Singles Roundup: Pale Waves, Avatarium, Jimmy Eat World, & Voodoo Blood

We've got some interesting stuff to talk about this week.

Pale Waves – Reasons To Live

Album #3 isn't quite making its identity apparent yet. The impression this song gives is that it might try to move closer in direction to what Avril Lavigne did earlier this year, but with a bit less snarky punk attitude. Unlike the previous single, this one feels far more defined and cohesive. It's alternative rock, and Heather is still trying to get used to using her voice in a more prominent role. I do think the detached cynicism of the debut still feels like a more natural sound for her, but this song gives me more hope for the new record than I had before. This is perfectly solid alternative rock, and I don't mind it at all.

Avatarium – God Is Silent

As far as doom goes, Avatarium would be at the top of the list. Between Jenny's voice and their ability to blend melody into the songs, they do things I don't often hear from doom. That's what makes this song a bit of a head-scratcher, since it strips away a lot of those other elements in favor of a more traditional doom aesthetic. It's not bad for what it is, but the biggest appeal of the band is the way Jenny's voice plays off the darker instrumentation, and I don't get enough of a melodic sense from this song. It's not terrible, but it sounds more generic than usual, and that's not exciting.

Jimmy Eat World – Something Loud

Over the last year, I've listened to Jimmy Eat World more than any other band. That isn't likely to change, but I'm not sure how much this song is going to make it into the rotation. Right now it's a one-off, and I'm caught comparing it to the singles from the last couple records. "All The Way (Stay)" was amazing, as was "Sure & Certain". This song is looking back at their early days, and some of the heaviness is absolutely playing into that, but I suppose I'm missing a bit of the rueful nostalgia I get from most of their music. This song is almost too happy, so while it's solid Jimmy Eat World, I'm not sure it fits the way I hear them.

Voodoo Blood – Black Mirror

Kim Jenette put out a few singles for a melodic rock career that apparently fizzled out, which I thought were great. Her voice is amazing, and the songs were good, so I thought an album could have been something special. Instead, she is now back with Voodoo Blood, and this song is the result. I'm sorry, but I don't get this at all. There's very little melody, so the best thing about the entire group isn't given the chance to shine. Kim is too good a singer to be relegated to this role, so compared to what I know is possible, this is quite the disappointment.

Album Review: Fallen Sanctuary - Terranova

This should be an easy situation. Serenity is coming off what I think is their best album, and Temperance has been releasing some of the most melodic power metal around, so putting two of the creative forces behind those bands together in a new project can't fail, can it? We'll get to that later, but I want to start off by saying, as a general rule, such arrangements are as hit-or-miss as any other band. Creativity is not math, and putting two people who are good on their own together does not mean they will have the same success together. That's why I'm always wary when I see people who already have bands that are going well create these side-projects.

To my mind, I don't understand why these musicians would use any of their best song ideas on a new band that doesn't have the same reach and notoriety of their main gig. So either they are in a way sabotaging the next outing from their main band, or they are using second-rate material for the side-project. Neither of those options seems like the best idea to me.

The title track leads things off with traditional power metal speed, blazing through guitar parts that blend into a wash of noise. There isn't really a riff to the song, just a constant drone of chord tones to go with the never-ending bass drums. It's exactly the kind of power metal they cite as their influences, and the kind I grew tired of when I realized just how much of the actual music to that era was interchangeable and inessential. The ending of the song, with a spoken word message about drug abuse, is incredibly cheesy, and feels totally out of place. It sounds to me like it's there mostly because the lyrics don't get the message across, so they needed to add something to make clear the song had a message.

"Now And Forever" follows with something far better, sounding more like what Serenity and Temperance do best, and boasting a big and powerful chorus. That huge hook is made even better by the blend of George and Marco's voices, which gives depth and space that echoes the way Temperance is able to build massive walls of vocals with their trio of singers. On song like that one, or "Broken Dreams", the identity of Fallen Sanctuary is clear; take Serenity's musical sound, add in Temperance's vocal approach, and the results sit right between the two bands. It's a winning formula, to be sure.

And once that odd opening song is out of the way, the rest of the album is hit after hit. The band delivers huge choruses and hooky melodies all over the place. It's a gloriously fun ride through the good aspects of power metal, with the only downside being that it does sound a lot like it's just another Serenity album. A good one, I must say.

