The Official Album Review Thread

Discuss any band that's not called Alter Bridge.
User avatar
Schulzy
White Knuckled
Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:05 pm
Location: The Hawkeye State

From Ashes to New - Day One Album Review

Post by Schulzy »

Do you ever listen to a band and think, "They sound a lot like....."? Well, From Ashes to New gave me serious early Linkin Park vibes when I heard Downfall off their album Day One which came out in 2016. The more I listened the more I liked it. They fit firmly into the rap/hip-hop-metal or nu-metal genre. They are from Lancaster, PA which is where I lived when I first moved to the East Coast in 2005. The lineup changed slightly in their more recent albums The Future and Panic with the band moving from five to four members. I think Chris did a great job singing on this album (albeit with some Autotune). Let us begin...

1. Land of Make Believe - loud and POUNDING! Matt starts rapping right away. "You think you're special, think I have to follow you". The chorus is big and melodic. "You underestimated me, I'll be the one to haunt you in your dreams" which is echoed with group chants. The drums and guitars are a little too loud and drown out the vocals. I like the Whoas in the pre-chorus. The bridge "Don't FALL ASLEEP, cause you can't RUN FROM ME" sounds so much like LP. Chris and Chester have some similarities in their vocal style. Matt and Mike have similar flow and delivery in their raps. You know the saying "imitation is the sincerest form of flattery". I like it. 9/10.



2. Farther from Home - the programmed elements are noticeable in the intro and throughout the song. That stuttering, choppy guitar from Lance works extremely well. "It's unfolding, it's so controlling". They know how to do the dance club style bridges. Pulsing, accelerating beats. Then we go super electronic - like Transformers. All the while the drums and guitars just rage. The screams are subtle but well placed for emphasis. "With my back to the ropes I'm NEVER LETTING GO!". 9/10.

3. Lost and Alone - you can hear Chris clearly in the introduction until the guitars and drums come back in. His voice has just enough power to cut through the noise and it's got a sharp edge to it. "Nowhere to go, someone SAVE ME!". Then they do the harsh screaming to echo. There's and underwater muffled effect. Chris holds out "Nothiiiiiiiiing!" in a high singing moment. Well done. "SAVE ME, THIS NOTHING IS DROWNING ME!" All of the songs on this album are right at the 3:00-3:30 mark. They pack a lot in. 7.5/10.

4. Shadows - "Some people will never change". More heavy electronic elements. Again, those LOUD pulsing guitars and drums. Matt has a nice rap style. That tripled ee-ee-ee sound lingers around the whole song. These are songs to yell. Quiets down "You'll see your shadow". Then LOUD - "You're on YOUR OWN!". They have good rounded warmth to their sound without becoming too harsh. 8/10.

5. Through It All - that creaky noise....and piano. Matt sounds his best on this song. CRAZY HEAVY BASS on the first verse. "You SAVED ME, you MADE ME....through it all you changed me forever". The song is at its best near the end with the "aaahhh-aah-aaah-ah-ah" backing the "Through it all you CHANGED ME, I'm not the SAME ME, for better or for worse, this person that YOU MADE ME". 7.5/10.

6. Face the Day - eye opening "Break AWAY!". Double kick that flows into a choppy gallop. Super screaming! I like Chris' singing in the chorus but you can tell he's got slight Autotune. "I will FACE THE DAY!" "And I hope that I can make it through another day". Nice guitar solo with some light doubling towards the end. The drum rolls to finish are a nice touch. While the lyrics are not as memorable as LP's they do a great job of creating memorable music. Each song stands out on the album and don't blend together too much. 8/10.

7. Downfall - I really like this. Thick and crunchy guitar riff to open with a good squeal. "Broken and beaten down". "I'm tired of yesterday, let's see what tomorrow brings". The chorus "We all fall some times, it makes it hard to believe, we can learn to somehow survive, no matter how much we bleed. WE CAN MAKE IT!" I gravitate to songs with that fight/perseverance element/theme. The bridge is my favorite on the album. "After it all, we are the ones who suffer the DOWNFALL!". Chris sounds great. The guitars and drums seem to be the right volume too and he doesn't get muffled. 9.5/10.



8. Breaking Now - in my lowest moments I've said this too many times. "I just don't care, don't CARE ANYMORE". I appreciate that they put Downfall and Breaking Now back to back. Driving guitars that soften for the verses. Matt's rapped lyrics are backed by "I cannot WIN". The chorus is my favorite "Every single thought of despair tries to take me down". The bridge is fantastic. "Every lie is trying to take me". Sometimes it just all feels so hard/hopeless no matter how much effort you put into it. 9.5/10.



9. Every Second - another delicate piano intro. I like this instrument in hard rock music. Some single strummed acoustic guitar chords. The drums kick in with doubled vocals. Chris sounds STRONG on this. "I'm dying every second I'm alive, I'm trying to feed the fire that's inside". A tasteful guitar solo. Matt raps "I'm hoping that I make it". That's the message I have to repeat over and over again when I'm feeling down or discouraged. Keep trying, tomorrow's another day. "The scars make me stronger". 8/10.

10. Same Old Story - that heavy pulsing electronic intro with guitars running the scales. "It's stuck on repeat". They do a nice contrast with the clean/screamed vocals. "If I make it out ALIVE, I'll make it my last goodbye". Not as memorable as the other songs on this album. 7/10.

11. You Only Die Once - "What would you live for, what would you lie for?" I feel like this is very introspective of Matt. "What if it KILLS YOU, what if YOU DIE?" Repeated "You only die once" with those light electronic/programmed things floating. Very LP guitar with the duh-na-na-na-na-na on the descent. 7/10.

This was a very solid debut from the band. More than enough to make me a fan and I give it 8.5/10 which lands it in my top 20 albums of all time. A ton of lyrics to dig into, that nu-metal/rap style that I enjoy, and memorable choruses. I've listened to their newer stuff with Danny on vocals - The Future, Panic, and The Quarantine Chronicles - where they cover a bunch of different songs from Linkin Park, Paramore, Michael Jackson, Eminem, Bullet For My Valentine, and Evanescence. I really enjoyed the single "Heartache" they put out last year. Check them out if you haven't already.
Image
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_

User avatar
gbruin
MEGLADONG
Posts: 7872
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:27 pm
Location: Highlands Ranch, CO

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by gbruin »

Sarayasign – Throne Of Gold. 10/10

This was my second favorite album from 2022, and it’s probably my biggest surprise album since I first heard a certain album called One Day Remains in 2006. I was introduced to this band by Leigh on Iridium Rock and Metal Reviews on YouTube (who btw is an enormous Alter Bridge fan, and I’d 100% recommend checking out his YT channel that has tons and tons of fantastic content https://www.youtube.com/@iridiumrockandmetalreviews2128) who reviewed their first single When Worlds Collide, and I immediately bought the album as soon as the video ended. It was that good on first listen, and the whole album is even better. Sarayasign is a Swedish band and they sound like a combo of modern prog/Euro metal and late 70’s hard rock, and Throne Of Gold is their debut album. This album is actually part 1 of an unbelievably ambitious 4 album concept that is a 2 deacade brainchild of drummer Jesper Lindberg. The concept tells the story of the world of Saraya and its battle against an evil power bent on its destruction, with individual stories of people caught up in the conflict. Their follow up album just finished recording and the story will continue in a few months and I cannot wait.

1. The Book of Wisdom – The album begins with somber moody tones and the sound of a growing fire, and then a frenetic sounding guitar riff jumps in that sets the mood of urgency and desperation for the oncoming story. The music has a pounding high gain rhythm layered with subtle keyboard tones and soaring vocal melodies by singer Stefan Nykvist who has a Lou Gramm sort of tone that make it eminently heavy and groovy and listenable at the same time. Think of old Deep Purple and classic Iron Maiden with hints of Journey. This song describes man’s mission to find the lost pages of the Book of Wisdom that can save them from the approaching evil, or be enslaved if The Dark forces find them first. 8.5/10

2. When Worlds Collide – A staccato muted guitar opens this song before turning into a beautiful soaring solo riff that introduces the grooving super catchy chorus melody. The song develops the story of two friends seeing the oncoming threat to their homeland and being faced with the choice of giving in or fighting back. 9/10



3. Distant Memories – My favorite song on the album about two lovers starts with the sounds of a tragic accident that separates them physically, yet leaves them faintly connected through alternate dimensions, with each feeling the other’s presence but unable to connect. A heavy but catchy verse tells their history, a tempo change in the chorus highlights the abrupt change in their lives, and an incredibly emotional middle section that evolves from a beautiful piano based piece into a gritty sounding resignation capped by a fantastic guitar solo perfectly conveys one lover’s desperate attempt to contact his wife, knowing he has passed from her existence. 10/10

4. If Only For A Moment – A painfully beautiful ballad reflects on the wife’s despair on losing her husband and how she thinks she can go on – or not. I swear this song reminds me of some late 70’s R&B song but I can’t place it. Nykvist’s vocal melodies and harmonies are so soulful and absolutely gorgeous on this one. 10/10



5. Sandman – A more melodic grooving piece that again has hints of late 70’s R&B modernized and amplified with edgy rhythm guitar tones. The wife finds herself in a dreamlike world where her thoughts and visions are controlled by the mythical Sandman, who in this case is bringing more nightmares than dreams. A sinister guitar solo fits perfectly and highlights the mood of this song. 8/10

6. Run – The album turns to the efforts a young man dedicated to finding the missing pages while carrying the responsibility of his mission and saving his homeland. This classic pounding rock song gets your head bobbing with its steady beat, coarse guitar rhythms, and Deep Purple like keyboard layers. 8.5/10

7. Stranger In Ice – Another voyager is looking for the lost pages in lands of ice. Lots of Maiden feel to this driving throaty song. 9/10

8. Throne Of Gold – A true epic that pivots back to the wife in songs 3-5. She remains lost in her dreams but finds herself in a precarious location between worlds that makes her a threat to the dark forces. The musical journey winds through early slow clean guitar and string sections, transitions through a punchy drum riff based section to a heavier grooving metal section that alternates back and forth with the earlier clean sections and some of the heaviest riffing on the album. It’s amazing how perfectly the music reflects the woman’s wandering thoughts and hopes and uncertainty about her future. It never occurred to me this song is over 9 minutes until Leigh mentioned it in one of his reviews – it is that good and interesting and engrossing. The narrative closes with a shocking outcome for the wife and portends very interesting things for the continuation of the story on the next albums. 10/10

I cannot recommend this album enough. If you like early Alter Bridge (Find The Real, ODR, Blackbird era stuff in particular) you will love this. If you like melodic heavy metal like classic Maiden or Iced Earth, you will love this. If you like 70’s hard rock sound like Deep Purple or Led Zep, you will love this. If you like 80’s sounding AOR like Journey and Foreigner, you will love this. If you like the concepts of Operation: Mindcrime or The Wall, you will love this. All those styles are all wrapped together to create a familiar but still modern sound, and the musicianship and writing and creativity make Throne Of Gold totally unique. This is a 10/10 album.
Another photobucket casualty... :(
As your courage crashes down before your eyes, don't lay down and die

User avatar
Schulzy
White Knuckled
Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:05 pm
Location: The Hawkeye State

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by Schulzy »

gbruin wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:36 pm 4. If Only For A Moment – A painfully beautiful ballad reflects on the wife’s despair on losing her husband and how she thinks she can go on – or not. I swear this song reminds me of some late 70’s R&B song but I can’t place it. Nykvist’s vocal melodies and harmonies are so soulful and absolutely gorgeous on this one. 10/10
I've listened to this album a few times on SoundCloud. This chorus of this song reminds me a little of Baby Come Back by Player and What About Love? by Heart. There's one more song that's even closer but I can't remember it - something about "never meant to hurt you" and "didn't want you to see me cry?" It will come to me.......in the middle of the night!
Image
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_

User avatar
Schulzy
White Knuckled
Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:05 pm
Location: The Hawkeye State

Spoken - Breathe Again Album Review

Post by Schulzy »

Good evening. Spoken is a band that I checked out back in 2017 after a "you might like" suggestion from another band Righteous Vendetta. Their album Breathe Again (not to be confused with the Alter Bridge song) actually came out in 2015. It was my first introduction to the band and is still the only album of theirs that I purchased and consistently listen to. It also introduced me to Matty Mullins of Memphis May Fire.

