Liberty N’ Justice Light It Up

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

As the Christians’ favorite holiday closes in on the world again, Justin Murr’s Liberty N’ Justice project has released its brand new studio effort, Light It Up. As far as Christian music goes, Murr certainly has an ear for talent. Most of the musicians on the roster aren’t someone you’d immediately align with religion — Robert Mason of Big Cock fame anyone? — but just like each Liberty N’ Justice release before, it’s worth hearing, even if you are an unrepentant sinner who loves Hard Rock.

The title track also opens the release, featuring Phil Lewis and guitarist JK Northrup. “Light It Up” features a fairly sleazy riff and those omnipresent semi-sexual vocals that Lewis can’t help but convey when he sings. While some of the songs feature heavy-handed lyrics rich in Biblical imagery and warnings, this is probably the most straightforward rocker. “Young men dream about tomorrow, while old men smoke and cry of sorrow,” sings Lewis in a fairly non-preaching way during the chorus.

Light It Up offers 14 songs, but the first three just don’t make a lot of noise, even if they are noisy. “The Other Thief,” with Dale and Troy Thompson of Bride, is forgettable and slightly jarring vocally. “Blink” sounds just like Vixen, but that’s because Lynn Louise Lowrey is singing. She sounds energetic and Murr did well in bringing in a female vocalist.

The first song that melds the message with the songwriting is “Man vs. Mother Nature,” with Ted Poley and Vic Rivera, who have a history with each other. “When will we listen, when we will see? It’s man vs. Mother Nature, and the winner is God!” shouts Poley, with his enviously melodic vocal style. With the floating keys, Rivera’s uniquely heavy but “poppy” guitar playing, and Poley’s prowess, this is one of the best tracks on Light It Up.

“Uncle Sam” SHOULD be the song everyone votes as “the best” on this release, though. Sheldon Tarsha of Adler’s Appetite mans the mic, and he is a revelation (one not found in Revelations). The track is about the godless direction the U.S. has decided to go, a nation “denying God,” at least in the songwriter’s opinion. The lyrics are specific, touching on stock market crashes, wars, the foreclosure epidemic, and more. Tarsha sings the words like he damn well means it; the conviction in his vocals is almost eerie.

Searing rockers like “Uncle Sam” are one thing, but Liberty N’ Justice tends to feature ballads as well. “Every Reason to Believe” is the first one, with Kelly Keeling (Baton Rouge) and Kerri Kelly (Alice Cooper) on guitar. With the two-part vocal harmonies, it sounds like an Eagles’ composition, just acoustic guitar and hauntingly poignant vocals. Keeling has long been one of the most underrated singers in Hard Rock, but the talent is obvious.

Wrestler/musician Chris Jericho brings Liberty N’ Justice into the now with “Best Time You Never Had.” As a singer, Jericho is fairly solid, but more along the lines of Rev. Theory, Theory of a Deadman, Three Days Grace, than L.A. Guns or Danger Danger. He was fortunate to sing on a song that brings the best out of his vocal style, but it’s weird hearing him sing, “I’m not worthy of your crown of thorns. You’re the one, the only one that I adore!” That being said, it’s one of the catchiest songs on Light It Up and you’ll go back to it again and again.

Current Warrant singer Robert Mason, known for his single-entendre innuendo in the band Big Cock, sings on “Greed.” Of course, the only way the song could open is with him snarling, “Here I am and I’ll bring you to your knees!” In this case, it’s double-entendre, because it’s actually about the personification of “greed,” and not some sexual act. It is Christian music, after all. Mason owns the song, probably the perfect voice to sing about this sin, whatever that may mean.

Light It Up’s last track is “For Better or Worse,” with the up-and-comer Shawn Pelata (Line of Fire) on lead vocals. This is a huge ballad, with tasteful keys and a soaring chorus. Pelata is one of those higher range singers like Steve Perry, emotional and confident in his talent, and it bleeds through.

