| CD REVIEW TSM / SLW Special April 2010: Bat Racers - Emberstorm - Final Gravity - Mehida - Steve Cichon |
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TSM/SLW Special April #2 In this second TSM/SLW Promotions special for April 2010, you’ll find reviews of Memphis (Tennesee) Classic Rockers Bat Racers’ debut EP, Steve Cichon’s third album (although on Nightmare Records, Cichon has seen it fortuitous to promote his new album via TSM/SLW as well – incidently, through the agency we got a regular compy of the album, where the label’s promotion works through download. We got both around the same time, with only a few days in between, by the way), Emberstorm’s debut promo album (essencially a studio duo, they’ve now grown to a band with live aspirations), the debut album of Los Angeles based Hard Rockers Final Gravity (changed their frontman for a woman earlier this year), and Swedish/ Finish collaboration band Mehida. -------------------------------------------- The biography of this Memphis (Tennessee) based Classic Hard Rock quartet (composed of lead singer/ bassist Bill Rennie, guitarist/ backing singer Mike Enright, keyboardist/ backing singer Jimmy Enright, and drummer Robbie Payne) opens with : “Regardless of the passage of time, Classic Rock and Roll finds a way to make it to the surface,” and more true words have never been spoken…albeit would the material offered need to be brought with a certain degree of quality, of course! Info failing, I’ve no idea just when this band started out, but that they have big aspirations is for certain! Just look at the the album cover, which is só late ‘70s one might think having to do with one of those forgotten jems of the era! The boys also have a big idea of themselves, using words such as “…the Bat Racers are setting a new standard in Progressive Rock with their own brand of technicality and execution…”! Now really?! So okay, the guys càn write good songs, and the execution may be very nice indeed, on live conditions, but for a studio recording this is everything but perfect! On top, even the best of sound will not correct the fact that Rennie’s lead vocals are simply inadequate…as are the backings by the other guys! Some reviewers have compared the opening album title track and “Pull The Trigger” as remeniscent of early Styx (yeah? So there IS that, musically, but the great high-pitch leads and harmony backings are completely missing – besides, what I personally was thinking of before I read the review, was The Who), have said “She Might Be” would stand proud on a Kiss album (right, but again, thàt band has its vocals together!), and “All The Same” might be a Prog Classic in the making (key word…in the making! Put another singer up front, and you’re on your way!). “Shayron” would be remeniscent of “Fly By Night”-era Rush (uh, okay, so there’s a bit of that riff from “By-Tor” there…but what about the vocals again, eh?). To end the mini-album, the guys bring an awful version of Isaac Hayes’ “I Thank You” (rendered immortal in the version by ZZ Top). In other words, and to come back to my closing words of the first paragraph of this article, the boys may be willing to make things big, but in order to do that they will need to find themselves a better lead singer, to begin with! A experienced producer to crank up their sound, or at least put everything in the proper perspective, wouldn’t hurt either! Bat Racers have not yet connected to the MySpace family (the site on their name there was erected by webspace owner Tom, and contains no info and no music), but they apparently have a page on Last.fm…which I couldn’t find at all. The only sure way to get to hear some music by this band, is to watch the videos (actually a preview from the band’s forthcoming DVD – and wouldn’t you know, away from the studio the guys actually sound a lot better!!!) posted at (www.) batracers.com! 83/100 -------------------------------------------- You know it’s virtually impossible to find significant info about guitarist Steve Cichon on Internet?! Yet this is the third album he releases (besides a first of which I don’t even find the title, there was also One Step Beyond, and I’ve found no info of whén that one was released). Almost incredible, for a guitarist who knows how to blend different styles (Metal, Hard Rock, Classical, Spanish acoustic, guitar synth, Jazz, New Age, ‘70s Prog & Rock, bla, bla, bla…) into Heavy-edged compositions which are focussed on melodies while also leaving room for the showing off of instrumental technicality…without letting the one overshadow the other! Capable of writing songs with an underlaying complexity, and also to write a horn into his music (for instance: the end part of “Panacea” has some sax in it; there’s a trumpet(s?) solo in the middle of “Headrush”) and managing to make it sound “cool”! For his third album Cichon had envisioned a perfect live performance in his mind, meaning he’s added audience response after each track to make the picture complete. Whether the 10 songs on the album are all new, or parhaps partially taken from his first two albums, is a question which momentarily remains unanswered. For good measure (and control of the veracity of my words), why don’t you check out one of the 4 album tracks posted at myspace.com/stevecichonmusic? I’m sure that after listening and, providing you’re even somewhat into instrumental guitar music, you’ll have to agree that here is a very, véry nice guitar artist! Personally, I could not refrain myself from adding Cranial Feedback into my “Best Albums Of 2010”-lists! 