So here's the deal; Fallen Sanctuary doesn't do anything that Serenity or Temperance don't already do, but they mine that territory well. Whether or not the band is 'necessary', they deliver far more than most of these collaborations do. "Terranova" is power metal done the right way, and done well. I haven't heard any better this year, or since, ironically, Temperance's album last year. Hmm... maybe that's a hint.

Album Review: Civil War - Invaders

This review is really for one purpose only; to judge just how much to blame Nils Patrik Johansson was for my initial distaste for this band. When they hit the scene, it was obvious they were not doing a single thing to break or defy their ties to Sabaton, but what really turned me off was good ol' Nils. His vocals on their first album were so overdone and uncomfortable, I couldn't get through the whole record without needing to put something more pleasurable on. I'm not versed enough in technique to comment on how well Nils was singing, but his tone sounded absolutely terrible to me, so I wrote him and the band off.

As we gather today, Civil War has a new singer in the person of Kelly Sundown Carpenter, another journeyman who has never impressed me, and is only notable for the peculiarity of his name. I didn't like Civil War to begin with, I don't particularly like Sundown, and I've grown incredibly frustrated with historical music that doesn't take a stand against the brutality of the subjects. This isn't going to go well, is it?

The band rushes out of the gate with chugging guitars of the most standard power metal variety, which at least gets an Eastern motif over the top to make it feel less generic. Sundown's voice is certainly better than Nils' was, eliminating the broken speaker warble that annoyed me the most. So if what I thought was the band's main problem is taken care of so early, the rest of the record should be able to tell me if there was something missing I couldn't hear through my discomfort. Right?

It's still hard to tell, honestly. "Dead Man's Glory" is the second track, and when it goes to reach for its rousing chorus, Sundown's delivery is utterly incomprehensible. I couldn't understand a single word of the chorus, which you would figure is the most important part of the song. If I can't even tell what you're singing about, the whole lyric is rendered useless. And when the band takes their historical storytelling as a point of pride, it's inexcusable for it not to come through clearly.

The band also likes to lean on melodies that focus on powerful vocals. That gives Sundown a chance to show off, but I've always felt it makes for less interesting melodies as a listener. When many of these songs hit the choruses, rather than something rousing coming on, or something with a hook to it, they feel like pushing air is what the band finds most important. So if a song like "Heart Of Darkness" has built up any good will, it gets squandered when the key to the song isn't memorable.

"Andersonville" is supposed to be the huge power ballad, but it too has a glaring flaw. The mix of the song is so hot, and Sundown's vocals are swamped at times by the rest of the band, that the emotional note they're trying to hit is impossible to hear. Everything is so loud, volume replaces passion in the vocals, and the song sounds like a less busy metal track rather than a soaring ballad. That's the one song on the album I should be most easily won over by, but they put a hurdle in front of it that was too high for them to jump over.

Civil War have improved by virtue of their lineup change, but they still aren't a band that impresses me all that much. They only have a couple of songs on this record that break free of the generic feeling power metal is awash in. If you absolutely love metal about history, you can do worse. If you want a louder Sabaton, you've got it. I'm looking for something with far more immediate songs, something that will stick with me, and this isn't it.

Album Musing: Valleyheart - Heal My Head

What is faith? As a recovering philosopher, that's the sort of question I could probably spend this entire essay addressing, while concluding at the end the whole thing was a pointless endeavor, since we can never actually answer such things. Faith is what it's very definition says; faith. We believe in something for the mere sake that we believe in it, regardless of whether we have good reason to, because belief in and of itself is something makes us feel better.

For most people, that faith is in a religion. For others, it can come through other things, such as music. Some of us put out faith in music, and rely on that to get us through the harder times, to calm our minds when they race so fast we don't feel in control of ourselves anymore. Music is a silly thing to put that much importance on, isn't it?

Well, let's be honest here; isn't anything we put out faith in a bit silly? The only tangible thing we can do so with are people, and even that is a fool's errand, given how few of them are worthy of the distinction. Faith is something entirely personal, and yet we often spend large portions of our lives trying to convince other people how right we are to believe what we believe, how we believe. Maybe we're just trying to convince ourselves of something we don't believe, in the bottom of our hearts.

All of that is preface for "Heal My Head", an album from Valleyheart that is a rumination on life and faith, that tries to rationalize our belief, when the world around us is too absurd to make any sort of sense. There are records that make an immediate impression that will never change, and others that sneak up on you, almost numbing your senses until you realize how deep its teeth have sunk in. That's the sort of record Valleyheart has made.

