Heaven & Earth - Hard To Kill (2017)

Straight out Compton...no wait make that Los Angeles comes the hard rock act Heaven & Earth which is the brainchild of guitar virtuoso and Ritchie Blackmore protige Stuart Smith .  If you like classic rock and some bluesy rock, read on.  In fact, the Rainbow/Deep Purple influence is very evident on tracks like Hard To Kill and my personal favorite Walk Away.  Walk Away has hit single written all over it.  It's got the obligatory catchy chorus, fantastic harmonies and is well, the song is just fun. Think Whitesnake self titled album and this song is as good as any song on there.   Bleed Me Dry is another great song with a catchy chorus.  Another personal favorite was Monster, it's got one of those great lead in guitar pieces that was a signature of early Deep Purple/Rainbow songs.   Hellfire was another uptempo song which in my opinion, is where Heaven & Earth really shine.  

Hard to Kill is the fourth release from Heaven & Earth and though this is Stuart Smith project it's far from a one man show.  Joe Retta (The Sweet, Greg Rollie, Dio's Disciples) has got a killer set of pipes,  Lynn Sorenson (Bass - Bad Company, Paul Rodgers Band), Ty Baillie (Keyboards - Katie Perry, Robbie Robertson), Kenny Aronoff (Drums - Bob Seger, John Mellencamp, Rolling Stones) round out this extremely talented band.  

If there's one flaw with Heaven & Earth (and many might disagree), it's that the band is all over the place musically.  I love how they start so strong out of the gate with two blazing rock anthems, but then the band delves into some really bluesy rock and some slower rock.  It's not that the songs are bad, quite the contrary, there's some very good music throughout this disc. It's just a personal preference, I'd like to hear an album full of songs like Hard to Kill, Walk Away and Hellfire and less songs like LA Blues.

Heaven & Earth have the makings of a very special band. They know how to write a very catchy tune, they've got a great vocalist with  powerful voice and they've got a very very talented band.  With the right break this band could (and should) get some well deserved exposure on stations like Ozzy's Boneyard on Sirius Radio.  They'd be a perfect fit for that channel.   I personally cant wait to catch this band live.  Rating: 8/10

Tracklist:
1. Hard To Kill
2. Walk Away
3. Till It’s Over
4. Bleed Me Dry
5. The Game Has Changed
6. Anthem
7. Monster
8. LA Blues
9. Hellfire
10. Beautiful Monsters
11. Bad Man

Wobbler - From Silence To Somewhere (2017)

I have to profess, I had never heard of Wobbler prior to listening to this and all I can say is that's a shame they've remained under my radar for so long.  Every review you've read probably says the same thing and I'm not going to deviate from that.  These Norwegian's play Symphonic classic progressive rock and damn do they do it well.  I hear so much Yes influence but I think there's a heavy dose of Emerson, Lake and Palmer and a dash of Gentle Giant.  And lets be honest, if your going to emulate your sound and style those are three pretty darn good choices.

From Silence to Somewhere has been 6 years in the making and has seen a changing of the guard...well actually guitarist. Original guitarist Morten Andreas Eriksen has been replaced by Marius Halleland, but make no mistake, Wobbler is far from a one man show. In fact,  the plethora of sounds and instruments is what truely makes Wobbler unique.

From Silence to Somewhere starts of with a 21 minute opus and is appropriate the title track of the disc.  I have to say, a 21 minute song is really hard to listen to by my standard but the song is so captivating, it captures so many sounds and styles and wraps them in to one long magnificent piece.  I swear I even heard a little Allman Brother riffing at the :59 second mark that sounded like Whipping Post.  I absolutely love this song, there's so much going on that you really need to sit down and focus on every aspect of it.

Fermented Hours is the 3rd track and again combines some of the best of classic rock, love the Chris Squire-esque bass playing by Kristian Karl Hultgren.  In fact I wish at times it was more at the forefront of the production.  The song is keyboard dominated, not that it's a bad thing, but the musicianship is so outstanding that I try to focus on all aspects of the song.

The final song is the 13 minute tune called Foxlight. Again this song has so much depth to it and I love the harpsichord added in the mix.

For a band having such a big retro Prog Rock sound they are a fresh of breath air.  This disc has really piqued my interest to the point I will be going back and visiting the rest of their catalog.  Well done my friends, the only thing that would make listening to this disc even sweeter would be to hear it performed live.  Such an outstanding disc and well worth the 6 year wait.[Rating: 9/10]

1. From Silence to Somewhere
2. Rendered in Shades of Green
3. Fermented Hours
4. Foxlight

Alcyona - Enchantment (Maxi Single Self produced).

