Singles Roundup: The Devil's Blind Horse, Killswitch Engage, Smith/Kotzen, & Spiritbox

As the holiday season is approaching, let's have a look into the advent calendar of bite-size musical offerings.

The Devil's Blind Horse - Dragon

If someone mentions Graveyard in their list of influences, they've already scored points with me. The Devil's Blind Horse takes inspiration from them, by way of similarly updating elements of the classic rock era into the modern times. With saturated guitars and swirling Hammond organ, there's a blend of modern clarity and old-school swampy blues tones. Verses with a hint of boogie give way to a chorus of thick chords, where VK Lynne channels the spirit of Ronnie James Dio era Black Sabbath, where her voice cuts rather than hammers. Songs like this are reminders that you can be old-school without sounding old, and you can be vintage-minded without being stuck in the past. There was another group that paired organs and classic rock with one of my favorite singers a few years back. This one is just as lovely a treat.

Killswitch Engage - Forever Aligned

Consistency is both a blessing and a curse. In the case of Killswitch Engage, I feel like it manages to straddle the line in a way that makes it difficult to assess. Since the return of Jesse Leach, they have put out several quality records that do exactly what they should. Those records are also rather interchangeable, which makes it hard for me to remember one from the next. This first taste of their upcoming record fits into that same category. The riffs are aggressive, Jesse's melody is sturdy, and it's all... fine. There isn't anything to complain about, but there also isn't anything in the song that sounds like the spark to drive my interest. This song sounds like the first step in another 'that's nice, what's next?' cycle. There's nothing wrong with that, but it doesn't have me counting down the days until the release.

Smith/Kotzen - White Noise

Good grief, I must be fickle. I wa surprised how much I enjoyed the debut album from this rather unexpected pairing. It was bluesy, but still a great melodic rock album. It was stuffed with guitar solos, but still song-based enough to not feel indulgent. They followed that with an EP that felt lesser, and now the signalling of a new album comes in the form of another song that lacks everything I liked about that first one. The guitars are fuzzy in a way that makes them sound hollow, the vocals sound oddly placed in the mix, and the melodies aren't catching my ear at all. This really isn't that different, but it does nothing for me. Fickle, right?

Spiritbox - Perfect Soul

I haven't been able to figure out why Spiritbox has become the hot name in modern metal. What I've heard from them has been fine, but not thrilling. Perhaps this song would be the one to win me over, as it leaves most of the heaviest elements to the side. Perhaps, but no. While I do like the focus on the band's cleaner and more emotional side, it's an emotion I'm struggling to grasp. The playing and singing is done with aplomb, but the ethereal melody lilts with such a softness it doesn't stand out in the slightest. It's the heavenly background sound of a cartoon version of 'the good place', which is mostly white noise meant to set the scene. There isn't enough meat on the bone here to get me to come back. I've mostly forgotten the song already.