Snake Eyes Seven 13 Crows
by Alex Barbieri
Staff Writer
The title track of Snake Eyes Seven 13 Crows starts promisingly enough, the band’s musicianship meandering around a whet Whitesnake groove. Vocalist Stone’s appealing midrange seductively draws you in until … that screech starts. Like Mozart is told in the movie, Amadeus, there is such a thing as “too many notes.” Stone’s squeal soon becomes unbearable, rendering the rest of the song unlistenable. A shame, because the music and playing on display are top-notch.
The second track “Can’t Fall Down,” for which the band has a new video, kicks into a Jackyl-esque stomp. Stone’s fist-clenched chorus is a wild child of Coverdale’s wail and Johnson’s banshee scream. But again, Stone’s full-tilt approach challenges even the hardest rocker’s ears. There is an art to heavy metal vocals. Halford, Coverdale and Rose all share an innate sense of when to go for the throat — usually on the chorus — and when to lay back in the middle. This builds tension and dynamics, and gives your ears a f-in break. Stone has yet to learn this. Make no mistake, he is a powerhouse singer, but like Mariah Carey’s riffing, there is only so much one can take. Stone should stick more to his midrange, making SE7 songs infinitely more appealing, without sacrificing an ounce of power.
Despite Stone’s screaming, there is much to sink your teeth into on Snake Eyes Seven’s second release,13 Crows. The album sounds killer, thanks to Cam MacLeod’s production at Titan Sound in Vancouver, BC and mastering at the legendary Capital Records in Los Angeles. “David and Goliath” continues the heavy Zeppelin vibe. Very cool Indian-inspired solo break. This is music to witness live and sway to while trying not to spill your beer.
The Sabbath sludge of “Freight Train” hearkens back to Kingdom Come. Stone’s bluesy vocals more effectively moving between emotive midrange and shattered-glass grit. “Missing You” opens with a beautiful instrumental before tearing into an almost-progressive power rock jam. Not crazy about the MI-SING-U chant at the end, but the band’s musicianship makes up for it. The melody in “All About You” reminds a bit of a heavier “Rock On” By Michael Damian. Horns up to MacLeod’s production for Steven’s meat-on-the-bones guitar tone.
One of the strongest tracks is the Saigon Kick-style “Creatures of the Night,” which showcases some nice verse harmonies ala Donnie Vie of Enuff Z’nuff. “Peaceful Moment” is a pretty acoustic and slide guitar instrumental. A nice show of musical maturity. This leads into the Winger-like “Little Piece of Heaven,” a big ballad that (finally) shows off what Snake Eyes Seven are capable of. Just wondering who chose the track list for 13 Crows? It seems as though the strongest songs were saved for last.
In closing, there is no denying that Snake Eyes Seven is an inspired and very talented hard rock band. That is why this review of 13 Crows may seem a bit critical. Hardrock Haven prides itself on providing educated, objective reviews from hard rock fans, to hard rock fans. Snake Eyes Seven are good, and right on the verge of greatness. But, they are not there yet. Tone down Stone’s screaming, focus on more cohesive song-writing shown displayed in “Creatures of the Night” and “Little Piece of Heaven” and the next Snake Eyes Seven album could be one of the best releases of the year.
Watch the video for “Can’t Fall Down” at http://www.jamsyncmusic.com/?p=928
Order or download 13 Crows on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003VCMMY6/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=1278548962&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B000OQF4P6&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=17719EZABECKKTEXQ4KX
Genre: Hard Rock/Heavy Metal
Band:
Ken ‘Vesuvius’ Stone – Lead Vocals
Cole ‘The Madman’ Stevens – Guitars
Cam MacLeod – Bass
Johnny Blade – Drums
Track Listing:
1. 13 Crows
2. Can’t Fall Down
3. David and Goliath
4. Show Me the Money
5. Freight Train
6. Missing You
7. All About You
8. Resurrection
9. Creatures of the Night
10. Peaceful Moment
11. Little Piece of Heaven
12. Furnace
13. Hell or High Water
Label: JamSync Music
Online:
http://www.myspace.com/snakeeyes7
Hardrock Haven rating: 6/10
The music is good but your right on the vocals ~~ Im a big fan of Whitesnake and Coverdale, these guys have a lot of excellent potential but they do go off track on the vocals need to clean them up so its not screamimng but singing big difference in my opinion.
Never been a fan a “Screamers” but I love this vocalist! The pitch could have been a bit lower in some areas, for my taste, but there is something undeniably appealing (and even awesome) about his voice! If you’re unconvinced look up some of Stone’s other stuff – WOW – crazy good singer! The instrumental is great but maybe a bit long on a couple intros.
And I have to disagree about the 13 Crows track, too – this song sticks out, to me as both original and kick-ass – I immediately liked it as well as a few others on the album. Everyone I know, who’s listened to the full album, also seems to agree the “stand-out” track is 13 Crows.
On the whole, I don’t have a lot of complaints about this sound – great band and I hope to hear more of them!!!