Townsend - Empath

I'm going to say something that is rather unpopular; I don't like Devin Townsend. I have nothing against him, who seems to be a nice and down-to-earth guy, but I have never come across music he has made that has interested me in the slightest. Strapping Young Lad was noisy anger for the sake of being abrasive, while his later solo works largely churned out the same chugging riffs and boring melodies. And throw in Ziltoid, which was one of the dumbest concepts I've ever heard of, and you get someone who holds no appeal for me. I've tried to listen to several of his projects, and while "Ocean Machine" wasn't terrible, his view of music and mine just don't mesh. So why, then, am I here to talk about his latest album?

I could be a musical masochist, or perhaps I'm intrigued by the idea of this being a mixture of every side of Devin's musical mind. If ever I'm going to find something in him to appreciate, it should be with this record.

After an ambient introduction, "Genesis" kicks off the album with electronic flourishes, those one-note chugging riffs, and Devin throwing every vocal trick in the book at the composition. He sings, he screams, and a choir comes to back his vision of what creation must have been like. Of course, this is the big-bang version, where there is a large noise, and then something arises from nothing. I find the composition slipshod, as blast beats come in from nowhere, the song bounces from sound to sound at random, and Devin sticks to his usual single note melodies that I find so boring. He does try a bit of everything, so I'll give him that.

"Spirits Will Collide" is better, if only because it's more focused. The song has an identity, and sticks to its guns through its run-time. The use of choirs is more effective with the symphonic backdrop, although it does get a bit repetitive by the end. Devin decides to semi-growl his way through some of what is supposed to be a beautiful song, which is another decision I'm not sure I understand. I suppose that is the way his music is often able to call itself 'progressive', but I find it confusing more than boundary-pushing.

It doesn't take long for me to realize this album is not at all for me. Devin's heavy use of electronics, and refusal to commit to an idea for more than a minute at a time, is simply not the kind of music I enjoy listening to. Progressive music can come in long-form, and it can integrate a wide variety of sounds, but it needs to have a built-in logic so it feels natural to make those shifts within a song. Devin's music often skips out on the connective tissue, and leaves us with a scattershot of ideas that don't feel cohesive.

And after however many albums I have listened to from him, I continue to maintain Devin is a lackluster vocalist. I'm not saying he isn't talented. His voice is good, and he can do so many things with it, I can't say he is untalented. What he is, though, is not a writer who gives himself good material to sing. Over the course of these tracks, there isn't a single melody he sings I can remember. Whether singing or screaming, they are all flat and dull, relying on the scope of the production, and his lung power, rather than crafting a set of notes with any hook to them.

And by the time we get to the ten and twenty minute epic tracks, both of which are filled with several minutes of ambient noise, my patience is fried. When I describe music as being self-indulgent, this is a good example of what I mean. Devin is indulging every creative idea he's had in the last few years, and throwing them at us without much regard for how they will sound to us. I didn't enjoy any of my previous experiences with his music, but "Addicted!" and "Ki" made sense. This record doesn't. It sounds like a jigsaw puzzle that was forced together with a hammer.

I know a lot of people love Devin, but I'm sorry, I can't see why. I may lack empathy, but "Empath" is going to wind up as one of the most painful listening experiences of my year.

Album Review: A New Revenge - Enemies & Lovers

In all the time I've been writing about music, I think this is a first. A New Revenge marks the third time in just three months I am reviewing an album featuring the vocals of Tim 'Ripper' Owens. There have been a lot of musicians who have been part of multiple records in a given year, including at least two I can remember who were on three, but they never came out so close together. I don't know if it was happenstance, or intended to try to ride the wake, but it also runs the risk of having us completely burnt out by the time the third offering comes along. And given that the first two albums Ripper has 'gifted' will wind up among the very worst records of the year, that threat is very real.

This time, thankfully, we aren't dealing with shriek-filled true metal. A New Revenge is rock and roll, driven by Ripper and Keri Kelli, who has played with Slash's Snake Pit. After what I've already heard from Ripper, that is welcome news indeed.

The album opens up with "The Distance Between", which is very Slash-like rock, with the exception of the odd laser-whoosh sound effects that pop up here and there. I'm not sure what they are supposed to be implying. Is the band somehow existing in a bad 80s sci-fi movie? Remove those, and it's a decent track. Actually, the record is much better than I thought it was going to be. Given his track record, and the spotty results from these supergroup bands, I wasn't expecting much of anything. To my surprise, what we have here is a solid record that gets in and out, throws a few punches, and doesn't try to fight above its weight.

