John Butler Trio
follows up their EP with this full length, ‘Sunrise Over Sea’. JBT have that
rootsy jam band sound, but somehow manage to not come off lame like many others
in those genres do. This isn't Dave Matthews (thank God). "Peaches and Cream",
the second track on the record, is an almost 7 minute track that really
showcases Butler's vocals. "What You Want" is a song I really enjoyed from the
EP, and I'm glad they included it here. The band combines percussion, that is a
lot like early Santana records, with folky guitars that have this orchestral
build to them, and are rounded out by a stand up bass player. The musicianship
is what makes these guys so good. This isn't even my type of music, but I
thought they were pretty good and this record is worth checking out. (Eddie
Fleisher)
This is a nice change of pace from all the metal and punk I
usually get sent. Decadent are a Cleveland band who draw most of their
influences from eighties alternative artists like The Cure, Bauhaus, The Mission
UK, and Psychedelic Furs. The guitar playing especially reminds me of Robert
Smith, and the lyrics carry the same sense of somber importance most of the
aforementioned acts generally strove for. But don’t write Decadent off as
simply another retro band. These guys manage the tricky task of drawing most of
their influences from the past while still sounding relatively fresh. The
songwriting is very good, and the production is impeccable. All three songs are
solid, but the more rock oriented “Pretty” was my personal favorite. If the
rest of their material is this good, these guys could become one of my favorite
local bands. (Bob Ignizio)
This
is quite possibly the worst thing I've heard in a long time. The cheesy intros,
the lame cover, the bullshit production. How this guy got to make a CD, I don't
know. He sounds like a white DMX (and I don't mean that in a good way), with his
growly vocals. His lyrics are, well, not good. "Hardcore", where he proclaims
such profound things as "I'm hardcore, I'm ruff, I'm tuff" (and no, I didn't
spell those words that way, he did in the booklet). The picture of him on a
motorcycle with his sweet muscle shirt is pretty not cool either. I better shut
up, this dude might beat me up. Anyways, yeah, this CD will make a good coaster.
(Eddie Fleisher)
Sometimes, hype can help a band. All too often, however,
hype can really do a band in. When there's an incredible amount of buzz
surrounding a group, expectations can be so high that almost nothing they can do
will fulfill those expectations. I was beginning to wonder if that would be the
fate that would befall The Haunted, another in a growing line of critically
acclaimed Swedish extreme metal acts hitting the hard rock world. After all,
their first two releases showed promise, but not quite what I'd expect after
reading all that's been written about them in the international press. Then
their last effort, ‘The Haunted Made Me Do It’, seemed to miss the mark
entirely for me. However, with their latest CD ‘rEVOLVEr’, The Haunted are
finally showing that yes, they really ARE all that! ‘rEVOLVEr’ rocks with an
intensity that we've come to expect from the band, and yet shows a growth and
musical maturity that was absolutely necessary. This is good old fashioned
thrash metal all grown up, and the combination of musical ability, composition,
and speed-metal fury is absolutely deadly! "All Against All", the first single,
is a perfect indication of this. "No Compromise", the lead-off track, says it
all. Fans of Nuclear Assault will love this, as well as the most ardent modern-metalhead.
The Heathen Hippy gives it four banging heads. (Taliesin Govannon)
John Butler Trio
follows up their EP with this full length, ‘Sunrise Over Sea’. JBT have that
rootsy jam band sound, but somehow manage to not come off lame like many others
in those genres do. This isn't Dave Matthews (thank God). "Peaches and Cream",
the second track on the record, is an almost 7 minute track that really
showcases Butler's vocals. "What You Want" is a song I really enjoyed from the
EP, and I'm glad they included it here. The band combines percussion, that is a
lot like early Santana records, with folky guitars that have this orchestral
build to them, and are rounded out by a stand up bass player. The musicianship
is what makes these guys so good. This isn't even my type of music, but I
thought they were pretty good and this record is worth checking out. (Eddie
Fleisher)
This is a nice change of pace from all the metal and punk I
usually get sent. Decadent are a Cleveland band who draw most of their
influences from eighties alternative artists like The Cure, Bauhaus, The Mission
UK, and Psychedelic Furs. The guitar playing especially reminds me of Robert
Smith, and the lyrics carry the same sense of somber importance most of the
aforementioned acts generally strove for. But don’t write Decadent off as
simply another retro band. These guys manage the tricky task of drawing most of
their influences from the past while still sounding relatively fresh. The
songwriting is very good, and the production is impeccable. All three songs are
solid, but the more rock oriented “Pretty” was my personal favorite. If the
rest of their material is this good, these guys could become one of my favorite
local bands. (Bob Ignizio)
This
is quite possibly the worst thing I've heard in a long time. The cheesy intros,
the lame cover, the bullshit production. How this guy got to make a CD, I don't
know. He sounds like a white DMX (and I don't mean that in a good way), with his
growly vocals. His lyrics are, well, not good. "Hardcore", where he proclaims
such profound things as "I'm hardcore, I'm ruff, I'm tuff" (and no, I didn't
spell those words that way, he did in the booklet). The picture of him on a
motorcycle with his sweet muscle shirt is pretty not cool either. I better shut
up, this dude might beat me up. Anyways, yeah, this CD will make a good coaster.
(Eddie Fleisher)
Sometimes, hype can help a band. All too often, however,
hype can really do a band in. When there's an incredible amount of buzz
surrounding a group, expectations can be so high that almost nothing they can do
will fulfill those expectations. I was beginning to wonder if that would be the
fate that would befall The Haunted, another in a growing line of critically
acclaimed Swedish extreme metal acts hitting the hard rock world. After all,
their first two releases showed promise, but not quite what I'd expect after
reading all that's been written about them in the international press. Then
their last effort, ‘The Haunted Made Me Do It’, seemed to miss the mark
entirely for me. However, with their latest CD ‘rEVOLVEr’, The Haunted are
finally showing that yes, they really ARE all that! ‘rEVOLVEr’ rocks with an
intensity that we've come to expect from the band, and yet shows a growth and
musical maturity that was absolutely necessary. This is good old fashioned
thrash metal all grown up, and the combination of musical ability, composition,
and speed-metal fury is absolutely deadly! "All Against All", the first single,
is a perfect indication of this. "No Compromise", the lead-off track, says it
all. Fans of Nuclear Assault will love this, as well as the most ardent modern-metalhead.
The Heathen Hippy gives it four banging heads. (Taliesin Govannon)