Album Review: Anathema - The Optimist

Anathema has done something rather unique in the metal world. They have managed to maintain, and even grow their fan base, despite moving outside of metal. They are an ambient band now, yet their music still connects to people who crave the pounding heaviness of metal. I don't quite understand the overlap, but I see that it exists. I have a theory or two, but those thoughts aren't fully fleshed out right now. What I can say is that Anathema is a band I've been hearing about for years, but one that I never tried to get into, because the word 'ambient' is one that scares me. It is, pardon the pun, anathema to my perception of what music is supposed to be. But, fair person that I am, I decided I would give them a chance.

Being a conceptual piece, the album starts with the obligatory and useless set-up piece, which is thankfully only a minute long. The first real track is "Leaving It Behind", which opens the album with a shuffling electronic beat. I am not a fan of these artificial sounds, which gets reinforced when the whole band joins the song. The drums come in, but the electronic beat plays undernearth the acoustic drumming. Two different beats fighting each other to establish the song's rhythm, with neither winning out. It's hard for the song to gel together when it doesn't lock in with any one particular groove.

It doesn't take long before the nature of ambient music reminds me of why it is I usually avoid it. The way the songs are composed is supposed to use the tension of repetition to build drama, but what I hear is the same few ideas being repeated again and again, to the point where I'm desperate for the song's development to come along. It isn't the laid-back energy that bothers me, it's the balance between length and volume. There don't seem to be enough developments in the songs to best use their running times.

That carries over into the ideas themselves. By nature of the atmosphere the band is going for, neither the riffs nor the melodies are of the big, hooky variety. Everything is subtle and subdued, which has a place, but struggles what it's all that the songs have going for them. "Endless Ways" has some nice build-up and vocal deliveries, and it would work nicely as a palate-cleanser in the middle of a weightier album, but it's as propulsive and central track as anything on the album. It barely gets into second gear, and that's the closest the band gets to putting the hammer down.

Here's the thing; Anathema can make beautiful music. Sonically, "The Optimist" is a gorgeous record. It has strings of melancholy running through it that glisten like liquid diamonds. I can't fault their taste when it comes to picking tones. But like most music that falls into categories like ambient or post-rock, I don't hear enough songwriting to engage me. My belief has always been that song is defined by its melody, that melody is the most important thing in music. You can change everything about the backdrop, but the song will always be the song if the melody is there. Anathema takes a different tact. These are songs based on the coloring, not the outline. It doesn't make it good or bad, but it means it's basically a foreign language to me. "The Optimist" isn't at all for me, but maybe it'll be for you.

All I can do is be honest here.

Album Review: Edge Of Free - Edge Of Free

As a guitar player myself, there's something pure and honest about the sound of an acoustic guitar. There's no hiding behind walls of distortion, there's no using heaviness as a crutch. When you play an acoustic, there's only you and the song. It exposes whether or not you have what it takes as a songwriter. That might be why we don't hear them as often as we used to in rock music, as there has been a drain of talent when it comes to the most important part of being a musician. Edge Of Free is a throwback, then, in that they are recalling a time when it was really all about the songs.

That's not saying Edge Of Free doesn't rock. This is not acoustic rock in the Top 40 mold, where a whiny voice with one guitar sings songs about being alone. Edge Of Free adds in the darker textures and electric guitars that bring to mind Alice In Chains in their lighter moments, but you can tell the basis of every song was a guitar and a vocal, which is the way it's supposed to be. They say you should be able to strip a song down to the bare bones and not lose anything of the power. That's true here.

There's a definite undertone of grunge and post-grunge on this record. The dark tone of the guitars is befitting of Seattle, but it's more the melodic constructions that bring that to mind. Every period of time has characteristics that are unique to it, and I hear some of those in Scott Sneddon's singing. His delivery isn't that far removed from what I imagine Scott Weiland would have done with this material.