What becomes clear as the record moves on is that Ripper's choices have limited his future. When he reaches back for a stronger note, he sounds fine. When he's singing in a more restrained manner, the cracks in his voice are undeniable. The years of shrieking over loud metal have done damage to what used to be a good voice across his entire range. I remember listening to him singing "The Clouding" with Iced Earth and believing he was better than Matt Barlow. Hearing him sing this material, his voice has deteriorated in those tones, which explains to me why he is so reliant on his high piercing voice in most of his work.

It's interesting to hear this record, as over the course of two decades, this is probably the catchiest and most melodic record Ripper has ever been a part of. Hearing him in a new context adds information I didn't have before, and what it does, at least for me, won't be something he wants to hear. A New Revenge tells me he's wasted a lot of years making generic shriek-metal, when he had the chops to be fronting a rock band that is bigger and better than any of his other projects.

Trust me, that's supposed to be a compliment. In all honesty, "Enemies & Lovers" is a good record that holds its own against all the other bands put together from 80s and 90s personalities. It's a short and sweet record that delivers fun rock and roll, the kind that's hooky and not concerned with posturing how 'rock' you are. It's refreshing, and something we need more of. I like this record, and I would certainly welcome a follow-up. A New Revenge shows a lot of potential here.

A Conversation with Erik Barath of Indestructible Noise Command

During the most lengthy hiatus in recent memory, Indestructible Noise Command was in danger of becoming a once-successful band that time had forgotten.  In 2010, they made their triumphant, violent return to the metal world, and everything has been trending up since.  Fresh off the release of their newest album "Terrible Things," we sat down with guitarist and ideaman Erik Barath

D.M.: Let’s start with how you feel about “Terrible Things.”  How does it separate itself from your previous albums, and what’s on there that fans won’t have heard from you before?

ERIK BARATH: On Terrible Things, we went back to our roots. It’s really a pure, old school thrash album so the fans that have been with us from the start will find it a familiar road they are traveling upon.

D.M.: It seems there’s less of the groove we saw on “Heaven Sent… …Hellbound,” (or “Black Hearse Serenade,”) and what feels like a return to traditional thrash – what made you go that way?

EB: Our music is dictated by whatever flows out of me. I just wrote “Fist Go Rek” and that opened a doorway in me. The rest of the album just followed that track as if it were an out of control freight train. We  are very comfortable with where we are right now. I think we’ll live here for a while.

D.M.: As you’ve gotten a little older, has the thrash writing process changed for you?  You can’t be the same person you were twenty years ago.  What’s your headspace like when you’re writing?

EB: Well now with the digital age, we don’t have to all cram into some dank rehearsal space and try and hash out a song. I can now record the song complete in my little studio and the boys just run with it from there. Much easier.

D.M.: One of the things that I appreciate about Indestructible Noise Command the most is your incorporation of the piano or a classical overture to enhance the sense of the moment – where does that come from?  What’s your influence in those moments?

EB: That probably comes from my first obsessions in music, which were Queen and The Beatles. Those bands showed there are no restriction or rules to rock n roll. You can make any other style or genre fit if you are clever enough and I love the challenge of making all the styles I love and feeling streaming through me fit together in one neat package.

D.M.: I believe I described the lyrics of “Identifier” as “deliriously random.”  It’s the album’s best song (one man’s opinion,) but what’s going on there?

EB: The song focuses on the madness following the 2016 elections so at the surface it’s political, but I approached it with poetic comedy. You will get it if you read between the lines. I left it as a bit of a puzzle.

D.M.: Talk about your band’s guitar tandem.  It’s one of the great pairs working today – if you were to compare them to the great metal tandems of then and now, whose company are you in?

EB: Oh I don’t know, Anthony [Fabrizi] and I are so different from each other and I especially from anyone else because I have no proper training, I know no theory so I learned to play my own way, which at times is unorthodox and chaotic, I think that’s why it works and has the sound it does.

D.M.: Once and for all – what happened that the band decided to go on hiatus in the first place?

