TALKIN' TRASH WITH....Kjetil Wevling of RAZORBATS

Kjetil is the lead guitar player for the Norwegian hard rock outfit, Razorbats, and he was kind enough to take some time to Talk Some Trash with us here at G2G.  This interview was a particularly interesting one for me, as I fell on some ice and suffered a concussion about half-way through our PM interview, so there was some disruption to the conversation, which was already somewhat difficult to conduct due to the 8 hour time difference between my hometown and his.  However, not only was Kjetil game enough to continue the interview with me, he was kind enough to be one of the first people to contact me after hearing about my little accident, checking in to see if I was doing well.  Truly a class act.  So, without further blathering from me, here is Kjetil, Talkin' Trash in one of the most fun interviews I have done to date....

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G2G:  Kjetil, thanks for taking the time to talk some trash with us!  

Kjetil:  Thanks for having me, Arttie...

G2G:  Kjetil, the first thing I have to ask...what year is it in Norway?  Because you guys sound like you think it's still 1978 or something!

Kjetil:  (Laughing)  It is still 1978...everywhere!  If you're into hard rock music, there really hasn't been anything new since the late 70's.  There has been variations on a lot of the older music, but nothing truly new.  Bands from the 90's and 2000's, like Soundgarden or the Hellacopters...the Darkness, the Black Keys...they are just doing their take on KISS, Sabbath, Aerosmith, etc.  As with them, we don't feel the need to experiment too much, since it can't really be improved on anyway.  And, we're not a bunch of desperate hipsters trying to show the world how underground and

Razorbats

innovative we are.  We just make some quality hard rock with catchy riffs and anthemic choruses.

G2G:  That you do!  And, that's a refreshing attitude, honestly, because here in America it seems like everyone goes with the trends and keeps trying to become superstars playing the exact same thing as everyone else.

Kjetil:  I know!  It's pretty much the same here in Norway.  They're always looking for "the next big thing" and when it happens, it gets copies so many times that it loses all meaning and turns into a parody of itself.  But most people don't really care.  They just want to listen to what everyone else is listening to so they can pretend they're hip or something.  Very few people want to dig a bit deeper and discover all the great bands that don't get played on the big radio stations or written about in the major newspapers and magazines.  Bit, I think the tide is turning.  Eventually, they will get tired of the sterile EDM (Electronic Dance Music) DJs and whatnot, and start looking for something where you can hear the people who made the music.  Much like what happened when Nirvana came out and shook the world out of the plastic 80s thing that was dominating the airwaves.

G2G:  I totally agree, which is why I love doing this site.  It exposes me...and hopefully the readers...to so many new and exciting bands that are doing their own thing.  I love that part.  Now, speaking of things I love, I honestly cannot stop playing your new record, Camp Rock!  The first question I wanted to ask is actually about the record itself.  Who mixed and produced this record, because it has such a complete 70s/early 80s feel and sound that I actually feel like I'm listening to a vinyl record at times.

Kjetil:  That's so cool!  It's great to think about that we can move someone on the other side of the planet just by making some rock songs!  And, we do have it on vinyl, as well as CD!  (Laughing)  We recorded the album in a small studio in Oslo called Calmeyer Studios with producer and engineer Kai Christoffersen.  We had 13 songs more or less ready and we recorded all of them.

First, we had a day of pre-production at our shitty rehearsal space in an abandoned factory.  Just to straighten out some arrangements, you know.  We then spent about 12 days recording the album.  Since the studio is small with just one recording room, we had to record the drums first and build the songs from there.  We were pretty well rehearsed, so things went quire smoothly.  We chose Kai as the producer because we knew he loved 70s hard rock and he's done some great work with a band called Orango.

It was really hard to find the right producer.  There are not many bands like us in Norway, so very few producers could understand and enhance on what we were trying to do.  There are a LOT of metal bands, and punk bands, but very few hard rock bands.  Also, indie rock and pop is huge, so most of the producers go where the money is.  Kai mixed the album as well.  I think that sound comes natural for him.  Plus, I play old Marshall type amps and a 1974 Gibson SG.  The bass player uses a 1976 Rickenbacker, so a big part of the sound was already there, I guess.

G2G:  Awesome!  You kind of led me into the next question there...how are you received in Norway, which is kind of known for extreme metal styles like death and black metal?

Kjetil:  It has been a bit difficult, to be honest with you.  There is only one radio station here that can break a new band into the mainstream, and they have a strict regimen of play-listing music that they think will appeal to 12-22 year olds.  The rest of the stations only play songs that are already Top 40 hits.  So, it's hard to get through.  We have gotten a lot of support from a new radio station that plays rock music, and the reviews in rock and metal magazines have been amazing.  It seems to us that the people who like the kid of music we play love the album, but for us, unfortunately, they are in the

minority.

We started this band because we did not want to compromise anything and do whatever we felt like, regardless of trends.  We love Alice Cooper, The Sweet, Blue Oyster Cult, and bands like that, so it would be dishonest for us to try and make something more current just to fit in.  But, enough people get and like what we're trying to do, so we can tour and record songs.  And that is really what it's all about for us, anyway, so we're happy campers!

G2G:  So, speaking of influences, how did you guys discover those bands?  With radio being like you describe it, I can't imagine a lot of BoC or The Sweet get much airplay, either...

Kjetil:  (Laughing)  Absolutely not!  For me, it was through my older brother.  He was into KISS and AC/DC, so I remember sitting, just staring at the cover of the Destroyer album, wondering what had happened since they were standing on a pile of rocks with fire all around, and wearing those weird clothes and make-up.  I remember thinking that maybe it was the end of the world or something like that!  (Laughing)  We were still young when Nirvana happened, and I guess for a little while in the early 90s, a lot of people started reidscovering bands from the 70s.  The Doors movie came out and the girls in my class liked "Stairway To Heaven" by Zeppelin.  I didn't like grunge, but it opened the door just a bit, so that it was easy to backtrack the influences of those bands.  The first big one for me was Black Sabbath.  I couldn't believe what I heard.  I was so raw and powerful!

Then, the whole Scandi-rock thing happened here, with Swedish and Norwegian bands like the Hellacopters, Backyard Babies, and Turbonegro mixing classic 70s hard rock with punk.  In many ways, those bands laid the foundation for how Scandinavians play hard rock.  I don't know if they had any impact in the states, but here they were massively important.

G2G:  Well, Hanoi Rocks made a bit of a dent over here, but most people don't know the Hellacopters, for example.  Crashdiet and Reckless Love have gotten some attention, but they are more like the second wave of that Scandi-rock movement...

Kjetil:  And I've never heard of them!  (Laughing)  But Hellacopters are doing a one-off reunion show at Sweden Rock Festival next summer and the buzz is immense!  Much like it was when Turbonegro reunited in 2003.  When they split up in 1998, they played clubs that held about 300-400 people.  When they got back together, they played an arena tour in Norway for 6,000-10,000 people!

Rock has fallen out of favor in Norway, it seems.  At least, when it comes to new bands.  The most popular rock bands in Norway today were formed in the 80s and 90s.  I've heard festivals complain that there are no new bands to headline festivals, but I think it's like that most places, not just Norway.

G2G:  Okay, I have to ask...what is a Razorbat?

Kjetil:  A razorbat is the weapon of choice for the Green Goblin.  He's a super-villain and Spiderman's nemesis!  The bass player came up with the name and it sounded like an awesome name for a rock band, so it stuck!

G2G:  (Laughing)  As a comic book fan, I was wondering if that was where it came from!  Nice!  So, how did you guys end up coming together?  Where do the Razorbats come from?

Kjetil:  I love comic books, myself, so when he said where it was from I was all for it!  After a while, the name of a band doesn't really have any other meaning than just what you associate with the band and their music.  I would say Guns N Roses is one of the worst band names of all times, but it sounds killer when you say it because it makes you think of a great band!

As for us, we came together in the fall of 2012.  I used to be in another band that toured internationally and ha a few hits, so I wanted to start a new band when that fell apart.  One of the things I didn't want was to have a clear idea about what kind of band it was going to be.  I just wanted to find some good guys, start jamming, and see what happened.  To begin with, we were more of a punk band, but we soon gravitated towards our common love of 70s hard rock and we started to sound like Razorbats.  In our "punk phase", we released an EP cammed Bring It on, and actually got a minor radio hit in Norway from it.  So, some were a bit surprised when we abandoned that direction for more retro sounding hard rock.  But we felt really comfortable with it and felt that what we recorded with Camp Rock is a lot closer to what we really wanted to do.

All of the guys have been in bands before where we have felt restricted by a formula or a sub-genre of music that he had to follow the rules of, so it has been a joy to just do whatever we want and that a lot of people actually like.

G2G:  You do get a sense of that punk past creeping into Camp Rock, though...especially on a track like "Betty Book".  But, it feels authentic 70s punk and not the pop-punk that was all the rage for a few years after Green Day and Blink 182 became successful...

Kjetil:  It is definitely in there somewhere!  Our bass player was in a hardcore punk band earlier, and I was in a pop punk band,.  But we don't agree on what kind of punk is the best!  (Laughing)  I like Rancid and Bouncing Souls and a few of the bands from the 90s, but we all love The Ramones, The Dictators, Dead Boys, and bands like that.  So, we try to go with what we have in common.

G2G:  So, you told me the other day that you had to travel 18 hours or something to a gig.  Is that common, or do you guys just play anywhere, any time?

Kjetil:  It actually just too 17 hours this weekend!  (Laughing)  But that is back and forth.  It's hard to get people to gigs here on week days, so we just play Fridays and Saturdays.  It takes about 10-12 hours to drive from the east coast of Norway to the west, and about 4 days to drive from the south all the way north.  So, touring here is a bit tough.  Many of the roads are extremely narrow and winding, with lots of tunnels and ferries.  This weekend, we drove 5 hours to the first gig, and 3 1/2 hours to the next gig the second day.  We try not to play everywhere because it takes so much time, bit its hard to say no to gigs...we love playing in front of people and we have a great time together!  Lots of jokes and farts!  (Laughing)

G2G:  (Laughing)  Is that because of the Mexican food?  I have a friend who lives in Sarpsborg, and he told me..and I've also read...that Mexican food is huge in Norway.

Kjetil:  Taco Friday!!!  It's a tradition for a lot of people here for some strange reason!  I would think that too much beer, not enough sleep, and food from a gas station causes the farts, though.  (Chuckles)  It's like what guys said in Spinal Tap.  "I wanted to capture the, the sights, the sounds, the smells, of a hard working rock band on the road..."  (Laughing)  Most bands are like that!  Bad food and even worse jokes!