1. Intro - has that airy, breathy, sound with synthy pianos and programmed beats. Strings arrive at the end along with "your heart needs to breathe again".

2. Walking in My Dreams - the drums from Isaiah Perez (who has also drummed for Starset, Phinehas, and Love & Death) sound big and heavy on this one. I like that you can hear some of the finger slides on the guitar strings - a little more raw feel. "IIIIIIIIIIII keep seeing you in my dreams". Matt Baird has a very unusual tone to his voice and you can hear a lot of his breaths (I wonder if that's intentional). It's higher than most hard rock vocalists I listen to but not shrieky or off-putting. He holds out a ton of his syllables and gives extra exertion to certain words. The overall sound can be muffled at lower volumes. I don't know why that is the case. "I'll forgive everything" is choppy/stuttered. A vroomy guitar slide towards the last third of the song. A nice solo to end the song, kind of muted in parts but clear in others. I like when it carries and blends with the vocals. 8.5/10.

3. Beyond the Stars - the guitar riff from Scoop is snarly and repetitive. Some light synth in the background to give it some texture. One of the more memorable choruses on the album. "Take my hand and lead me far away from here. Help me to find a way to leave this all behind". I like the grunted "I" followed by the verse lyrics. "Take me to where you are, beyond the stars". I like the dee-doo-dee-doo-dee-doo-BOOM riff. Another guitar solo - lots of feeling but no super fast shredding. Ends quickly with drums. 8/10.



4. Surrender - fast rolling drum intro with guitars droning in. Palm mute central for the verse. Matt sprinkles in his screamy vocals without getting too gutteral or unintelligible. "I can't hear you anymore". I like the songwriting style where you use one word to start sentences multiple times - in this case "Someday" and then add different lines after it "open your eyes" and then "wake up to find". "Surrender" is almost moaned in a softer tone. The song ends exactly the same way it starts - a bookend of sorts. 7.5/10.

5. Breathe Again (featuring Matty Mullins) - I really like the programmed beat and rising guitar notes. The guitar riff is fun - dooo-doo-doodly-doodoo. "Are you broken? A million pieces inside?" I also like songs that ask questions. There is a nice floating "ahhhhhhh-aaaaaaah-ahhhhhhh". Matty comes in to answer the question "I was broken. I felt the pain so deep inside". That is cool, where the guest vocalist responds to the first verse. A conversation within the song. They trade lines and then blend together. Their voices are similar but distinct enough that you know who's who. Nice guitar licks. They put a nice recessed effect on the voice where it sounds farther away "look past the embers and into the flame". The strings are dominant for the last 30 seconds. You can hear faint "breathe again" moving from right to center and then to left. It's the title track for a reason. 9.5/10.



6. All I Wanted - more heavy programming with heavily muted - whoa-ooo-aa-ooohs. "You are a fire out of control" with repeated "CONTROL!" The guitar over the chorus has that ba-ba-ba shortened feel. It is a nice variation from the verses. "All I wanted was to show you you're alive". Spoken has VERY uplifting messages in their songs. "You can change this, you can take back your dream". They show great empathy towards other people who are feeling downtrodden or discouraged. "Find the love in your heart and bring it back to life". Alter Bridge has done similar things in their songs - Isolation and Outright - learning to love again and choosing not to give up. 8/10.

7. Hollow and Untrue - the intro reminds me of AB's Native Son but slower. Ringing guitars. Is that a FLUTE in the background? The drum style reminds me of Scott Phillips - big time. The song actually reminds me more of AB's Zero. One of the better guitar solos on the album but I have mixed feelings about the song. For some reason I don't connect with the accusatory lyrics. 6.5/10.

8. Memories Are Alive - "Sleeplesssssssssssss". The punchy drums are back. At this point in the album the songs are starting to sound more alike in terms of the singing, sound, and structure. There's a phaser style effect "This is just the beginning". The harmonized vocals are a little too harsh. Another song where it just doesn't do it for me lyrically. 6/10.

9. Nothing Without You - that sweet violin in the intro. This song sounds far to similar to Memories Are Alive in terms of tempo, drums, and guitar sound. They at least try another short guitar solo to break up "because I'm nothing without you" and "I will be reaching out to you". The screamy-sung verse and aaaaaaaahhhhs in the background don't do quite enough to elevate the song. 6/10.

10. Poison in the Air - the album had started to drag and needed a boost. This song is the perfect way to do it. Heavy muting with two guitar thing - distorted chords and clear da-da-da-dee-dee-dee that alternates. Explosive drums and synths that come in along with rising "ooohs". This is a literal wake-up slap. It's got a thick, heavy feeling. "You are ALIVE!" Speeds up for "you will deny, you will betray, with every single word you say". Nice electronic interlude between the verses. It's got that Bring Me The Horizon vibe and then at 2:00 mark it transitions to Memphis May Fire style breakdown/bridge. The phaser is in the left speaker and the riffage in the right - EXCELLENT! "I will let you down, don't waste your faith on me". A scorching guitar solo. The tone and clarity are great, the phrasing is wonderful, and it ends on that hanging note. Reminds me of Mark's ODR style. YES! 9.5/10.



11. Falling Apart - shoots out of the gates with fast pace then stops for a breather. There's that ba-ba-ba-BA-BA-BA guitar sound again. You can hear BASS on this song! I think it's the first time on the album that I notice it! "Can you tell me who you are?" I LOVE the "Let me be a part of your world" and the do-do-DAH! drumming behind it. It's a great sing-a-long moment. Those sweet strings are back. The chorus is done much better with the backing "aaaaahhhhs" blending nicely. Fast paced nod your head song. The guitar solo starts with a WHOOM! Scoop has great feel and actually does a nice little descending fret-burner to end. The drum fills from Isaiah are REALLY well done. WOW! 9.5/10.



12. Hold On - guitar vroom slide and drenched in synths! "There could never be another, there is no other". It transitions to that pop-electro-synth style that's almost too happy sounding. Unfortunately it's too much in my book. The message is strong in the chanted "hold on to me" section. I do appreciate that they tried to mix it up towards the end of the album. 6/10.

13. Take My Breath Away - probably the most ballad like song on the album. Slower, with chimy style guitars and overly loud bass. "I feel like I'm falling". The pushed vocals don't feel right for this song, especially with the extended string section halfway through. They try to push it even more with the pumped up guitar solo over the chorus. Mega-delay effect to end the song with that whooshing noise like we had at the start of the album. 6/10.

14. Outro - same feel as the intro - programmed beats and airy/thundery. "you take my breath away".

This album reminds me of being on a rollercoaster. Starts with the ascent and then it drops you to gain speed. Does some exciting, fun stuff to start and then evens out or slows down again before the next ascent and final rush. Finally, it applies the brakes before reaching the end. The high points are really high and memorable enough that you want to ride/listen again. Much like Pawns & Kings, I feel this album is a sandwich with strong top, VERY weak in the mid-section, and then a good solid bottom before the middling finish. I'm going to go 6.5/10 as I enjoy half of the album.
Image
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_

User avatar
gbruin
MEGLADONG
Posts: 7872
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2012 6:27 pm
Location: Highlands Ranch, CO

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by gbruin »

Schulzy wrote: Fri Jan 13, 2023 1:33 pm
gbruin wrote: Wed Jan 11, 2023 3:36 pm 4. If Only For A Moment – A painfully beautiful ballad reflects on the wife’s despair on losing her husband and how she thinks she can go on – or not. I swear this song reminds me of some late 70’s R&B song but I can’t place it. Nykvist’s vocal melodies and harmonies are so soulful and absolutely gorgeous on this one. 10/10
I've listened to this album a few times on SoundCloud. This chorus of this song reminds me a little of Baby Come Back by Player and What About Love? by Heart. There's one more song that's even closer but I can't remember it - something about "never meant to hurt you" and "didn't want you to see me cry?" It will come to me.......in the middle of the night!
Baby Come Back is a great call. I do hear a bit of that, though I'm not sure that's fully what I was thinking. I don't think it was Heart I was hearing myself, as I love them and that one would have (should have? lol) come to me quickly.

Really glad to hear you've heard this album. I don't think it's gotten a lot recognition, but you can tell from the review I think they deserve it. If those lyrics spur anything, let me know!
Another photobucket casualty... :(
As your courage crashes down before your eyes, don't lay down and die

User avatar
Schulzy
White Knuckled
Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:05 pm
Location: The Hawkeye State

Evanescence - Fallen Album Review

Post by Schulzy »

Back in the days between Creed and Alter Bridge I found myself searching for new music in an effort to expand my horizons. When Bring Me to Life debuted on the radio it was one of those aha! moments. It's like when I first had Chicken Parm. I thought, "this is fantastic!" Back to Evanescence. It was one of the albums I went out and bought as soon as it dropped - probably not even being aware they were label mates of Creed. I don't know if I'd intentionally/seriously listened to any female fronted rock bands before them. I found Amy's voice to be captivating. Here is the review of 2003's Fallen - recently certified diamond - November 2022.

1. Going Under - that monotonous guitar with thumping beat and drippy piano. "Gooooing und-d-d-d-d-d-er!" When it transitions to "Iiiiiiiiii diiiiiiiiive again" and flows into the majestic chorus with harmonized vocals it just clicks for me. Some may call the music too simple or radio friendly, but I enjoy it. Ben Moody gives us a short little solo around 2:35. Amy's voice carries this song. 7.5/10.

2. Bring Me to Life - well, it's over 1 billion views on YouTube. Amy's sweet voice and the piano give way to strings and guitar and that programmed beat. I wonder why they chose to do that vs. real drums. I think a lot of people forget about Paul's (12 Stones) parts - "Wake me up", "Save me", and "I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside". Then he has the semi-rapped portions that take the song up a notch. Song ends with more strings. It's a made for radio mega-hit. However, not my favorite song on the album. 8/10.

3. Everybody's Fool - acoustic opening and haunting synth. "Perfect by nature, icons of self indulgence". A song about trying to live up to everyone's expectations - perfect looks, life, and having everything you ever wanted. Ultimately it leaves you empty and discontented. "I don't love you anymore". The song is a plea and cry for help with Amy expressing great emotion in her vocal delivery. 8/10.

4. My Immortal - here we have a slow, delicate, piano introduction. "I'm so tired of being here". Amy barely enunciates the words, like it is taking great effort. The strings are powerful. It's a gorgeous song. "I held your hand through all of these years". She goes lower "You used to captivate me, by your resonating light". You can barely hear that dee-dee-dee radio blip effect in the background that Creed used on Human Clay. "These wounds won't seem to heal". The harmony is stunning. There's a "yeaaaaaaaaaaah" at 2:25. When it builds "I tried so hard to tell myself that you're gone" I feel like my chest is going to burst. Light acoustic guitar. I can imagine this song on a movie soundtrack. Those beeps close out the song. 9/10.