EB: We had some really solid success with our first two albums in the mid-‘80s and wanted to get with a bigger label that could get us to the next level. Epic Records offered to sign us, and the deal was worked out and ready to sign when the head of A&R got fired. Our deal got cancelled. Then time just kept passing and we were lost at sea with wind in our sails. Being we were just over 20 years of age, we started fighting with each other and eventually called it quits.

D.M.: INC now has more albums post-hiatus than pre-hiatus.  What does that feel like?  Does it feel like you’ve crossed a threshold?

EB: It feels great. We actually feel like we’re at the top of our game and getting better. I have new material written already for the next record and it will be massive.

D.M.: What changed in the industry that made it the right time to end your hiatus and begin the second phase of your career?

EB: Oh, the industry sucks more than ever, it wasn’t that. I just started writing and it just started sounded better and better and it sparked the fire in the band. We do this for us and for the hard core fans that are still with us. The industry is a nightmare these days. And by Industry I don’t just mean record companies, I mean the overall business. It’s a money pit and recouping is harder than ever.

D.M.: Describe your hiatus as it relates to the band members – was there ever a falling out, or was everyone on board no matter how long it took?

EB: There had been talk of [a comeback] for years and years but it was always presented as getting together and playing some shows and I wanted to do a full comeback with new material, the whole 9 yards. It wasn’t until I started writing that it all clicked.

D.M.: As you look around in the modern version of a genre you helped foster, who gets it right in your opinion?  Who are the young thrash bands that are carrying on the torch properly?

EB: Municipal Waste are very cool. Kinda has the fun thrash thing that we were doing back in the ‘80s. Havok is a really solid thrash band as well. I am sure there are others that slipped my mind. The thrash scene is always pretty healthy with newbies carrying the torch.

D.M.: Okay, I gotta know – your band is from Connecticut and your bass player is Dave Campo.  Now, the Dallas Cowboys used to have a head coach named Dave Campo, and he’s from Groton, Connecticut.  Is there a relation there?  How many Campos can be there in such a small state?

EB: You know I have no idea [laughs]. I wish, he could hook us up with some sweet tickets [laughs].

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Album Review: Lance King - ReProgram

Sometimes it feels like a new genre is popping up every time I turn around. I remember the days when we had only a few varieties of metal; traditional, thrash, death, black, and doom. That accounted for nearly everything. Now, however, we get everything from 'pornocore' to 'power violence', and all sorts of other things I have pushed out of my mind. It's hard to know what you're listening to, even when you hear it described. Lance King says too much is never enough, as this new solo album is set to debut yet another genre tag; celestial metal. What is that? We'll figure that out as the album unfolds.

Mostly, the tag refers to melodic prog/power metal with a more introspective perspective than we usually get. These are not songs about swords and dragons, or awful teenage dystopian fiction. Lance is singing about the human condition, and our relationship with the world as it is developing. Lance wants us to think about ourselves while we listen to his music, which is a different aim than most bands have.

From a purely musical view, "ReProgram" is still a challenging listen. Whether we're talking about a more direct track like "Pointing Fingers", or the ten minute closer "A Mind At War", the music is complex and demanding. The former kicks off the album after the introduction, and it does so with a flurry of notes. I would need a more developed ear to know exactly what is going on, theoretically, but it's the kind of prog metal that has enough going on to satisfy anyone who enjoys technical music, but Lance is able to leave enough room for his chorus to hit a melodic note.

That is a tricky balance to find, as many bands have been unable to be both technical and melodic at the same time, as intricate music is not easy to sing over, no matter how skilled the musicians involved. That is one of the main reasons I don't listen to and talk about as much progressive metal as I could. While the music can often be incredibly interesting, it is not the best recipe for the kind of songwriting I enjoy. Darkwater recently released an album that isn't dissimilar to this, and it's an approach I wish more bands were able to muster.

I find "Reaction Formation" one of the most interesting tracks. With the chord choices, and the few moments of odd rhythm that come in, it reminds me a lot of Ark's "Burn The Sun", which is one of the most unique prog discs I've ever heard. I can even heard bits of similarity in Lance's vocals to some of Jorn's from that record. It has this wonderful ability to be laid back and chill, while also pushing some heavy and energetic moments. Like I said, interesting.

Another interesting aspect to the record is how in certain parts of "Technology" and "Wide Open", Lance's voice resembles Sebastian Bach. That adds another layer to the record, which morphs and changes with each new song. That keeps the album from growing stagnant, even if a song like "Chaotica" takes a path that isn't as melodic as the best material here.

