Written
by Frank McClure, posted by blog admin
Fronted
by politically engaged and diverse vocalist/songwriter Michael Perlman,
Rejectionist Front stands as one of the more powerful rock bands with a social
consciousness working in popular music today. Their second studio album Evolve
expands upon the possibilities listeners encountered with their breathtaking
debut thanks to musicianship and songwriting that’s worked mightily to
incorporate more colors into its artistic spectrum. Many of their abiding
musical strengths are in more evidence than ever with this twelve song
collection – guitarist Lincoln Prout proves he’s one of the underrated six
string talents hovering near prominence today and deserves to be mentioned
among the most talented of his peers while the rhythm section of Tony Tino and
Dave Dawson provide meaty yet fleet-footed support for the band’s performances.
The sophomore jinx is a real phenomenon for bands and artists, but it’s one
that Rejectionist Front dodges with room to spare.
“Rise”,
Evolve’s first tune, is a song of utter confidence. Rejectionist Front doesn’t
make a single misstep for their existing fans or newcomers alike and whips up a
sound and design for the song well balanced between prime Queensryche or Dream
Theater neo prog-metal/hard rock and a fluid, aggressive modern edge brimming over
with attitude. “All I Am” moves away from the sleek strands of prog metal we
heard in the opener into a more rough and tumble classic hard rock sound
delivered with a biting modern sound. The opener has a strong presence of
harmony and backing vocals, like many songs on Evolve, but the second track’s
relative lack of that device proves the band effectively mixes things up. “Savior”
is another of the album’s songs that are fiercely individual yet seem ideally
tailored for modern hard rock radio thanks to its thunderous salvos and near
epic sweep. Lincoln Prout’s penchant for bringing strong melodies to bear
alongside his hard-charging riffing makes for a potent mix here as elsewhere.
Much
of Evolve is both barrels blazing, but “All Is The Same” stands as an example
of Rejectionist Front tempering their attack for a more thoughtful performance.
There’s always a storm of passion brewing just beneath the surface of everything
the band writes and it explodes once again on the song “Reclaim”. The
aforementioned fierce individuality distinguishing this song is reminiscent of
the first song, as are its mild anthemic elements, and one of the album’s
single releases, “Flush”, hits a home run along similar lines. The album’s
finale “Inside of Me” is another more aurally considered moment for
Rejectionist Front and brings all of Perlman’s surveying of the modern
landscape back to a personal grounding that makes this a more powerful
experience. Evolve is a more than impressive follow up to the band’s debut; it
advances Rejectionist Front’s march into the future with a single breathtaking
leap forward.
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