G2G:  Awesome!  Alright, let's talk about Camp Rock.  That CD is still in my disc changer and is pretty much all I've listened to for the past two weeks or so.  It's very obvious early Def Leppard has some influence here, especially on tracks like "Planet Riff".  Would you agree with that?

Kjetil:  Very cool that you still listen to the album.  I've heard from a lot of people that it needs a couple of listens before it sticks, but when it does, they never seem to get tired of the album!  I see the link to the early Def Leppard stuff, but the main inspiration for the riff was actually "In The Evening" by Led Zeppelin, with a bit of "More Than A Feeling" by Boston!  (Laughter)

G2G:  I can hear that as well, to be honest.  There is just such a mix of 70's influences all over this record...very cool stuff.  My personal favorite track, far and away, is "Desolation Highway".  Can you tell me a bit about where that song came from inspirationally?  I simply don't get tired of it, and its probably my song of the year for 2015, if I made such a list.

Kjetil:  I can, yes!  The song came from a strange feeling that something was terribly wrong and that something was broken that could not be fixed.  I have no idea why, but the song is an attempt to describe that feeling with a story.  In the song, we follow a guy who is running away from a messy situation he has caused, but it's left up to our own imagination to figure out what he has done.  He wants to go back to the one he loves, but knows it can never be the same again, so he keeps running and punishes himself by seeking out situations that are bad for him.

The music for this one came real quickly and without much thinking.  The opening riff has sort of a "doomish" vibe to it, maybe with a little nod to Black Sabbath.  We had a girl sing backup on it, because it felt like an echo of the girl he is running away from and made it more powerful.

G2G:  I think it's incredible, like I said.  Another favorite is "Warhead".  Any insight there?

Kjetil:  That song is about something a lot of young men can relate to.  That is, getting violently jealous when you're drunk.  (Laughs)  You do a lot of stupid things when you're drunk and when your in love and jealous at the same time.  It can get really ugly.  The guy in the song ends up losing the girl in the end because she gets tired of him going crazy when he's had a few too many.  Like a self-fulfilling prophecy, he pushes her away and ends up thinking he was right all along.  The singer wrote the lyrics for that one.

G2G:  Hopefully not from personal experience! (Laughing)

Kjetil: (Laughing)  No, but you see things!  Songs can be true even if you haven't lived it yourself.  Thankfully!

G2G:  Is that the way it is with "Kids of the 70's"?

Kjetil:  That song is more about how things haven't changed that much since the 1970's, and not really all that much about being a kid in the 70's.  We started thinking about music and that most new bands claim to be so damn original, but if you dig a little deeper, you will find tons of bands who sound just like them.  Then I thought that might be true for more things than just music, like how the optimism and the will to fight of the 60's was replaced by the escapism of the 70's and beyond.  The opening line of the song is "There are riots in the streets, while the 'Me Generation' gets lost in the disco in a blizzard of cocaine".  That could be just as true of the rave culture of the 90's.  We are just recycling old cultural expressions now and we don't understand why so many try to hide it.  So, we quote Free at the end of the song and state that "we're alright now!"  You don't have to be original to be good.

G2G:  (Laughing)  Well, it is definitely good.  I'm enjoying it immensely...

Kjetil:  Gload to hear that!  We released it as a single in Norway and it got played a lot.  We also heard now that a station in Italy has picked it up and they've gotten great feedback from their listeners.  Maybe we're on the brink of a major international radio hit!  (Laguhs)

G2G:  Well, we all know I have MAJOR pull in the industry!  (Laughing)  Have you guys had the opportunity to rub shoulders on-stage with any well-known bands?

Kjetil:  Of course you have pull!  Tell all your friends, give the album to the whole family for Christmas, and pester your local rock station to play Razorbats!

About other bands...we usually headline smaller clubs in Norway, but we got the chance to support Rise Against in a bigger hall this summer.  It was awesome!  We might be doing the same with Backyard Babies in Norway soon, but that is not 100% yet.

G2G:  Let's play a little game.  I'll give you a word or words and you give me the first thing to come to your mind, okay?

Kjetil:  Shoot!

G2G:  Stage Dolls

Kjetil:  Haha!  Pop-metal for housewives!

G2G:  Ouch!  Bashing on the Nordic countrymen!  Okay...Backyard Babies...

Kjetil:  Total 13!  UFO Romeo!  Getting punched in the face by a drunk biker at Turbonegro's farewell gig in Oslo during BB's set.

G2G:  (Laughing)  Okay...T. Rex...

Kjetil:  Glam!  Glory!  Tragedy!

G2G:  Black Sabbath?

Kjetil:  The love of my life!  Power, mystic, genius...

G2G:  Ozzy or Dio?

Kjetil:  Ozzy!  I think they are like comparing pizza and burgers.  Both delicious, but very different.  The Heaven And Hell album is great, but Ozzy is a god!

G2G:  I'm a Dio guy, but you have the right to be wrong.  (laughing)  How about black metal?

Kjetil:  Thanks!  (Laughs)  I saw Dio with Heaven and Hell (the band) on their last tour in Europe, and he was amazing.

I'm not into black metal.  It doesn't connect with me.  Only one black metal song that really moves me and that is "Mother North" by Satyricon.  It's an overwhelming display of power...

G2G:  Lutfisk

Kjetil:  Barf... I'm more of a pinnekjott guy.  Delicious lamb...

G2G:  (Laughing)  Just trying to make you feel culturally comfortable.  I try to do my research!

Kjetil:  Not bad!  Check out smalahove!  Very black metal...and also delicious!

G2G:  Favorite beer of Razorbats?

Kjetil enjoying SOME kind of beer!

Kjetil:  The cheapest stuff is all I need!  (Laughs)  We just drink whatever they have at the venue we play at, or the bar we're in.  I love Grolsch and Erdinger Weissbier, but I'll drink anything.  Not a big
fan of American beer, though.

G2G:  If you could hang out with one rock star, living or dead, who would it be?

Kjetil:  That's a tough one!  I'm gonna say Geezer Butler from Black Sabbath.  He seems like such a brilliam and funny guy!  I was actually in the VIP section of a Killers show in New York once with David Bowie and Jimmy Page, and I totally froze and didn't manage to say a single word.  So, I'm not sure I'm a fun guy for the rockstars to hang out with...
(Laughter)

G2G:  One rockstar you would like to punch in the mouth?

Kjetil:  Bono!!!

G2G:  (Laghter)  That was quick!  Any specific reason?

Kjetil:  I don't know.  I hate U2 and he seems like such a self-righteous douchebag...

G2G:  You referenced Spinal Tap earlier...do Razorbats have any Tap moments in their career?  Trapped in any pods or doing any dancing around a miniature Stonehenge?

Kjetil:  Hmmmm....nothing as funny as Spinal Tap, I'm afraid.

G2G:  Yet...

Kjetil:  Very true!  All bands eventually have a few Tap-moments.  Hope it's not the drummer it happens to!

G2G:  (Laughter)  If a Razorbats movie is made, who plays you and why?

Kjetil:  Bjorn Sundquist!  The ultimate Norwegian badass!

G2G:  What about that guy that plays Thor in the Avengers movies?

Kjetil:  (Laughs)  I changed my mind.  I want Happy Tom from the Norwegian death punk band, Turbonegro, to play me!  Or the Cookie Monster!

G2G:  Norway has Sesame Street?

Kjetil:  Of course!

G2G:  What are your hopes for Razorbats?  How far do you see your band going?

Kjetil:  That's hard to say.  The feedback on the album has been amazing, but not too many people like the kind of hard rock we play.  At least not too many people under 30.  The goal is to be able to tour Europe and play for 150-200 people a night, earn enough from it to finance recording new albums, and have a blast doing it!

G2G:  Any videos or plans for such things?

Kjetil:  Nope...it is too expensive and MTV just shows reality shows now, so we don't really see the point.  We hope to get the support gig for Backyard Babies or Imperial State Electric this winter, and if we do, we'll record and film it.  Maybe make a live DVD or just put a couple live songs on YouTube.

G2G:  What's the best concert you have ever attended?

Kjetil:  Best concert?  Hmmm...  Is it okay if I choose three?

1.  Balder--my brother's band when he was in high school.  I was 12-13 years old and the experience pretty much changed my life.  They played the cafeteria and it was full of 16-17 year old kids, drinking beer, making out, and smoking something that smelled funny.  It was so loud and such a long way from the music videos I had seen on MTV.  I had never been so scared and felt so much alive at the same time.  I realized then that I had to start a band.

2.  Turbonegro--I think it was the release party for the Ass Cobra album at the legendary rock club "So What" in Oslo.  They were so disgusting.  The singer was fat, hairy, sweaty, and extremely rude to the audience.  They all wore denim and looked kind of gay.  I thought it was the funniest thing I had ever seen.  They were a long, long way from Bon Jovi and other heroes I had from childhood.  They were dangerous, fun, and unashamed of being different.

3.  Black Sabbath--reunion tour.  They are my favorite band and I never thought I would be able to see them.  I got Tony Iommi's guitar pick and I am not ashamed to say I cried a bit!  (Laughs)

G2G:  Worst concert ever?

Kjetil:  Bon Jovi a couple of years ago.  It was terrible.

G2G:  Yeah, they're just not the same anymore...especially with so much Nashville seeping into their sound.

Kjetil:  And no Richie Sambora!  And, Jon's voice has gotten thin and he couldn't reach any of the high notes any longer.

G2G:  What about the last album you were just completely disappointed in...just pure crap?

Kjetil:  It's been a long time since I was that disappointed with an album.  Probably Wolves In Wolves' Clothing by NOFX.  Couldn't find a single track that I liked.

G2G:  Anything that has just blown your mind recently?

Kjetil"  Yep!  The new single from Turbonegro called "Hot For Nietzsche"!

G2G:  And Camp Rock, of course...

Kjetil:  Of course!

G2G:  Kjetil, I want to thank you for all the fun!  I hope you had some fun as well, and I truly hope people check out Camp Rock and your band, Razorbats!  Truly great stuff!

Kjetil:  Thanks a lot!  I had a blast!

G2G:  Gledelig Jul to you my friend!  I think I said that correctly...

Kjetil:  Perfect!  Merry Christmas to you, too!

G2G:  Make sure you head over to this location so that you can pick up Camp Rock from Razorbats...and maybe you can even snag a Razorbats t-shirt as well...although I doubt anyone can rock a shirt quite like this guy!