The majority of the record, however, is the kind of prog metal I can enjoy. Lance anchors his deeper aims in songs that maintain their accessibility, which is the reason the record works. It's easy to go so far down the rabbit hole only the musicians themselves understand why the music is supposed to be interesting, but that's not what we have here. "ReProgram" may not rewrite the rules of prog, or rewire our thinking, but it does provide us with music that will make us pay attention and engage our minds. That's not nothing.

Album Review: Red Handed Denial - Redeemer

When it started out, metalcore was created to be the perfect take on modern metal. It fused together everything that made metal appealing to the various stripes of fans; the heaviness, the aggression, and the sing-along melodies that can turn live shows into communal experiences. That first wave of bands was offering something for everyone, but like most things, it got ruined as time went on. The generation that followed was influenced by metalcore only, and as you would expect, they watered down the sound and made the music less appealing. Few of the modern metalcore bands I've had the opportunity to listen to are able to find the melodic edge that made the genre stand out as the next big thing. So how does one move into the future without destroying the past?

You ask Red Handed Denial.

With this record, they have staked out the future of that kind of metal, whether the old genre tag applies anymore or not. Their sound is crushingly heavy, densely packed, and still balanced out with wonderful melodic moments. While the old sound was one combining alternative rock with Gothenberg death metal, Red Handed Denial takes it a step further by fusing catchy hooks with instrumentals that at times border on deathcore. It's shocking how music this heavy and technical can still serve as a base for choruses that can stick in your head. I've heard enough attempts and failures to do just that, to the point I was almost convinced it couldn't be done.

The singles "Clockwork" and "Empire" are what convinced me I needed to hear this record. "Clockwork" is a bit like an old mechanism, with guitars weaving in and out of each other, never stopping or slowing down. There is more playing going on than can be heard at first glance, hitting on circular harmonies and djent rhythms. All the while, Lauren Babic plays both the devil and angel on your shoulder. He screaming and guttural vocals are ugly in the best way, while she has an ear for simple melodies that stick I'm impressed by. This isn't the sort of record I would immediately be drawn to, but her performance is undeniable, and elevates the record well above their competitors.

I don't particularly like the term for music, but "Redeemer" is what you could call state-of-the-art metal. It uses an old formula, but the components are still shrink-wrapped as they get put together. The instrumental prowess of the band is impressive, flashing technical playing and off-kilter grooves as if it's nothing. On "The Art Of Bargaining" alone, they cycle through finger-blistering lead playing, a stuttering polyrhythm, and a melodic section that could almost have been a descendant of Iron Maiden. There's always some new wrinkle to their sound being added in, keeping things from becoming one trick repeated again and again.

"Redeemer" is a concept album telling the character's story as they make their way through limbo, and towards their afterlife. That works as a metaphor for the record, because it strikes me as a bridge between the mainstream and the underground of metal. The two are so often completely divorced, yet Red Handed Denial is a band that can bring them together. They have a unique ability to make the most modern sounds appealing to someone like me, who usually is turned off by that style. Ironically, I said the same thing the first time I heard "The End Of Heartache" back in the day. "Sins Of Yesterday" doesn't soar the same way "A Bid Farewell" did, but the appeal is much the same. It's three blistering minutes that coalesce around a hook that will endure.

"Worse For Wear" is a standout, with guitars that are far more upbeat that the rest of the record, and vocals that are clean for almost the entirety of the song. It goes a long way to showing the diversity the band can lay claim to. They can overwhelm with power, or win you over with something far more mainstream. You'll note the record gets 'softer', and cleaner as the second half unfolds, as I assume the protagonist is entering Heaven. The story would necessitate fewer harsh vocals, and Lauren does what the narrative requires, rather than put herself above what the songs are trying to convey. That is a mature attitude a lot of singers wouldn't be comfortable embracing.

That leaves us to render judgment. "Redeemer" is an album I found highly impressive. Red Handed Denial were abel to take a style that isn't my usual deal, and turn it into something I was excited to hear. Their music is challenging, but there's great reward for giving them a chance. "Redeemer" is one of the rare concept albums where the main story points can be felt in the shifting music, but more than that it just works as a thoroughly modern metal record. Red Handed Denial has a lot of appeal here.