In "Miracle", the lyrics sing how, "for every ounce of suffering and mystery.... a flower that blooms in the freezing cold." That is the miracle, how life blossoms and endures no matter how trying and difficult it is. The interesting bit about faith is whether it is more optimistic to consider our fate a bit of chance that slithered through the cracks, or a design seemingly engineered by barely competent hands. At least for this song, the answer is a defiant, "goddamn miracle, held by the hands of no master plan." Defying the odds, indeed.

My favorite moment comes as the second chorus to "Back & Forth" explodes, and the lyrics ask, "will I spent my whole life in the indecision, my mind stuck on the other side?" It's a powerful question, because as the story about Socrates reminds us, we truly know nothing about the universe or our place in it. Knowing nothing is powerful, but also painful, which is why we create a truth we can comfort ourselves with. But if you get caught between 'the truth' and the truth, your head can spin to the point where the ground no longer feels solid.

What is so great about "Heal My Head" is that it embraces those moments. This record is the slow burning sound of coming to terms with everything, only to have doubts the instant you feel confident in your choice. The softer songs like "Vampire Smile" drone with a somber resignation, only to have brief moments where we can't help but scream into the darkness. "Warning Signs" tries to paint over this with a power-pop smile, but the lyrics eventually get back to saying "this won't be the end of my truth, at the edge of my mind on a noose."

Sometimes a strain of thought, or a thread of doubt is just that; a noose we can use to choke out the feelings we want to ignore. Valleyheart confronts those, and like the best emo can and should, uses the palate of sadness to paint something we can't look away from.

The difference between the depths of the blues and the grandeur of the ocean is only shade.

That's why this is one of my favorite records of the year.

Album Review: Iconic - Second Skin

Do names matter? That's the question we're going to try to answer today, as this record from the new 'band' Iconic puts that front-and-center. What we have here is Nathan James from Inglorious, but this time paired with Michael Sweet of Stryper, and Joel Hoekstra of many bands, as the guitar players. Inglorious has been making great records as of late, despite lineup changes and anonymity beyond James himself. Does changing them out for two guys with more name recognition make for better music? Well...

The answer to that is going to depend on what you go into this wanting to hear. With two guitar players from the 80s metal world, the music on this album is far more in that style than what Inglorious has always offered. Hoekstra shreds many of his solos, the riffing doesn't have the bluesy swagger Inglorious sometimes does, and Sweet can't resist taking some of the lead vocals for himself, despite having at least three other projects where he is the frontman.

I've only heard James' voice in the context of bluesy rock, so hearing him do this more metallic sound is a bit uncomfortable. He's trying to sing with his usual soul, but the music is more robotic and rigid. They don't quite jibe, and it feels like what has always been special about him is tamped down by this band's approach. Not every singer is able to sing every style, or at least they don't sound like they fit them all as well, and that is the biggest takewaway from listening to this record.

In places, it feels like James is singing a Stryper record, which shouldn't be much of a surprise. Sweet's influence is the defining factor of the album, as this sounds like every other record he has made during this productive stretch of his career. I thought having him being just a guitar player might allow him to try something different, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

I get why this group was put together (or maybe I don't - are there really many people who know and love Sweet or Hoekstra so much they would buy this just because of their presence?), but throwing people together just for the sake of names isn't good enough. Sure, there are a few good songs on this record. I wouldn't deny that "Worlds Apart" is indeed a fine track, but as a whole this record isn't nearly as strong as either of the last two Inglorious albums, despite being made by two completely different bands.

When "All About" is able to finally capture a bit of that bluesy sound, James sounds more natural, and the song has a much stronger melodic appeal. The first half of the record has more of Sweet's influence, and things definitely improve once that gets reduced in the second half. That said, it still doesn't improve to the level of Inglorious. So the main takeaway here is that even when they are doing their best, I've still heard better.

Iconic does have potential, but it requires a dedication to focusing on highlighting their strengths. They don't do that all the way through this record. There's enough good here to give the record a chance, but I would tell you to go listen to Inglorious' "We Will Rise" instead. This record is looking up at that one.