This may be the most polished Liberty N’ Justice so far. Sometimes it’s difficult to hear a new voice each track and keep the cohesion, but with the breadth of talent here, you can’t help but embrace the overall release. You don’t have to be a Christian or even care about the message if you just dig high class Hard Rock. But the message is there for you if you ever decide to start listening …

Online: www.libertynjustice.net  

Track listing:
1. Light It Up (Phil Lewis of LA Guns & JK Northrup)
2. The Other Thief (Dale and Troy Thompson of Bride)
3. Blink (Lynn Louise Lowrey of Vixen and Eddie Ojeda of Twisted Sister)
4. Do What You Believe (CJ Snare & Bill Leverty of Firehouse)
5. Man vs. Mother Nature (Ted Poley of Danger Danger and Vic Rivera of Crunch)
6. Treading On Serpents (Les Carlsen of Bloodgood and Ox Fox of Stryper/ Bloodgood)
7. Uncle Sam (Sheldon Tarsha of Tarsha/Adler’s Appetite and Jeff Pilson of Dokken/ Foreigner)
8. Every Reason To Believe (Kelly Keeling of Baton Rouge/TSO and Kerri Kelli of Alice Cooper)
9. Wrestling With God (Pete Loran, Steve Brown of Trixter & Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal of GN’R / Lita Ford)
10. Best Time You Never Had (Chris Jericho (WWE Wrestler/ Fozzy) & Phil Collen of Def Leppard)
11. Beautiful Decision (Harry Hess and Pete Lesperance of Harem Scarem)
12. Drunk Dead Gorgeous (Marq Torien of BulletBoys and Chris Holmes of W.A.S.P.)
13. Greed (Robert Mason of Warrant/Lynch Mob and Jerry Dixon of Warrant)
14. For Better Or Worse (Shawn Pelata of Line Of Fire & Stephen Chesney of Frontiers)
Some additional musicians: Eric Ragno, Terry Ilous (XYZ), Chris Dickens (Mission Of One), Marc Danzeisen (Bulletboys/ Little Caesar), Doug Odell (Crunch/ TNA) & John Pine

HRH Rating: 7.7/10

Natu Sabverata Existing To Ensure Your Destruction

by Justin Gaines
Staff Writer

Existing to Ensure Your Destruction is the debut release from North Carolina-based death metal band Natu Sabverata, and is the first extreme metal album released on the Heaven and Hell label. Natu Sabverata has been active in the North Carolina metal scene for the better part of the decade, supporting bands like Lamb of God, All That Remains and Six Feet Under. Their style is fairly straightforward. They play brutal (br00tal?) death metal. Period. No melody, no “core”, just totally crushing death metal. Think Sepultura and Celtic Frost with a strong Slayer thrash influence and a touch of Napalm Death and Carcass for grinding good measure. While the band’s lyrical approach is decidedly anti-Christian, they probably don’t fall into Satanic metal territory. Still, the lyrical content definitely matches the music in brutality and aggression, and the post-apocalyptic cover artwork suits the music perfectly.

The second you hear the first grunt on album opener “A Bastard’s Birth,” you know exactly what’s in store. It’s wall-to-wall riffing, machine gun drumming and sinister growled vocals. While you can certainly appreciate the band’s devotion to their particular brand of metal, it does start to wear a bit thin after a few songs. What is no doubt a completely effective way of starting a pit at a live show doesn’t always translate well in a studio setting, and about midway through Existing to Ensure Your Destruction you start looking for something to break the monotony. The album might have been more effective if they had shaved off a few tracks.

If you’re in the market for sheer brutality, you’ll be hard pressed to find a 2009 release that’s fiercer and heavier than Existing to Ensure Your Destruction (aside, perhaps, from Dethklok’s Dethalbum II). If nothing else, you have to respect an American metal band that resisted the trendy lure of metalcore and stayed true to their own death metal sound.