Album Review: LA Guns - The Devil You Know

I have long said that a lot of bands and albums that get labeled 'classic' are more due to the dumb luck of coming out at the right time. I can run through a long, long list of records that would be laughed at if they came out today, but they are currently held up as defining classics of their genres. We don't like to think luck plays a factor, but it does. Take LA Guns, for example. They came up in a time when every band on the Sunset Strip was getting signed, and they had a minor tie to Guns N Roses, so it was natural they would find an audience. But they were awful then, and they're awful now. Their last album got praise from the 80s fanatics, but it was terrible. Phil Lewis might sound like he did back in the day, but that only means he sounds bad. The songwriting was weak, and the album sounded flimsy too.

So now they come back with an album that is supposed to be heavier and more aggressive, which are the same buzz-words that get trotted out every time a band is struggling to say anything good about what they've come up with. There are enough people out there who mistakenly think 'heavy' is a synonym for 'good', and that's one of the things that makes me sad about music.

Anyway, let's talk about this record. First thing's first; this is another album that sounds truly dreadful. Tracy's guitar buzzes with a horrible tone that sounds like a child's practice amp, and Phil's vocals are buried underneath that fuzz. That's both a good and bad thing. It doesn't help the songs to put all the focus on the ugly guitars, but it does distract us from hearing Phil's voice, which is an unpleasant strain. Why people from the 80s continue to say he sounds great is a mystery. Did the 80s have no standards?

The first lyric on the record is about "bullshit", which sums up the remainder pretty well. These fifty-somethings are trying their best to be heavy and tough, which is total posturing. I'm assuming it's that desire that led them to these production choices, which is a misguided attempt to slap a veneer of cool onto a band that is anything but. If the name LA Guns wasn't slapped on the cover, I would have no trouble believing this record comes from any local bar band. It's not well written, sung, or produced.

That said, it is still better than their previous record. That one had no redeeming features I could find, while this one has a couple of songs that aren't half bad. They aren't good, but they aren't embarrassing. I could do without ever hearing Phil's voice filtered through a piercing megaphone filter ever again, but something like "Loaded Bomb" isn't the worst way to spend four minutes.

But let's be honest; LA Guns doesn't deserve our time. Between the drama they have spent decades fostering upon us, and their mediocre at best catalog, there's no reason for us to care about new music from them. They have endured only because people thought they were on the verge of imploding. Being a fan of them is like waiting at the train crossing to see if a car gets hit.

This record isn't that full-on massacre, it's even worse. "The Devil You Know" is an afternoon spent waiting after forgetting the trains don't roll by anymore.

Album Review: Bloodbound - Rise Of The Dragon Empire

It's been a long, strange road. I heard Bloodbound right as "Nosferatu" was released, and I was quickly won over by the fun they brought back to power metal. What I didn't know then is that, regardless of who was in the lineup, they would be a band defined by their lack of identity. Over the years, that would become extremely troubling, as it's hard to know what to make of a band that doesn't know what to make of themselves. They have made records that are essentially tributes to Iron Maiden, Soilwork (one of my favorite records ever, by the by), Judas Priest, and Sabaton. We expect bands to evolve, and I welcome growth, but the wholesale shifts from one band's identity to another with each record is bizarre.

So who are Bloodbound now?

As a philosophical question, I don't think I can answer that. As a practical matter, this album finds Bloodbound turning in a direction more influenced by Blind Guardian and Nightwish. The title track, which was released prior to the record, showcases this new sound with a main theme that has a medieval or even Celtic flair. The use of wind instrument sounds is something entirely new for Bloodbound, and is a rather drastic shift from the orchestral overtones of the previous record.

This time around, the choirs backing the choruses are even bigger than ever, which is another cue back to Blind Guardian. They don't take on the thrashier aspects of that band, but the feeling is persistent through most of the record. It doesn't stop "Slayer Of Kings" from being a powerful piece of work, but it does keep it from ringing as true as if the band had a history devoted to making this kind of music. I can't help but think of each of these albums as experiments, which diminishes how much I invest in them.

"Magical Eye" features melodies that are catchy, but I also immediately hear in my head being sung by either Floor Jansen or Anette Olzon, given how eerily similar they are to later Nightwish. At a certain point, I'm torn between two very different thoughts; one being that Bloodbound is once again absorbing someone else's identity at the expense of their own, but also that they are very good at wearing these other personas. I can't recall any other bands that have so easily taken on so many guises, while doing them all justice.