5. Haunted - sound like it could be from a horror movie. Amy's doubled vocals sound eery. HEAVY programmed beat and more beeps. "Watching me, wanting me, I can feel you pull me down". It has that nice, thick sound to it. The dug-a-dug guitars on the second verse are too loud though. There's more guitar wah in the second chorus - somewhat distracting. Then we get a solo backed by choir "ahhhhAHHHH". That continues with "watching me, wanting me" again. Ends on a beep. An up and down song but I like it. 7.5/10.

6. Tourniquet - that breathy, windy opening. Reminds me of Red. Wah driven guitars. "I tried to kill my pain". The THUMPING beat and piano continue in this song. It has an expansive sound in headphones - very wide. I think it's my favorite guitar riff on the album. I realize that I don't really hear much bass guitar work on this album. The strings are back too. Bridge "return to me, salvation". Amy lets out a light scream - "I want to die!". I like the guitar and string ending - ominous but beautiful at the same time. Almost like a brief intermission before the next song. 7.5/10.

7. Imaginary - whoa......what an opening. Symphonic goodness with rising "ahhhhhhhAHHHHHHHHaaaaaaahhhh". "PAPER FLOWERS". I LOVE the acoustic guitar and piano. Amy is in full glory here. The guitars are big and thick - like Mark Tremonti on Human Clay and ODR. "I lie inside myself for hours, and watch my purple sky fly over me". It's a colorful song. "Swallowed up in the sound of my screaming". It's an escape song, longing to get away from real life. Suddenly the power wah guitar kicks in. The backing strings are perfect. This is what made the bands Skillet and Red so popular. I have to believe they listened to this album and thought, "we can do that too". My second favorite on the album. 8.5/10.



8. Taking Over Me - they continue to ride the piano and strings. Amy has amazing clarity to her voice. Those programmed beats are back. They stick to the formula. "I believe in you, I'll give up everything just to find you". An obsessive song or just one filled with longing and desire? I like it but not one of the standouts. 6.5/10.

9. Hello - another nice piano introduction with Amy singing "rainclouds come to play again". This was pre-Adele but post-Lionel Richie. "don't try to fix me, I'm not broken". More strings but this time cello, I believe. It's lovely. "Suddenly, I know I'm not sleeping". Amy's voice rises into the falsetto. She holds out "yesterdayeeeeeeeeeeeee". Almost brings me to tears. 8/10.

10. My Last Breath - programmed intro. Heavy guitars. Strings. Soft haunting vocals. Where have I heard this before? "Can you hear me?" Wait a minute.......bass? Well, better late than never. "Are all my thoughts of you?" The bridge sounds incredibly like a Red song. End of Silence did not come out for a few more years though. Fades out. 7/10.

11. Whisper - guitar riff opening. "Catch me as I fall". There are the beats and strings. Drums are much more pronounced for a change. Choir returns to. "Don't turn away". The orchestra comes in full blast halfway through. Operatic singing. Sliding guitar solo. They are trying to close out the album in "epic" fashion. Ends with strings and latin chants - "Servatis a periculum, servatis a maleficum". 7.5/10.

I haven't listened to Fallen for quite some time. It was good to revisit it. In spite of the creative differences between Ben Moody and Amy Lee they still managed to create an enduring album that launched them into the upper tier of rock bands. Their formula/recipe worked extremely well - programming, piano, heavy guitars, strings, choir, and Amy's voice. They said, what can we make with these? The result was a very consistent album with no glaring low points. It's a top 20 album all time for me. 7.5/10.
Image
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_

User avatar
Schulzy
White Knuckled
Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:05 pm
Location: The Hawkeye State

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by Schulzy »

gbruin wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 4:03 am Really glad to hear you've heard this album. I don't think it's gotten a lot recognition, but you can tell from the review I think they deserve it. If those lyrics spur anything, let me know!
Well, it may be a reach but I remembered the song. If I Could Turn Back Time by Cher.

I didn't really mean to hurt you
I didn't wanna see you go
I know I made you cry, but baby
Image
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_

User avatar
maximzub
On The Rail
Posts: 1328
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:57 am
Location: Where women don't exist.

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by maximzub »

I've read a couple of the reviews on this thread lately. They're great! Reading them almost makes me feel like I'm listening to the album even though I'm not. So, I wanted to try to do something like that myself.

The album I'm reviewing is by the band that's my current obsession, Halestorm. Their newest album, Back From The Dead, came out in May 2022. I was aware of it at the time, but I had only heard a few songs by them back then and I never checked it out. I later decided to listen to some more of their songs in September, but only one of them was from this album ("The Steeple"). Nevertheless, I did like the songs I had heard and they climbed up to #6 in my top 10 bands.

Fast forward to December, and I've suddenly found myself caught up in a major crush on Lzzy Hale. Don't remember how it happened. It might have been because a video of them showed up in my YouTube recommended or something. Anyway, that's when I started listening to them like crazy, discovering new songs, analyzing their live performances, and of course drooling over pictures and videos of Lzzy. That's what catapulted them to #3 in my top 10 bands. Anyway, back to this album. Within a few days of this happening, I decided to listen to a few more songs from Back From The Dead. Later that week, I listened to the seven deluxe edition bonus tracks the day they came out. (I'm not including those in my album review because they're way too different from the rest of the album.) Then almost a month later, I listened to the rest of the album. It's currently the only Halestorm album I've listened to in its entirety.

1. Back From The Dead - one of those songs where the opening guitar chord hits you hard in the chest. Followed by a Lzzy scream ("I'm back from the dead!") and it launches into an epically heavy song. The chorus is perfect - both a headbanger and a singalong. Also has a nice solo; although it's not really epic, it has some fast licks and does its job of being a mid-song solo. The breakdown sounds suspiciously like Crows On A Wire. 10/10.



2. Wicked Ways - you get pretty much the same kind of song as the previous one. Nice heavy breakdown, which you don't hear much in Halestorm songs. Joe's consistent guitar melody is a nice touch. I like the live version of this better than the studio version because the production is more stripped back and you can actually distinguish what each guitarist is playing. Also, I find myself enjoying listening to the song more if I'm watching the live video than if I'm just listening to it. 9/10.



3. Strange Girl - okay, I have not been this hooked to a song since I first heard "It's My Life" by Bon Jovi in 2018. It's been playing in my head for weeks. And I probably wouldn't have been this addicted to it if I hadn't watched a live video of it first before hearing the studio version. The intro, with its intermittent chords and mostly monotone vocal melody, almost sounds like it's being sung by someone who's creeping up to you (which is exactly what Lzzy does live, as can be seen in the video below). Powerful chorus. Sexy "ah-ahs" before the second verse. I love how they play with different harmony intervals during the verses. Another solo that's not very complicated, but does its job. Then it changes up with the soft bridge, then a jumpscare transition into the final chorus, and it's over. I could write an essay about this song because of how much I love it (even though it still takes second place to "Love Bites (So Do I)" if we're talking about my favorite Halestorm songs), but I'm not going to because this is an album review. Yesterday, I actually made a multicam video of it using videos from different live performances of the song during their 2022 tour. 10/10.



4. Brightside - this is not really a standout track. It sets the song structure for the rest of the album - main riff, verse, chorus, main riff, verse, chorus, main riff, (solo is optional), bridge, part of the chorus with less instruments, rest of the chorus as normal, main riff, and the last thing heard is Lzzy's voice. Gets boring after a while, and the fact that the main riff is repeated after the second chorus bugs me. For this song in particular, it could have used a heavy breakdown after the whispered "nobody likes you". It's better than some other Halestorm songs (read: Into The Wild Life), though. 7/10.

5. The Steeple - another non-standout track, and I think it shouldn't have been released as a single. It starts out nice and has the feel of a typical rock song. What bothers me the most is that Arejay uses the hi-hat during the chorus instead of, say, a crash cymbal, which takes away from the power the chorus could have. The solo is nice, though. Maybe the best on this album. Lzzy holds a long high note at the end. 8/10.

6. Terrible Things - after nonstop heavy songs, we get an acoustic break for this one. Lzzy uses her lower register a lot, and I mean, if I can sing something Lzzy is singing, she's going pretty low for her range. Because of that, I can only call this song boring. I barely remember any of it, so I can't say much more than that. 4/10.

7. My Redemption - you guessed it, this song follows the same structure as most of the album. One interesting thing to point out is that Arejay is using double bass more than he usually does, and especially here. Unfortunately, at the same time he's doing double bass, Lzzy is matching it with equally fast vocals. Nope. No thanks. Too many repetitions of "my redemption" as well. No solo that I can remember. I can see why they stopped playing this one live almost as soon as they started. 4.5/10.

8. Bombshell - here's an interesting story. When Alter Bridge started their 2022 European tour, I remember searching like crazy for videos of the show on YouTube. I found one low-quality video of Ghost Of Days Gone By and Wouldn't You Rather. Okay. They sound good for the two and a half years off. Anyway, I closed YouTube then. Next time I opened it, it was recommending me a video by the same guy of Halestorm's opening set. I checked it out just to see what it is. She introduced the song and it was Bombshell. I didn't need to listen to more than 20 seconds to start thinking that it wasn't gonna be a good song. Even the guy filming it can be heard saying, "Boring".

So, fast forward to when I'm listening to more songs from this album, and I thought, "Well, maybe I should listen to the song and I'll be surprised to find that it's better than those first 20 seconds show." Guess what. It wasn't. It has the same problem that Alter Bridge's "Sin After Sin" has - a cool heavy riff to begin with, that then is repeated underneath the chorus. Not a fan at all. No solo, and the bridge is spoken over some electronic sounds (or maybe it's guitar feedback?). 2/10.

9. I Come First - even though it follows the same structure as most of the album, it's actually one of the better songs here. It has a lot of that classic Halestorm vibe that can be found on the first two albums. It strongly reminds me of "I Get Off" from their self-titled debut album. In fact, it has the same lyrical theme. It doesn't come anywhere near the first three songs from this album, but it's listenable and I wouldn't mind it being in a setlist (which oddly, it never has been). 7.5/10.

10. Psycho Crazy - finally, we get some time signature changes. As opposed to the rest of the songs which are in 4/4, this one is in 6/8, with the occasional 3/8 and one measure of 4/4 slipped in just before the second chorus. It has a powerful chorus and bridge, and some nice guitar riffs to go along with them. Lzzy goes a little overboard with the screaming in the last chorus. It's a nice one to blast to get angry. 8.5/10.

11. Raise Your Horns - the obligatory piano song that can be found on each Halestorm album. It's a nice break after all the pummeling heavy songs, and a great way to strip down to bare basics (if I remember correctly, there were no additional instruments, just Lzzy playing piano and singing). It's also another song that I think has more effect when watching it being performed rather than just listening. I cried when watching a video of Lzzy playing this song as part of a medley of piano songs. Live, she plays it a half-step lower than the studio version, which I like better. My only complaint is that this shouldn't have closed the album, but rather be placed in the middle like their other piano songs ("Break In", "Dear Daughter", and "White Dress") were on their respective albums. 8/10.