Label: Heaven and Hell Records

Track Listing:

1. A Bastard’s Birth
2. Eyes of God
3. Godless State of Mind
4. I Decay
5. Sin Eater
6. Burnt Church
7. Cut Into the Bone
8. Denounce
9. Breaking Point
10. Servant To None
11. Hindered
12. Bow
13. Pin Point Hate
14. Where There Is a Will There Is a Way
15. Whimper of the Whipped

Lineup:

Jacob Edwards: Vocals, Guitar
Chris Castelda: Drums
Brad Gentry: Bass

Online: www.myspace.com/natusabverata

HRH Rating: 6/10

Angst The Liner

by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer

Hailing from Crawley, UK, best known for birthing Goth icons The Cure, comes 4-piece metal/rock band Angst. Though their name may bear some resemblance to the aforementioned group’s lyrical content, luckily the similarities end there. Angst instead play a blend of rock, metal, and perhaps a little punk, as showcased on their second EP, 2009′s The Liner.

Following the three-song format of their previous EP, Fantastic, from 2006, The Liner features a hat-trick of new, original tracks, each showcasing a different facet of the band’s diverse style. Opening track, “Cruise Liner,” kicks off with a guitar riff reminiscent of Devin Townsend in both structure and tone. This super-catchy bit pops up throughout the song, and instantly digs its way into the listener’s brain, destined to stick there for many days to come. Though this riff may be the most memorable, the rest of the song more than lives up to its standard, featuring chunky rhythms and punk-like vocals, resulting in a power-chord fueled metal anthem. The dual-lead break is simple and melodic, and details the band’s taste for harmony.

The second track, “Running,” shows a very different side of the band, as it is a slower, more radio-friendly track somewhat reminiscent of “When the Wall Came Tumbling Down” from Def Leppard’s On Through the Night. It features some nice vocal harmonies, though the lead vocals feel a bit weak, and would have benefited from the vocal approach used on the other two tracks.

“Darkness Rising” closes the EP by getting back to the heaviness that started everything off. A piano intro complete with a Priest-esque double lead gives way to groovy heaviness topped off with Hetfield-inspired vocals. A flashy yet tasteful solo by lead guitarist Liam O’Brien drifts into another double lead break, and the abrupt ending leaves the listener hoping for a fourth track. But alas, the EP is over as quickly as it began, only serving to build anticipation for the follow-up.

The Liner is still a bit rough at times, but is an excellent introduction to a talented British band who will no doubt achieve great things if they keep on doing what they’re doing and manage to navigate the slowly dying music industry. Anyone lucky enough to take a ride on their “Cruise Liner” will be anxious to see where it takes them.

Label: Unsigned
Web: http://www.myspace.com/angstuk

Band Lineup:
Liam O’Brien (vocals, lead guitar)
Mikko Figura (rhythm guitar)
Nicky Moynihan (bass, backing vocals)
Matt O’Brien (drums)

Track Listing:
1. Cruise Liner
2. Running
3. Darkness Rising

Hardrock Haven rating 7.9/10

Covered Call Money Never Sleeps

by Franco Wissa
Staff Writer

As luck would have it, it seems, as of late, that there has been a flux of melodic hard rock to once again fill a huge musical void. With the nonsense that seems to be infiltrating our airways, thank God for this, Covered Call’s Money Never Sleeps. Filled with superb vocals, deep guitars, and hard rocking drums, this could, and damn sure should, please even that most discerning critic. Sounding like Lipservice era Gotthard or Jaded Heart with the great hard rock guitars of Velocity’s CD Impact, Covered Call has shown that they can indeed take a rightful place in the rock world.

Taking their name from the financial word for the selling of securities and investments (makes sense, seeing as how the band members make their living as stock traders,) what comes right out of the box are the amazing vocals of front man Thomas Vikstrom, whose work can also be heard with Candlemass, Brazon Abbot, Stormwind and Therion. His authoritative, full voice totally encapsulates each track making it almost seem that at times that only thing needed to bring these tracks to life was his voice. Time and again, his voice comes across as The focal point of Money Never Sleeps. And while this may seem to be a redundant thing to mention as this can be said for most releases, it must be pointed out that Vikstrom’s vocals were just what this band needed. Taking a listen to releases where it is the drums that are the focal point (Bonham,) the guitars (Dokken,) bass, (Geddy Lee’s outstanding My Favorite Headache,) or keyboards (Kayak,) on this, it is the vocals. And to that end, Thank God, Vikstrom’s vocals work – and work extremely well. However, with all that having been said, note must be made about the guitars of Joel Carlsson and Morgan Rosenquist, and as well the rhythm section of band founder/drummer Ronny Svanstromer and bassist Thomas Thulin. God Damn it, these boys can play, for they are all tremendously gifted musicians.