Tht's what I find most frustrating about Bloodbound. Ever since the first record, they have written a lot of good power metal songs that I should be more fond of than I am. The issue is still that every good song they write is tarnished by the comparison to what it sounds like. Let me use this example. When Soen put out their first record, it was so much a clone of Tool that even the good parts were hard to embrace. They grew over the years, to the point where they are now one of the most striking and unique metal bands. Bloodbound hasn't done that. Instead of using a base to then graft their own sound onto, they continue to wear bands like robes, tossing each one in the wash for a fresh one when it becomes soiled.

So it comes down to this. Bloodbound is a decent band, and "Rise Of The Dragon Empire" is a fun little power metal romp. However, it never gives you any sense of who Bloodbound are, because it's clear by now the band doesn't know either. At least for me, that diminishes the fun. I'm probably being too hard on this album, considering that it's good at what it aims for, but I'm not going to apologize for that. At a certain point, you have to draw a line somewhere, and Bloodbound's usurping of other's creativity is too much for me. They're pretty good, but half the credit goes to whoever they're inspired by at any given moment.

EP Review: A Brilliant Lie - Threads:Weaver

Although I never got into them, it seems I owe Paramore a debt of gratitude. While they have escaped my focus, they did set in motion an entire scene of bands that continues to this day, many of which I have become quite fond of. That is a style of music I have found myself gravitating towards, especially as other strains of rock have had the color wash away like cheap grease-paint in a rain storm. And so that leads A Brilliant Lie into my sights, the latest band playing upbeat, alternative rock/pop-punk with a feminine touch on the vocals.

The EP kicks off with "The Tarot", the single chosen to showcase the band. The verses are the kind of pulsing chords that give a bounce to the rhythm, and then the chorus slows things down so the band has the time to make everything sound huge. It works, and the song makes a strong impact, in part because it deviates from the usual format of bands their style trade in. There's a bit more room to breathe, which is interesting for a lead-off statement.

"Unwoven" follows, and plays with the loud/soft dynamic. The verses focus on the tom drums, while the guitars pluck mostly clean notes in the background. But then the chorus comes, and the band swells into action with a propulsive energy that plays very well off the first track. "A Burial" is more somber, where the slightly down-beat attitude meshes with the natural verve their music has, which once again works well. It showcases there's more to the band than repeating three-minute pop songs, which are great, but plague the genre in the form of bands that only do one thing again and again.

There's more anger seeping through "I Was Never Her", while "Tiny Secrets" tones down their pop inclinations for a more rocking tone. Both songs continue to deliver what A Brilliant Lie does best; hooks that shimmer, and music that rocks hard enough to prove their worth. Then there's Tara Lightfoot, whose voice ties everything together with power, tone, and just a hint of Riot Grrl attitude.

The only downside to A Brilliant Lie is that they are far from alone. Even this month, there is Yours Truly delivering a very similar sound, with a slightly different bent to it. A Brilliant Lie has to fight through a lot of competition to get to our ears. Once you hear them, there's a lot to like here. I've been listening to a lot of bands of their ilk, and A Brilliant Lie compares well with them. I've been extremely fond of Yours Truly, and The Nearly Deads, and now A Brilliant Lie gets added to their list. With "Threads:Weaver", A Brilliant Lie has almost proven one part of their name. And let's just say I don't think they're lying.

Album Review: Forever Still - Breathe In Colours

I have yet to be able to explain why certain voices, and certain records, stick with us, while others that are similar fade into our memories. There is something ethereal about great music, or at least music that speaks to us, that words cannot capture. A few years ago, I happened upon Forever Still, who were in the process of releasing the EPs that would become their debut album. For whatever reason, those songs, and Maja Shining's voice, spoke to me more than the myriad other modern rock bands I heard around the same time. And since then, I have continued to return to "Tied Down", enthralled by their dark sound, hooky songwriting, and yes, Maja's voice. Needless to say, as an early arrival to their music, I was excited to hear a new album was ready to meet the world.

Our first tastes of new music came from the singles, "Rewind" and "Breathe In Colors". Both of these tracks continued the Forever Still story, taking a slightly darker tone than they had previously, while Maja's vocals soar over the top. Her voice is glass-shattering (in the good way), full of power and pristine tone, and she's able to sing melodies where every note is so distinct you can almost see the sheet music floating in the air. That's a very rare quality, even among singers I love, so it's certainly worth noting how Maja's voice is a highlighter for the melodies.