Album Review: Jorn - Over The Horizon Radar

Jorn Lande makes it hard to love him. He is without a doubt one of the greatest singers metal has produced since the glory days. His bellowing voice is a thing of wonder, and I absolutely love listening to him sing. The problem is that he doesn't put himself in position to be great very often. That is especially true with his solo career, where the limits of his songwriting are put at the forefront. For being as great a singer as he is, his career is littered with massive ebbs and flows. Most disappointing, he seems to quickly put behind him the projects where the songs are the best, instead returning to his less interesting form.

The Allen/Lande albums are great. The "Dracula: Swing Of Death" record is absolutely brilliant. Anything else he's ever done is pretty damn forgettable, and I will include every single solo album under his name. Thankfully, this isn't another of his tribute projects where he's singing old songs we might already know, but then again, at least some of those songs are memorable. That isn't often the case with his own work.

This part is delicate to write, but I wouldn't be honest if I didn't say this; Jorn doesn't sound like himself on this record. I don't know if it's something to do with the way the vocals were recorded, or if age has caught up with him, but his voice is not the same. His massive tone sounds thinner than ever, brittle at some points. It's as if all the bass in his voice is gone, and he has nothing but air and vocal fry to replace it with. I thought it was a bit off when the first single came out, but listening to the entire album, Jorn is struggling to sing these songs in the typical Jorn way. And since his voice is the main draw of listening to his music, that's a dangerous sign.

Jorn has always been a puzzle. He has writing credits on Allen/Lande's "The Great Divide", and on the "Dracula" album, but when he's writing for his solo albums, everything I love about those records is missing. It's almost as if there's a switch he flips to become more generic on his own records, and it's in full effect here. But even the old formula of a heavy chugging riff and his wailing voice doesn't work, because of what I said about his voice. He is, in this state, more reliant on hooky songwriting than ever, and he simply doesn't deliver that.

There are plenty of singers who have gone through these vocal issues, and the key is to adapt the music and the writing to the strengths of what you have become. Ray Alder did that fabulously, and even without the range he once had, is as effective a vocalist as he has ever been. Gary Barden, at least on record, doesn't strain himself, and relies on the uniqueness of his tone to carry the day. Elton John slowed down and tamped down the flamboyance when his voice changed. Jorn is fighting to be the old Jorn, and that only makes the limitations more apparent.

This would be another generic Jorn album if it wasn't for the real story. His music has been quite consistent on his recent solo albums, but it's not too hard to be consistently average. His solo records have never been appointment listening, and this is certainly one you can miss out on. Hopefully it will be one weird blip on the radar, but I'm afraid it may not be, and hearing it in that context would just be sad.

Album Review: Billy Howerdel - What Normal Was

I remember when A Perfect Circle seemed to come from nowhere. I didn't know about Tool at the time, so when I first heard "Judith", it was something completely new. It was also amazing. I wouldn't be as into "Mer De Noms" as a lot of people were, but the band was something unique from anything else I was listening to. They would move off in directions I didn't care for, but I certainly saw the talent in what Billy Howerdel did with a guitar that was different from the norm. He was a textural guitarist in a world of flash and power, and there was an undercurrent of art to his work we don't often get to hear.

For his first ever solo album, we are treated once again to a new experience. Despite being known as a guitar player, this album is rooted in 80s synths. This is where Billy's age and my own become a hindrance, because he is making the music of his youth, and I am just younger enough than he is to have always hated that sound. The music closest to his heart is the exact stuff I didn't want to hear anymore when I was falling in love with music.

The biggest revelation of the record is Billy the singer, as his voice sits beautifully in the mix, a combination of Maynard James Keenan and Bjorn Strid's clean vocals. If you wanted to think of this record as the more Cure-like dark side to The Night Flight Orchestra's bright yacht-rock nostalgia, it would give you a good idea what we're dealing with.

There is a distinction to be drawn here. The production on the record is beautiful. The sounds are lovely, balanced, and set an ominous atmosphere that accentuates the best parts of Billy's voice. For the vibe and sound he is going for, I don't think he could have done any better. It sounds like a throwback, but also very much of the time. It balances the past and present very well, and creates a little world in which this music is the most important thing.

However, the songs themselves don't have as much going for them. Billy's work has often been very subtle, and that continues here. With the focus on atmosphere, and his voice not being reliant on power, the songs are left feeling a bit dull. There are moments where he tries to inject more melody, and those are wonderful, but the stretches between them have very little going on. It's enough that I find myself growing bored and restless, waiting for the song to finally deliver me the cathartic moment of release. But those never come.