7eventh Time Down "A Christmas Wish List"

(c) 2014 BEC Recording

1. This Christmas
2. Wish List
3. I Heard The Bells on Christmas Day
4. Little Drummer Boy
5. Just Say Jesus (Radio Edit)

Mikey Howard--Vocals

Cliff Williams--Bass

Eric Van Zant--Guitars

Austin Miller--Drums

I don't normally review Christmas albums, but when I stumbled across A Christmas Wish List by accident, I thought I would possibly expose the EP to readers here who may have also missed out on snagging this release.

For those who may be unaware, 7eventh Time Down (just pronounced "seventh") is a Christian rock band from Kentucky who have now released three full-length studio albums of modern radio rock, frequently similar in style to bands such as Daughtry, Shinedown, Lifehouse, Seventh Day Slumber, Disciple, etc.  It was almost exactly two years ago today (12/23/13, in fact), that I reviewed their sophomore album, Just Say Jesus, which I enjoyed a good deal, so when I saw that this EP came out between that album and their newest effort, God Is On The Move, I was hopeful that the band would maintain a similar style and sound to the one I had found myself really liking.  I was not disappointed, for the most part.

This Christmas EP starts off with a couple of originals from the band.  Neither one is destined to become the next "White Christmas"...or even "Blue Christmas"...but both are solid efforts.  "Wish List" is my favorite of the two, as it brings a bit more creativity to the songwriting, with "This Christmas" coming off as a bit too pop for my liking, especially in the way it's produced.  "Wish List" isn't a particularly hard rocking number, either, but the chorus is rather catchy and you get the feeling the boys in the band mean it when they sing "I wish for joy to come fill our hearts, I pray for peace and a brand new start, I wish for love and Your Kingdom come, This is my wish list...".  Ending with a nod to "Jingle Bells", this is a nice original number that I would imagine will get a few spins around the holidays for the next few years.  

As always, 7TD is not afraid to express their faith, either in their originals, or in the choice of traditional songs on this EP.  "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" is a song that I have always loved, but very rarely hear anyone cover.  For those who may not be aware, the song is based upon a poem written by Longfellow more than 150 years ago during the Civil War.  Perhaps the fact that 7TD is from one of the Civil War states makes this a song they grew up hearing more frequently...who knows.  All I know is that I am very glad they chose this song for their album, and I hope to hear this heartfelt rendition find its way onto radio stations throughout the country in their Christmas rotation.  It is performed to near perfection, in my opinion, and is the high point of the record for me.

"Little Drummer Boy" is my all-time favorite Christmas carol, so when I saw that 7TD included it here, I was pretty excited.  But rather than take the tried and true approach to this song, 7TD throws fans a complete curve by intermixing RAP into this song!  Yes...rap.  The track starts off with a cellphone ringtone, followed by Mikey (I believe it's Mikey) answering the phone and talking to a record label exec...maybe the producer of the record...someone...and throwing out the idea of a rap song for this record.  Things start off with an excellent snare drum intro, with some effects thrown into the mix, before it backs off to just the drum and Howard's vocals, which are chock full of emotion and delivered in a very powerful style...right up to the first set of "puh rum pum pum pums". At that point, the rap kicks in, with a full verse of lyrics not found in the original classic.  The song then transitions back to the more traditional approach and lyrics, only to be interrupted once again by more rap and some vocal effects.  I'm not 100% sure who does the rap here...I think Mikey does at least part of them...but they are sharp, quick, and easy to understand, which is not always the case with rap song, as most readers here would attest to.  While I am never going to claim this as my favorite version of this classic song (that belongs to these guys), I will give 7TD credit for the attempt at originality here, and will admit that the song has grown on me after repeated listens.

The album closes with one of the band's most well-known songs, "Just Say Jesus", in its radio edit form.  Very much in the Daughtry/Lifehouse vein musically, this is a nice little "gift" to fans of the band, and also a solid introduction to potential new fans who may have picked up this Christmas EP on a whim.

I realize there are tons of Christmas albums out there, with dozens more released every year, but if you are looking for something a little bit different, I would encourage you to seek this one out.  I know it is available on iTunes and Google Play, as well as on Amazon Music...even on CD if you want it.  Check it out, if for no other reason than to hear an excellent version of "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day".

Rating:  A Christmas cranker!  7.5 for this little EP...

Merry Christmas!

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CASABLANCA "Miskatonic Graffiti"

(c) 2015 Despotz Records

1. Enter The Mountains
2. Closer
3. This Is Tomorrow
4. My Shadow Out Of Time
5. RE: Old Money
6. Sister
7. Name, Rank, Serial Killer
8. Miskatonic Graffiti
9. She Was The One 
10. Exit The Mountains

Anders Ljung--Vocals
Josephine Forsman--Drums
Erik Almstrom--Guitars
Ryan Roxie--Guitars
Erik Stenemo--Guitars
Mats Rubarth--Bass

Okay...what the hell is going on here?  This is some seriously weird stuff, folks!  Are we sure this is Casablanca???  Yowza!

Normally, I save my reservations and issues with an album until later in my reviews, but I feel like I need to get right to things here, as to avoid them until later is really ignoring the elephant in the room.  I was TOTALLY blind-sided by "Enter The Mountain" when I popped this in my player.  10:31?!  Are you kidding me?!  Starting off an album with a ten-plus minute long song can be a LOT to digest, especially when the band has altered their sound as much as Casablanca has, especially on this track.  I really thought that perhaps I was reviewing an album by a DIFFERENT Casablanca than the band I had associated with that name before, because this album sounds nothing like the Casablanca I am used to.  I don't even really know how to describe it, stylistically.  There are definitely some melodic metal elements, and a lot of progressive rock, but also some...I don't know..."space rock", maybe; I'm having a tough time coming up with an adequate description.  Part of the problem is that with a song this long, there are movements and changes and crescendoes within the song, constantly changing the feel of the whole thing.  Again, it's not a horrible piece of music, but for me, it's like going to a restaurant and having the biggest, heaviest course of the meal served to you right off the bat, and then having the side dishes and appetizers brought out later.  You are already so stuffed full that you don't know if you can even touch the other stuff!  That's how I felt after "Enter The Mountain".  I had to push myself away from the table for a little bit to let that first track digest before coming back for more.

So, after getting that first track out of the way, how does the rest of the record sound.  It's something of a mixed bag for me, with a lot of the record feeling like Deep Purple meets 70's Alice Cooper meets some trippy, Pink Floyd-esque progressive stuff...and even some Savatage thrown in the mix for good...and odd...measure!    "Closer", which is the lead single from the record, has a lot of 70's-inspired classic rock organ in the sound, as do a few other tracks.  "This Is Tomorrow" throws 70's-styled synthesizers into the mix as well, but that Deep Purple vibe runs deep throughout both tracks.

"My Shadow Out Of Time" slows the pace down, utilizing a throbbing bass line and more layered classic rock guitar and organ, along with a slow-burn of a lead guitar solo, to create one of the most powerful tracks on the record, and one that I would love to hear live as I am betting it could turn into a monstrous jam session in the middle!

"RE: Old Money" feels a bit more 80's in its approach, even sounding a bit like Vain, in my opinion, although never turning the sleaze factor all the way up like that band does on their best material.  I really like the vocal approach on this track, both in the lead vocals and the backing vocals, as well.  Another screamer of a lead guitar solo burns out too quickly, but this is, again, one of the best tracks on the album and one that I hit repeat on more than a few times.

"Sister" is a bit of an oddity (on an album end-capped by oddities), as carries a Red Rider-meets-U2 vibe, in my opinion, sounding very much like it could have been a song auditioned for the Lost Boys soundtrack back in the 80's.  I like it quite a bit, but it was definitely a grower for me, as I really wasn't quite sure what they were going for with this the first couple of times.

"Name, Rank, Serial Killer" drops some punk into the sound, along with a bluesy slide guitar, that really makes me think of bands like Junkyard, or maybe even Dogs D'Amour.  A quick, sassy number, that is the fastest track here, this is probably the closest the band comes to their sleazier, grittier sound from their first couple of records.

The title track has Zeppelin all over it, stylistically, with a galloping rhythm and some haunting, ringing guitar parts, but without Plant's high-end yowl, and then things slow completely back down to "She Was The One", which returns to that classic 70's vibe that is so prevalent throughout the best parts of this record.  A bit Zeppelin, a bit Floyd, and perhaps even a bit theatrical Alice Cooper, this track really closes out the best portion of the record in fine fashion, and is where I wish the whole project would have ended, with a final fade-out of the nicely 70's toned guitars, or perhaps a dying wail from Ljung's powerful rasp...but, sadly, it is not to be...

...because the album gets back into Bizarro World again with the nearly 9 minute-long closing track, "Exit The Mountains".  Actually, this is a better song than "Enter The Mountains", largely because of the parts that have something of an 80s Savatage feel to them, but again with that Deep Purple vibe mixed in as well.  The problem (well, one of the problems) is that this song has SO MANY parts it's just a bloated mess.  Perhaps if "Enter The Mountains" and "Exit The Mountains" were broken up into individual tracks, so that you could skip the spoken parts, for example, I could better handle more of this record.

I don't know...I honestly don't know if I have the energy to sit through this epic thing many more times in my life.  It's not that it's bad, as the musicianship is definitely there.  It's just so dang BIG and demands so much attention that I struggle with it each time I put it on to play.  It's exhausting to me, to be honest.

Oh, and yes, I know the backstory of the album here, being based on H.P. Lovecraft....but that really does nothing to take away from the immensity of this album.  It actually adds to it, making it all that much more difficult to absorb in one sitting.  It is an amazing effort put forth by the band, no doubt.  It's just not one that I think I can do again, at least anytime soon.

There are two ways to look at this record.  You can look at it as a complete concept project, which I prefer NOT to do...or you can look at it as tracks 2-9, which constitute a darn fine retro rock record, with about 20 minutes of wasted space at the front and back of the record.  That is how I choose to perceive the record, and, in fact, I kept all of the middle stuff and dumped the first and last tracks when I ripped the record to my iPod, as I do REALLY like the mid-section.

Rating:  Rock this at 6.5 as an entire project, if simply for the musicianship on display here, and the sheer scope of the record.  However, if you get rid of the first and last songs, and absorb this as more of a classic rock-inspired album, I could see cranking it to 7.5.


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LYNAM "Bombshell"

(c) 2015 New Ocean Media

1. Bombshell
2. Flick My Switch (You Turn Me On)
3. Send You Back
4. The Worst In Me
5. What's Left

Jacob Bunton--Lead Vocals, Guitars

David Lynam--Drums, Vocals

Mark Dzier--Bass, Vocals

Lonny Paul--Guitars, Vocals

Lynam have returned with their SIXTH studio album in just under 15 years, which is quite an impressive feat in this day and age, especially considering they don't have major label support.  This time around, the band shifts gears just a bit, turning in a bit more of a poppy effort, but not at the cost of their sleazy edge.  Also incorporated into the sound this time is a bit of studio production effects, particularly on Bunton's vocals on a couple of songs, and scattered around in various other places across the EP.