The other notable aspect of their music is how it comes across sounding classier than most dark rock is capable of. So much of this music I listen to is ugly and dingy, still carrying the worst aspects of the 'grunge' label. Forever Still avoids all of that, with their music sounding powerful and resonant. The lyrics on this record are dystopian, but for once the landscape is not a world that hasn't seen soap since the fall of civilization. The lights may be dimmed, but the mirrors we hold up still shine.

I admire how the songs aren't committed to the rock formula. Maja throws in a few screams in "Fight!", and almost growls on the title track, little details that are used to heighten the tension, and to balance the beauty she brings to the choruses. Even though the album's tone is dark, as is the subject matter, the sound is still beautiful. Forever Still aren't going to use the concept as an excuse to half-ass their songwriting. And let's be honest, there are plenty of conceptual albums out there that bands didn't put their all into, because they didn't think songs were as necessary when there was something 'bigger' in play. Forever Still don't make that mistake.

If you've heard "Tied Down", you know what to expect from this record. The new wrinkles are subtle, adding to Forever Still's core sound, rather than changing it wholesale. That's a good thing, because they incubated that debut long enough that it came out fully-developed. They know who they are, and what they're good at, so they can already tell us exactly who Forever Still is. A lot of young bands spent several records trying to come up with their identity, and some never do.

The only complain I can muster is the same one I had regarding "Tied Down"; these ten songs clock in at roughly thirty-five minutes, and they pass by so easily it leaves me wanting to hear more. That sure beats the alternative, doesn't it? Forever Still throws everything into this record, from heavy breakdowns to gorgeous emotional passages. They are a well-rounded band that is making records that are able to spread wings from their core sound. They are songwriters better than their experience would imply, and they have mastered the art of modern rock. "Breathe In Colours" is everything I was hoping for; a contender to be among the best records of the year. I can now sigh a rainbow of relief, knowing Forever Still is the real deal, and will continue to be.

Album Review: The End Machine - The End Machine

George Lynch has been rather busy lately, and no matter how many records I hear with him as a player, I don't get why he's supposed to be a legendary figure. I suppose I had to be there in the 80s to get it, but he sounds like everyone else from that time period to me. The End Machine is his latest attempt to get a non-Dokken band up and running, this time featuring the rest of that band's classic lineup, along with singer Robert Mason, who currently fronts Warrant. So yes, this is rooted in hair metal, although it's filtered through a grunge aesthetic.

I was rather intrigued by the first single, "Alive Today", which caught my attention as the sort of song that fits between what radio rock was in the glory days, and what it is now. The guitars have more space and nuance to them than the simple chugging we get most of the time today, but the vibe and melody is darker than we got from the 80s. It's a wonderful blend of the past and present, and already put this project ahead of KXM or Sweet & Lynch, for me.

The rest of the album tries to fit into that same vibe, but the melodies aren't quite as sticky as that first impression. Mason is a capable singer, but his writing is too caught up in the past, where simple gang chants were the norm, and more developed melodies were harder to come by. There are some of those on the record, "Ride It" being the worst example, and that's when I feel the band is at their best. It's on tracks like "Ride It" that I grow less interested, as the rehashing of the past is more apparent, and the ideas in the song aren't strong enough to cut through space and time.

I don't want to sound too harsh, because I do actually like the record. There's enough in it that reminds me of the time when I was starting to listen to music that I can feel some of the pull towards it that those a generation older than me will feel more intensely. I imagine anyone who was a Dokken fan all those years ago will be jumping for joy over this record, since I have to imagine Dokken itself couldn't make anything that sounded this good, if for no other reason than Mason's vocals being so much stronger at this point.

The run through the back half of the record, with "Hard Road", "Alive Today", "Line Of Division", and the closing "Life Is Love Is Music" is a strong statement, with each song delivering muscular, hooky hard rock. As the songs keep coming, the band's focus becomes clearer, and I find myself really enjoying what they are offering. There are a couple of songs at the beginning of the record which are a bit weak, and their placement doesn't help matters, but they are redeemed as the record moves along.

I didn't go into this record knowing what to expect, given that I don't have much affection for anything these guys have done before. That said, it makes it more impressive they were able to win me over by the time the record was over. The End Machine does well for themselves here.