Billy has accomplished something, but also left me scratching my head. I'm impressed by his production and layering, and how he has stripped most of the guitars out of the music while still keeping my attention. That is something. I'm less impressed by the songs that leave the hooky elements on the cutting room floor. It's an album that has a great atmosphere, one I'm sure will come in handy in certain moods, but these songs are not memorable. They come and go like ghosts, disappearing when you blink your eyes, leaving you wondering if you ever saw anything at all.

What that adds up to is that "What Normal Was" is the sort of album that is interesting to hear once, but perhaps never again. It is a testament to talent, but not songwriting. It is... confusing.

Album Review: Seventh Wonder - The Testament

It isn't often that a progressive metal song catches my ear and won't let go. It's just not in the nature of the music, or perhaps the bands aren't capable of it. I'm not entirely sure which is the correct answer, although it could be both of them. Seventh Wonder is one of those bands that managed the feat. I had heard the buzz around "Mercy Falls", but what caught my ear was their song "Alley Cat". It was the kind of prog there needs to be more of; rhythmically tricky, yet boasting both a hook and a guitar solo with an immediate rush of ear candy. There were more moments like that on "The Great Escape", and Seventh Wonder looked to be one of the few progressive metal bands to have some faith in.

Circumstances change, and it took the band several years to return. That time did not help things, and "Tiara" was an album I wasn't all that impressed with. In fact, I couldn't really tell you anything about it right now, at least not without taking a refresher course on it. That means this record has pressure on it, because another one bordering on disappointment is going to put "The Great Escape" in 'fluke' territory, and once a band gets put on that list, it's hard to ever get off.

The band comes out of the gates ready to prove me wrong. "Warriors" nails their sound perfectly, with the heavy rhythms chugging out a pattern I'm sure has more mathematical intricacy than my ear can pick out. It's got a bit of groove to it, and Tommy Karevik's vocals and melodies in the chorus are glorious. It's a song that isn't really prog, if we're being honest, but that doesn't matter when you get the songwriting this right.

"The Light" is very much in the same boat, and even when the go for a more dramatic approach on "I Carry The Blame", the results are every bit as memorable. The album opens on fire, sounding as good as the band ever has. That makes it even more disappointing that "Reflections" sits at track four as an instrumental. When you have a singer this good, and charismatic, leaving him on the sidelines is such a mistake. There's no guitar or keyboard solo you can play that will match what a well-sung melody can do, and putting the song so up-front destroys the momentum for me.

That isn't helped when "The Red River" follows with one of the least captivating songs of the record. Combined, it's a nearly twelve minute dip right in the middle of the album, and it leaves a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. It's also a sign of what's to come, as the second half of the record also features "Mindkiller", another song that has limited melodic appeal. The album's best songs were stacked at the start, and once we get past those, the record's fun factor definitely takes a dip.

So we wind up in an awkward position. Seventh Wonder provides enough here to keep me from saying "The Great Escape" was a fluke, but they also can't deliver an album that works nearly as well as a whole. They are a talented band, but finding the balance is still proving difficult.

Album Review: Michael Monroe - I Live Too Fast To Die Young

I still remember what a shock it was when I played "Blackout States" for the first time. I didn't have any history with Hanoi Rocks, nor had I heard Michael Monroe's previous solo albums, so it was a fresh experience to hear that dirty little rock 'n roll record. I loved that album, and when "One Man Gang" followed, I loved that record nearly as much. I went back, and neither Hanoi Rocks nor Michael's other solo albums were able to grab me the same way. His band hit on something special at that moment in time, and they are attempting to carry that onward to a third straight record of accidental genius.

Why do I call it accidental? If we're being honest, what Michael and his band are doing is essentially party rock. It has the grit and dinge of old 70s proto-punk, but it's music intended for us to have a good time and sing along with. And when the lyrics in the past have been name-checks to members of The Ramones, and talk about having a bucket of piss dumped on someone, we aren't dealing with the most artistically minded music. That's not a complaint, by the way. What I love about the last two records is being able to put them on, turn my brain off, and just enjoy letting the energy wash over me.