The title track, "Bombshell" comes rocking right out of the chutes with a guitar riff that is practically lifted straight from the Kinks hit, "All Day and All of the Night".  From that point, however, the bottom end comes punching in, and Bunton drops his vocals into a lower register for the opening lines of the first verse, and this once-retro sounding track becomes a catchy, sleazy rocker with a simplistic-yet-wickedly-catchy chorus backed by a, dare I say, danceable beat.  Yeah, things are a bit different in the Lynam camp with this effort, but I can't say I dislike the approach.

"Flick My Switch (You Turn Me On)" starts off with the sound of a motorcycle being started, but programmed effects immediately interject themselves into the track, and it's off to the races with another high energy rocker that once again has that damnable dance beat running through the underbelly of the whole thing.  The guitars maintain their edge and grit, and Bunton's vocals bounce along with the song, which I keep cursing as it continues to make my head bop along even though part of me feels like I should be turned OFF by what's going on thus far with the Bombshell EP.  Programming is used throughout this track in much the same way that In This Moment drops them into the vocals, giving the words a stop-start-stop stuttering effect in places.

"Send You Back" is a much darker track than the first two, a bit slower in tempo, and really filled with the punch of electronic bass drums and snare in a "stomp stomp clap" fashion.  The guitars buzz in an angry fashion here, and the slightly higher-pitched backing vocals are a perfect foil for the angry snarl Bunton uses for much of this track.  Incidentally, this song also features a great...but all too short...guitar solo, to go along with the keys and programming that are draped across the song throughout.

"The Worst In Me" continues the darker, more bottom-heavy sound that was started by "Send You Back".  The first verse is rather sparse, as it is largely bass and drums under Jacob's vocals, but by the pre-chorus the guitars have kicked in, and...are those hand-claps I hear in the chorus, itself?  This song reminds me SO MUCH of Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself For Loving You" in it's structure that I kind of want to toy with mixing the two together, just to see what shakes out of that blender!  Once again, there is a tasty little guitar solo and a frustratingly, painfully catchy hook and chorus that stayed stuck in my head for a couple of days (often intermixed with Jett's track, also!).

"What's Left" is also fairly dark in sound, again using programmed effects on the guitar tones which remind me a bit of the sound used by Stabbing Westward, to be honest.  (I'm only talking about the guitar tones, however, as the song is nowhere nearly as aggressive or angry as most Stabbing Westward material was...)  The bass lines on this song are stellar, and dang it if it isn't yet another uber-cathcy...uber-DANCY type of track that I could hear spinning in a techno club almost as easily as blaring from the speakers at a rock show!  In fact, all of these tracks, but this one in particular, sound ripe for full-on techno remixes, and I'm going to go on record as stating I wouldn't be at all shocked if the band decided to do that to a song or two as bonus cuts on their next effort.

The closed-minded are likely to find lots of things to NOT like about this record, and that's too bad because I think they are missing out.  Lynam definitely stretches their musical muscles here, adding in new elements, both retro and modern, along with more techno/new wave influences than I have ever heard them using before, but they do it to really good effect. Not may favorite Lynam effort ever, and I still prefer the work Bunton and Paul did on their side-project, Adler, but this is not a bad little EP at all.  As a matter of fact, I'm going to say that this is one case where I'm glad this is just an EP because I think these 5 songs and 15+ minutes are just about the perfect dose of this type of technosleazepop (patented and trade-marked, so back off!).

Rating:  Definitely catchy. and I'll even say crankable.  Give it a 7, but seek out their earlier stuff if you are looking for more rock and less techno.

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SYNDROME OF FIRE "Save Me From Myself"

(c) 2014 Independent Release

1. So Sorry
2. Sins
3. Run
4. The Fall

Cassie Goetzke--Lead Vocals

Ryan McMahan--Guitars, Vocals

Sonny Cutler--Keyboards, Programming

Additional Musicians:

Noah Henson--Guitars, Bass

Lester Estelle--Drums

Kelly Aus--Strings

Give it just a minute, and you are going to say it.  Well, actually, you only have to wait about 30 seconds and you are going to say, "Man, these guys sound like Evanescence!"  And, yeah, I get it: powerful female lead vocals with some gruff, darker male backing vocals; melodic modern hard rock with chugging guitar riffs and programmed elements; big, pounding drums; some artistically placed strings and keyboards.  Sure sounds like the formula Evanescence used to worldwide acclaim several years ago.  But to say that Syndrome Of Fire is an Evanescence clone is missing the mark, and it's also unfair.

I say it's unfair because it immediately attaches a couple of things to the band that really shouldn't be there.  First, its very hard to compare a small, independent band to the massive appeal that Evanescence had at their peak.  While I am sure that Syndrome Of Fire would be more than happy taking their message to the sizes of crowds that Evanescence played before, it really isn't realistic, especially with today's musical climate.  The second thing that is unfair is when you compare Syndrome Of Fire to Evanescence, you risk comparing them to the trainwreck that Amy Lee and her revolving door of members became after their second major label release.  Anyone else remember that disaster?  Who's in the band?  Who isn't?  Who quit...who was fired...are they even a band any longer....  Just a nightmare.  Syndrome Of Fire is not deserving of that unfair comparison, thank you very much.

Now, if you want to compare the musical abilities of the two bands...I can go for that.  And, in all honesty, there are similarities here, but with other elements mixed in as well.  Musically, they incorporate a few more electronica elements into their sound than Evanescence tended to do.  At times they remind me of bands like Garbage, I See Stars, or newer acts like Nine Lashes or Icon For Hire...but never do they sound like carbon copies of any of those bands.  The angry male vocals, such as those in "Run" reach a level of aggression never found in any of the previously mentioned acts, and Garbage and Icon For Hire, while also having female lead singers, don't have the complete musical package that Syndrome Of Fire possesses.  This, again, is a reason for the Evanescence comparisons; Syndrome Of Fire is a collection of talented musicians and some amazingly well-written music.

While the core of the group consists of Cassie Goetzke on vocals, Ryan McMahan on guitars, and Sonny Cutler on keyboards, they recruited some very talented friends to give them a hand when recording this EP.  Noah Henson and Lester Estelle are both members of the well-known group Pillar, with Henson also having spent time with country rocker, Brantley Gilbert.  Add in the talent of Aus, and this is a very high-level effort as far as the talent involved, despite the fact that there is no major label funding the effort.

The EP kicks off with the hard-charging "So Sorry", which in direct betrayal of the soft keyboard intro that leads the song in, features a crushing modern riff from McMahan, as well as Goetzke utilizing the lower-end of her vocal range throughout the first verse before unleashing the full power of her soaring voice on the chorus.  The rhythm section of Henson and Estelle just pummel the bottom end of this song, working so tightly with each other it is obvious that this is not their first work together.  With Cutler dropping in subtle keyboard work and just enough programming effects to keep the modern head-bangers interested, this first track is a powerful introduction to what Syndrome Of Fire is all about.

"Sins" starts off with a beautiful strings and keys intro, and is one of two songs that will draw the heaviest Evanescence comparison, especially once Cassie drops her voice into the track.  Starting softly and slowly, "Sins" eventually allows the guitars to come blasting forth, pushing the power of the song up a couple of notches, before again building further, giving more depth and power to the drums and bass, only to back them off at the finish, allowing the song to fade out in much the same way it started.

"Run"  brings the aggression back to the front of the song, mixing in some programming effects on Cassie's vocals at the outset, and really utilizing the angry male backing vocals to full effect.  This is my favorite track on the EP, largely because of the interplay between the clean and harsh vocals, as well as some really solid guitar work and a pulsating rhythm section.  Good, good stuff here.

"The Fall" is the other track most likely to draw Evanescence comparisons, and again that is largely due to the power of Cassie's vocals.  Focused mostly on keys and Cassie's vocals for the majority of the song, with some very subtle programming elements in the background, this uplifting ballad  doesn't even produce a single drum beat until almost 2 minutes into the track, and then goes another 20 seconds or so before the guitars come sweeping in as Cassie's vocals soar ever higher, in contrast to the bottom-end bass line that rumbles forth.  Again, a really powerfully delivered, and beautifully written song on an EP that features seemingly nothing but top-notch efforts.

Delivering a message of hope and faith without bashing the listener over the head or telling them what to think, Syndrome Of Fire gives people plenty to ponder as they read through the lyrics of the four songs here (all lyrics are included).  Other than that, there is nothing...and I mean NOTHING...in the way of liner notes, pictures, thank-you's...heck, I had to go to Facebook and check an old set of messages back and forth between McMahan and myself to find out who was on the record!  The production is spot-on perfect...although I have no clue who produced it....and the mix really allows each instrument and voice to be heard without any other instrument being sacrificed or buried in the mix.

I really wish this had been a full album effort, as it is over all too quickly for me at not even 17 minutes long.  But sometimes, the quality of the material manages to outweigh the lack of quantity, and that is the case here.  Just a really good piece of modern melodic hard rock that is likely to please most members of the Sirius/XM Octane crowd.

Seek it out...you won't likely be disappointed.  Keep checking their website, http://www.syndromeoffire.com/ which has been undergoing some maintenance, for information about a new release coming soon.

Rating:  Definitely a cranker!  Twist it on up to 8...

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RAZORBATS "Camp Rock"

(c) 2015 Self Destructo Records

1. Planet Riff
2. Internal War
3. Kids of the 70s
4. Desolation Highway
5. Soulshaker
6. Subway Grinder
7. Transformer
8. Getaway
9. Mess It Up
10. Betty Boop
11. Warhead

Even--Vocals

Kjetil--Guitars

Stig--Bass

Knut--Drums

Ah, Europe.  It seems like whenever I start to get a bit jaded about the music that has started to flood my mailbox, inbox, or Dropbox, I can always count on Europe...and quite frequently Norway...to give me hope again.  The Razorbats are absolutely no exception here, as this 70's-inspired group of rockers may just be the freshest sounding act to roll across my desk in quite some time...possibly all of 2015.