From the opening track, the amazing “”All Because of Me,” to the pianos of “Anything You Want,” the wonderful harmonies of “Shine,” the hard rocking “Never Again,” the distorted guitars of “I Wanna Be Free,” the drums of “Let’s Make it Real,” and the CD highlights “Till the End,” and “Nothing At All,” will all undoubtedly make one reach instantly for the volume knob. So excellent in fact was “Nothing at All,” that it seemed it just couldn’t be turned up loud enough. But there is what makes this a CD just what this rock world needs. In a time when mainstream radio is pushing fluff and marginally talented “vocalists” in our direction, and creating a huge void for the hard rockers, bands like Covered Call take up the slack, release exceptional CDs like Money Never Sleeps, and because of which, we can say no to fluff, find a road where the traveling is easy, slip this into our car’s CD changer, reach for the volume knob, turn it up as loud as possible, and loose ourselves in our kind of hard rock. And damn those who may give us disparaging looks.

The sound rocks hard and the production was superb. With not a filler to be heard, from start to finish, the overall tempo and vibe was spot on. The layout was perfect, with the hard rock intensity building until the break up of the mid CD ballad, to the thundering closing of “Let’s Make it Real,” not a track was out of place. It is a hope that Blistering Records understands what they have on their hands with the release of Money Never Sleeps, and gives this band the support they need to bring their music for all to hear.

This could very easily be on many of 2009’s best- for this was outstanding – simply outstanding.

Track Listing

All Because of Me
Till The End
Shine
Never Again
Anything You Want
I Wanna Be Free
Nothing at All
Money Never Sleeps
What About Us
Let’s Make it Real

Musicians

Thomas Vikstrom – vocals
Joel Carlsson – guitars
Morgan Rosenquist – guitars
Thomas Thulin – bass
Ronny Svanstromer – drums

HRH Rating: 9/10

MSG Live & Loud

by John Kindred
Staff Writer

Live & Loud offers digitally re-mastered songs recorded by the legendary guitarist Michael Schenker with his band MSG. The breakdown of the nine-track release includes six live tracks taken from previous live performances, the studio track “Written in the Sand” and his audio-biography in English and German.

Offering nothing “new” for longtime fans, this release falls in line with many previous “best of” or “greatest hits” packages that have been offered up over the years. And with such a minimal track listing, it really doesn’t do justice to Schenker’s long, tumultuous career. Starting his musical endeavors by forming the Scorpions with his brother in the early ‘70s, Schenker moved on to the British band UFO until his departure to form his own band MSG in the ‘80s.

Schenker displays his virtuosity throughout this brief foray into his musical journeys. Included are live songs from 1999’s The Unforgiven World Tour Live!, “Doctor Doctor,” “Lights Out” and the instrumental song “Captain Nemo.” Three more live songs are from 1997’s The Michael Story Live; “Assault Attack,” “Attack of the Mad Axeman” and “Natural Thing” also appear on the CD. And the lone studio song is the title track “Written in the Sand” from the ’99 release.

Chances are that, as a Michael Schenker fan, you have all the original releases in your collection. You probably own an ipod or MP3 player or still use CDRs to make your own MSG mix playlists or CDs. So you really don’t need another “best of” or “greatest hits” package. Unless you are a hardcore collector or Schenker newbie, this just won’t be a release you have to have.

Label: IMV/BLUELINE PRODUCTION

Tracks:
1. Doctor, Doctor (from The Unforgiven World Tour Live!)
2. Assault Attack (from The Michael Story Live)
3. Written in the Sand (from Written in the Sand)
4. Attack of the Mad Axeman (from The Michael Story Live)
5. Natural Thing (from The Michael Story Live)
6. Lights Out (from The Unforgiven World Tour Live!)
7. Captain Nemo (from The Unforgiven World Tour Live!)
8. History I (English Audio-biography)
9. History II (German Audio-biography)

Hardrock Haven rating: n/a

The Fall of Troy In the Unlikely Event

by Joe Mis
Staff Writer

In The Unlikely Event is the latest release from the Washington state based trio called The Fall Of Troy. These guys seem to be a band in search of a genre – their music is mostly progressive rock, but contains elements of blues rock, thrash, some screamo, a bit of punk and a tinge of black metal. All of these styles mixed together makes In The Unlikely Event an inconsistent and sometimes jarring listen.

