Rejectionist Front - Evolve (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://rejectionistfront.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/RejectionistFront/

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.

Slow Burning Car - Defection (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://www.slowburningcar.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/SlowBurningCar/

Written by Frank McClure, posted by blog admin

On album #4 Defection, Slow Burning Car prove that they are an awesome, original lost 90s artifact that would have been at home touring with Handsome, Failure and Self-Titled era Foo Fighters had they been around during that musical heyday.  This record is 10 quality tracks with nary any filler and some well-composed forays into differing hard rock grooves.  Slow Burning Car is game for artful experimentation and they don’t stay fenced in by genre or stylistic limitation. 

Full of thundering drums, power-chord heavy riffs and dirty distortion, “Alpha Duplicor” kicks the album off with a bang.  Multi-tracked vocal harmonies maintain a very lively, catchy presence as the guitars go from hard-rock abandon to heavy metal soloing to double-team riffage (played to the bloody raw bone by dueling lead/rhythm guitarists Jesse Damon and Tommy Marcel).  There’s no shortage of groove to be found and this focus on thundercrack riffs will be sure to please fans of the early Foos, Handsome and even Quicksand.  “Soul Crimes” shifts the band’s shaggy hard rock snarl into a sing-a-long, anthem-ready pop punk swagger without sacrificing any of the edgy guitar work heard on the opener.  It’s an overload of smash n’ crash guitars, dense dual riffs, pounding rhythms and propulsive bass lines boiled down to the bare bones and most simplistic permutations (in terms of hard-rock songwriting tactics).  Highly melodic vocals with stellar choruses and sly harmony vocals ensure this song will stick like glue to your eardrums, warranting repeat plays by the bushel.

“The Orb” is a showcase for 8-armed drummer Adam Idell’s shuffling, snare-fill centered backbeats.  Stop/start guitar riffs allow the rhythm section step to the forefront as bassist/vocalist Troy Spiropoulos’ low-end shares equal production presence with the twin guitar surgery.  Greasy, staccato vocals almost draw some rap influence (think Beastie Boys/early Red Hot Chili Peppers) during the verses but go for total soaring melody in the chorus as the instrumental twists follow suit into pop punk glory.  “Devil in the Room” embellishes the pop of “The Orb,” drifting in on a classic, punk rock drum n’ bass groove before throwing down on killer, heavy twin riffs and shredding rock n’ roll lead-work. 

Reaching the midway point, the album starts taking further stylistic liberties from “The Sunday Derby” onward.  “The Sunday Derby” places grinding, jazz-leaned bass grooves as the focal point with busy drumbeats concocting multiple rhythms to follow while dazzling tom-tom fills and double-bass kick patterns are kept in check by a chopping snare beat.  Trippy guitar swirls build into straight-up riffs much later on as the vocals snake in and out of distortion masking. 

The swinging “You Can’t Stay Here” is the last purebred punk rock track on the album with the acoustic duo of “Bedtime” and “Chrysanthemum” offering up a pair of sturdy ballads that don’t sound like anything else on the record.  “Polar Warden” goes one step further by washing a brooding post-punk jam in 60s psychedelic waters, leaving closer “Clouds” to delve into the kind of epic album ender that sounds like a streamlined version of Tool.  It’s the closest comparison one can make to the type of song that it is but in reality other than “Clouds’” eagle-eye knack for powerhouse riffs and climaxing drums, the song doesn’t really sound like Tool at all.  Pound for pound, Defection is a masterpiece of modern hard-rock that often makes multiple stylistic swaps during the course of one song.  It’s a compositional triumph that will keep listeners guessing in a good way at every single turn; highly recommended.

Dust of Days - Analog Mind Bender (2017)

OFFICIAL: http://dustofdays.com/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/dustofdays/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/dustofdays

Written by Dale Butcher, posted by blog admin

Frank Lettieri’s journey to his second full length album with Dust of Days, Analog Mind Bender, is marked by personal loss, but there’s an indefatigable spirit rising up from each of its twelve songs that’s impossible to deny. The album certainly explores less than cheerful personal and social landscapes, but none of the performances are mired in despair. The band’s two guitar attack courtesy of Jim McGee and Mike Virok wield an array of guitar sounds to flesh out Lettieri’s songwriting while the rhythm section of Lettieri and bassist Scott Silvester lay down a pulverizing yet intensely musical bottom end. Engineer Nick Tveitbakk makes for an excellent creative partner and the sound of the album, recorded in only three days, rages with every bit of the visceral energy you might expect. Lettieri and the band clearly entered the studio with a clear sense of what they wanted to accomplish and Analog Mind Bender is brilliant evidence of their ability for pulling it off.

Beginning the album with its title track is a semi-audacious move. The gestation for this album, four years, is likely responsible for much of its quality, but it’s still an unusually confident sign from a band when they lead off with what often rates as an album’s defining cut. What the song does better than any one thing is setting the table for what listeners can expect from this album, but Dust of Days doesn’t reveal how many cards they’re holding. There are surprises to come. “Aurora” practically veers into metal territory, but Dust of Days is never one to go in for mindless hammering. Everything serves a purpose in these songs and the aggressive playing on this number embodies the social consciousness and rage running through the half sung/half spoken lyric. “Mustang” travels an entirely different land. This is a much more orchestrated rock track with dramatic contrasting that the band never quite overplays. Virok and McGee’s guitar playing weave together with an emphasis on volume as opposed to the guitar histrionics we hear on the album’s opening duo. There are few instances of the band opting for a classic riff approach to their performances, but “Heavy” perhaps comes closest. The grinding and slightly hypnotic quality of the riff doesn’t sound at all out of place on an album more focused on energy and dissonance and Lettieri shows a continued flexibility for adapting his voice to different musical arrangements.

“My Dear” and its follow up “The Circus” couldn’t be more different. The band’s capacity for surprise opens up here as they shift from the artful and downcast musing of “My Dear” into the blistering punk/metal attack whipped up on the latter cut. There’s certainly a much more overtly thoughtful edge on the first song, but cut through the sonic firepower of “The Circus”, focus on its lyrics, and the same intelligence looming over the first song casts the same shadows over the second tune. It’s just manifested in a radically different musical setting. “Porcelain” takes the theatrical potential heard in “My Dear” and “Mustang” a step further, condensing its intended musical effects, and exerting much more emotive power both musically and vocally. McGee and Virok’s six string work, especially, makes this number stand out. Another astonishing moment arrives with the song “The Shore”. This meditative and piano laden comes with an accompanying contributions from strings and Lettieri gives, easily, his most sensitive vocal on the album. Dust of Days doesn’t do just one or two things really well. This is a well rounded musical outfit with superior songwriting and a willingness to follow their muse wherever she might lead them. Analog Mind Bender shows that they are capable of going anywhere they want and making you believe.