Now, when I say the band is 70's inspired, don't fret that I'm talking disco or 70's folk rock or anything of that nature.  I'm talking the hard rock of the late 70's, with bands like Sweet, T. Rex, Cheap Trick, Alice Cooper, etc., mixed in with a couple of shots of the punked-up attitude of Too Fast For Love-era Motley Crue, and the NWOBHM sound of early Def Leppard thrown into the mix. If pressed, I would say it reminds me of the way KIX sounded, to a degree, on their first two records before jumping fully into the 80's sound with Midnite Dynamite...although the Razorbats take it even a step further.  Sound interesting?  It definitely should, because these guys are so soaked in the sound you would swear that several of these tracks were recorded in 1978, not in 2015.    

The album kicks off with "Planet Riff", which has that NWOBHM sound I just mentioned, with the riff sounding like it could've been recorded during Leppard's On Through The Night sessions.  The tone is perfect, and the retro-production values absolutely nail the sound here.  Even's vocals, which sound similar to KIX's Whitman here, have that hint of reverb that seemed to always seep into the best hard rock of the 70s, and the rhythm section keeps things locked into a laid back groove that is not overly complicated, but definitely catchy.

"Internal War" keeps things rocking with a tune that sounds a lot like a cross between Cheap Trick and the KISS material that Ace Frehley was singing on during the 70s.  Again, that hint of reverb is used to great effect on the vocals here, much like Ace used on "New York Groove" and similar songs.  The solo here is simple, yet totally fitting into the referenced time frame, and it is already apparent that this band is not just able to recreate the sound of the era they are influenced by, they are attempting to add to that time's musical catalog...just 40 years later!

"Kids Of The 70s" could've been the title track of this album, as it perfectly lays out who this band is and what they are about.  Sounding like the little brother of Cheap Trick's "That 70s Song" from the hit sit-com, That 70s Show, the chorus is pure crowd anthem material, and I am more than certain that this song gets everyone up from their barstool or booth to stomp their feet and clap along.  Love this track and all that it brings with it.

"Desolation Highway" slows things down a bit, blending a big, fat bass riff into the shuffle of this haunting song.  A nice, bluesy guitar solo compliments Even's raspy vocals on this track which again features a simple, yet instantly catchy chorus that is likely to induce more than a few Zippo sightings in the live setting.  Another absolutely killer track that actually FEELS like it is from the 70's, and isn't just a tribute to the time.

"Soulshaker" picks things up a bit, not with breakneck speed, but with sass and attitude.  I absolutely love the guitar solo here, and Knut does an excellent job of filling in every little gap in this song with solid, yet not flashy, kit work.

"Subway Grinder"  is where the speed kicks in full-throttle, evoking those early Crue references I dropped at the beginning of this review.  Utilizing the same type of punk attitude that "Live Wire" used to such great effect, "Subway Grinder" just plows straight ahead with churning guitars, a short-yet-furious guitar solo, snappy drums, a tight bass line, and loads of spit and snarl from Even's vocals. (A few tracks later, "Betty Boop" uses much the same stylistic approach, again punking things up to great effect...and great speed...never letting off the throttle until all ONE MINUTE AND TEN SECONDS are spent!)

"Transformer" slows the pace back down again with its fuzzed-up guitars and just-above-ballad-tempo, much the way AC/DC used to do back in the day, and "Getaway" continues hanging out in that same speed range, although the feel is now very much in the vein of early Def Leppard, as Even manages to channel a bit of a younger Joe Elliott in how he approaches his vocals. 

"Mess It Up" kicks things back into Too Fast For Love-inspired gear, as Even adds the gravel back to his vocals, followed by "Betty Boop", and then one of my other favorite tracks on this amazing release, "Warhead".  A rumbling bass line comes chunking out of the speakers before the guitars kick in for a moment, only to back completely off as Even's vocals bite their way into the track.  Just a killer, killer 70's fueled track, complete with hand claps, gang backing vocals, and a ringing guitar solo that makes me sad that things have come to a close...and very happy for whomever invented the repeat button!

The production is SPOT ON here, with perfect 70's fuzz on the guitars, absolutely perfect vocal tracking, and stylistically correct rhythm work from Knut and Stig.  I honestly don't know what they could've done to make this a better record as far as production goes, because I can't find a single thing to complain about.

The packaging us UBER-simplistic, with the front cover of this slipcase being the above picture, and the back being the tracklisting.  That's it.  I had to contact the band to get a press kit to even have the member's names and the instruments they played here.  No lyrics, no thank you's, no writing credits, and no other photos are included here.

If you have any inclination to seek out a new band with an amazingly well-performed retro sound, you MUST look into the Razorbats!  I'm somewhat slack-jawed at just how well these four Norwegian guys have managed to nail the attitude and sound of an era that none of them were even close to being born in.  They must have raided their parent's...maybe even their grandparent's...record collections to become this well-versed in the style and sound, but it is well worth the stereo needles that were probably used up in their basements and garages.  Make no mistake, the Razorbats are the REAL DEAL, folks...they just made their first album 40 years after the fact!

Get your copy of Camp Rock HERE...and you will know exactly what I am talking about as far as the greatness of this band.  

Rating:  Incredibly crankable, give this one a solid 9 on one of the best albums of 2015 as far as G2G is concerned!

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FOREIGNER "The Best Of Foreigner 4 & More"

(c) 2014 Trigger Productions/Sony Music

1. Night Life
2. Woman In Black
3. Urgent
4. Waiting For A Girl Like You
5. Break It Up
6. Girl On The Moon
7. Say You Will
8. Feels Like The First Time
9. Cold As Ice
10. Hot Blooded
11. I Want To Know What Love Is
12. Juke Box Hero

Mick Jones--Lead Guitar, Keys, Backing Vocals

Kelly Hansen--Lead Vocals, Percussion

Jeff Pilson--Bass, Backing Vocals

Tom Gimbel--Guitars, Saxaphone, Flute, Backing Vocals

Michael Bluestein--Keyboards, Backing Vocals

Bruce Watson--Lead Guitar, Guitar, Backing Vocals

Chris Frazier--Drums, Percussion

By this point, I feel like I'm the cranky old guy when it comes to reviewing "new" releases from classic bands that I grew up loving.  I know, I know...bands change, members quit/die/get fired,  new members are hired/born, whatever, and the band goes on.  Van Halen has replaced multiple members (including one through birth).  KISS...how many members have they had?  Journey...what...5 lead singers now?  So, yeah, I understand that nothing, not even beloved bands stay the same forever.  And I can honestly live with that as long as it doesn't feel like the band is betraying their fan base to make a cash grab, which is precisely what this "new" album from Foreigner feels like.  Oh, and the reason I keep saying "new" is because that is what the band is calling it, what the label is calling it, and what the little sticker on the outside of the wrapper calls it.  But, if you look very closely...on the back...at the very bottom...in tiny print...you will see that what this is is a new LIVE recording.  And, yeah, I get that the title should have given away that this was not NEW material...in fact, it DID give it away...so why the deception?  There is literally NOTHING new on this record....well, except some of the members, I guess...

The title is also a bit deceptive because it is NOT a "best of" record, at least in terms of hits, as the casual Foreigner fan likely has never heard "Night Life", "Woman In Black", "Break It Up", or "Girl On The Moon".  And, while all four of those songs do appear on the band's classic 4 album, they don't appear in the order they do here.  Plus, two songs from that killer record, "Luanne" and "I'm Gonna Win", are inexplicably left off.  So, I guess its the "best of 4" because 8 of the original tracks are good enough to be included, but not the other two?  Whatever...

The additional tracks, while definitely hits for the band, don't really make a lot of sense as far as how they were chosen or why they were included.  "Say You Will" comes from one of the most maligned Foreigner records ever, Inside Information, which most die-hard fans consider to be too poppy to be a classic Foreigner record (I personally disagree, but who am I, right?).  "I Want To Know What Love Is" is supposedly one of the main songs that drove a wedge between Mick Jones and Lou Gramm, mostly because Jones didn't like it because it didn't rock hard enough...but now that Mick is the only original member left, he includes it here.  I have no complaints with "Hot Blooded" or "Cold As Ice" being included because, quite honestly, they ARE two of the best tracks by this legendary band and are simply must-haves on any compilation or in the live setting.  

The performances here are solid, if a bit cookie cutter in nature.  Hansen is an incredible vocalist; of that there is no question.  He hits all the notes, phrases things very well, and seems to really put effort into most of these songs, which is admirable, considering he is a stand-in.  But the band sounds bored, quite frequently...like they are on autopilot.  Gimbel's saxaphone parts may be the one true exception, as he wails on his instrument in several spots, and really adds to the songs he is a part of (maybe it's the sax player in me talking here, I don't know...).  But other than that, the leads are generally lifeless copies of previous efforts, the bass, while adequate, isn't really bounding out of the speakers, and the drums provide a solid, if unspectacular backdrop for these songs.  

To be honest, it feels more like I am listening to a really good cover band than it does like I am listening to Foreigner.  And I have no problem with that as far as going to a concert.  But stop putting out records claiming to be Foreigner, please...especially if all you are going to do is continually repackage hits that only one current member has ever played on.  

Speaking of packaging, the packaging here is above average, with a nice collage of pictures at the center of an 8-page foldout insert.  The band line-up, some recording information, and basic credits are included; lyrics are not, but honestly, who needs them for most of these classic songs?  There is also a full page of thank-you's, as well.

The production is solid, as would be expected from a band as well-known as Foreigner.  Hansen was the producer of the record (Jones executive produced it), and the mix is really good, which can often be a problem with live records.  Speaking of "live", I didn't notice any glaring overdubs here, which are often easy to detect on older live records, and everyone knows live records are never 100% live anyway, so that's not a real issue for me.

In closing, allow me to sum things up with a couple of quick, intentional puns.  It does NOT "Feel Like The First Time" I have heard this record, but it may well be the LAST TIME I pick up something from this band that is not 100% new.  Why?  Because these one-time "Juke Box Heroes" are quickly becoming karaoke versions of themselves, and it's really sad for this long-time fan.

Rating:  Its some of the biggest hits from Foreigner, and its performed adequately...if unspectacularly...so rock this at 6, but honestly, there is ZERO reason to pick this CD up.  None.  You likely already own the best of Foreigner with the REAL band playing, anyway.  And if not, this isn't even the best live version of any of these songs that you can find elsewhere.