The Fall Of Troy have been around for a number of years, and are veterans of the West Coast music scene. Founding members Thomas Erak (guitar and vocals) and Andrew Forsman (drums) are joined by new member Frank Ene (bass and vocals) on this latest recording. They hit the studio with the intention of keeping their unique sound alive, and they succeeded. Their songs are mostly melodic, but contain some really pounding passages and sudden tempo/tone changes that can easily catch the listener by surprise. Occasionally, their sound seems to jump into some experimental, almost “art rock” dissonances. Erak’s voice has limited range, but he uses it fairly well – except when he switches into his scream and his lyrics become difficult to understand. His guitar is interesting – he can lay down some amazing and unusual riffs (the very close to the bridge solo on the opening “Panic Attack” for one). Ene and Forsman are a very technically capable rhythm section, and both are able to handle the abrupt tempo changes cleanly. Both are comfortable playing slow and moody, and shift over to near manic when called upon.

Lyrically The Fall Of Troy seems to fall into more of the grunge anti-society area, spitting anger at many things. One of the band’s problems as implied earlier is that the lead vocals are at time unintelligible when Erak goes into “screamo” mode, and most of the track “Straight-Jacket Keelhauled” is that way. However when Erak decides to sing the band is very good and very tight. The band comes across as almost punk rock in “Battleship Graveyard”, but mid-song it seems to switch to screamo, then to almost classic rock and back to screamo. Erak displays his solid guitar chops and good clean vocals nicely on “A Classic Case of Transference.” “Single” is much more of a mainstream progressive rock tune with great guitars, a catchy riff and a solid chorus.

The highlight of the album has to be the infectious and bouncy “Empty The Clip, The King Has Been Slain, Long Live The Queen!” – great vocals, good lyrics, incredible musicianship. ”People And Their Lives” is a moody piece that gives Ene and Forsman a chance to show their stuff. “Dirty Pillow Talk” seems to mix in almost every possible rock genre from screamo to guitar-god riffs. “Nobody’s Perfect” is very Coheed & Cambria-like, while “Webs” is an excellent, almost classic rock ballad. “Walk Of Fame” is a very pointed criticism of the Hollywood lifestyle, and “Nature vs. Nurture” sports a smooth groove and an interesting syncopated rhythm line.

In The Unlikely Event is a mixed bag. While fans of art rock will definitely appreciate it in its fullest, this album will probably not find wide appeal with the general listening public due to wide mix of genres and abrupt and jarring style and tempo changes. While almost everyone will find a number of songs enjoyable, most will also find some that aren’t. For the most part the band is melodic, but The Fall Of Troy seems to take tempo changes and style mixing to the extreme, making for a somewhat musically confusing and inconsistent listen. The band is at their best when they stick to a more consistent sound throughout a song. They get some bonus points for technical proficiency, but need to work a bit more on coming up with a unique sound rather than a unique mix of styles. In The Unlikely Event is an interesting listen if you want to check out the cutting edge, but may be beyond the tastes of the average listener.

Label: Equal Vision Records

Web: http://thefalloftroy.com/ , http://www.myspace.com/thefalloftroy , http://www.equalvision.com/artist/The_Fall_of_Troy

Track Listing:
01 – Panic Attack!
02 – Straight-Jacket Keelhauled
03 – Battleship Graveyard
04 – A Classic Case of Transference
05 – Single
06 – Empty The Clip, The King Has Been Slain, Long Live The Queen!
07 – People and Their Lives
08 – Dirty Pillow Talk
09 – Nobody’s Perfect
10 – Webs
11 – Walk of Fame
12 – Nature vs. Nurture

HRH Rating: 7.5/10

Raise the Red Lantern Raise the Red Lantern

by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer

There’s nothing wrong with stoner-style, extended jamming. Hordes of ‘70s bands did it, Phish fans can’t get enough of it, and every new band probably tries their hand at a little freestyling, even if just for fun. The one major problem facing would-be jammers, however, is the need to keep things interesting and exciting for the length of the jam. Unfortunately, the members of Raise the Red Lantern seem more concerned with length, and less with how to use it.

