Egypt Central : White Rabbit
by Mark Allen
Staff Writer
Even stalwart defenders of modern hard rock reluctantly acknowledge that the market is as oversaturated as a sponge in a swimming pool, so when an album surfaces through the polluted sea of mediocrity that is good enough to carve a smile on the face of a stone sphinx, fans of the genre should eagerly embrace it. Egypt Central’s sophomore effort, White Rabbit, is such an album.
Bands in this niche live or die on the strength of their riffs and hooks and Egypt Central come equipped with a formidable arsenal of both. The guitars pack more crunch than a box of Cracker Jacks, which is to be expected in this era of Pro Tools and multi-tracking, but beneath those primal power chords are some unexpectedly subtle, almost subliminal, six-string nuances that may take a few listens to fully latch onto, buried as they are beneath the slamming sonics.
With that said, as heavy-hitting as the guitars are, this is still unmistakably and unapologetically a commercial hard rock album. If you’re craving cutting edge pretensions or innovative freshness, best to just move along before you poison your ears with what some snooty snobs would sneeringly dub soulless corporate dreck. Of course, one snoot’s corporate soulless dreck is another man’s catchy mainstream rock and Egypt Central have definitely injected catchiness into their well-crafted formula; the hooks on here are big enough to make a humpback whale skittish and the choruses are all structured as arena-ready anthems. Glaze the whole thing in Skidd Mills’ patented beefy-but-melodic production polish and you’ve got yourself a hard rock album custom-designed to appeal to the mainstream masses.
John Falls is definitely a talented notch or two above your typical grunting, shouting contemporary rock singer, eschewing those trite tics in favor of mixing melodic harmonics with vocal muscle. If the Chad Kroeger/Josey Scott/Austin Winkler school of singing makes you barf like a bulimic after an all-u-can-eat buffet binge, then Falls will be a refreshing change of pace, capable of delivering melody, power, and energy in equal triune parts. This skill is superbly displayed in “The Drug,” which rages along on a relentless rhythm while Falls unloads the attitude, even indulging in a few screams toward the end to punctuate the intensity.
Elsewhere, Egypt Central is at their bang-your-head best when throwing down full-throttle modern hard rock anthems. “Ghost Town” offers razor-sharp riffs with a pulsing, infectious chorus that serves as a fantastic kick off for the album. Speaking of kicking things, “Kick Ass” contains all the faux toughness and playground-posturing attitude you could ask for, with a clenched fist groove that is either killer or kooky, depending on your heavy metal proclivities; either way, expect to hear the song cranking over an ESPN highlight reel in the near future. And while Egypt Central definitely know how to rock out, they are not afraid to slow down for a ballad, as “Dying to Leave” opens with a throbbing, anticipatory rhythm that eventually erupts into a huge, hook-drenched chorus that sounds like Hoobastank with a heavier edge.
There is no doubt that Egypt Central have grown significantly since their debut. They have honed their chops and now play bigger, better, and bolder. Yes, they are following modern day hard rock/metal trends as surely as Alice followed the titular white rabbit down the hole to Wonderland, but they are doing it exceptionally well, and in a market bloated with wannabes, that is more than enough to leave fans of the genre grinning like the Cheshire Cat.
Genre: Modern hard rock
Band:
John Falls (lead vocals)
Jeff James (lead guitar)
Joey Chicago (bass guitar)
Blake Allison (drums, percussion)
Track Listing
1. Ghost Town
2. White Rabbit
3. Goodnight
4. Kick Ass
5. Change
6. The Drug (Part 1)
7. Down in Flames
8. Enemy Inside (Part 2)
9. Blame
10. Dying to Leave
11. Surrender
12. Backfire
Label: Fat Lady Music
Hardrock Haven rating: 8.9/10