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BLACK TIDE "Chasing Shadows"

(c) 2015 Pavement Records

1. Intro
2. No Guidelines
3. Angel In The Dark
4. Predator
5. Burn
6. Chasing Shadows
7. Before We Form
8. Sex Is Angry
9. Welcome To Misery
10. Heaven
11. Promised Land

Gabriel Garcia--Lead Vocals, Bass

Austin Diaz--Lead Guitars, Backing Vocals

Cody Paige--Drums

Black Tide returns after a fairly long layoff, and a couple of line-up changes, to release this, their third album.  Garcia, who has been the vocalist since day one, now plays bass as well following the departure of Zakk Sandler, with Austin Diaz now handling all guitar duties.  Also gone is previous drummer, Steven Spence, replaced here by Cody Paige.  As one may expect with the addition and subtraction of members, there has also been a modest change in the sound of Black Tide, although, to these ears, it is still very much the same band, blending melodic modern metal with elements of speed and thrash metal into one massive wall of sound.  No, its not the musical style that has changed so much as the polish that is put into the production of the new record, which, in my opinion, actually benefits the band and allows for a larger audience to discover and enjoy these Florida boys' music.

The album starts off with a classically-inspired acoustic intro which for a few listens creates a big, crescendoed build up to the crushing "No Guidelines".  As we all know, I don't like intros, outros, or most interludes, so "Intro" becomes an instant skipper for me after a few listens, but more so I can get to the meat of the record than due to any musical missteps made on "Intro", as it is actually performed very well.  Speaking of "No Guidelines", as the guitars come ringing in and the drums begin their crushing assault, I am instantly reminded of the direction Bullet For My Valentine took on their last couple of records:  still fast, still aggressive, but decidedly more polished than on, say, Scream, Aim, Fire.  This is exactly what Black Tide has done on this record, and I think they have done it to great effect.

"Angel In The Dark" is the next track, and also the lead single from the record.  Blending Euro-power metal with their usual melodic speed stylings, Black Tide steps up their game here a bit by adding this new element to their sound.  I particularly like the power metal-styled break downs in this song as well as an extremely competent solo from Diaz, who really comes into his own on this record, incorporating more melody into his solos and not just shredding for speed's sake.  Garcia's voice really works well on this type of song, and this is easily one of my favorites from the record.

"Predator" is a gritty, speedy metal number with a cool, subtle tempo change as the band works its way into, and then back out of, the chorus, displaying a musical skill that was not always present on the band's first couple of efforts.  The lyrics are a bit 80s-ish (read "cheesy"), and Garcia drops a few seemingly unnecessary f*bombs here and there, but again, this is a solid speed/power number that really benefits from the newer, more polished production sound and is a number that I imagine will go over exceedingly well in the live setting.

"Sex Is Angry" is another musical highlight from this record, as it really showcases the band's willingness to experiment with styles and tempos outside their comfort zone.  Despite the title of the track, there really isn't any "anger" to the approach of this track musically (the anger is in the lyrics dealing with a dysfunctional relationship).  What there is is a band adopting a far more mid-tempo approach, utilizing an 80's style not all that dissimilar from something Whitesnake may have pulled off back in the day.  Big guitars, thundering drums, perfectly placed keyboards as supporting instruments...what's not to love if you are a fan of the classic hard rock sound of the past.  Again, the lyrics are a bit...misogynistic, I guess...at times, but doesn't that also really fall into a lot of the 80's lyrical themes of the day?  One stark difference here is the inclusion of a pure burst of Black Tide speed on the extremely short guitar solo, stepping the band outside the restraints of the rest of the song, but then on the second solo, Diaz slides back into the groove of the song and pulls off an extremely tasteful piece of work.

"Heaven" is a big power ballad, again, new territory for the band, and it is executed very well. I'm guessing if there is going to be a song that brings serious blow-back for the band from this record, this will be the track, as it is decidedly NOT the Black Tide of the previous two records.  It's a shame that it is likely going to be dismissed out of hand by many, because there are actually a lot of intricate parts here, especially in the acoustic guitar work....and especially the Spanish guitar use in the song's solo...and the subtle rhythm section use that holds the track together.  Garcia also gets to showcase an ability to utilize his voice as an instrument, and not simply as a sonic sledgehammer.  I'm not saying this is my favorite track on the album, but it is definitely a well-performed ballad and worthy of being placed on this record.

"Burn" is another track that allows Diaz to flex his solo ability, while also really letting Garcia sing more than scream, which had never been the case on previous releases.  "Chasing Shadows" and "Welcome To Misery" are also all worthy numbers on this record, and "Before We Form" is another track that many fans of the 80's/early 90's may find themselves appreciating more than they may have expected from a Black Tide effort,

Several die-hard Black Tide fans have been spewing quite a bit of venom at the band for this album, claiming that the band's edge is gone.  I disagree.  I think there is still quite a bit of snarl and bite to this album, but it is now in a more palatable package to the complete hard rock family than previous albums were.  Is the speed still present?  Yep, in measured doses.  Is there still aggression?  Again, yes, but this record isn't about pure speed, angst, and the sheer desire to crush the listener's skull with aural violence or to snap their spine with an endless breakneck pace.  This is an album that shows maturity and evolution, which had to happen to a band that was signed when the members were all, what, 15?  There are songs now utilizing different stylistic approaches, different tempos, and different musical elements, sure, but what's wrong with growth?  Add in the various line-up changes, and it is inevitable that Black Tide's sound is going to transition a bit, but Chasing Shadows is a darn fine album, in my opinion, and one that I think will contend for Top 20 status for me at the end of the year.

Rating:  Very crankable and much more accessible to the general hard rock/metal audience than in the past.  Crank this to a really, really solid 8!

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P.O.D. "The Awakening"

(c) 2015 T-Boy Records/Universal Music

1. Am I Awake
2. This Goes Out To You
3. Rise of the NWO
4. Criminal Conversations (featuring Maria Brink)
5. Somebody's Trying To Kill Me
6. Get Down
7. Speed Demon
8. Want It All
9. Revolucion (featuring Lou Koller)
10. The Awakening

Sonny Sandoval--Vocals
Marcos Curiel--Guitar, Backing Vocals, Synth, Glockenspiel
Traa Daniels--Bass, Backing Vocals
Wuv Bernardo--Drums

P.O.D. is a band that keeps trying to re-invent themselves, it seems, with varying degrees of success.  They have gone from a ground-breaking Christian rapcore group to garnering massive international success with the more modern radio rock friendly album, Satelite, then cranking up the metallic content of their music for an album or two, then unleashing an acoustic record, The So Cal Sessions, upon their fanbase with their last release.  While always retaining elements of rap and often reggae, and mixing in varying doses of hard rock/metal, the band has never really made two consecutive albums that sound all that much like one another.  They don't start now, as The Awakening is the band's first foray into the world of concept records, of all things!

I can say without hesitation that this is the P.O.D. album I have listened to the most in a LONG time, largely because my kids absolutely love the album and I can't manage to get it out of my CD player, so I am very familiar with just about every nook and cranny of this record.  As such, it is extremely easy for me to pick out highlights without even a bit of thought here.  The record is basically made by the time you hear the first four tracks, because every single one of them is a winner.  "Am I Awake" kicks off with some pretty cool news snippets and sound bytes (although some of them, I suspect, are manufactured), before leading into a nice, bottom heavy rocker complete with a great guitar riff,  This leads right into the album's lead single, "This Goes Out To You", which is a definite Satelite or Testify throwback type of song, and the only track that doesn't have it's beginning marred by some odd sort of intro or interlude (more on that in a bit).  It's plain to see why "This Goes Out To You" is the choice for the first radio track here, as the chorus is insanely simple, yet highly catchy, and I can definitely see this song turning into a crowd participation anthem in concert.  "Rise of the NWO" is another gritty rocker with yet another highly catchy chorus and a driving guitar riff that just bores into your brain, intermixed with a distinct Middle Eastern tone to some of the secondary guitar parts.  Three for three right out of the gate in terms of solid rockers...that's a pretty impressive start in this day of creating singles and then throwing filler fluff in between the hits to complete an album.

"Criminal Conversations" is up next, and if I had to make a guess, I would say that this will not only be the next single from The Awakening, but I have a hunch it may be the most popular song P.O.D. has released as a single in a long time.  This ballad is chock full of emotion, with both Sonny and Maria Brink of In This Moment matching each other's vocal expression note for note.  I was truly impressed by this song, particularly with Brink, who I cannot claim to be a fan of.  Her porno-moan delivery style just grates on my nerves (and eardrums!), and 95 times out of 100 I tune her songs out...or turn them off, when possible.  Here, Brink scales back the orgasmic timbre of her voice and just sings for the most part, really drawing out a powerful performance and adding a lot of depth to an already impressive song.  Very nicely done.

My kids love "Somebody's Trying To Kill Me", but more for the brief intro where the story's character yells the song's title at another character before the music even kicks in.  The song, in all fairness, is actually one of the weaker songs on the album, as the chorus is rather monotonous and just kind of drones on and on, despite a relatively strong guitar hook.  "Get Down" improves upon things a bit by turning up the tempo slightly and allowing Sonny to get more aggressive with his vocals.  "Speed Demon" is a full-throttle rocker, bordering on punk as far as it's use of loose speed and aggression goes, and is one of the better tracks here, as is the similarly styled, "Revolucion".  The album closes with "The Awakening", which is a really good song (once you get to it), although it may be a bit long and a bit much to filter through by the time you have finished a rather long record.

Not everything is perfect here, by any stretch.  For one, unlike Queensryche's Operation: Mindcrime, for example, the spoken interludes on The Awakening are all attached to other tracks...they are not stand alone...so you can't skip through them, which is a real bummer, as several just make the album way too cumbersome and clunky.  To be honest, it's actually kind of hard to even follow the storyline in places, and I wonder if some of the narrative parts weren't left on the cutting room floor due to a lack of space or something.  Several of the interludes are down-right annoying, while a couple are kind of hard to figure out what is going on.  On top of all of that...the vocal acting for a couple of the characters is not particularly good.  Oh, well...

I am NOT a fan of the ballad "Want It All", as it really sticks out like a sore thumb and totally ruins a run of pretty good songs, especially coming out of the barn-burning "Speed Demon".  Where the other ballad, the previously mentioned "Criminal Conversations", manages to keep the track interesting and energetic, thanks in large part to Brink, "Want It All" just falls flat for me.  And, as mentioned, "Somebody's Trying To Kill Me" is rather bland vocally, although the guitars are meaty enough to resist the temptation to hit skip...at least some of the time.

Lyrics are included in the packaging, along with full credits and individual thank-you's from each of the members.  There aren't any band photos, but there is the interesting cover art which I find I like quite a bit.  The production is very clean and has a good dose of bottom end, as you would probably expect with a hip-hop influenced group such as P.O.D.

I think this is the band's best record in a few years, and I would easily slot it in with their top 3 or 4 as far as the songs themselves go.  While there are some flaws, this is really a pretty solid record with some of the best new material from the band in quite some time, and it is easily the most cohesive album from start to finish of any album since Satelite, although Murdered Love is a solid record as well.  The overall disjointed feel caused by some of the interludes does do the record some damage, but it doesn't make it unlistenable by any stretch.