Taking a large cue from Kyuss, and mixing it up with metalcore vocals, the result is a set of detuned, distortion-fueled stoner grooves topped with angry, screechy howling. Not a terrible idea by any stretch, but Raise the Red Lantern fall flat and fail to live up to the potential of what they have tried to create.

Repetition seems to be the name of the game here, with most songs becoming no more than monotonous onslaughts of sameness, a far cry from those the band seems to take influence from. The abrasive vocals mostly manage only to distract from the underlying guitars, and though this helps to break up the general monotony, they often overpower all of the instrumentation, leaving it as nothing more than low-end background noise.

Another distraction that serves to hinder rather than help the band comes from the all-over-the-place tempo ramblings of drummer Jim Staffel, also of Chicago avant-garde metal band Yakuza. Coming from such a respected band, and knowing what he has done in the past, it seems surprising that the drumming would be any sort of negative aspect. At first, it seems possible to chock it up to experimental, progressive tempo fiddling, but upon further inspection, it is nothing more than poor rhythm. Perhaps in this setting, a click track—something generally forbidden to jazz drummers—would have helped immensely and kept everything in line. But as it stands, the constant acceleration and deceleration feel very amateur.

But perhaps the biggest issue facing the band comes from the frequent, extended jams that feature in virtually every track. Rather than taking the listener on a musical journey of emotion and melody, the jams contained herein showcase nothing more than endless repetition of the same riffs. In fact, on opening track, “Ritual in Cm,” the riff is played so many times that by the end one of the guitars appears to go slightly out of tune. Midway through “Wilde Stallion,” the band presents one of it’s best riffs—a uniquely melodic break—but they manage to play it so many times that by the end it feels like a trip on the “It’s a Small World” ride, leaving the listener hoping it will soon be over.

With all this negativity, it should be said that the album is not without its merits. The riffs in and of themselves are not bad, and in many cases are very heavy and well written. By trimming down the repetition and focusing on tighter, more versatile song structures, Raise the Red Lantern would be in a better position to earn the respect they very well may deserve. Of course, if the jamming is a necessity and a defining part of the band’s style, then the members would do well to mix things up and add a bit of variety, be it in the form of solos, intentional tempo changes, or just more rapid-fire riff development. But who knows, maybe the repetitiveness is what will make Raise the Red Lantern famous. It worked for “99 Bottles of Beer” after all, and who doesn’t take their turn at that song every once in a while?

Label: At A Loss

Web: www.myspace.com/raisetheredlantern

Band Lineup: Dylan, Craig, Kris, Jim

Tracks:
1. Ritual
2. Thick As Thieves
3. Awaken
4. Oracle
5. Deliver Us/Deliverance
6. No Man’s Land
7. Wilde Stallion
8. Seduction Of Slumber

Hardrock Haven rating 4.4/10

Killing Mood Just Another Love Song

by Alissa Ordabai
Staff Writer

Killing Mood is a project by Swedish – Australian singer / songwriter Belinda Kordic and her band who modestly describe their style as pop and country on their MySpace page, but in fact present a finely wrought, singular mixture of retro 1920s pop, 1970s disco, folk, and only occasionally lean into the direction of light-footed country.

Airy and crisp acoustic guitar provides an intro to practically every song on this record, but this is not the only routine that the band chooses to stick to on this album. Most of these songs have more in common – a shadowy atmosphere of graceful, eerie elegance – something which Belinda is an expert at creating with her stark, transparent voice standing out against the spare, uncluttered production.

But the record’s charm is not only in execution but in the material itself. Those are simple songs with simple melodies, a black-and-white world which is deliberately not interested in vivid colours, somehow managing to appear ever more convincing for it. To anyone who would say that the lack of emotional latitude on this record is its shortcoming, one could retort that self-restraint is probably the hardest thing to achieve these days in pop.