98/100 -------------------------------------------- The founder of this studio project, Västeräs (Sweden) resident guitarist/ keyboardist Peter Strömberg, had been trying to start up several more or less serious projects while also playing in the band Abrania (founded in 1999, they delivered 2 demos and 2 EPs, the last issued on Down Below Records in August 2007), when in Summer 2006 he decided it was about time to start some serious music writing on his own. Without any professional experience, he bought himself several recording instruments, and started putting together the music for his ProgMetal tunes, mixing it all on his own. In early 2007, he contacted his old friend (and drummer) Kim Söderberg. Liking what he heard and sharing a similar taste for what they wanted to achieve in music, Söderberg there and then agreed to become part of the project. In June of the same year Peter Selin joined the project as their singer. From Uusimaa in Finland, the singer/ guitarist had already released 2 demos (in 2005 & 2006) and been part of the line-up of Sweden’s Gloom (as their bassist & acoustic guitarist) and Left Hand Solution (bassist; status band momentarily on hold), and to work on the Emberstorm material, he had to travel several hours by boat to Stockholm and then again by train in order to get to Västeräs to do the audition, but clearly he felt it was worth the trouble. Besides, his vocals on the album’s opening track “Never Ending” are the ones recorded during that same audition. Selin’s clean and powerful vocal signature is said to have helped create a bridge from a modern Progressive Metal towards a more classic oriented sound. During Summer 2007, Söderberg decided to direct his attention elsewhere and in his stead came All Ends bassist Anders Janfalk, longtime friend of Strömberg’s. His participation is said to improve the songs towards a more technical and heavy sound. Towards the end of 2008 the material for the album was coming close to completion, and thanks to Selin (and Lion Music), the band came in contact with Carl-André Beckston at Monowasp, whom not only designed the album’s cover, but also helped the band create the artwork for the 12-page booklet. The album was eventually released on a 300 copy rotation in May 2009, to positive respons of both the CD’s buyers and a couple of music reviewers. Not surprisingly so, because the album is really top notch with (allow me to make a small citation) “…lamenting guitars imported from the eighties, and elements of various kinds of Metal merged with classic Symphonic orchestrations. Jusxtaposed to the rather grandiose and intricate arrangements are lyrics of a personal and more intimate nature…”! By the way, there’s a couple of guest vocal performances on the album, making things even more varied in that department. Chronologically, you’ll find Johnny Berglund singing a passage of screamed vocals during “Cursed For Eternity”, and Mio Jäger and Eric Levie adding female and male vocals respectively to “Tides Of No Belief”. In the instruments department, while Strömberg is responsible for all guitars and keyboard arrangements (also playing a lot of the latter, whether they be orchestrated or piano sounds), plus a fair portion of the bass duties, you’ll find Janfalk having contributed already (on bass) on the tracks “Cursed For Eternity”, “Day Of Destiny”, “The Winter’s Night Of Fate”, and “Tides Of No Belief”. Obviously, those are not the tracks that were already finished before his joining. The album counting 9 tracks, he does nót participate to the short instrumental “Horizon’s Call”, which is really a balladesque track featuring only piano play (courtesy of one Mikael Baggström), orchestrated keyboards, and electric guitar. And now that we’re on the point of instrumentals, the album’s finished with a somewhat lengthier one (great stuff). The last guest on the album is one Daniel Leonardsson, whom contributed keyboard solos to “Day Of Destiny” and the album closing instrumental. Following the release of the album, the band got itself an account at CDBaby.com , from whence fans (and fan you will become, dear Prog Metal/ Rock lover, after listening to the samples and full-length tracks posted at myspace.com/officialemberstorm) can not also buy the album. Also, the band started working on new material in October, directionally leaning eeven more towards the ‘80s influences of sounds in terms of melodies & keyboards, while keeping up the heavieness of both guitars and drums and leaving the singer the room he needs to employ his wonderful vocals to the fullest. New studio material has been purchased to give the upcoming recordings an even better sound (like as if it really needed that, you know!). Finally, and making the story full-circle, the band signed a deal with TSM/SLW Promotions in late January, sending out some 70 copies of the album in early February to magazines and websites all over the world! Expect some really favourable reviews in some of the more established magazines in your area pretty soon! 95/100 -------------------------------------------- “Final gravity” is a term from the finishing fases in beer manufacturing. A not so unimportant little fact, as two of this Los Angeles based Hard Rock band’s members are avid beer homebrewers, and one’s a state-level certified beer judge! Final Gravity was originally formed as a covers band, when guitarist Mike Clark (holds a BA in Music from California State University) answered an ad posted by bassist Charles Mumford, an alumnist from Musicians Institute (also a video editor). The line-up was completed with the joining of singer (and occasional rhythm guitarist) Bill Moore, an assistant professor at UCLA, but originally from Pennsylvania, where he used to play in college bands with drummer John Chominsky (studied drums & percussion at New York’s Drummers Collective and Boston’s Berklee College Of Music, and now the owner of a fairly successful commercial recording studio in California’s Santa Monica), the forth pilar stone of the equasion. The guys played around for a while and even got to recording a couple of original tunes (which they never put out on demo), but for reasons untold the band was at one point put on hold. It is significant for this band that the reunion came forth from the two beer makers getting together in early 2007 to start up a batch of home brew together. They got to listening to some of their old demo recordings, and felt they had after all written some stuff that was worth being heard. One thing led to another, and before they knew it they