Overall album thoughts - not one of the best albums I've heard in my relatively short life. However, that opening three-song run is one to remember and it may even be the best one I've ever heard (narrowly beating out the opening three-song run on Pawns & Kings). The production is better than their previous two albums, and it gets the closest to the sound of them playing live, which is an idea they've been chasing ever since Corey Taylor suggested that they're not capturing the magic of their live sound on their studio recordings. 7.5/10.

Songs from this album that placed in my 2022 year-end top 100 songs - Strange Girl (#17), Back From The Dead (#37), Wicked Ways (#59)
Last edited by maximzub on Sun Jan 15, 2023 3:40 am, edited 1 time in total.
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

User avatar
Schulzy
White Knuckled
Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:05 pm
Location: The Hawkeye State

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by Schulzy »

maximzub wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:06 pm I've read a couple of the reviews on this thread lately. They're great! Reading them almost makes me feel like I'm listening to the album even though I'm not. So, I wanted to try to do something like that myself.

The album I'm reviewing is by the band that's my current obsession, Halestorm. Their newest album, Back From The Dead, came out in May 2022. I was aware of it at the time, but I had only heard a few songs by them back then and I never checked it out. I later decided to listen to some more of their songs in September, but only one of them was from this album ("The Steeple"). Nevertheless, I did like the songs I had heard and they climbed up to #6 in my top 10 bands.

Fast forward to December, and I've suddenly found myself caught up in a major crush on Lzzy Hale. Don't remember how it happened. It might have been because a video of them showed up in my YouTube recommended or something. Anyway, that's when I started listening to them like crazy, discovering new songs, analyzing their live performances, and of course drooling over pictures and videos of Lzzy. That's what catapulted them to #3 in my top 10 bands. Anyway, back to this album. Within a few days of this happening, I decided to listen to a few more songs from Back From The Dead. Later that week, I listened to the seven deluxe edition bonus tracks the day they came out. (I'm not including those in my album review because they're way too different from the rest of the album.) Then almost a month later, I listened to the rest of the album. It's currently the only Halestorm album I've listened to in its entirety.
Well done, Max! I especially liked your introduction and admitted crush on Lzzy. I felt the same with Jen Ledger from Skillet and Courtney LaPlante from Spiritbox. Your individual song reviews were thoughtful and you did a great job explaining likes and dislikes. I have listened to the song Back From The Dead and watched Myles and Lzzy duet. She is very talented but I find her vocal style to be a little too much for me at times. I will check out the whole album.
Image
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_

User avatar
Schulzy
White Knuckled
Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:05 pm
Location: The Hawkeye State

Alter Bridge - One Day Remains Album Review

Post by Schulzy »

I love quoting movies. In this case, The Lion King. "It is time". Time to review Alter Bridge's One Day Remains album. I think I am going to try and review all of their albums gradually. I feel I know them so well and want to approach each one as objectively as possible. Pawns & Kings was the first that I sat down and completed detailed song reactions for. It is buried in that thread somewhere. Let's go back to the beginning. When I found out that Creed had broken up I was DEVASTATED. That's putting it mildly. It was really the first time I felt like something I was extremely connected to was taken away. When the announcement came out that Myles was joining Mark, Scott, and a returning Brian Marshall I was cautiously optimistic. I went and checked out some of the Mayfield Four stuff (ended up buying Second Skin and Fallout at the used record/CD store in Phoenix). His voice was so different from Stapp's that initially I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. When the video for Open Your Eyes came out I held my breath and said to myself - let's see what we have here.

1. Find The Real - that revving guitar sound and heavy bass to open. Mark lets loose a nice squeal which I can't ever remember hearing on a Creed song. It's groovy and set at a nice mid-tempo, which I like. Myles comes in singing in that lower register. I like the "all is remembered" which sounds different. "Well it seems I've finally thought of everything" with Myles AND Mark together is magical. They blend SOOOOOOO well. Mark's guitar work on this song just blew me away. I knew it was him but there was so much more there than in any Creed song I could think of. He was just finally letting loose. At the halfway point - 2:12 - we get Brian's boom-boom-boom-BA-BOOM. This is where I went, Myles can sing! "I will trade these lies for something right oooooooOOOOOOOO". His ooohs and ahhs pulled me in. When he holds the "so I can breathe agggaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaain" I had the tingles go down the back of my neck. Then Mark comes in with the mind-blowing solo. I went, "I didn't know he could do THAT!" And then at the climax Myles goes off the charts with "Find THE REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL!" Good GOD! I sat in my teeny tiny apartment in Beaverton, Oregon and went whoa, baby. 10/10.

Live video posted by Mark's brother Michael. Look at Myles trying to figure out what to do without guitar and his insanely long hair. Listen to HOW HE IS SINGING. Flip had a SHAVED HEAD. Those early shows from the guys were off the charts.
.

2. One Day Remains - some guitar feedback and the fun rolling drums from Flip. Still one of my favorite drum songs from him ever. Forgive me, I LOVE the lyrics on this song. "Don't lay down and die. Cause I see in you, more than you'll ever know, and I ask you why you question the strength inside, and you need to know how it feels to be alive". Whooooo! Myles creeps into the upper register and it's beautiful. More Mark backing vocals! The alternating tappy solo at 2:35 is so fun. "How it FEELS! How it FEELS! To be ALIVE!" Tremendous! That repeated encouraging theme still fills me with hope. 10/10.

3. Open Your Eyes - this song felt like My Sacrifice from Creed with the sliding open chords. There's that incredible warm tone that they had on Human Clay. Myles' "I had it all". When he goes high and Mark comes in low I get giddy. There's more oooohing and aaaahing too. Brian's bass before "darker days seemed to be" just rumbles. I would describe Myles' voice as SOARING in this song. It feels like it is actually taking you up to higher levels/ground. The extended ooooooooooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOooooooOOOOOOOOOOO section never gets old. One of my favorite things they do live. An then Mark goes bananas with the bluesy, shreddy solo that I still can sing almost every note to from memory. His "hard to walk this path alone, hard to know which way to go" also comes to me at random times even to this day. 8.5/10.

I still remember watching this one for the first time. The guys look so young! I think Ryan was at this taping if memory serves.


4. Burn It Down - slows everything down. Has a sad sort of feeling to it. Myles is going oooooooooooh again. LISTEN to the way he sings "DRANK so much last night I think I could drown". WOW! WOW! WOW! His voice is isolated. No crazy vocal effects and it carries over Mark's light strumming. It's jazzy, bluesy, and rich. Mmmmmm-mmmmm! Those blended vocals in the chorus are A+. Yes, I'm gushing. This song grew on me so much over the years. THAT KEY CHANGE in "hard to tell my nights now from my days" still stands out to me and I love how it serves as the turning point in the song. Things really get full and thick when Mark and Myles go all the way together on the chorus. Another movie quote - Meg Ryan - "YES, YES, YES!" "Remember to CARRY ON!" They have repeated that OVER and OVER again throughout their albums. Thank you Alter Bridge. In the almost 20 years I've followed this band they have pulled me through some REALLY hard times. Mark ends with what became one of my top 5 solos from him. It's incredible. I sure hope they play this song live when I see them in Minnesota. I have never heard it played live before in the dozen times I've seen them. 9/10.

5. Metalingus - the best drum song by Scott Phillips, EVER. No contest. This intro is incredible. Mark's guitar sounds HUGE! I love playing this opening riff. Lyrically, my favorite AB song of all time. "THE TIME HAS COME TO CHANGE MY WAYS!" "Regret won't waste my life AGAIN!" Yes, sir! "I'll fight to REMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!" The bridge section with Brian and Flip still gets me pumped. "Fear will kill me, all I could be". Myles blows the roof off "Could you SET ME FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Hair raising! The way he holds out his notes is unparalleled by any other singer I can think of. Maybe Howard Jones from Killswitch coming in a distant second. The song ends with that thrashy, double kick drum. It's no exaggeration that I want the lyrics of this song put on my tombstone. I'm serious. They mean that much to me. My FAVORITE SONG BY ALTER BRIDGE. 20/10!

6. Broken Wings - about as bluesy as Mark has ever been. The Joe Bonamassa influence was strong. His guitar intro on this song is gorgeous. Brian is so distinct here. That gorgeous warmth is in full effect. Myles has slight doubling "In my opinion seeing is to know." It has the Creed feel in the chorus. Uplifting, hopeful, like Higher. My favorite "Cry yourselves to sleep, we will sleep alone forever". "Save the fading light in our souls". Oh...my. The way he says/sings "WON'T" has so much feeling/emotion. Some great sprinkled guitar squeals towards the end. The bookend finger picked guitar line/outro is a really nice touch with that little lick at the end. 8.5/10.

7. In Loving Memory - I will admit, songs like this didn't really resonate with me until I lost my grandparents in 2015. It has a ton of emotion and is deeply personal for Mark. I couldn't imagine losing my mother. No wonder they didn't play it much live for many, many years. When my parents were gone visiting my grandmother last year I stayed at their house. It felt "empty and alone". It was the first time that I had ever been there for an extended period by myself. Strange that I think of that while listening to this song. Another delicate finger picked ending and harmonic. 8/10.

8. Down to My Last - yes, it has that Creed feel. And I love it. The way that they recorded Myles' voice on this album needs to be commended. It's nothing short of perfect. He sounds INCREDIBLE. "I'm down to MY LAST!" There's no point where I think, "this is painful or too high". Another favorite guitar solo of Mark's. He had such great feeling and phrasing on this album. I like his legato stuff but this was his sweet spot in my opinion. Myles' whisper sings "but I'm down to my last" in that soft, soothing tone. Yummy. When he climbs up high for the final go around they double him for emphasis "I'm ready but I'M RAW". The only point in the song where I go, not necessary. 8/10.

9. Watch Your Words - unexpected programmed beat or just heavily muted drums? and shrill sound. When the song hits, it hits hard. It has an angry, snarling, tone. Myles does his best to sound condemning. The tinking drums have a nice moment. "I can't fight no more, I'm drowning, and I'm sick inside". This was the feel that transitioned them into the Blackbird album. The bridge with the big, booming parts and "oooooohhhhh-oooooohhs" are my favorite part. Then Myles goes up "oh the RIGHTEOUS, they can't wait". He continues his ooooohing and aaaahing. Something that dropped off in later albums. I miss it. The final moments of this song feel the most like modern day Alter Bridge. I think they were exploring this side early on. 7/10.

10. Shed My Skin - goooooood LOOOOOORD! That intro - "I am not alone". Jaw dropping. I love how the guitar line from Mark mirrors Myles' voice. Comes in full tilt with Flip and Brian adding that beautiful low end. The guitar slides on this song are some of the best that Mark has ever done. The song transitions nicely between meaty chorus and restrained verses. Brian's most pronounced bass work on the album. AWESOME! How can you not sing along with "SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED my SKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN!"? And then we arrive at the best part of the song "All my life I've waited, endless days have taken, taken what made me free". The way they end with the "heyyy-eyyyyy-eyyyys" is a cool touch. Mark throws in what I call "guitar scribbles". They are quick little scratchy scale things. Fun! 8/10.

11. The End is Here - another song that really grew on me. It has that same feel as Wash Away Those Years from Human Clay. That beautiful guitar intro with semi-clean tone. "Always here" with mirrored guitar line is a highlight. The bluesy guitar comes back in the verses. It has that Creed feel in the chorus. Then more great drumming from Flip. I LOVE the descending guitar with crazy WAH. Sounds like a classical song. It has that finality to it - a great way to end the album. 7.5/10.

