{"id":34372,"date":"2013-11-10T08:24:36","date_gmt":"2013-11-10T13:24:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=34372"},"modified":"2014-02-08T08:38:55","modified_gmt":"2014-02-08T13:38:55","slug":"edge-of-paradise-perfect-shade-of-black-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2013\/edge-of-paradise-perfect-shade-of-black-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Edge of Paradise | Perfect Shade of Black<\/em>"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis<\/span>
\n– Senior Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"EdgeYou might not be familiar with the band Edge of Paradise yet, but if their new EP is any indication then they will be making a major splash in the melodic metal arena very soon. Perfect Shade of Black<\/em> is a five song follow up to Mask<\/em>, the band\u2019s 2011 debut full length CD \u2013 and hopefully a preview of things to come. A dynamic vocalist, a guitarist who can shred with the best, a precise and tight bass and drum team \u2013 who can ask for more?<\/p>\n

Formed by vocalist and keyboard player Margarita Monet and guitarist Dave Bates, Edge of Paradise has managed to secure significant support from a number of big names in the rock world. Their debut album featured well respected bassist Tony Franklin (Blue Murder, The Firm) and drummer Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth Band, Joe Satriani, Steve Vai), and was co-written by Robin McAuley. They finalized their lineup after Mask<\/em> with the addition of bassist Nick Ericson and drummer John Chominsky and headed into the studio to record Perfect Shade of Black<\/em> \u2013 this time with the support of metal legends Bob Kulick, Brett Chassen, and Michael Wagener handling the recording and mixing duties. With a pedigree like that, Edge of Paradise sets the bar of expectations very high.<\/p>\n

\u201cPerfect Shade of Black\u201d opens with some eerie keyboards before Monet\u2019s vocals explode into your ears. Margarita has an awesome range, but she hovers around the upper end and sounds like she\u2019s singing with every ounce of strength. Bates delivers a soaring solo but keeps his guitars subdued during the balance of the track, allowing Ericson and Chominsky to drive the song. \u201cIn A Dream\u201d changes tone to passionate and fiery. Monet\u2019s voice spirals over massive power chords and booming bottom end. When the verses go quiet, she sings softly and clearly over the simple guitar lines, leading to a powerful bridge and explosive final chorus. \u201cBreak Away\u201d is a grinding guitar track reminiscent of early Doro or Warlock, but Bates\u2019 modern guitar styles keep it from being an imitation. The slower, ballad-like \u201cGhost\u201d incorporates a number of progressive elements \u2013 tone and timing changes, layers of keys and vocals \u2013 and couples them with a jaw dropping guitar solo. \u201cCrash Crash Burn\u201d rolls in some industrial \/ underground influences and is a fun, lively track that should become the centerpiece of the band\u2019s live gigs.<\/p>\n

Edge of Paradise is definitely a band to watch. Intelligent songwriting, diverse musical styles, and great delivery makes for a winning combination. Monet\u2019s outstanding vocals and passionate delivery, along with Bates\u2019 awesome guitars leave nothing else to be desired. The fine polish added by Ericson and Chominsky complete the picture. Hard rock fans looking for a kick-ass release will enjoy this ride. Influences of the greats, from Dio to Maiden are evident along with some symphonic touches. Edge of Paradise manages to carve out a unique and intense sound from it all. The only problem with this release is that it is simply too short \u2013 five tracks just aren\u2019t enough!<\/p>\n

Genre: Melodic Metal<\/p>\n

Band:
\nMargarita Monet (vocals\/keyboards)
\nDave Bates (guitar)
\nNick Ericson (bass)
\nJohn Chominsky (drums)<\/p>\n

Track Listing:
\n1.\tPerfect Shade Of Black
\n2.\tIn A Dream
\n3.\tBreak Away
\n4.\tGhost
\n5.\tCrash Crash Burn (Bonus Track)<\/p>\n

Label: Independent<\/p>\n

Website: http:\/\/www.edgeofparadiseband.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven rating: 9\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Joe Mis – Senior Columnist — You might not be familiar with the band Edge of Paradise yet, but if their new EP is any indication then they will be making a major splash […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":34374,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8704],"tags":[6014,6010,3439,7063],"class_list":{"0":"post-34372","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcrvws2013","8":"tag-edge-of-paradise","9":"tag-mask","10":"tag-melodic-metal","11":"tag-perfect-shade-of-black"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}