Two albums, two problems, one shared takeaway.
Pyramaze - Bloodlines
This is another case of a band I should like, but have never been able to care for. Very similar to Dynazty in the modern power metal world, this new Pyramaze album has a lot of good things going for it. It sounds great, it's well-played, and there are a lot of really good melodies to be found throughout. There is also a duet with Melissa Bonny on the album's best song, which is both a good and bad thing. It's a great track, but it's probably not a great idea to bring in someone who can outshine your own band. Listening to it, I wonder how much better the album could be with her singing the whole thing.
The other problem is this doesn't really feel like an album. The good songs are good, but the album has opening and closing time wastes, so it's only eight real songs. None of them are overly long, so we're looking at not much more than half an hour of proper songs. The shorter a record is, the harder it is to give it a pass for things, and this one just doesn't give me enough of anything to make me feel satisfied when it's over.
Joel Hoekstra's 13 - Crash Of Life
This is a case of an album being brought down by forces out of its control. While I am not a fan of the 80s rock sound, Joel manages to do it about as well as it can be done. His playing is great, I don't mind the guitar sounds, and he pens a set of mostly very good melodic hard rock. Taken purely on its own, I would say this is an easy recommendation for a pleasant summer afternoon diversion.
The problem is that this features Girish on vocals, who is the latest singer to be wildly over-exposed by the label. He's a good singer, and he does a fine job here, but I'm already so tired of hearing him. What differentiates this album from any of the others Girish has been on, or Joel for that matter? Not very much. I realize I go on and on about this quite a bit, and it's because of exactly what happens with albums like this one. I should like this quite a bit, and instead I find myself thinking about all the times I've heard something that sounds nearly identical. Neither Joel, nor Girish, nor the genre, seems to have an individual identity anymore.
It's hard to recommend an album when another one just like it will probably come out next month.
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