Man, I've talked several times about going back in time. I can remember the big transition of graduating from college in Arizona, leaving my girlfriend behind, and moving out to Oregon to start my first job out of college - one that I stayed at for almost 10 years. Alter Bridge was with me through all of that and also a website - alterbridgeband.net. I visited multiple times a day with my old screen name - Faulk2882. I don't post nearly as much but appreciate maximzub starting this thread as it gave me an opportunity to comment on the music that has been with me over the last 20 years. I still love ODR - 8/10 - and I had no idea what Alter Bridge had in store after that album. When a good friend of mine was going through a terrible time I gave him my copies of ODR, Blackbird, AB III, and Fortress. THAT is how much these albums mean to me. Thank you AB.
Image
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_

User avatar
maximzub
On The Rail
Posts: 1328
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:57 am
Location: Where women don't exist.

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by maximzub »

Schulzy wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:31 pm
maximzub wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 7:06 pm I've read a couple of the reviews on this thread lately. They're great! Reading them almost makes me feel like I'm listening to the album even though I'm not. So, I wanted to try to do something like that myself.

The album I'm reviewing is by the band that's my current obsession, Halestorm. Their newest album, Back From The Dead, came out in May 2022. I was aware of it at the time, but I had only heard a few songs by them back then and I never checked it out. I later decided to listen to some more of their songs in September, but only one of them was from this album ("The Steeple"). Nevertheless, I did like the songs I had heard and they climbed up to #6 in my top 10 bands.

Fast forward to December, and I've suddenly found myself caught up in a major crush on Lzzy Hale. Don't remember how it happened. It might have been because a video of them showed up in my YouTube recommended or something. Anyway, that's when I started listening to them like crazy, discovering new songs, analyzing their live performances, and of course drooling over pictures and videos of Lzzy. That's what catapulted them to #3 in my top 10 bands. Anyway, back to this album. Within a few days of this happening, I decided to listen to a few more songs from Back From The Dead. Later that week, I listened to the seven deluxe edition bonus tracks the day they came out. (I'm not including those in my album review because they're way too different from the rest of the album.) Then almost a month later, I listened to the rest of the album. It's currently the only Halestorm album I've listened to in its entirety.
Well done, Max! I especially liked your introduction and admitted crush on Lzzy. I felt the same with Jen Ledger from Skillet and Courtney LaPlante from Spiritbox. Your individual song reviews were thoughtful and you did a great job explaining likes and dislikes. I have listened to the song Back From The Dead and watched Myles and Lzzy duet. She is very talented but I find her vocal style to be a little too much for me at times. I will check out the whole album.
Thanks!

- My crush on Lzzy is pretty hard. It's come to the point that I'm frequently fantasizing about meeting her and talking to her (which isn't unattainable; my best friend and I want to get Meet & Greets next time they play near us).
- I tried to model my review off of your reviews.
- Lzzy can go overboard with her singing/screaming sometimes. But there are a lot more times when her voice is just heavenly. And also a lot of times where it's sexy. See the video below.
- I love the Watch Over You duet as well. If you've only heard that one song by Halestorm, I'd recommend you check out It's Not You, Familiar Taste Of Poison, Love Bites (So Do I), Mz. Hyde, I Miss The Misery, Freak Like Me, Break In, I Am The Fire, Apocalyptic, Killing Ourselves To Live, Wicked Ways, and Strange Girl.

I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

User avatar
maximzub
On The Rail
Posts: 1328
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:57 am
Location: Where women don't exist.

Re: Alter Bridge - One Day Remains Album Review

Post by maximzub »

Schulzy wrote: Sat Jan 14, 2023 10:32 pm Man, I've talked several times about going back in time. I can remember the big transition of graduating from college in Arizona, leaving my girlfriend behind, and moving out to Oregon to start my first job out of college - one that I stayed at for almost 10 years. Alter Bridge was with me through all of that and also a website - alterbridgeband.net. I visited multiple times a day with my old screen name - Faulk2882. I don't post nearly as much but appreciate maximzub starting this thread as it gave me an opportunity to comment on the music that has been with me over the last 20 years. I still love ODR - 8/10 - and I had no idea what Alter Bridge had in store after that album. When a good friend of mine was going through a terrible time I gave him my copies of ODR, Blackbird, AB III, and Fortress. THAT is how much these albums mean to me. Thank you AB.
You are very welcome! I had no idea what this was going to turn into when I first created the thread. I made it thinking that I was going to do some of these, but then college got in the way and I didn't do any save for one post with shorter summaries of the five albums I had been listening to the most at the time. Since I still have a week left before winter break ends, I might just add some reviews here finally. It's a nice way to kill time when I'm not playing music, which is basically all I do these days.

Over time, I've found that I have less and less of an emotional connection to music, and that I like certain songs and bands because they're actually good and fit the style that I like musically. I don't pay attention much to lyrics anymore. I mean, I learn them because I like to learn them, but I don't connect with them.

I used to have playlists of songs that reminded me of certain girls that I crushed on. (Technically I still do - since my current crush is Lzzy Hale, you could say my Halestorm playlist is a playlist of songs that reminds me of her.) By now, I've grown to dislike and even hate a good number of those songs.

I also haven't followed many album cycles of my favorite bands. There isn't a single band that I've followed the hype through two album releases. (That will change in March when Pop Evil releases Skeletons - I remember when their previous album Versatile was announced - and the same will happen with Metallica the following month.)

Long story short, I don't know if I've lived enough years to feel the way you do about music.
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

User avatar
maximzub
On The Rail
Posts: 1328
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:57 am
Location: Where women don't exist.

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by maximzub »

I'm gonna start my streak of album reviews with a slightly more pessimistic review of one that Schulzy just reviewed - One Day Remains by...do I even need to say their name? Okay, fine. Alter Bridge!

While it's not my favorite album of theirs, it's their most consistent in my opinion. Very different style from what they have written since then.

1. Find The Real - should not have been the opener. It has a nice groove, but doesn't have enough energy to start the album right. Also, Myles's vocals in the chorus have that grungy slide to them that I never liked. It's for these reasons that it's my least favorite song from the album. That being said, Myles's long note at the end is one to remember. 7/10.

2. One Day Remains - here we get into the crazy territory that is what I love about Alter Bridge. THIS should have been the opener. Very high amount of energy and there's that crazy riff that Mark plays throughout the verses that's awesome. Great vocal harmonies by Myles and Mark in the chorus. The solo is nice but a little too short. It would have been cooler if there was some sort of tradeoff between two guitarists to double the length of it. (Yes, I know Myles didn't play guitar on this album. I'm just saying it would be cooler if there was a two-guitar tradeoff. Maybe they could do that live?) It gets a little bit annoying how many times the line "how it feels, how it feels, to be alive" is repeated during the bridge. Overall a great high energy song. 9/10.

3. Open Your Eyes - defining song of the album here. It's great when they blend their heavy rock songs with ballads into one song, like this one. I can't describe Myles's low register on this album with any other word than "sweet". The harmonies scattered throughout the song are great. Powerful singalong chorus. Myles just soars during the bridge. That solo! My favorite song from the album. 10/10.



4. Burn It Down - another defining song of the album here. One of the best strumming intros I've ever heard. It's still my go-to chord progression whenever I play acoustic guitars with new strings (and it sounds especially good on the Taylor we just loaned while our Taylor is in the shop). More low register by Myles. Epic chorus with more Mark harmonies, but sounds good even with one voice, like when Mark sings it these days. One of the few songs that I can tolerate a key change in, and what's different and cool about this one is that it actually goes to a lower key than it started with...without a jarring transition of any kind. More tasty chords in the bridge. Epic solo that's probably the best on this album. 10/10.



5. Metalingus - back to the high energy songs. Cool riff. Yet another powerful chorus. The bridge sounds like it was written specifically to be a quiet-down spot during a live show, and it works perfectly in that respect. Then obviously Myles's high notes are awesome. Scott's drumming is crazy all around, especially in the fill just before the last chorus and in the outro. I wish the outro was twice as long to have more of an effect. 9/10.

6. Broken Wings - first Alter Bridge song I ever heard. It took me a long while to get into this song, but I've come around to it. Mark's clean riffs on this entire album are off the charts, and this is no exception. More of Myles's sweet lower register. Another powerful singalong chorus. This one has the typical structure of most songs on the album. Cool lick by Mark at the end, which I'm still trying to figure out. 9.5/10.

7. In Loving Memory - basically the same structure as Broken Wings. Beautiful intro, which I actually took the time to learn by watching Mark's lesson for it. It's the only song I can play in an open tuning. Same comments as for other songs on this album - sweet Myles lower register, powerful singalong chorus - you get the picture. With these songs, it kinda depends on my mood which ones I like better. Currently, I'm a little mad at this song for stealing the spot of Watch Over You in setlists, because I want to see them play that live in a month. 9/10.

8. Down To My Last - this one shares a structure more akin to Open Your Eyes. Again, same comments as before. It's just not quite as powerful as some of the other songs are. Cool solo, but not one of my favorites on the album or overall. It's a great song, but not one that I find myself going back to much. 8/10.

9. Watch Your Words - I was immediately hooked when I first heard this song, but the excitement for it has faded over time. Jumpscare intro, with another cool riff. It doesn't have much else special to it other than the breakdown riff, which gets repeated at the end. If I remember correctly, Myles isn't harmonized at all during the song, for better or for worse. It's another one I wouldn't really go back to much. 8/10.

10. Shed My Skin - we're back to ballads. I could practically say the same things about this song that I said about Broken Wings. But the chorus has more singability. Wow! Ends with a good singalong vocalizing melody while Myles interjects some high note lines. It's awesome. 10/10.



11. The End Is Here - I'm not sure how to describe the feeling the main riff and verse evoke. It sounds like you're slowly traveling through space and time, if that makes sense. Only a few songs make me feel this way (So Cold by Breaking Benjamin, Last Man Standing by Alter Bridge, and Bring Me To Life by Evanescence, to name a few) and I love it. The bridge is epic and I envision that it could have been an even heavier breakdown of some sorts. Perfect way to close this particular album. 8.5/10.

As for the three songs from the Rarities CD that were recorded around this time, I've only heard them once and I don't remember much of them other than not being that special. In terms of other B-sides from this time period, I think Save Me is a cool song but nothing special, and Ahavo Rabo Taco Salad isn't much of a song to begin with.

Overall album thoughts - there's no doubt that this is one of the best albums I've heard so far. I still hope that someday Alter Bridge will make some songs like these for their future albums (Season Of Promise was just not it). 9/10.

Songs from this album that placed in my 2022 year-end top 100 songs - Open Your Eyes (#36), Burn It Down (#42), Shed My Skin (#58)

Additional comment - Kudos to myself for writing this review while listening to other music.
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

User avatar
Schulzy
White Knuckled
Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:05 pm
Location: The Hawkeye State

Re: Alter Bridge - One Day Remains Album Review

Post by Schulzy »

maximzub wrote: Sun Jan 15, 2023 2:56 am
You are very welcome! I had no idea what this was going to turn into when I first created the thread. I made it thinking that I was going to do some of these, but then college got in the way and I didn't do any save for one post with shorter summaries of the five albums I had been listening to the most at the time. Since I still have a week left before winter break ends, I might just add some reviews here finally. It's a nice way to kill time when I'm not playing music, which is basically all I do these days.

Over time, I've found that I have less and less of an emotional connection to music, and that I like certain songs and bands because they're actually good and fit the style that I like musically. I don't pay attention much to lyrics anymore. I mean, I learn them because I like to learn them, but I don't connect with them.