But like a lot of music from that time, I feel like Edge Of Free is trying to get by on charisma. The melodies are there, but they don't have the sharp bite they need to. There isn't a hook on this album that is going to stand out and hit you the way that "Interstate Love Song" did all those years ago. That's the hardest thing to do as a songwriter, so it's not unexpected when an album doesn't quite deliver on that front. People dismiss pop songwriters because of how fake or 'easy' the music appears, but consistently writing memorable melodies is a deceptively rare skill.

So what do we make of Edge Of Free? I like their darker acoustic sound, and their use of layering to make open sounding music is very nice. The sonic palate is something we don't hear too often, and actually is quite close to Zakk Wylde's "Book Of Shadows II", which won my Album Of The Year award in 2016. Unfortunately, that comparison doesn't bode as well for Edge Of Free, because while Zakk's album was chock full of songs with instantly memorable and singable hooks, Edge Of Free's music is missing the sparkle that would make it shine.

This is a nice little record, and as a debut I can hear a sound that can develop into something very good. But for right now, the sound and style might be there, but the band needs to work a bit to hone their melodic chops. If they can add some more hooks to their music, their next album could be very promising.

The Spider Accomplice Reveals "User"

The Spider Accomplice has racked up a number of accolades over the last two years, and not just from me. The band is gaining steam every day as more and more people discover the most exciting new band on the scene. In both 2015 and 2016, the best EP of the year belongs to the band, as the first two installments of the "Los Angeles" series have been the refreshing kick in the ass mainstream rock has needed.

With Arno Nurmisto's vivid guitar playing, and VK Lynne's fiery and passionate voice, The Spider Accomplice challenges the listener by being deeper than the average rock band. Their music is detailed and nuanced, and is the kind of music that feeds the soul of true music fans.

The third and final installment of the "Los Angeles" series is in the works, but in the meantime the band has come to satisfy our hunger for more with their new single, "User".

As we have come to expect from the band, they have taken their music in a new direction yet again here, taking the bright colors that they painted with on "The Abduction", and beating them into a weathered patina. The song twists modern pop in a perfect skewer, building everything off a pounding beat that flips a middle finger to slick production by reminding us that a real drummer pounding real drums will always have more groove, soul, and heaviness than a synth.

Arno's guitars color around the edges, using the blank spaces to great effect, while VK throws herself into her performance, as she always does. "User" is a slow burn, a song that invites you to join the band on the dark side. When you find yourself in that darkness, the light at the end of the tunnel is The Spider Accomplice.

Watch the video for "User" below:



You can purchase "User" here.
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Album Review: Adrenaline Mob - We The People

This one could be fun.... to write.

Of all the side-projects and new bands that have come out in the last however many years, one of them has stood out from the pack as the weirdest, and worst, of them all. Originally featuring Russell Allen of Symphony X and Allen/Lande fame, along with Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater and Transatlantic fame, Adrenaline Mob was a brain-dead bro rock band that turned two forty-something prog legends into stuttering frat boys who still think it's amazing that the woman in the pen loses her clothes when you tip it upside down.

Portnoy wisely left the group after they got the three good songs out of their system, but the Mob continues on, killing brain cells of any who dare listen. And with this album's cover pointing toward a political bent, oh my could this be a disaster.

"King Of The Ring" opens the album up the only way it knows how, with a stomping two note riff and Russell barking in his worst tone of voice. Couple that with writing that leads to nothing resembling a catchy chorus, and you get a song that is a sad parody of Five Finger Death Punch, who are already one of the worst bands on the scene. Why these middle-aged men want to sound like people who likely think face tattoos are cool is one of life's great mysteries.

Mike Orlando is a talented guitarist, in the sense that he has the dexterity to shred solos when he wants to. He's not a particularly interesting rhythm player, which is the meat of a song, so he does the same thing most modern rock guitarists do by essentially turning their own band into the veggie-burger of music; a bland facsimile of something you might actually want.

But the brunt of the blame goes to Russell Allen, as always. Russell is one of the best singers in all of rock or metal. I mean that sincerely. His voice is astounding, when he decides to use it properly. Here, though, he displays yet again that he writes on the same level as a Michael Bay movie; making lots of noise is just as good as having something to say!