The standout “Killing You” is one track which proves that self-imposed discipline pays off in full when it serves as a platform for deeper emotional extrapolations. After going through the familiar motions, it suddenly takes off the ground and starts to levitate, expanding the band’s habitual routine and showing off how magically Belinda’s voice can float in its end-of-60s Haight-Ashbury psychedelic mode, supported by the spare acoustic guitar and barely audible percussion.

“Orbit” is another such highlight, this time married to a pop beat and toying with exploring a grander, more epic feel, at once ambitious and irresistible in its kooky charm. Delivering both diversity and the necessary escape from the very familiar modus operandi, it shows that there is more to this band than the painstakingly crafted atmosphere of private moods and fixations.

Label: GMR Music Group

Track Listing:

1. Dancing with the Damned
2. Still
3. The Urge
4. Devil’s Robe
5. If I Could
6. Love Burns
7. It’s You Again
8. Strange Fruit
9. Killing You
10. Orbit
11. Road to Nowhere
12. Ramblin’ Man

Hardrock Haven rating: 6.5/10

Bones of Freedom World Domination I

by Joe Mis
Staff Writer

World Domination I is the full-length debut of a very good American-style classic-blues-psychedelic-rock band. Surprisingly, they are based in Gothenburg, Sweden – yes, the birthplace of melodic death metal. Bones Of Freedom blasts out music that would be right at home in the late 1970s, and they do it with major style.

Bones of Freedom is an oddity in that the music is about as “American” as possible, but the band members originally hail from Denmark, Sweden, Finland and England and are currently based in Sweden and Scotland. Not one is from anywhere in the good ‘ol USA. Thomas Pipes (bass) from Denmark, Tim McWeed (guitars) from Finland and Red Morgan (drums) from Sweden provide the Scandinavian touches, and Eddie Wolfe (vocals), a Brit now living in Scotland, provides the voice. Brought together by the power of “The Interweb” and MySpace, this quartet imparts a slightly European touch to an American standard. World Domination I is a follow up to their earlier five-song EP, Butterfly.

BoF’s music definitely has a groove that’s heavily influenced by the blues, soul and classic rock. All the hallmarks of 1970s-era rock are here – deep juicy guitar grooves, loud bass riffs and driving drums. The influence of Zeppelin, Cream, Deep Purple are obvious, but none of them beats you over the head as BoF is not trying to be a sound-alike or copy band. Eddie Wolfe has a great voice for this style of music. It is deep and raspy but always clear. He can sing, and he can roar. Tim McWeed lays down some incredibly heavy rhythm lines, catchy riffs and then goes off on some really long and well-crafted guitar solos. He is a fine blues/rock player and works very well the other members of the band. Thomas Pipes plays a great bass, and his bass is not just background or rhythm – it is as much a key part of the music as the vocals, drums and guitars. Red Morgan is a solid drummer – not flashy or obnoxious. He has a solid sense of the role of the drums in the music, and his contributions are vital to BoF’s complete and unified sound.

The CD opens with “Loud and Proud” – probably the band’s personal mantra – and it describes their music perfectly. They are unabashedly hard rock to the core. The subject material of their songs is today’s world, and they write about the cult of fame, greed and money, angels and demons, peace, love, rock ‘n’ roll, sex, human nature, ecology, reality television and history. Most of the songs are heavy and have a thick bluesy groove, and they are always melodic. The song styles are diverse enough that each song is fresh and interesting. Highlights are the kicky “Loud and Proud,” the ultra-heavy, blues-style “Miss Dynamite,” the softer ballad-like “1973” and the poignant “Soldier’s Song.” Two other pieces stand out more for their diversity than anything else – “Led Waters” literally sounds like Led Zeppelin meets Muddy Waters, and “Celtic Woman” would make Thin Lizzy proud.

The production and engineering are solid. The vocals are crisp and clear; the instruments nicely balanced, and the bass is boosted so it becomes a vital part of the music.

World Domination I is a very good album. Fans of blues rock, ‘70s rock, or just good old classic rock will enjoy this release on multiple levels. The music is great, the lyrics are solid and timely, and the sound is perfect for the genre. It is an interesting listen, and shows that, unlike NASCAR, American-style music is alive and appreciated in Europe. What was old is now new again, and it just works.