Rating:  Crank this to a 7, which could have possibly been an 8 if not for some execution issues with the way the concept part of the album was presented.

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OPERATION: MINDCRIME "The Key"

(c) 2015 Frontiers Records

1. Choices
2. Burn
3. Re-Inventing The Future
4. Ready To Fly
5. Discussions In A Smoke Filled Room
6. Life or Death?
7. The Stranger
8. Hearing Voices
9. On Queue
10. An Ambush Of Sadness
11. Kicking In The Door
12. The Fall

Geoff Tate--Vocals, Keyboards, Saxaphone

Kelly Gray--Guitars, Vocals

Scott Moughton--Guitars, Vocals

Dave Ellefson--Bass

John Moyer--Bass

Mark Daly--Vocals

Randy Gane--Keyboards

Simon Wright--Drums

Scott Mercado--Drums, Dulcimer

Brian Tichy--Drums

Round Two of the Geoff Tate vs. Queensryche (Toddryche?) feud kicks off with Tate's new band/project/ensemble/ARMY, Operation: Mindcrime, releasing "The Key" on Frontiers Records.  Ten men are listed as being "members" of the group, with no fewer than seven being shown in the band photo, so O:M is obviously quite an undertaking as far as personnel goes.

On his last effort, Frequency Unknown, Tate and his band continued down the path that Queensryche had been traversing with their last few records as a united group, intermixing elements of the past with much more modern sounds.  And, probably not surprising to anyone, nothing has really changed here with The Key, although there are a few key flashes to their past that are noteworthy and will likely interest a fairly fractured fanbase of the original band.

For starters, The Key is a concept album, not unlike the original band's most well-known effort (and this band's namesake), Operation: Mindcrime.  Throughout The Key Tate intermixes spoken word parts and musical interludes to try to create a unique sonic landscape upon which to build this reportedly 3-album-long concept project about four people who invent some sort of technology that allows people to experience an alternate reality.  And, to be fair, in a couple of places, The Key actually manages to capture some of that Mindcrime magic.  One such place is on the song, Re-Inventing The Future", a track Tate co-wrote with Megadeth bassist, Dave Ellefson.  While not an out-and-out copy, this track will immediately have fans flashing back to "The Mission", interspersed with parts of "I Don't Believe In Love", particularly in the song structure and in Tate's vocal delivery.

But, as much as a track like "Re-Inventing The Future" hearkens back to the better days of classic Queensryche, a track like "The Stranger" reminds you just how far the band had strayed from their original sound before they split.  I don't even really know what to think of this song...it's just so bizarre and out of sync with the rest of the album.  It's a total curveball, even for the forward-thinking Tate, as he uses RAP-styled vocals, some odd dubstep electronica sounding music, and what I'm guessing is left-over porn vocal tracks...or really bad Halloween music...as there is this disturbing moaning going on in the song that I can't even force to fit into where I think Tate was going here.  Just truly, truly random and strange, "The Stranger" is an auto-skip when I spin this record now, guaranteed.  Just NOT a good song at all...

So with the two extremes....the really good and the REALLY bad...out of the way, what is the rest of the disc like?  Meh, it depends upon your thoughts of Frequency Unknown and, to a lesser degree, Tate's solo album, Kings and Queens....combined with elements of Queensryche albums Promised Land (which is one of my personal faves from the band), and Tribe and Hear In The Now Frontier (two albums I never play any longer).  There are a few pretty good songs here...and some not-so-hot numbers.  On the one hand you have "Hearing Voices", another track that has a lot of the past built into it musically, but with some more modern elements mixed in, producing one of the better tracks on the record.  On the other hand, however, "Burn" is a bottom-heavy rocker that holds a lot of promise musically, but Tate sounds bored singing here, coming off as rather monotone, believe it or not, and I am left shaking my head at lost chances.  "Ready To Fly" has some really cool 70's classic rock feel to it, a la Rainbow or Deep Purple, especially in the use of the keyboards, but then "Discussions In A Smoke Filled Room" gets all Pink Floyd trippy on me and totally loses my interest.  "Kicking In The Door" is one of the Promised Land -like moments I mentioned, and is a decent song, but then "Life Or Death" comes on and Tate isn't even the lead singer on it, which is just as well because even Tate in top form couldn't salvage this track.  "On Queue" sounds like the music I'm frequently stuck listening to when I'm put on hold, but the instrumental, "An Ambush Of Sadness" is actually a great piece of music that I find myself really, really liking.

Like so many other concept albums, The Key really needs to be taken in as a whole, but therein lies another problem:  this is only 1/3 of the story.  To me, a lyrics guy, the album does feel a bit incomplete, mostly because the listener is left hanging, waiting for the story to continue.  I've heard that the last song here, "The Fall" is also the beginning of Part 2, so I don't know if that means the next record will have "The Fall" on it, also (perhaps in reprise form), but it would seem an odd thing to do.  We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose.

The packaging is nicely done, as you would expect from Frontiers, with band photos, lyrics, and all the bells and whistles as far as credits, thank-you's, and liner notes.  The production has been an issue for some people, but I didn't really take issue with it, as I think Tate deliberately pushed the bass up in the mix, likely to showcase Ellefson and Moyer's contributions.  It's not razor sharp or crystal clear, but its also not the muddy slop you might think if you read some people's complaints.

Overall, The Key is very frustrating for me because, I'm not going to lie...I'm still holding out for another really great album from Tate.  I was truly hoping this might be the one, but clearly it isn't, and I don't know that I have very high hopes for parts two and three, although I know I will buy them.

Rating:  I feel so confused and, honestly, betrayed at times by this record because it teases me into believing and then kicks me in the face for sitting too close to the speakers with my hopes on display!  Rock this at 5.5, and that may be generous...or maybe unfair...I'm not really even sure.

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QUOR "Human Paradigm" Deluxe Edition

(c) 2015

Human Paradigm EP

1. The Silence and the Spark
2. When the Gods Speak
3. Human Paradigm
4. The Reverent
5. Guardian

We're Going To Be Awesome EP

1. Watching You
2. The Fragile Break
3. Paradise
4. Let's Rise

Brian Corn--Vocals, Guitar
Doug Smith--Bass
John Michael Cordes--Drums, Percussion

Quor.  Don't ask me, I have no clue.  I looked it up, and there is no definition for Quor in my dictionary, although there should be.  Quor should have "pretty dang cool" listed as it's entry, because, as shocked as I was when I first popped it in, that is how I would describe Human Paradigm.  I mean, come on...when you are sent a CD by a trio named Quor (pronounced "core", I believe), you aren't exactly thinking metal, right?  I was thinking something along the lines of either a bizarre alternative project or some kind of college garage punk band with songs about beer and "screw the establishment!".  Well, "don't judge a book by its cover" can also be morphed into "don't judge a band by its name", because Quor is NOT what their name may strike up in your mind.

Based in San Diego (again, not exactly a metal mecca), Quor is a polished, professional musical outfit with an incredibly tight sound intermixing elements of 80's heavy metal and thrash with more modern bands like System of a Down, adding in hints of Tool and splashes of doom/sludge-styled hard rock.  Mixing relatively complex percussion patterns with intricate guitar solos, generally clean vocals, and solid rhythm guitar, Quor comes across as a band that plays what it wants, taking elements of their own personal influences and creating their own form of metallic mayhem.

Take, for example, the album opener, "The Silence and the Spark".  Immediately recognizable are the thrash elements I spoke about, especially in the speed and the precision of the riffs and rhythms.  The song is also a bit heavier than a lot of people associate with pure Bay Area Thrash, at least as it originated in the 80's, and it also manages to incorporate melody and a hook not often found in the full-on speed shred fests of the 80's band.  Much the same can be said of "When the Gods Speak", which uses more thrash-related guitar elements, some stop-start rhythms, a really nice hook, and a rather chantable chorus that I would imagine as an anthem of sorts for the band.  The next two tracks slow the pace a bit, with both "Human Paradigm" and "The Reverent" being more mid-tempo in pace than the two face-melters at the outset.  However, this doesn't mean the music is any less powerful, and the title track, in particular, features a scorching guitar solo.  "The Reverent" has a Euro-power metal feel to it in places, partly due, I think, to the lyrical content, which I have read is based on a novel Corn is writing.  (May need to check that out...).  The EPs closer, "Guardian" returns to a bit darker sound, utilizing that doomy/sludgy style I referenced earlier, while also incorporating some big drums and technical riffing in another anthemic sounding track.

This particular package is actually a combination of the band's 2013 EP, We're Going To Be Awesome (which was also the band's name before switching to Quor), and their newest effort, Human Paradigm.  I'm glad they incorporated both albums into this package, as neither EP is particularly long, but I do kind of wish they had put them onto one CD so I didn't have to keep switching back and fort.  First World problems, I know...  Anyway, of the two EPs here, I would have to say I prefer the new material, although the older stuff isn't bad, just not quite as heavy with a bit more radio-rock approach to the sound in places.  Take, for example, "The Fragile Break", which is very reminiscent of the way Metallica changed their style and sound on the Black Album and, to a lesser degree, Load.  Still crunchy, but nowhere near as speedy or thrashy as the first three epic albums.  "Watching You" is pretty darn fast, I do have to say, and it is my favorite from the first EP, and "Let's Rise" gives it a good run, but neither song is quite up to the level of the newest material.

What's really amazing to me is the fact that Human Paradigm was reportedly recorded in just a single week, which is unheard of these days, especially with as tight and powerful as the production is on this disc.  The older EP is also recorded very well, perhaps getting a bit of a remaster treatment in this package (or perhaps not...no indication in the notes that I can find).

The packaging is simple...a double-sided cardboard slipcase...as is often the case with small, indie projects.  Mine was not sealed, so I don't know if there was a lyrics sheet that slipped out or something, but mine does not have lyrics.  There is also virtually nothing in the way of liner notes here, so a lot of my background info came from the press kit I was sent.

Metalheads looking for something new to chew on their ears for a while would do well to seek out this deluxe version of Human Paradigm as it incorporates a lot of older elements into an updated package.  While not pure speed/thrash metal, it is pretty dang good and the new EP, especially, has seen a LOT of spin time in my player.

Ratings:  Human Paradigm cranks to 8.5, We're Going To Be Awesome slides back a bit to rock at 6.5, with the total deluxe edition checking in at a very crankable 7.5.