I used to have playlists of songs that reminded me of certain girls that I crushed on. (Technically I still do - since my current crush is Lzzy Hale, you could say my Halestorm playlist is a playlist of songs that reminds me of her.) By now, I've grown to dislike and even hate a good number of those songs.

I also haven't followed many album cycles of my favorite bands. There isn't a single band that I've followed the hype through two album releases. (That will change in March when Pop Evil releases Skeletons - I remember when their previous album Versatile was announced - and the same will happen with Metallica the following month.)

Long story short, I don't know if I've lived enough years to feel the way you do about music.
Yes, I know that for some the lyrics are secondary to the music itself. That's how I feel about a band like Chevelle. With Alter Bridge it's different. I would say the same about Switchfoot or Disciple. I connect on another level. It's almost like they are asking the questions that I ponder day in and out or address the frustration/disappointment that I have experienced. When I listen to a band like Halestorm I can appreciate what they do musically and vocally but they don't pull me in lyrically. I think the first song I ever heard from them was I Get Off. I thought, she's like a harder, grungier version of Pat Benatar.....and that's about it. I wonder psychologically what it is about certain foods or music that attract people - especially en masse. To comment on your final statement about not having lived long enough to feel the same way I would say, "time served on the earth doesn't mean you grow in mind". What I mean to say is that just because you age doesn't necessarily mean you HAVE to or WILL change your reactions. Those are your own. That's what I love about the unique creations that we all are especially with our minds, hearts, and ears.
Image
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_

User avatar
maximzub
On The Rail
Posts: 1328
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:57 am
Location: Where women don't exist.

Re: Alter Bridge - One Day Remains Album Review

Post by maximzub »

Schulzy wrote: Sun Jan 15, 2023 11:17 am When I listen to a band like Halestorm I can appreciate what they do musically and vocally but they don't pull me in lyrically. I think the first song I ever heard from them was I Get Off. I thought, she's like a harder, grungier version of Pat Benatar.....and that's about it.
As a matter of fact, I feel almost the same way. Sure, there are some great songs lyrically by them like Familiar Taste Of Poison, Skulls, and Strange Girl, and I'm just a sucker for most of their innuendo songs. I'm not a big fan of I Get Off. It doesn't have nearly as much power as some of their other songs have. So I get that that would be a mild first impression at best.

It's a crazy story how I was introduced to them. Back in 2016, I went to a local day camp called Rock & Roll Institute. Local kid musicians ages 12-18 were invited to attend, where they would measure your skill and sort you into bands based on age, skill, instrument, and musical preferences. Then you have five days (Monday-Friday) to rehearse 3-4 songs to play on stage on Friday night. I did it 7 times (once in 2016 and twice each year for the next three years), and I have rarely seen a band stay together past the summer tour dates. One such band that did stay together (for over a year, actually) was hilariously named Brutal Wedgie. We followed them through their entire time together. So we went to see them play their first longer set somewhere in 2017. And they played a song that was really challenging vocally, but the (female) singer absolutely nailed. My mom asked the guitarist's dad what song that was, and he told us it was I Am The Fire by Halestorm. Looked it up when we got home. Nice! The next thing I heard from them was I Miss The Misery on the radio. Then almost nothing for 4 years, except we once listened to their cover of All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You by Heart somewhere in between 2017 and 2021.

In 2021, we started going to a local open mic and I met a pair of sisters there that were around my age. The younger one and I hit it off and became close friends, and I must admit I might have had a small crush on her too. She's a big Halestorm fan, and she once suggested we learn I Miss The Misery together. That's what prompted me to revisit that and I Am The Fire. A couple months later, she and her sister played Familiar Taste Of Poison and they sounded amazing.

A little tangent: At one open mic, she was soundchecking her guitar and played a bit of Watch Over You. I was like, "Did you just play one of my favorite songs ever?" It turned out, she wanted to learn the Myles/Lzzy duet version, and she sent it to me. I still love it to this day. We never did it together because our friendship ended almost as soon as it had started.

So in mid-2022 I was making a playlist to be the house music for my graduation party. I was trying to branch out from my normal scheme of my core bands (at the time Volbeat, Alter Bridge, Metallica, Pop Evil, Bon Jovi, etc.) and I downloaded a whole bunch of songs from different artists that I had heard being covered at open mics. Familiar Taste Of Poison was one of them. That was the first time I heard the original version, and I loved it. I still didn't listen to anything else by them for another few months. Then, somewhere in September, I decided to challenge myself to listen to one new band every day for a week. I think I might remember why I chose Halestorm for Day 2. I think I was watching Loudwire's Wikipedia: Fact Or Fiction? videos for Myles and Mark, and then the one for Lzzy was in the recommended, so I checked it out because I thought it might be interesting. Then I decided to listen to more of their songs. The rest of the story has been explained above.

My best friend Ashton has seen Halestorm live. They came to play at a festival in our town in 2018, and his dad was doing sound. So Ashton got to meet Arejay and even got a pair of signed drumsticks from him. Unfortunately, he didn't get to meet Lzzy as she was tired and went to sleep in the tour bus. I'm still patiently waiting for them to announce another US tour so Ashton and I can go see them, and hopefully they offer Meet & Greets because that's how much I/we want to meet Lzzy.
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

User avatar
Schulzy
White Knuckled
Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:05 pm
Location: The Hawkeye State

Re: Alter Bridge - One Day Remains Album Review

Post by Schulzy »

maximzub wrote: Sun Jan 15, 2023 12:54 pm My best friend Ashton has seen Halestorm live. They came to play at a festival in our town in 2018, and his dad was doing sound. So Ashton got to meet Arejay and even got a pair of signed drumsticks from him. Unfortunately, he didn't get to meet Lzzy as she was tired and went to sleep in the tour bus. I'm still patiently waiting for them to announce another US tour so Ashton and I can go see them, and hopefully they offer Meet & Greets because that's how much I/we want to meet Lzzy.
When you finally get to meet people that you really admire it's quite the rush. I remember meeting Myles and Mark at the Foxwoods Casino in 2007. I was so nervous and didn't really know what I was going to say. I hope you and Ashton can meet Lzzy and talk to her for a little while. It will be unforgettable.
Image
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_

User avatar
maximzub
On The Rail
Posts: 1328
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:57 am
Location: Where women don't exist.

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by maximzub »

Although I've said that most music doesn't connect to me in an emotional way, there is one album that did, and it still endures as my favorite album of all time. It's Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood by Volbeat. I've known this band for 3 1/2 years, and I don't think any band will ever replace them as my favorite of all time. There are so few songs by them that I would rather not listen to. There are also few albums that I can say have no bad songs on them, and this is one of them.

1. Intro (End Of The Road) - I could care less about this. It's not really a real track, just a little bit of steel guitar by a non-band member. Doesn't really need to be on the album. I'm not gonna include it in my review.

2. Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood - okay, the music has started. You can feel the energy building from Michael's palm-muted power chords. Pretty soon the drums are in and we're off. Singalong chorus. Nice riff in between verses. Breaks down in the middle with a pump-up bridge ("Let it all start with a song, I'm sure we'll get along"). My only complaint is why did they have to switch to shuffle-time for the last chorus? Great title song and probably my favorite on the album. 9/10.



3. Back To Prom - remember when I said this album has an emotional connection to me? Well, this song is one of the reasons why. I discovered Volbeat in 2019, and throughout my sophomore year of high school, they became my favorite band. Also during my sophomore year of high school, my head was not in the right place. I became psychotically obsessed with a girl from my school, to the point that I was following her around the school building even when she told me to stop. I regret all of the things I did about her, including writing a song for her that seems way more creepy than genuine. Anyway, this song is about taking a girl to prom, only to find that she left with another guy. It's one of those lost love songs that I felt I could connect with at the time. The song itself is short and sweet (less than 2 minutes long) and the main guitar melody is really nice. 9/10.

4. Mary Ann's Place - after the more punky opening tracks (a style that mostly dominates the album), we get into the hard rock/heavy metal mix territory that is what I love about Volbeat. Another nice guitar melody. Heavy riffs preceding the first verse. Pernille Rosendahl's vocal harmonies are a really nice touch, and her voice complements Michael's amazingly. And this is coming from someone that typically doesn't like female singers (Lzzy Hale being the major exception). This song isn't complete without her. More heavy riffs at the end. Great song. 8.5/10.

5. Hallelujah Goat - not counting the last chorus of Guitar Gangsters & Cadillac Blood, this is the first song of the album where we get the classic Volbeat swing beat. It's chock full of riffs and Michael's voice goes higher than it normally did during this time period in the chorus. Epic double bass in the chorus as well. The first guitar solo on the album and it's nothing special, but considering Michael's playing it, it's nice. My favorite aspect of the song is the drumming and the palm-muted guitars during the chorus. 9/10.

6. Maybellene I Hofteholder - another lost love song, or should I say a stalker song? Acoustic intro which is bound to bring up the lighters at a show. Then it launches into another pop-punk verse. Half-time chorus with nice vocalized backing vocals. The outro is also in half-time, and it's heartbreaking lyrically. I should mention that the storyline of this song is well-crafted. The main character is obsessed with Maybellene and tries to bring her out of her hotel room by smoking it. Unfortunately, this process kills her and he's left heartbroken and regretting his actions. I took a long break from this song for some reason, but it was just as good as I remembered it when I finally revisited it. If I remember correctly, it was also the lead single from this album. 9/10.

7. We - not a standout track. Another acoustic intro before it launches into a speed punk beat that dominated their next album Beyond Hell/Above Heaven. The vocalized melody is a nice singalong though. Slide solo that could have been easily replaced by a better guitar solo. Weak ending with the slide guitar again. It kinda bothers me when songs repeat the same verse twice in a row, and this song does exactly that. I should mention that it's another lost love song, but it's not one of those that I connected to as much. That all said, it's not a bad song at all. 8/10.

8. Still Counting - here's the mega hit that put Volbeat on the map outside of Europe, albeit four years late. Starts with an offbeat clean riff by Thomas, with one of the funniest opening lines to a song ever ("Counting all the assholes in the room / Well I'm definitely not alone, well I'm not alone"). The rest of the song is not that funny, but the heavy kicks in after the first verse. This just dawned on me - they haven't been following one song structure for this album at all. In fact, they like to play with song structures in general. I like that about them. Anyway, it's a song with high energy and the breakdown is awesome, featuring guitar harmonies that were a rare thing on the albums between The Strength/The Sound/The Songs and Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies. Cool solo. Not sure who plays it, because it's never been played live in this form. Before Rob Caggiano joined, Michael would play a different solo live. Once Rob joined, he played a still different (crazier) solo. Awesome song and it's the only song from this album I've seen live. Great live show closer. 9/10.



9. Light A Way - Volbeat was never a band to write many ballads, but when they do, they deliver. This is a beautiful country-inspired song with more high vocals by Michael in the chorus (and even higher vocal harmonies by Thomas). The strings only add to the glory of this song. There's a breakdown where there's a tiny solo doubled by the strings. Epic. Can't say much more about this song though as I haven't heard it in a while. 8.5/10.

10. Wild Rover Of Hell - is that speed metal? Volbeat decided to wear their Metallica influence on their sleeves for this song, going as far as to sing the lines "The stereo pumping Metallica tunes / Ride the lightning, oh yeah". Naturally, they brought this song back into the setlist after 9 years when they opened for Metallica in 2017. Great chorus that's a break from the thrashy madness. The bridge is also nice. Not really a standout song, though. 8/10.

11. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry - first cover on the album. Starts with the slide guitar again. Then straight into a punk beat. Sounds like a 50's melody...wait, it is. Half-time chorus. That's really all I have to say. I admire what they did to the song to make it their own, but it's not one of their best covers. 7.5/10.

12. A Broken Man And The Dawn - here's another song about music. Acoustic intro. Then distorted guitars jump in. Similar vibe to the title track. Then in the middle, we get a random heavy riff, with the bridge lyrics sang over it. A nice touch is the harmony on the last line of each bridge stanza ("and play", "now listen", "forever"). This odd structure was previously used in their song Radio Girl (same key too). This would probably fall into the middle if I were to rank the songs on the album. I like it. 8.5/10.\

13. Find That Soul - the low D heavy riffs are back! While they pretty much dominated their previous two albums, there aren't as many on this album. Mary Ann's Place, Hallelujah Goat, Still Counting, and Find That Soul are the only ones that have them. And man, are they sounding awesome on this song! It starts with just an alternate picked note and the recurring guitar melody. Then drums come in, and before you know it, we're in slow heavy double bass territory. And then we get the swing beat again. The chorus is tremendous, as is the mid-song solo, which oddly makes me feel like I'm flying. Why they haven't played this song live (except the intro to open their shows or encores before transitioning to another song) is beyond me. Maybe because of the vocal tradeoffs in the chorus? Way to close the album, although there's one more track that I consider essential to the album. 9/10.



14. Making Believe - I love this song. Even though it's a bonus track (and another cover), I think this is an absolute must to have on the album and it's missing something without it. It should have replaced I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. And it's yet another lost love song that I used to listen to all the time during sophomore year (and I even dragged this into my junior year). The main character loves someone, and wishes that they were together, but knows it's never going to happen. The slow intro is a great build to the rest of the song, which is punky and has a great in-between guitar melody. And unlike the title track, I think it's fitting that they switched to shuffle-time for the last verse. It makes the song more interesting. 9/10.

Overall album thoughts - I have not heard a better album in my life, ever. The only complaint (aside from suggesting that the covers be switched around) is that from a production standpoint, they were on a downward trend that culminated in their next album being muddy as hell. The guitars are weak and both the bass and snare drum sometimes get lost in the mix. Other than that, it's an amazing album and I like to recommend it to anybody looking for new albums to listen to. 10/10.

Songs from this album that placed in my 2022 year-end top 100 songs - None actually! It's very interesting to note that although I love a lot of these songs, none are in my top 10 Volbeat songs, or in my top 100 overall songs. However, a bunch came pretty damn close. That's just how much I love Volbeat. Their entire discography is, on average, placed much higher in my overall rankings than any other band.
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

User avatar
Schulzy
White Knuckled
Posts: 243
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2016 8:05 pm
Location: The Hawkeye State

Our Lady Peace - Gravity Album Review

Post by Schulzy »

Ohhhhhh Canada! I have never visited but it's on my bucket list. I was engaged to a woman of French Canadian descent. We almost went to Montreal but plans changed. Anyhow, my ignorance is going to show here. Canada is awesome for providing us with hockey, poutine, WB/CW shows, and more recently the Raptors and Spiritbox. And lest we forget, Our Lady Peace emerged in the late 90s to become a national treasure. I did not pay much attention to them until the release of Gravity in 2002. To the review!

1. All for You - a sad piano to open with some distorted feedback. Whoa! Some of the lowest bass I've heard on any rock album. It's a sluggish song. Raine sings "A suburban man"....."he wants discipline". His voice alternates between the center and then spreads wide to both speakers - VERY COOL. The drums remain centered while the guitar is in the left speaker and effects in the right. Neat production. Raine's voice is different. He speak/sings a lot of his verses. "Broken families" is a nice moment where he "digs in" a little more. He has nice quavering in the softer - "It's all for you, you got me where you want". The song is somewhat repetitive towards the end. I like the quick "leave me alone!" to end. 7.5/10.

2. Do You Like It - another whoa. The CLARITY of the guitar and drums is remarkable. It's loud and yes, PUNCHY. When the bass comes in it is tremendous. Listen to Raine "yeahhhEEEEEEEaaaaaahhh". Those choices take the song from mediocre to good. It's another slow mover but has a nice melody and chord progressions. The bridge "I just want to get out, stuck inside of this". "I don't want to be a puppet or a sucker". Lyrically I get more out of this song now - staying with somebody and trying to please them or become what they want you to be. 7/10.

3. Somewhere Out There - This song made an appearance on Smallville (one of my favorite shows in college). It had that Aerosmith sound like from Armageddon. Acoustic opening. "Llllllast time I talked to you". I really like Raine's voice on this and a song that I enjoy singing along with. "All we are, is all so far". A searching song, wanting and hoping to find someone. They get some added strings before the second verse. The "purple hair and the way you taste" lyrics is a little corny but I can work with it. Again, overly repetitive with the x3 chorus to end the song but still an enjoyable song. 7.5/10.

4. Innocent - my favorite on the album. Great drum sound. "Oh Johnny wishes he was famous". The song moves. Raine does a little falsetto "I, remember feeling low, I remember losing hope, I remember all the feelings and the day they stopped". That booming bass from Duncan is super nice. I love the lyrics "she wishes she was a dance, and that she never heard of cancer. She wishes God would give her some answers, and make her feel beautiful". Some nice backing vocals from the band "We are all innocent". The halfway point musically is some of the best that the band has done. "One day you'll stand up on your own". So hopeful. The music video was one of my favorites at the time too. It felt like it was telling a bunch of stories. 9/10.



5. Made of Steel - they like the Superman theme - see the album Clumsy. Bob Rock did an oustanding job of giving them a BIG sound (divisive as it was with the fan base). "Hold your head high, don't look down, I'm by your side, won't back down". More falsetto "they knock you down, I'll pick you up"....."they laugh at you, I'll SHUT THEM UP!" A beautiful song about just BEING THERE for somebody who is struggling. You don't have to be a superhero. You can be a FRIEND. 7.5/10.

6. Not Enough - that sad feeling returns with the lone guitar. They do a good job alternating between faster/slower songs on this album. Production is excellent, again. They have beautiful thickness in the chorus. "There's nothing like the pain I feel for you". The song really takes off in the second half. Very Zeppelin-esque. "It's not enough, not enough, not enough, I'm sorry". A nice, mild guitar solo if too soft in the mix. Raine's voice "when they saaaaaaaaaaaaay, you're not that strong" has the perfect tone for the song. It's an "I get it, I understand" what you are feeling song. 8/10.



7. Sell My Soul - a long held note that goes into the bendy intro. I can't tell what Raine is saying in the background. He has doubled vocals - center and left speaker. "I hold on, I hold on". "I can't let go" is in the right speaker with band backing vocals. I like the guitar work on this song. It's effective even if not super technical. Changes tone "nothing seems to heal, nothing seems to work". Song ends with the same intro. 7.5/10.

8. Sorry - cheerful - "today's a reason for living". It's a "yell in the face of everything you can't stand anymore" song. A new start, putting the past behind you. "Welcome to this world". The bridge is excellent, "today we carry each other, today we do what we should, today's a time for forgiving". THIS is what I like about Alter Bridge. Recognition that life is hard, there are times when you want to give up, but every new day is a chance to START OVER and MAKE THINGS BETTER!". 7.5/10.

9. Bring Back the Sun - holy.....that BASS! Raine sounds like he's singing slightly off key and I LOVE it. "Little white house". Has a raw feeling to it that I wish more bands embraced. Slow and thoughtful. "mystery is gone". "bury this hate and build it with love". Nice guitar work from Steve. 7/10.

10. Story About a Girl - I like the guitar intro and shake-a-shake maracas. "A little girl" in both speakers back to center. Sounds like there are three Raines before the chorus. Jeremy did a great job drumming on this album. Steve gets another chance to shine with notable guitar work before the second verse. That repeated - duh-nee-na. "Are you waking up holding your breath?" "I promise I'll always be there". Raine does such a good job giving certain words a slight twist "with all my FAITH". Great ending. 8/10.



You can read all about the band's makeup and tensions leading up to this album. Their break with guitarist Mike Turner and the decision to seek out Bob Rock. I still own my CD copy of this album along with Clumsy, Happiness is Not a Fish, and Spiritual Machines. Each one has songs that I like but the SOUND and CONSISTENCY of this album stand out above the rest to me. A 7.5/10 and barely misses out on my top 10 of all time.
Image
_^:Tangled in your trance and I'm certain:^_

User avatar
maximzub
On The Rail
Posts: 1328
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:57 am
Location: Where women don't exist.

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by maximzub »

Schulzy, I don't know if you're a musician, but I certainly am. I started with piano in 2012 (which, to my mom's dismay, I have gradually phased out), then drums in 2014 (still my favorite instrument and the one I am best at), then guitar in 2016 (the instrument I play the most), and I only started singing in 2019 (backing vocals, lead was in 2020). I love to write songs and have been doing so since 2015, although I only started being serious in 2017. Since 2020, I have been recording some of my originals from time to time. Last year, I had the goal to write and record an entire album's worth of songs by the end of the summer. And that's exactly what I did. It's not an official album, but I consider it as a demo album. We call it Into The Vortex. Although I recorded all the instruments and vocals myself, it is credited to my band Headroom Karma because we plan to play these songs as a band. Also, each member contributed at least something to the album, with Carson writing two songs mostly by himself and helping me with others, and Ashton also helping me with some lyrics. There are also some outside writers: three friends that I used to write with. Anyway, I'm gonna try to do something risky and review this album as objectively as possible. Unfortunately, I can't entirely assume the position of an outside reviewer.

1. Long Live Metal - way to not open the album. It's got a nice riff and groove, and it's a great example of a bare-basics blues rock song. However, the lyrics are cringey ("Something happened unfortunately, and it seemed like rock music would be dead"). There's also no chorus to carry the song, and the solos are a mess. 6/10.

2. Roadtrip Song - here we get more of a country-rock song. Sounds a lot like something Alter Bridge would do on One Day Remains or Blackbird. Great main riff. Verse melody is nice with me using my lower register. Powerful singalong chorus. The bridge is a nice break from the similar chords of the rest of the song, albeit with an annoying slide guitar melody underneath it. Then we get a well-crafted solo reminiscent of Mark Tremonti. The vocal melody changes a little bit for the last chorus, and there's some vocalized backing vocals underneath it that are very nice. Solid song, and I could see it being a big song on rock radio. 10/10.



3. Free From This - here you can clearly hear the difference between my and Carson's writing styles. Carson leans more towards classic rock influences for this one, with simple clean cowboy chords strummed underneath both the verses and choruses. Slightly cringey lyrics in his verses ("I sat up and looked out the window / The sky was blue"). Catchy chorus with nice harmonies (in the demo it's me singing both harmony parts, but live it would be Carson singing the higher harmony and me singing the lower harmony). The bridge keeps up the momentum while changing chords. Nice tradeoff solo. The last verse seems out of place thematically as it changes the topic from being stuck at home to being stuck at school. I have to give it one thing - I don't think there has ever been a rock musician to mention AP US History in a song. Nice song, but weak. Its strongest aspect is its singability. 8.5/10.

