Outloud Outloud
by Derric Miller
Staff Writer
One of the biggest surprises of the year is the new band collectively known as Outloud. Featuring virtuoso Bob Katsionis and drummer Mark Cross from Firewind, and the vocal prowess of Chandler Mogel (ex-Talon), Outloud is a shout out to the ‘80s. You’ll hear bits of Van Halen, TNT and Hurricane, especially with the overriding melodies and Mogel’s polished delivery, quite reminiscent of Kelly Hansen.
The fracas begins with “What I Need,” one of the fastest tracks on the release. The technical skills of the band are on full display, from the searing guitar solos to Cross’ manic drum fills and blasts. Mogel sings with melodic ferocity and some playfulness in sections, and it’s a full speed ahead burner.
Their first single/video is “We Run,” and if you haven’t watched it yet, do so. It’s probably the best song on the release, although, there are no weak tracks. “We Run” is a bass-heavy rocker, with Jason Mercury leading the charge on the opening verse. The chorus soars, and sort of reminds of you when Bon Jovi was a lot heavier and way hungrier. And less sober. Again, Mogel’s vocals will remind you of Kelly Hansen, and that’s a clear compliment, since Hansen’s pipes are nearly untouchable. Outloud clearly made the right choice by bringing Mogel into the mix.
The first slower song is “This Broken Heart,” and it is an acoustic composition at the start. You can think of it as a “power ballad,” and while it’s a love song, it’s not really sappy, probably because the musicianship is such high quality it can’t be cheesy. They’ll score a lot of points with the ladies on this one.
You’ll hear plenty of times when they nearly go into Progressive Metal land, like on “Breathing Fire.” It begins with a deft riff and galloping lead, with intricate drum rhythms, but then they sort of rein in the chaos and simplify things. Like “What I Need,” it’s one of the heavier songs on the self-titled debut.
“Lovesigh” is the other ballad, and it’s a step up from “Search for Truth.” You’ll get near Classical acoustic guitars and a haunting falsetto two-part harmony opening “oooh.” Mogel sings the lowest he has on the release during the verses, and his lower registry is just as powerful as his higher passages. It would be quite an experience to see them pull this off in an arena filled with 10,000 lighter-wielding fans.
In a curious move, the album ends with a song about themselves, “Out Loud.” “Frantic” doesn’t nearly define the track, but it’s a good start. This is probably where the Van Halen comparisons raise there head, as this is as breakneck as “Hot for Teacher,” but faster and heavier. Cross’ drumming is freakishly feverish throughout, as are the riffs and the notable wicked guitar solo, either from Katsionis or the other guitarist, Tony Kash. Or both.
Outloud owns the ability to sound familiar without sounding like any other band in the genre. It is ‘80s Hard Rock, but it is uber-polished thanks to the production of Katsionis and mixing of the damn near legendary Tommy Hansen. There is simply nothing to complain about, from the vocals, to the production, to the musicianship, to the songwriting. Everything clicks. Plus, on the CD cover it says “We’ll rock you to Hell and back again!” Now, you won’t up in Hades just by listening to Outloud—you’ll have to do a little more than that—but it’s still a damn cool Metal sentiment.
Label: Frontiers Records
Track listing:
1. What I Need
2. We Run
3. Tonight
4. Search For Truth
5. This Broken Heart
6. Breathing Fire
7. Wild Life
8. Broken Sleep
9. Out In The Night
10. Lovesigh
11. Out Loud
HRH Rating: 8.7/10