Album Review:Her Chariot Awaits - Her Chariot Awaits

Sometimes you know what you're going to get without ever hitting the play button. Certain people are incapable of changing, and time doesn't always give us the option of seeing them in a different light. Case in point; I knew I wasn't going to love Her Chariot Awaits before I sat down to listen to the album, since it is the product of guitarist Mike Orlando. If that name isn't familiar, and really it shouldn't be, he is the guitarist from the ultra-disappointing 'supergroup' Adrenaline Mob. That band wasted vast amounts of potential, and just knowing how little I cared for that band, a new one from him wasn't lighting my world on fire.

This is better than Adrealine Mob, if for no other reason than the presence of Ailyn as the singer means the 'look how big my balls are' swagger that ruined Adrenaline Mob can't be present here. The music might be in the same style, but losing the macho posturing does it a world of good. If there's one thing I hate more than rockers telling me how much they rock, it's men telling me how manly they are.

The music this project gives us is high-energy radio rock, a fast and aggressive sort of rock definitely aimed at getting mainstream attention. There are some songs here that would certainly fit in with what the radio tends to play, but that might also be its downfall. The record is such an obvious attempt to break through that it might feel a bit cloying, plus aiming for radio play means certain elements have to be up to a certain par. That would mostly be the production, where this album does not polished enough to get much airplay. The guitars are grainy, the vocals don't cut through the mix, and the entire thing sounds muddy. If this gets played right after a song from one of the big names, the difference is obvious, and devastating. You have to compete with your peers, and this record doesn't measure up in that respect.

As far as the songs go, things are better. They are solid tracks with good hooks that hold some real appeal. I think a lot of the record is played a bit faster than it should be, trying to build up energy, but the writing is there. If you just put the record on without thinking about it, it's a fairly enjoyable bit of modern rock that I wouldn't have any issue listening to. The problem is that I do think, usually far too much, and I hear the flaws every time I try to get through this. They aren't deal-breakers, but it's hard not to hear missed potential when you know it's there.

If Mike Orlando could clean up the production, and just calm down a bit, Her Chariot Awaits has potential to be a solid band going forward. This album is a first step, and has the usual growing pains for something that just came together. This record is good enough to clear the bar, but that should be a floor and not a ceiling. It doesn't quite feel that way in this case.