Label: Spook Records

Web: www.bonesoffreedom.net, http://www.myspace.com/bonesoffreedom

Track Listing:
01 – Loud and Proud
02 – Blitzkrieg
03 – Miss Dynamite
04 – Save My Soul
05 – The Wolf
06 – 1973
07 – Mistress
08 – Led Waters
09 – Soldiers Song
10 – Ten
11 – Greed 2009
12 – Down
13 – Celtic Woman

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.5/10

Ideamen May You Live in Interesting Times

by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

The semi-heralded and underground Ideamen has released the follow up to their 2007 EP and first full-length album, the appropriately titled May You Live in Interesting Times. It’s sort of a double-whammy here, because 2009 certainly counts as “interesting times,” but the array of music Ideamen creates certainly be described as interesting. Self-described as Progressive/Alternative/Experimental, Ideamen sounds as if Ben Folds Five and Faith No More/Mr. Bungle decided to become Siamese twins and write danceable yet heavy Rock anthems that run the gamut from Metal to Jazz. It’s all there for the listening …

The opening track, “Interesting Times,” is a burner, with drummer Phil Goodrich stealing the show amongst the chaos around him. You will have to immediately understand that although Ideamen uses two singers, Tim Swanson and Dave Solar, they both have an affinity for Mike Patton, thus the Faith No More vibe. With signature changes, mechanized falsetto passages and two and four-part harmonies, there’s a lot to digest. Mostly, it’s just cool.

“Emergency” is a more straight-ahead rocker, with chunky riffs from guitarist Dan Figurell. With Ideamen, though, everything can change at once, as it does here, slowing down before heating back up throughout the song. You won’t get the verse/verse/chorus from these guys, but it’s always interesting. The vocals trade lead and are accompanied by a female vocals as well.

One of the goofiest songs is “Horse’s Head,” also one of the most upbeat songs, and at under four minutes, it doesn’t give them time to be convoluted about the songwriting. In this aspect, it immediately becomes the most memorable. Ideamen is never about elongated guitar solos, but more likely to change tempos a few times in the song, offer various breakdowns, and also, come at you with a mountain of vocals. It reaches its peak on “Horse’s Head,” especially with the cool keyboard passage near the end of the track.

If you like Swing Music, check out “Uneventful Day.” Fans of They Might Be Giants or maybe The Mighty Mighty Bosstones would get a kick out of this. Actually, label mates Dog Fashion Disco/Polkadot Cadaver regularly pull off stunts like this; maybe they were influenced Todd Smith and the boys here. It’s rare to find a band that can easily play so many styles of music this well.

Swanson, who also plays keys, takes charge with his fingers as “Paper Goose” begins, another upbeat, happy anthem about … something. It doesn’t really matter. If you are a fan of the aforementioned Faith No More, the Patton-like vocals (although not nearly as sinister) are a pleasure to absorb.

May You Live in Interesting Times gets eerie on the final track, “Your Signature Here.” With swarming keys, an ever-changing wall of sound and those mammoth vocal melodies, “Your Signature Here” is the most complicated composition on the release. Bassist Mark Vasquez shows he can pummel yet play as intricately as the rest of his mates, sometimes just a few bars apart.

Ideamen, based on their dynamic style of music, probably are even a better live act than studio creature. With the endless amount of energy packed into their music, it’s nearly impossible not to glom on to their infectious songs and musicianship. That aside, May You Live in Interesting Times isn’t the most accessible release you’ve ever heard, and you’ll have to put the work in to figure out what they are all about. That being said, if you only delve as deep as their vocal harmonies, it’s still a sound you’ve yet to hear this year.

Label: Rotten Records

Online: www.myspace.com/ideamen  

Track listing:
1. Interesting Times
2. Emergency
3. The Rest
4. Sunshine
5. Horse’s Head
6. Incident
7. Collectibles
8. Uneventful Day
9. No Thought
10. Paper Goose
11. Quares
12. Your Signature Here

HRH Rating: 7.7/10

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