Alcyona are a very new band and coming from Minsk, Belarus,  One thing that is very apparent upon first listen is they love their Hollywood Metal.  It's very symphonic, love the choirs used on the songs and great, well written tunes.  Alcyona has done 3 songs and released videos for all 3, one of whichs is a Bryan Adams cover.  Taking a page out of the Neo Classical song book is the song The Lost Valley.   Guitar heavy with strong female vocals and a good melody make this a must listen.  However the real draw for me on this band was the song Enchantment.  Holy crap, this song is musical deliciousness.   You can tell they were heavily influenced from Nightwish with the symphonic elements and heavenly vocals and choirs accompanying Olga and the band.  This is what makes music exciting, discovering new talent.  The last song that Alcyona offered up was a cover of Bryan Adams hit song Here I Am.  Not really representative of what the band is, personally I'd like to see a more symphonic flare ala Enchantment.  I'm really excited to see what will happen in 2017 and 2018 for these folks.  (Rating: 10 for Enchantment, 7.5 for The Lost Valley, 6 for Here I am)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkkeCML3SPA

Daydream XI - The Circus Of The Tattered And Torn (2017 Progressive Power Metal)

Every so often a band comes out of nowhere and turns the music scene upside down.   Last band that comes to mind was Circus Maximus, they hadn't even released a CD yet and they were already booked to ProgPower USA.  Daydream XI appear to be another band poised to make itself known in the music scene.  What makes this Brazilian bands story so interesting though is they've been around since 2008 and even released their debut disc is 2014 and while it was well received they were relatively unknown.  That's all about to change, and I predict with a thunderous explosion.  Daydream XI are poised to take Center Stage next weekend at ProgPower USA and Sensory was kind enough to make this release available to fans.  I predict when all is said and done Daydream XI might be the next Circus Maximus.  

 This Brazilian bands sophomore release comes 3 years after their debut and all the tracks were written after Progressive Nation at Sea.  Tiago Masserti, the brains behind the outfit, was courteous enough to take some time to answer some questions about his latest release as I was contemplating my review. 

Circus of the Tattered And Torn is a concept album, though it was never originally intended to be such.  Tiago explains “I started working in 2014 right after we came back from Progressive Nation at Sea.   I wrote 50 or 60 song to get where I wanted”.  That must have been some inspiration!  

Each chapter or song is paired with a character from the Circus of the Tattered and Torn.  I talked to Tiago more about the songs, “I came up with the story as a metaphor.  I was thinking constantly about people’s needs to compete to see who is more hurt and affected by the tragedies in their life, while at the same time trying to make themselves look better and better through titles and credentials.  When all we really want is just to feel something and get a glimpse of humanity in others. 

“The songs represents different aspects of human life through the vision of the characters”. 

Ticket 000011 is a spoken word piece that kicks off the disc with Phillip, the circus master, talking about the lost souls and how to reel them back in as he’s talking to Circe, his apprentice.  Open The Curtains is the opening of the Circus and is mostly instrumental but introduces us to the epic story “Circus of the Tattered And Torn”.  Trust Forged Knife was one of the first singles released to fans.  It’s a song about trust and abusive relationships.   Painted Smile is one of my favorite songs.  Well written and a great chorus.  I asked Tiago for more insight into this, “Painted Smile is about sadness and dealing with the image we portray to others versus what we really feel”.  Appropriately the lyrics reference we all clown hiding the behind the painted smile and the chorus states:

                                And in this twisted play

                                Forever Bound to Fail

                                I am the sadness disguised

                                Behind a painted smile.

Yes we are. 

Another one of my favorites is the appropriate named A Cup of Agony.  It’s an up tempo song, at times feeling angry.  I love the chorus:

Endlessly nurturing the pain to ignore

The needless attention we’re longing for

Endlessly trying in vain to restore

The needs of a heart that beats no more.

The songs so catchy and mesmerizing.   Discussing this song Tiago said, “A Cup of Agony came up when I was writing about the idea of pain, both physical and psychological. The song itself came up really naturally.  Lots of riffs and some melodies surrounding the theme.  (haha).  I think that’s something we call all relate to from time to time. 

Overhauling Wounds clocks in at a shade over 10 minutes.   It starts very slowing, building up through out the song.  It’s a very beautiful piece.  Tiago stated, “it’s about change, about falling so hard and so deep that the only way you can go is up and rebuild yourself.

I really loved the song Collector of Souls. It’s almost a bluesy song that even has that old Hammond organ sound.  I asked Tiago if he was intentionally going for a bluesy rock sound “No, I never write with the intention to sound like anything.  I just let it happen.  Collector of Souls came to me in my sleep and I woke up and recorded the melodies for the intro choirs.  It had this southern, bluesy, gospel feel to it and I just went for it. 

