The Rick Ray Band - 'Out of
the Mists of Obscurity' (Neurosis Records)
This 2nd release
from the Rick Ray Band (and who knows how many for Rick himself and his other
various projects) is even better than the last one. While ‘Into the Hands of
Sinners’ had some outstanding riffage (especially on "Invisible Man"), the
vocals of Phil Noch didn't seem to fit so well with the music. This time around
Noch keeps a more solemn tone, although he lacks a wide vocal range which would
add to the music. Also this time around, Rick sings more songs than he did on
"...Hands...." Outstanding tracks are the instrumental "Death of a Swineherd",
"Demons and Men", and "A Willing Servant", which is an instrumental with
soundbytes about 911 and an American police state. Hope they play out again
soon. Recommended for fans of fusion and progressive rock. (Mike Salamone)
Throttlerod – ‘Hell and High
Water’ (Small Stone Records)
Throttlerod’s
music reminds me of one of those late eighties post-glam commercial metal bands
like Circus of Power or Love/Hate (think bluesy hard rock and lots of tattoos)
with a touch of Soundgarden thrown in for good measure. The riffs are all
pretty generic, and the vocals aren’t bad but they aren’t especially
interesting, either. The songs try to be catchy, but I guess I must have been
immunized against Throttlerod’s particular strain of the rockin’ pneumonia, not
to mention the boogie woogie flu. I wouldn’t say I passionately hate this
album; considering this style is far from trendy, the band is most likely
playing the kind of music they love, and that deserves some kind of respect.
Plus they’re decent musicians. It just doesn’t do anything for me. But hey,
I’ve never been a big “bluesy hard rock” kind of guy. If you are, take this
review with a grain of salt and check the band out for yourself. (Bob Ignizio)
Sure
this has been out for a while, but the band just sent it to me, I liked it a
lot, and it’s my zine so I can review whatever I want even if it’s a little bit
old. Viva Caramel plays what the kids these days call indie rock, a term I hate
almost as much as “alternative” music. Thankfully, unlike a lot of bands lumped
in the indie rock category, Viva Caramel haven’t forgotten to bring the rock.
No moody introspection or pretentious art rock self indulgence here. If I had
to describe their sound, I’d say The Flaming Lips meets The Stooges. That’s
probably not 100% accurate, but close enough. The lyrics are vague enough to be
interesting, but not so obscure as to require an interpreter. “Amateur
Recovering Catholic” decries how education is treated with less importance than
whether or not The Browns are having a good season (“In my hometown/they have no
classes/all the children have is/professional sports”), while “...You Still Love
Rock ‘n’ Roll” questions whether music still has the power to transform and
transcend. The production is solid but still retains that rough around the
edges feel that (in my opinion) all good rock records should have. If you
haven't already picked this up, I’d highly recommend doing so. (Bob Ignizio)
Throttlerod’s
music reminds me of one of those late eighties post-glam commercial metal bands
like Circus of Power or Love/Hate (think bluesy hard rock and lots of tattoos)
with a touch of Soundgarden thrown in for good measure. The riffs are all
pretty generic, and the vocals aren’t bad but they aren’t especially
interesting, either. The songs try to be catchy, but I guess I must have been
immunized against Throttlerod’s particular strain of the rockin’ pneumonia, not
to mention the boogie woogie flu. I wouldn’t say I passionately hate this
album; considering this style is far from trendy, the band is most likely
playing the kind of music they love, and that deserves some kind of respect.
Plus they’re decent musicians. It just doesn’t do anything for me. But hey,
I’ve never been a big “bluesy hard rock” kind of guy. If you are, take this
review with a grain of salt and check the band out for yourself. (Bob Ignizio)
Sure
this has been out for a while, but the band just sent it to me, I liked it a
lot, and it’s my zine so I can review whatever I want even if it’s a little bit
old. Viva Caramel plays what the kids these days call indie rock, a term I hate
almost as much as “alternative” music. Thankfully, unlike a lot of bands lumped
in the indie rock category, Viva Caramel haven’t forgotten to bring the rock.
No moody introspection or pretentious art rock self indulgence here. If I had
to describe their sound, I’d say The Flaming Lips meets The Stooges. That’s
probably not 100% accurate, but close enough. The lyrics are vague enough to be
interesting, but not so obscure as to require an interpreter. “Amateur
Recovering Catholic” decries how education is treated with less importance than
whether or not The Browns are having a good season (“In my hometown/they have no
classes/all the children have is/professional sports”), while “...You Still Love
Rock ‘n’ Roll” questions whether music still has the power to transform and
transcend. The production is solid but still retains that rough around the
edges feel that (in my opinion) all good rock records should have. If you
haven't already picked this up, I’d highly recommend doing so. (Bob Ignizio)