Lillian Axe Sad Day on Planet Earth

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by Derric Miller
Staff Writer

It’s quite an evolution for a band originally known for “Dream of a Lifetime” to grow and ultimately create massive sonic tales of sorrow like “World Stopped Turning,” “Needle and Your Pain” and even today, “Blood Raining Down on Her Wings.” Lillian Axe — who Robbin Crosby of Ratt ALMOST helped turn into a Hair Metal band by producing their debut release — never was and never will be a happy, syrupy, poppy Hair Metal band. Instead, Lillian Axe has proven over seven studio releases that they are not afraid to stare into the darkness around us, dissect it, and inevitably write stunning, introspective and musically complicated Hard Rock songs about their experiences. That’s exactly what you get with their new release, Sad Day on Planet Earth.

Their prior release Waters Rising was the first with new singer Derrick LeFevre, who replaced longtime original vocalist Ron Taylor. Few bands have been able to change the lead vocalist without losing steam, but just like Metal Church with Ronnie Munroe and Candlemass with Robert Lowe, Lillian Axe is positioned to bring the old fans back and earn new ones once they hear LeFevre’s overall talent. It doesn’t hurt that he is eerily similar to Taylor at times, although his overall vocal range is broader than Taylor’s.

Most of Sad Day on Planet Earth is filled with contemplative, moody compositions, but it starts off guns blazing after the instrumental opening of “Cocoon.” The first track with lyrics, “Megaslowfade,” is a burner, and guitarist/main songwriter Steve Blaze’s riffs are sweltering, along with rhythm guitarist Sam Poitevent. This is really a gritty Rock anthem, one of the fastest tracks on the release.

“Jesus Wept” is really the type of song Lillian Axe excels at. The song crescendos to a soaring chorus, with LeFevre shining with his emotional vocal depth. The leads are heady, with lines like, “I pull the leeches from my own celestial waste” and “High on your thrown, ruling alone, preaching commandments of your own.” That’s the thing about Lillian Axe: the more you invest in actually listening to the music and understanding their stories, the more you get out of it.

The title track, “Sad Day on Planet Earth,” is a softer composition, with deft acoustic guitar, almost sounding classical at times. Of course, although the beginning is acoustic, it jumps back and forth between electric bombast and then intricate acoustic passages. “I watched the planet and heavens collide; all I could do is bow down.” This is almost like an updated “Dust in the Wind,” with a lot more hopelessness thrown in for good measure.

You will hear keyboards throughout the release, another facet they’ve continued to intertwine in their compositions, and they are almost playful on “Within Your Reach.” While still a slower track, the vocal melodies sound like something out of the ‘60s at times during the opening verses. This is basically until the track changes tempo, and then you’ll be reminded of songs like “World Stopped Turning” from their past glory days.

One of their best titles in a while is “Blood Raining Down on Her Wings.” What is the song about? Well, the lyrics say things like, “That was the night as they tore out her sight, as a testament how far down they’ve fell.” The protagonist is someone who is healing the world, so she is being destroyed by those who either don’t understand or who run on hate. It could be a metaphor for a lot of things, including “her” as being this planet Earth they titled the release after.

After you get your head around the high-energy rockers like “Megaslowfade” and “Ignite,” and then delve into the more existential songs like “Blood Raining Down on Her Wings,” they put it all together on an over 13-minute song called “Fire, Blood, the Earth and Sea,” the closing track. It’s part Folk Rock, especially when you focus on the lyrics and the vocal rhythms, but it’s decidedly Heavy Metal when the song broadens out of acoustic land and LeFevre belts out lines like, “Showed me such monstrosity, a broken heart’s humility, she drove me into ecstasy, I gave her all my seed …” You get a myriad of tempo changes, more near Classical acoustic passages, and keyboards that would fit on a ‘70s Prog Rock masterpiece. “Ambitious” doesn’t really define what they’ve managed to compose here, but you get the picture.

Sad Day on Planet Earth is everything you’d ever want from a Lillian Axe release. With LeFevre on board, it’s almost like they’ve been able to broaden what kind of songs they can write, and they were already one of the world’s most diverse Hard Rock bands before he joined. With Sad Day on Planet Earth, Lillian Axe is back on top of their game, and maybe this time around, they’ll get both the critical acclaim AND massive sales figures they’ve always deserved.

Label: Blistering Records

Lillian Axe Official

Track listing:
1. Cocoon
2. Megaslowfade
3. Jesus Wept
4. Ignite
5. The Grand Scale of Finality
6. Sad Day on Planet Earth
7. Hibernate
8. Within Your Reach
9. Down Below the Ocean
10. Blood Raining Down on Her Wings
11. Cold Day in Hell
12. Nocturnal Symphony
13. Divine
14. Kill Me Again
15. Fire, Blood, the Earth and Sea

HRH Rating: 8.6/10