I don't fault Russell for not being a good songwriter. You don't have to be, but you have to be smart enough to know your strengths. If you can't write, you get someone to help you out. Adrenaline Mob doesn't have a single member who understands the rock part of hard rock. They're hard-headed, for sure, but they never rock. Rocking is about a lot more than having enough distortion on the guitars. It's an energy, an identity, and Adrenaline Mob fit it for concrete shoes.

Is "We The People" the worst album of the year? Well, that's hard to say. It's certainly a contender, and I penalize it highly for having people involved who should know better than to ever release it, let alone be proud of it. There are albums that have been more intolerable to sit through, but none where it was such an obvious facade of bro-hood that only makes the middle-aged men behind it look older and sadder. Adrenaline Mob is a mid-life crisis, and it doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon.

Album Review: Jorn - Life On Death Road

Jorn Lande is perhaps the ultimate case of "what if?..." He is, without a doubt, one of the handful of greatest metal singers in the world. Every time he makes an appearance on record,  he is the highlight, because his massive presence cannot be denied. Unfortunately, he hasn't been the best at selecting his projects and his songs, especially in his solo career. The albums that have come out under his own name have been largely mediocre, and not at all befitting his talent. But having come off an Allen/Lande album that featured many of his contributions, and the "Dracula: Swing Of Death" project that won Album Of The Year from me, along with a brand new band behind him, this is Jorn's best chance to finally make the album that has eluded him.

We got our first taste of the new direction Jorn is taking from the pre-release tracks "Man Of The 80s" and "Love Is The Remedy", which did show a shift in tone. Instead of pushing the metallic edge, Jorn has focused more on the records he grew up with, the heyday of 80s hard rock and heavy metal. "Man Of The 80s" is a mission statement for this album, although I wish the solid tune had been wrapped up with lyrics that weren't so clumsy. The other single is a better track, where the chunky riffs through the verses segue into an AOR chorus. It's actually surprising to hear Jorn be so restrained delivering the hook, but it's a really good song that finds the right approach.

The makeup of the band had me a bit worried about the outcome. Alessandro Del Vecchio is a great melodic rock writer, but his style didn't scream a fit for Jorn's voice, while Mat Sinner and Alex Beyrodt have never been part of anything I've found interesting. One thing that is true of Jorn's career is that he needs good writers around him to come up with magic, and this crew didn't seem to fit that bill.

After listening to the album, I would say my worries were somewhat well-founded. Jorn has gotten better as a writer, so this album is rock solid (aside from the poor cover art), but it falls into that band of stereotypical 'ok-ness' that I've always found Sinner and Primal Fear to inhabit. There's absolutely nothing wrong with anything on tap here, but there aren't any songs that scream out as future Jorn classics. This is an album that should be all about the big man and his big voice, but the melodies aren't the star here. They aren't strong enough to win me over all the time. In fact, I'd say there's more focus on the guitar solos at time, which is the completely wrong way of approaching Jorn's music.

It baffles me how this keeps happening. Jorn makes guest appearance on fantastic albums, then he has collaborative projects like the ones I mentioned earlier than are amazing, and when it comes time to put his own name on the line, the results never match up. Jorn is Jorn, so it's always a treat to listen to him do his thing, but there's no way I can say this album comes close to approaching "The Great Divide" or "Dracula: Swing Of Death" in terms of quality. Those albums were phenomenal, while this one is good.

But what I think I can say is that Jorn's consistency has improved to the point where this is one of his better, if not best, solo efforts. While I'm disappointed it doesn't live up to the lofty standards I had set for it, let's be clear that "Life On Death Road" is still a fine Jorn album. It's only real problem is that Jorn keeps doing even better work outside of his solo career. If you don't compare this album to that fact, Jorn's done just fine for himself here. I will certainly recommend this album, if only to hear the man do his thing.