Final Gravity Final Gravity
by Joe Mis
Staff Writer
Final Gravity’s self-titled first release is nothing but straight-up unpretentious rock and roll. This quartet from California has done a fine job in putting together 14 decent tracks of solid blue-collar rock. Always energetic and melodic, these guys let their enthusiasm for music drown out any and all technical weaknesses and put out a great debut.
Obviously big beer fans, Final Gravity brews up 14 songs in varying rock styles ranging from solid blues rock to commercial rock. The name Final Gravity is a brewing term and is one of the measures used to determine the alcohol content of beer, and the CD itself is dedicated to the world’s brewmasters. It is a diverse collection of sounds and styles and makes for good listening.
Final Gravity’s lineup features vocalist Bill Moore, guitarist Mike Clark, bassist Charles Mumford and drummer John Chominsky. Moore is a versatile singer, able to handle the diverse musical styles of Final Gravity well. He seems to be most at home singing the bluesy tracks, and his voice doesn’t let anyone down. His vocal range is not the widest and he sometimes seems to struggle a bit at the very top end, but his voice is always clear and understandable – and enthusiastic. Clark’s guitars are smooth when they need to be, rough when called for, and well balanced without dominating the music. Mumford is a very good bass player and works well with drummer Chominsky to provide a solid driving rhythm line for all the songs. Both Mumford and Chominsky handle the many styles and tempo changes with aplomb and style.
“Parallel Lives” opens the CD on a hard rock note and features some solid guitar riffs, good bass and a bouncy drum line with some prog rock tempo changes. “Line ‘Em Up” is an up tempo political themed track with some nice crunchy guitars. “The Darkness,” probably the high point of the album, is a mellow, almost power-ballad with great lyrics, musicianship and a nice guitar line. Reminiscent of some Iron Maiden story songs, “The Flying Dutchman” tells the tale of the famed ghost ship in rocking style. “Shadow Of The Wolf” picks up a bit of Native American flavor with a driving tom-tom-like drumline. The energy fades nicely in to the dark and smoky “Lightning And Rainbows”, and picks up again with “Lab Rats” – a song that would have seemed at home on an album by The Tragically Hip. “Phoenix” is a fast paced prog rock piece with a great kicky rhythm line, which contrasts nicely with the slow bluesy “Go On Home” and crunchy “Bottle Of Love.” “Room 19” and “Be Not Afraid” feature some great bass work and timely lyrics.
“Been Wasted” is a pop rock tune that could have easily been done by Warrant or Poison.
To wrap the disc with a laugh, Final Gravity pays sly tribute to Japanese hair-metallers Loudness (and more than likely their favorite brew) with the goofy “I.P.A.”
The production and engineering is very good considering that this is an independent self-produced disc. The music and vocals are clean and crisp, almost pilsner-like. A careful listener will be able to identify influences of many bands from Yes and Rush through Metallica, Dream Theater and Maiden.
Like a good beer, Final Gravity’s Final Gravity is a complex brew with many subtle notes and flavors combining to make for a truly enjoyable rock CD. A bit progressive and a bit old school, the diverse elements go well together like lime and Corona. This is a highly recommended debut release that will hopefully lead into bigger and better things. Final Gravity is as refreshing as an ice cold Foster’s on a hot summer day! Cheers!
Label: Indie
Web: http://www.finalgravityband.com/ , http://www.myspace.com/finalgravity
Track Listing:
01 – Parallel Lives
02 – Line ‘Em Up
03 – The Darkness
04 – The Flying Dutchman
05 – Shadow Of The Wolf
06 – Lightning And Rainbows
07 – Lab Rats
08 – Phoenix
09 – Go On Home
10 – Bottle Of Love
11 – Room 19
12 – Be Not Afraid
13 – Been Wasted
14 – I.P.A.
HRH Rating: 8/10