4. Losing A Friend - now we're in ballady territory. Interesting arpeggiated clean intro. Not really a singalong chorus, but it's powerful and reminiscent of the 80's. Heavy bridge, kinda like Broken Wings. You can clearly hear the emotion in my vocals at the end of the bridge ("I just wish that I didn't have to be reminded / That our friendship tore like paper / And there isn't enough tape in this world to hold it together"). Nice guitar harmony section to close it out. Sounds like it could be a tremendous song with better production. 9/10.

5. Sanity Insanity - we shift away from the classic rock style into heavy metal land. Clean, soft intro that sounds like it's going to be a ballad, and then the main riff comes blasting in your face. Nice chorus, although the lyrics sound crammed. Cool solo. Heavy breakdown! Sustained high note by me into the last chorus. The outro is pure madness as I'm jumping across the fretboard with drop-tuned power chords. Surely packs a punch in its 4 minutes. The only problem I have is the vocals don't have a consistent rhythm and just sound like syllables thrown around randomly. 9.5/10.

6. I Wonder Why - back to lighter rock. Starts with a mild solo before the vocals kick in. Builds slowly up to the second verse, which is heavier than the first. Back to light before the last chorus. That's it. Not really the most creative song there is. The same verse is repeated twice. 8.5/10.

7. Still Friends - if you're looking for a blend of classic rock and modern rock, this is it. Fun main riff. Catchy verse melody. Singalong chorus. The bridge breaks it down with a heavier drum beat. Nice solo, which echoes the chorus melody and has a fast lick towards the end. The solo continues under the last chorus. Lyrically, this may be the best one because you can tell I put my heart into writing about the girl I loved. Missing some vocal harmonies in the chorus, but other than that, it's perfect. 10/10.



8. Gray - we have another ballad here. Pretty somber as I sing about not knowing what to do on a rainy day. Okay chorus. It sounds better in the guitar solo, which partially echoes the chorus melody in a higher key. Arpeggios throughout and little licks thrown into the second verse. Jumpscare into the final chorus. Doesn't have that much special about it otherwise. 8/10.

9. I Am The Night - heavy. Starts with just vocals and start-stop guitar chords before the main riff comes in. Weird chord voicings during the verse. There's a lot of anger in my voice during the verse. The chorus is both a headbanger and a singalong, with some nice lower harmonies added to it. Sounds a little rough in the breakdown, which is trying to be heavy. Indistinguishable riffs underneath the guitar solo that is clearly improvised and sometimes slips out of key. The half-time drums at the end are nice but do little to add to the intensity of the song. 8/10.

10. Shift Into Gear - back to pure rocking out. Monotonous vocal melody in the verse. A little better in the chorus. Annoying unison bends between lines of the chorus. There are some gang vocals interjected in the second verse that are a nice touch. The solo, which is the only one on the album to use wah, is a mess. Very indistinguishable. At least the lyrics are cool ("Smell the fuel, hear the cars, there's the flag, and they're off"). 7/10.

11. Crushless Summer - I love this one. Clearly wearing my Volbeat influences on my sleeve, I start with just my voice and palm-muted guitar, before it launches into an upbeat, driving song. Four guitar solos! Three start similar but have different licks to close them out, and one is a little crazy. Sometimes it gets muddled because of my inability to play fast. Catchy vocal melodies in both the verses and the chorus. More great lyrics pouring my heart out for the same girl as in Still Friends, but instead of from the perspective of "everything is fine, we're still friends", it's more like "I'll never see you again, and I'll miss you". Great song that leaves little more to be desired from the listener. 10/10.



12. Take You With Me - we're back to heavy territory with another blazing fast drop-tuned riff. My voice sounds a lot like Benjamin Burnley from Breaking Benjamin. Catchy chorus melody, and it's even better in the second and third choruses when augmented by the guitar melody underneath it. Compressed guitars lead into a screamed "I'll be gone away!" into the heavy breakdown. Gets softer again before the final chorus. The breakdown riff and drums are repeated underneath my vocals. Overall a solid song. Also could have used better production. 9/10.

13. The Bottle Is Empty - this is where I went full Alter Bridge mode. Simple power chords to open the song, with a shredded high melody laid on top. Then a clean fingerstyle riff carries the verse. My voice reaches its highest during the chorus, which is epic. Falsetto to open the second verse. Some nice harmonies before a bridge that intersperses chords with a heavy riff. Ends with an 11-second sustained high note! Followed by an even higher note in my whistle register. Man, my vocals were off the hook on this song! The solo follows an interesting melody in Locrian mode, and it's clearly inspired by Myles Kennedy. More fingerstyle during the second bridge, followed by the last chorus which is slightly different from the others lyrically. It's from the perspective that all hope has been lost, whereas the first two were calling out for help. The closing Mark Tremonti-inspired solo is my best guitar work ever. It's heartbreaking considering the end of the lyrics. Followed by the heavy riff from the bridge in a higher key, and it's done. Perfect song and one of the best album closers I've ever heard. 10/10.

Overall album thoughts - I tried to make the perfect album based on the style of all my influences. Unfortunately, I am admittedly just starting out, and with the rushed nature of some of the songs, I missed out on this vision. The lyrics are the album's downfall as a lot of them are cheesy, don't make much sense, or lack any emotion. I'll ignore the production because it's just a demo album. It's a strong debut album, if it can be considered as such. 9/10.

Songs from this album that placed in my 2022 year-end top 100 songs - Still Friends (#6), Roadtrip Song (#7), Crushless Summer (#14), The Bottle Is Empty (#18), I Wonder Why (#49), Sanity Insanity (#54), Free From This (#70), Take You With Me (#78)
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

User avatar
maximzub
On The Rail
Posts: 1328
Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:57 am
Location: Where women don't exist.

Re: The Official Album Review Thread

Post by maximzub »

When I first heard that Breaking Benjamin was going to play Louder Than Life 2021 in place of Mudvayne, I was kinda happy. I knew Mudvayne was more of a nu-metal band and Breaking Benjamin was more modern rock. But I didn't exactly know them very well either. So I checked them out to see what to expect. I liked a couple songs but didn't really vibe with them, including the song that is on the album I'm going to review. Went and saw them live. Still not impressed. I continued to listen to those same couple songs but not much else. I don't know when the switch flipped and I started wanting to listen to them more. But during the summer, I was listening to them almost every night. Which led to a last-minute decision to see them live again in Chicago, this time with me knowing their songs better. This blasted them up to #3 in my top 10 bands. (They have since been knocked down to #4 by Halestorm.)

I continued to listen to them into my first semester of college, especially when I was angry. I didn't do much at first to discover new songs from them, only the ones I knew previously. Then I decided to listen to Dear Agony, which was at the time my favorite album based on the six songs I had heard. I was surprisingly disappointed with the rest of the album. The same day, I decided to give another album a try to see if it was better, and sure enough, it was. That album is Phobia.

1. Intro - whatever. It's a cool thing to play in the background while Ben is talking during live shows (which I've seen videos of them doing). But it can't stand alone as a song. I'm not gonna include it in my review.

2. The Diary Of Jane - after the roughness of Saturate and We Are Not Alone, this song sounds like a band finally finding their sound. Great buildup intro, and I like the guitar melody above the main riff. Driving heavy notes underneath the verse. Catchy chorus, again with some high guitar notes underneath. Overall, great song to rock out to. I originally didn't like it because I found the "do you like that, do you like that" to be annoying, but I've come around to it. I can see why it's their most popular song. 10/10.



3. Breath - what a perfect song! Hear how the distorted guitars in the intro hit you in the face right after the short clean strummed chords. Very pretty guitar melody to start the song off. The verse flows perfectly with the lead guitar arpeggios complementing the bass and drums. Some cool little drum fills sprinkled throughout the song. Ben's vocal harmonies in the verses ("Is it over yet?") are tasty. The pre-chorus sets up the chorus nicely and builds up the energy. Awesome chorus. Ben hits a high note at the end of the bridge before the last chorus with half-time drums. There's really nothing more you can ask of this song. It's one of very few songs I've listened to on loop. 10/10.



4. You - low point on the album. It's been a while since I've heard it, so my review might not be that accurate. Nice guitar arpeggio throughout the song, but the rest of it is boring, especially the chorus. That's all I have to say. 6/10.

5. Evil Angel - what is with that riff? I still haven't figured out what harmonics are being played, but whatever they are, they're interesting. Light singing from Ben that you don't hear him doing much of anymore. Soaring chorus. I like when Ben hits the higher notes. Boring bridge, but it includes something rarely found in Breaking Benjamin songs: a solo played by Ben. Simple outro that could have been improved on. Overall a nice song. I don't know why I stopped listening to it. 8/10.

6. Until The End - this is a fun one. You rarely hear something with this tempo and rhythm from this band. The intro guitar melody is one to remember. More soft singing and tasty harmonies from Ben. I like how he plays with his voice in this song, which is why I used to sing it a lot to train my voice to alternate between soft and hard. Also, I kinda like his uncommon pronounciation of "end". Cool breakdown in the bridge. Definitely a headbanger. 9/10.

7. Dance With The Devil - isn't this epic? Calm intro, then the guitar riffs slam into your face. The lyrics in the second half of each verse almost feel like Ben is talking to you ("I believe in you, I can show you that I can see right through all your empty lies"). Epic chorus. Ben hits another high note at the end of the bridge. The piano at the end combined with Ben's falsetto cements this as the most epic Breaking Benjamin song. 9.5/10.



8. Topless - another one I haven't heard in a while. It sounded just like a basic heavy song to me. Probably one of the better ones though. 7.5/10.

9. Here We Are - we venture into ballady territory with this one. Again, I can't remember much of this, but it had a nice chorus and a pretty cool guitar solo. 8/10.

10. Unknown Soldier - this is an example of what I like to call a "headbanger ballad". It's soft and relatively calm, yet it makes you want to headbang. Guitar harmonies in the intro and post-chorus? Yes. That's something I wish Breaking Benjamin had in their other songs. (Maybe they do and I haven't heard them yet.) Very nice vocals all around. I like the volume rolls on the guitar in the bridge, and also the falsetto backing vocals. A simple guitar solo, but really you can't expect much with this band when it comes to guitar solos. Great song and I like to blast this one. 8.5/10.

11. Had Enough - weak spot on the album. I've been saying that I like Ben's soft vocals, but they sound out of place in this song. The chorus is bland. Can't remember much about the bridge. The screams in the outro ("Heaven help you!") are completely unnecessary. I'm glad they stopped playing this live. 6.5/10.

12. You Fight Me - is that electronic elements in a Breaking Benjamin song? Why is that necessary? It just feels very empty and boring. Again, that's all I remember. 4/10.

13. Outro - this was nice. Actually better than the intro track. It sounds like the ending credits of a movie or, even better, a video game. I like it. I'm not gonna include it in my review.

Overall album thoughts - it's a very solid collection of diverse songs. Some of them are ones to remember. The production is awesome. I think this is a prime example of 2000's hard rock. 8/10.

Songs from this album that placed in my 2022 year-end top 100 songs - Breath (#11), The Diary Of Jane (#44), Until The End (#88), Dance With The Devil (#100)
I'm in love with somebody...
Found someone who completes me...
I'm in love with somebody...
Oh yeah...
And it's Lzzy Hale!

MaraCarr wrote: It is not like a crush or a lust thing.
Check out my coolest TABN posts!
My Long Alter Bridge Facts Post
Order Of Me Hearing Alter Bridge Songs
Order Of Me Hearing Tremonti Songs

Post Reply