Forgettable and The Love That Never Was lead into the epic finale, the title track and 15 minute opus, The Circus Of the Tattered And Torn.  It’s a brilliant closing piece showcasing everything I love about Daydream XI.  Beautifully orchestrated choruses, fantastic musicianship and a well written story.   It was written in multiple sessions but is masterfully crafted.

The Circus Of The Tattered and Torn clocks in at 71 minutes and beautifully meshes Progressive Power Metal in a way that few do.  Symphony X is one that comes to mind, though Tiago is quick to point out that he doesn’t like labels, it’s something done for PR.  We as fans like it so we have a baseline to compare to and honestly, Symphony X isn’t a bad place to start.  I can’t say enough good things about this disc.  Tiago has a fantastic voice and the band is very very talented.   The disc is very solid beginning to end and the story is as good as the music.   I for one cannot wait to see what this band puts together for a 3^rd release. In fact, I asked Tiago for some insight to the next release and all he would tell me was “the music is written for the 3^rd disc”.  Tease.  I think this band has a very bright future and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of them at ProgPower USA.  Rating: 10/10

Silverfish - Silverfish (2016 Southern Classic Rock)

New to the scene, southern classic rock band Silverfish looking to make a big splash in The Nashville scene with their debut. Great harmonies and songwriting dominate this outstanding debut.  Actually I shouldn't say Silverfish are completely new. Douglas Gery was the founder of the highly underrated band Catawompus.  The band was a fairly successful regional band doing shows all around the Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia circuit but eventually retired.  Newly reformed, Silverfish look to continue to make waves in the music scene though with a more Christian slant to their lyrics.  If there's one thing that Douglas knows how to do, it's write a good, catchy song and the disc entitled "Silverfish" is full of them.  See Me Electric opens the disc with a funky guitar riff and is very infectious.   Celebrate is a beautiful tune about celebrating a reunion in the afterlife, meeting at the Pearly Gates to see all family and friends.  Christ On My Pocket is another uptempo rock song that reminiscent of Catawompus days.   What If is another funky rocker.   Baggage Claim is another favorite of mine, and even though it's the last tune it's hardly a weak tune.    Silverfish is 10 songs long but only clocks in at 33 minutes so it's a case of quality over quantity.    I highly recommend this to all fans of southern rock, I can't say enough good things about it.  It's great music and very uplifting lyrics, which in this day and age is hard to find.  Rating: 9/10

Musicians:

Douglas Gery - lead guitar & background vocals

Jimmy Hamilton - lead vocals & acoustic guitar
Bryan Graves - bass
Jamie Smith – drums

Songs

1. See Me Electric
2. Celebrate
3. I'm What It Looks Like
4. Christ On My Pocket
5. What If?
6. Church Bell Groove
7. Love Is Everything
8. Just Another Hallelujah Song
9. Wait For You
10. Baggage Claim

Greta Van Fleet - Black Smoke Rising EP (2017 Classic Rock)

Sometimes it's hard to fathom the influence Led Zeppelin had in their career.  Jimmy Page's guitar playing and Robert Plants mesmerizing vocals have spawned many a band that hope to emulate the success these Brits had.  Kingdom Come may have been the most successful band that comes to mind but Lenny Wolf and his band could never sustain the success they had outside of the first release.   Fast forward to 2012 and 13-16 year old Kiszka brothers decided to form a band eventually recorded an EP that included Highway Song.  The now 18-21 year old kids from Frankenmuth Michigan eventually released another EP in 2017 that included Highway Song which has garnered so much attention that it reached #2 on the Rock Charts and has been featured on High Octane satellite radio. This success has led to tours across the US including many sold out shows.   So what does Greta Van Fleet have to do with Led Zeppelin? Everything...and nothing.  They have no affiliation with Led Zeppelin but the band including singer Josh Kiszka were obviously big Zeppelin fans and it shows in their song writing.  Josh has got a set of pipes that at first glance you think your listen to the 2nd coming of Robert Plant.  The rest of band and their song writing also take a cue from the Led Zeppelin school of songwriting.  The song Flower Power is a slower song that draws on influence such as Thank You.  Safari Song is a more uptempo rock tune that would fit right in with Led Zeppelin II.  One of the best songs, and in my opinion, maybe the most diverse of the 4 is title track to the EP.  The band seems to step away from their comfort zone and write a song that seems to suit their talents...and it works.   This band has had a very short career and is quickly making a name for themselves.  All 4 songs from the EP are fantastic and it goes to show that no matter the age, no matter the influence if you write a quality song and are talented people will listen.  Where they go from here is anyone's guess but for now the future appears very bright for this incredibly talented and young band.  Rating 10/10