That's what I was hoping for from this record, and it's what the singles prior to the album delivered. "Murder The Summer Of Love" is a propulsive number that hits the classic rock beats, and even throws in a 'lighters in the air' moment that is a bit unexpected, while "Can't Stop Falling Apart" is a light-hearted romp that uses a subtle bit of piano to add some boogie into the mix. Rock isn't known as a genre for getting up and shaking your stuff, but this is the kind of song that would make it more likely.

The band turns darker on "Derelict Palace", which has a country swing to it, and a mood that is unlike anything else on this trilogy of records. It's cool, and captivating, with the exception of the decision to throw an echoing vocal effect in after the first chorus which is so loud and distracting I thought my copy of the album was glitching. It doesn't ruin the song, but it's deeply unpleasant, and such a strange thing to throw in when it adds nothing to the composition.

When "All Fighter" finally hits the real chorus, and the gang all sings together, there's nothing quite like it. There's something intoxicating about the comradery their music conjures up, where even listening to a record is like being in a sweaty club of like-minded rock lovers. Rock music isn't always fun, and often feels tacky when it's trying to be, but it's effortless when it's done right. That's what Michael Monroe and his band are able to do.

As a wordsmith, I appreciate how the ballad "Antisocialite" finds a new wrinkle, and doesn't recycle the now played out line about 'antisocial media'. The intent is the same, but this says it in a way that catches my attention, and sounds like there was more thought put into it than merely regurgitating what is out there in the discourse. Of course, 'thought' is a relative term here. The beauty of Michael Monroe's music is that it doesn't sound like someone with his head up his own backside, trying to inflate his ego with lofty thoughts. That's something I am guilty of at times, so I know a thing or two about the subject.

No, what Michael and his band have done is once again find the heart of rock and roll that Huey Lewis once told us is still beating. It absolutely is, if you listen carefully enough, but it comes through loud and clear when Michael Monroe is the one playing it. With "I Live Too Fast To Die Young", we now have a trilogy of records that are the absolute best of dirty, old-school rock 'n roll. Michael Monroe has not only delivered once again one of the best records of the year, but now also one of the best album trilogies of this still relatively young century.

Singles Roundup: Kat Kennedy, Blind Guardian, Soilwork, & Journey

 Kat Kennedy - Bittersweet

"Party" was one of the best songs of last year, and "Unpacking" wasn't far behind. Kat has found a sound and niche I absolutely love, making music that is unabashedly pop at its heart, but comes at it from a depressing and cynical angle. This song is about the irony of hating someone who is no longer around, because it was their ability to make Kat happy that she now holds against him. It's a clever way of approaching a breakup, and the bittersweet nature of the message fits with the music, where Kat's soft voice once again sounds broken and detached, which plays so well off the melody. Her recent work has been so good, I would love to hear a full album that does this. That would be a highlight.

Blind Guardian - Blood Of The Elves

Now that they have gotten their orchestral album out of their system, where will Blind Guardian go? Judging by this song, the answer seems to be more toward their speed/power roots. I have to say, that is perhaps their least interesting period to me, so this song is not holding a strong appeal to me. It does everything a Blind Guardian song should, but I'm not being hooked in by the riffs or the melodies, and yet more lyrics about elves isn't helping matters much. It's fantasy metal, but my fantasy is something completely different.

Soilwork - Overgivenheten

This song is trying to be a bit more of the traditional Soilwork we know, but I can't escape the feeling the band is doing it because thye have to, and not because they want to. Bjorn has been spending so much time making 80s style melodic rock, his clean vocals on this song are pulled much more from that world than where Soilwork started out. Also, like some other singers of his era, his harsh voice doesn't have the same fury to it as it once did, so the range of aggression and melody continues to narrow. There's nothing wrong with this, but it sounds like a band still struggling to believe in themselves. Honestly, it sounds like they're still trying to make the change they want to.

Journey - You Really Got The Best Of Me

It's a cliche that older bands have nothing left to offer, but every once in a while it turns out to be the truth. Journey seems to be on that path. No one expects them to make a record that could compete with any of their classic hits. After decades of listening to them, no song could ever do that. However, they could certainly write songs that you can actually remember, which I can't say about this one. The band sounds so dull and lifeless, as if the legal issues they have been going through is the only reason they are putting out new music. It's played and sung well, but there's nothing at all to the song to hook us. No riff or solo that drips with passion, no vocal melody we will be singing in a karaoke bar someday. It's as if someone made a photocopy of a Journey song, and nailed it to a board asking if we have seen the missing band.