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SEVENTH DAY SLUMBER "Redline"

(c) 2015 VSR Music Group

1. Bring It On
2. Gone
3. Hunger Strike
4. I'll Bleed
5. Lost In The Lights

Joseph Rojas--Vocals

Jeremy Holderfield--Guitars, Piano, Programming, Backing Vocals

Ken Reed--Bass

Blaise--Drums

Additional Musicians

Kevin Young--Duet Vocals on "Hunger Strike"

Josiah Prince--Vocals

Lester Estelle, Jr.--Drums, Programming

Brent Milligan--Bass Guitar

While not as well known as many of their cross-over contemporaries, Seventh Day Slumber has one of the larger catalogs of material among the Octane-friendly Christian modern rock crowd.  With Redline, the band has now released 11 CDs/EPs in the past 20 years, not counting a reissued album and a repackaged compilation of their early material.  Coupled with almost non-stop touring, its sometimes hard for me to understand why so few people seem to have heard of these rockers outside of the Christian arena.  At the same time, we are also talking about a band that makes no bones about the fact that they are not out to be rockstars and do not seek glory for themselves, so perhaps it is by design that 7DS tends to fly under the radar of so many people.

With Redline, it is obvious to this longtime fan that the band has definitely spent a LOT of time with fellow Christian rockers, Disciple, both out on the road and in the studio, as Kevin Young (lead vocalist of Disciple) makes his presence felt both directly and indirectly all across this EP.  Its interesting because the two bands seem to be going in opposite directions, stylistically.  Disciple was formerly known as a rap-metal outfit, before going more mainstream with their sound and finding a good deal of success, I might add, with a more modern hard rock sound.  7DS, on the other hand, starts off this mini-album with a straight-up rap-rock track that would make P.O.D. stand up and take notice.  In fact, the insanely catchy "Bring It On" sounds so much like P.O.D. during the verses that I actually thought I may have put that band's new album in by mistake.  The song is very well written and executed, and as I said, catchy as all get-out, and is sure to be a concert anthem for many tours to come, with it's scream along chorus of "Bring it on if you wanna; Bring it on, I can take your best shot!  Bring it on, I'm a fighter; I can take anything that you've got!"

The EPs gears shift decidedly downward for the next track, the much more subdued "Gone", which features a fair amount of programming and electronic drums, but which also really allows Rojas to showcase his singing ability.  This song reminds me a lot of the material 7DS was releasing 5-7 years ago when the band went in a much more praise and worship direction, albeit in a still fairly amped up manner.  Not bad, but not nearly as powerful or as effective as the opener.

The real shock on this EP is the inclusion of "Hunger Strike" from the grunge supergroup, Temple Of The Dog.  Written by Soundgarden's Chris Cornell, and featuring Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder on co-lead vocals,"Hunger Strike" is, in my estimation, a grunge classic, and one that I would have NEVER in a million years expected to show up on a Christian album.  It's not that the material is anti-Christian by ANY stretch of the imagination, it's just that grunge and Christian don't really seem to meld, if you understand my angle here.  All this being said, 7DS take this classic and alter it just enough to not sound like a cookie-cutter clone of the original....which also takes the edge out of the song, unfortunately.  My wife actually told me she thinks it sounds "countrified" with the cleaner guitars and Kevin Young's vocal approach on the verses performed by Cornell on the original.  Young does add some edge and rasp to his vocals in the pre-chorus section, which energizes the track a bit, and  Rojas does a decent enough job with Vedder's lines, but the song just...well, it's not "grungy" now, and the rawness that made the song so powerful in its original form is gone.  Kudos for the attempt, but I think the angst needed turned up a notch musically to really pull this off.  

The last two tracks, "I'll Bleed" and "Lost In The Lights" are both up-tempo rockers that steer the band back into the direction that I am most comfortable with them working in, which is the modern hard rock arena.  I'm not a big fan of the way Rojas utilizes an almost spoken-word approach in parts of "I'll Bleed", but for people who have ever seen 7DS in concert, they will know that this is who Joseph Rojas is; he is a speaker, even a preacher, from the stage who uses music to get his words and thoughts across, so this song is not far removed from who he is.  "Lost In The Lights" has some odd synthesizer/programming effects thrown into the mix, but they aren't so much a detraction as they are used to enhance the song, especially during and around the chorus.

The liner notes, despite being an EP, are rather extensive, with full lyrics, including the lyrics to "Hunger Strike", which is often not the case with cover songs.  There is a single band photo under the CD tray, as well as the usual thank-you's, credits, etc.  The production is solid, which is especially amazing when you take into account A) the band is on a tiny label that I have never heard of, B) the album was produced by their guitar player, and C) the band is giving away 100% of the proceeds from the album to charities that feed starving children in underdeveloped parts of the world.  As such, you have to believe the band did everything they could to keep costs low, yet they still manage to pull off a professional sounding recording, which is impressive.

One thing that hurts a bit is the overall length.  At just over 16 minutes, there is really no time for the band to make up on any weak areas of the album, and with just 5 songs, any misses are amplified all the more.  Had this album featured even two or three more full-throttle rockers, I think the softer moments would have held their own a bit better.

Overall, this is a decent, if not spectacular EP, that I am sure fans of the band will gobble up, and with good reason...and with a good cause being supported, to boot.  I'm not as impressed with the musical direction of this effort as I was with their previous album, We Are The Broken, but as I stated before, I do think "Bring It On" is an instant anthem for the band and truly deserves to be heard on Sirius/XM Octane.  I guarantee that my sons...and their father...will be pumping their fists in the air to this song the next time they come into our area, and in all honesty, I hope they perform "Hunger Strike" live as well, so I can hear if they pull off a bit more edge, with a bit less polish, in the live setting.

Rating:  Rock this at 6.5, but don't hesitate to pick it up and support a worthy cause.

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COLLECTIVE SOUL "See What You Started By Continuing"

(c) 2015 Vanguard Records

1. This
2. Hurricane
3. Exposed
4. Confession
5. AYTA
6. Contagious
7. Life
8. Am I Getting Through
9. Memoirs of 2005
10. Tradition
11. Without Me

DISC 2

1. Shine
2. Better Now
3. December
4. Counting The Days
5. The World I Know
6. Hollywood
7. Heavy
8. How Do You Love
9. All That I Know
10. Run

Ed Roland--Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano

Dean Roland--Rhythm Guitar

Will Turpin--Bass

Jesse Triplett--Lead & Rhythm Guitar

Johnny Rabb--Drums & Percussion

Additional Musicians

Rudy Vaughn--Saxaphone on "Am I Getting Through"
Eric Frampton--Organ
Mama Jan Smith and Ebony Childs--Backing Vocals on "This", "Am I Getting Through", and "Without Me"

While definitely not a "comeback" album, per se, See What You Started By Continuing is the first new studio record from Collective Soul since their self-titled release from 2009.  The Roland brothers, Ed and Dean, along with bassist Will Turpin, continue to push forward with much the same style and approach that they used when they were dominating the rock charts in the 1990's, producing platinum albums and number one hits with regularity.  This album is much more raw and organic in its approach than the last couple of albums, seemingly picking up where the last really good Collective Soul album, Blender, left off in 2000.

See What You Started... is the first album for the band's newest members,  Rabb and Triplett, who joined Collective Soul in 2012 and 2014, respectively.  Both are more than competent throughout the record, with Triplett in particular showing that he has a mastery for the sound the band has refined and honed throughout the years, as well as showcasing his ability to move the band's sound forward a bit.  Such is the case with possibly the LEAST Collective Soul sounding track on the album, which was ironically released as a single, as "This" sounds a bit like the band may be trying for more of a modern radio rock sound, especially with the distortion of the opening guitars and the production style, but the vocals...and especially the harmonies...remind you just whose album you have spinning in the player.  The follow-up, "Hurricane", changes things up in a more familiar direction, however, as it has a definite throwback sound, but doesn't come across as a clone of anything the band has done before, although it's bouncy rhythm and catchy harmonies make it feel instantly recognizable despite being a new song.  The same can be said of the next track, "Exposed", which starts off with some interesting acoustic guitar work before the Collective Soul crunch kicks in.  The chorus is insanely catchy here...and pretty humorous, as well...as Ed sings to the antagonist of the song, "You took all of my money, you took all of my clothes...".  Much the same follows for most of the album, with mid-tempo rockers that have a familiar style and sound to the biggest hits the band has ever produced, but still managing to sound re-energized from the last couple of records the band released.  "Confession", for example, manages to squeeze in a guitar riff that could have come straight out of the recording session for either of the first two records, despite the fact that this is a totally different guitar player.  The band is that in sync, and that comfortable, with who they are and what the Collective Soul sound is at this point in their career. "AYTA", another radio single, throws a nice acoustic guitar into the mix and again combines a familiar feel with a new vibe.

My only real issue with this album is the album's closer.  "Without Me" completely messes with the formula of where this record seems to be headed, which is towards a new set of potentially great Collective Soul songs, by throwing in this bloated gospel-flavored track with "hallelujah-esque" backing vocals, horns, and an organ that just really make me ask myself, "why?"  The band really sounded to me like they were attempting to go fully into embracing who they have been when they were at their best, and then they get, I don't know...weird...on me.  This song doesn''t kill the record, but it ends up making the record one song too long for me.

Disc 2 (which I'm told is available exclusively as a Wal-Mart bonus disc), is called a "Greatest Hits" disc, but it's seriously lacking, if you are actually after a hits package.  There are some obvious songs missing from this collection, with the huge hits "Gel" "Where The River Flows", "Smashing Young Man", "Precious Declaration", "Listen" and "Why, Pt. 2", all being left off despite all cracking the Billboard charts as Top 5 songs.  Purely a marketing ploy, but hey, perhaps some new fans will be made of some random kid picking up this album on a whim and then discovering just how good Collective Soul is and has been throughout their career,   Nowhere in the notes that I can see does it state that these are re-recorded songs, but I am about 95% sure that they are, as the most familiar tracks sound just slightly off from their originals to my ears.  Maybe my sonic receptors have changed a bit in the 20 years since these songs came out originally, but something doesn't sound like the original thing here, which is still okay, as it does show that the newest version of this band still has the chops to pull off these songs.  Again, a LOT is missing for this to be a best of, but its worthspinning from time to time.

The packaging is insanely simplistic, with a single band photo, no lyrics, and a small thank you section to go along with the usual credits and legal information.

Overall, this is not the best album Collective Soul has released, but it is a very solid record with some definitely good moments.  The band is obviously comfortable with who they are and the place they hold in the industry now, and are free to make Collective Soul music without seeking any sort of real radio success, which I don't think they will find in today's modern rock scene.

Rating:  Crank this at 7, regardless of the version you purchase, because the "hits" disc really is just extra icing on an already relatively sweet cake.

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