had taken contact with the others and were rehearsing/ re-writing their old material…and eventually also doin’ the occasional gig! Now, according to the band’s profile, the drummer once started playing his instrument after hearing his first Kiss song, the guitarist was once mistaken for Alex Lifeson of Rush, the bassist is very much into the angular sounds of Progressive Metal, and the singer is equally influenced by the music of Simon And Garfunkel and Rage Against The Machine! As their influences they not only state the effects of crafted beer and Scotch whisky, but also bands such as Rush, Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Porcupine Tree, Queensryche, and King’s X. Hum…a Progressive Rock/ metal touch there, perhaps? Hahah! Personally, I find the calmer songs and passages on the 14-track album to be lacking the catchyness needed to keep the listener’s interest. As far as I’m concerned the album would’ve been far better if the guys had cut out a couple of those songs (after all the album has a duration of 65 minutes – more is not always better) and chosen for a more unified overall sound. Even in the “heavier” songs one finds a vertain diversity, and while one indeed finds wafts of Rush n sóme of the songs, the ”heavier” body of the album has a sufficient variety (some songs are more straight-forward Hard Rock – with a Melodic Metal touch). Check out a couple of songs at myspace.com/finalgravity. Then forget all that, except for the music…because somewhere with the turning of the year also came a change of lead singers! In stead of a male voice Final Gravity now even have a female fronting their band in the person of Australian born Melissa Jane Dichiera (made her live debut with the band on March 19, 2010, opening a show for Fates Warning at Los Angeles venue The Avalon, and her joining the band was only announced on March 12, so it was all very much short notice!). MJ played in several Aussie bands, before fronting the internationally succesful Pop/ R’n’B act Les Bijoux, based in Japan. Currently, she fronts several bands, including all-female Led Zeppelin tribute act Lady Zep, Metal act Synn, and Punk Rock act The Undead M…and Final Gravity, of course! Wonder what the band would sound like with hér in charge of the vocals!!! 83/100 -------------------------------------------- Even before their debut album was released (and failing available info, I’ve no idea whether the band even went on the road with the debut album to promote it) in Finland (Aug 22, 2007 – the European release through Napalm Records followed on Sept 11, review by yours truly posted 06/09/2007), the members of Swedish/ Finish Prog/ Power Metal band Mehida were already writing new stuff and demoing the material! Due to the same lack of info, I’ve also no idea when or why they replaced the bassist for Toni Mäki-Leppilampi, nor when exactly they added second guitarist Olli Tanttu to the line-up, but at least they both contributed to the actual recording (at Finland’s Drumforest Stuios) of the new album. With the guitars recorded at Fear & Loathing Studio with Clawfinger’s Jokke Skog the band asured itself of a truly bombastic and heavy sound in that department. To round everything off and give the album a top-notch sound, they sent the masters over to New York’s Universal Mastering Studios, and the end result is simply explosive! A product which more than deserved to become the sophomore album of the band on the Austrian Napalm label. Only, for reasons unknown (again, the lack of info!) the band was apparently forced to have their album out on the smaller Finish label Bullroser. Ours is but to wonder why! Maybe the boys indeed didn’t promote the album quite as much as their former label had hoped (gigs, you know, are so important in that department)…but at any rate the facts remain incredible, when one considers the quality offered on the new album! Somewhere in the info I hàve found available, it’s mentioned that singer Thomas Vikström confessed The Eminent Storm to be the most demanding material he ever worked on. Well, he certainly did a dandy job, and a very diverse one too! Going from top-notch adrenalized high pitch in the more driven songs, to calmer and warmer in the couple of heavy ballads (check “Dream Giver” and “Where Could I Flee”) and some passages [opening of the very Symphonic “Until The Day Breaks”…which is also the first track on the album to witness choir vocals by the Kilven Kuoro. Reinforcing Vikström in the songs “Draw Near To My Soul” (a short bit of lead in this one), “Where Could I Flee”, and album closer “Celestial Tears” are Riinna A and Rita A, enriching the tracks a feminine touch (in the latter track one of the two even gets to do a short passage of lead vocals] and even slightly operatic (in the aforementioned “Until The Day Breaks”). The keyboards are another versatile element of the album, varying from atmospheric backing to adding to the general melodic intricacies, and in fact being (alongside the vocals) the first moderator in creating the different moods on the album! On top of the truly great vocals and keyboards, you’ll find the two guitarists creating a nicely heavy tapistry which is not without a degree of melodic complexity. Additional cellos (hard to discern from keyboard/ synth sounds) were provided by one Juhuna Ritakorpi. At myspace.com/mehida (which is at this moment the only available connection to the band), you’ll find an album teaser and the full-length “Until the Day Breaks” (veritably one of THE highlights on the album!) alongside 3 songs off the debut album. Check it out at own risk (the risk being that you’ll get hooked, want to hàve the album, and go to certain lengths to actually gét it)! Personally, I’ve found an addition to my 2009 year-lists! The band is certainly open to licencing deals for their album, but really it needs to get a decent label backing them, so the sextet can get out of Scandinavia and tour around Europe…and beyond! Surely, you’ll agree that this is music that needs to be heard the globe around!?! 98/100 Tony. |
