The Rundown: Michael Olivieri Band, A Hero A Fake, Staind, Baroness, For All Those Sleeping
This edition of the Review Rundown takes looks at new
releases from the Michael Olivieri Band, A Hero A Fake, Staind, Baroness and
For All Those Sleeping.
Michael Olivieri Band - M.O.B. (Olivejar Productions): First off, if you recognize the name
Michael Olivieri, he was once a part of 80’s metal band Leatherwolf, but it’s
clear that particular chapter of his career is truly behind him. From the
outset of M.O.B., an album title
short for the band’s given name Michael Olivieri Band, pervasive themes of love
and loss flow forth via frontman Michael Olivieri’s soulful tones, with the
opening tandem of “More Than I Do” and “Letting Go” effectively setting the
pace, but the album truly begins to hit its stride on “Dead Man Crawl,” a moody
piece featuring piano and harmonica flourishes. The Michael Olivieri Band
boasts a whopping seven members among their ranks, and it shows thanks to
layered instrumentations scattered throughout M.O.B. (“Tuesday Down,” “Old Souls”). Keep in mind, there’s no
metal to be found here, but there’s enough rock to go around on M.O.B. to at least keep things
interesting.
Grade: C+
Go Download: “Halo”
A Hero A Fake - The
Future Again (Victory Records): On A Hero A Fake’s The Future Again, the sonic dynamic is a bit backwards. It’s the
guitars and keys that shine, time and time again overshadowing the vocals,
which in and of them self are somewhat an anomaly. The clean vocals don’t do
much to counterbalance the heavier moments, which they should in theory, and
end up coming off a bit too nasally. But the guitars truly are the highlight,
and along with the right amount of ever-so-subtle electronic trappings, the
inner quirky goodness of The Future Again
is able to shine through (“Dead and Done,” “Port Hole”). Still, problems
persist throughout the record – the drumming is a bit too perfect (seriously,
anyone else think this might be a drum machine), and the same can be said for
the production - it’s just a bit too much. Sure, those are just words in
essence, but it’s that ultra-slick production that leads to eight tracks that
ultimately sound like one. There’s not really much to discern these tracks, and
the fact that they are crammed into a 28-minute window really doesn’t help
matters. Still, regardless of some of the album’s shortcomings, The Future Again is still worth popping
into your CD player. And if you’re not sure exactly what a CD is anymore, just
queue this up on your iTunes playlist. No, A Hero A Fake didn’t reinvent the
wheel with The Future Again, but at
the very least they do enough to make you think you’re not listening to just
another deathcore record.
Grade: C
Go Download: “Port Hole”
Baroness - Yellow
and Green (Relapse): Yellow and Green
is a trip, and honestly, there might not be a better way to explain it. On
paper, Baroness is a metal band, and by all respects, there really are one,
though with Yellow and Green it
appears the Atlanta-based band are ready, willing and more than able to break
free of the sonic shackles that genre classification has bestowed upon them.
And in order to digest all of that, simply press play, and find your senses
launching into a word that effectively melds booming sounds, thunderous claps,
moody landscapes and big choruses. Yellow
and Green offers literally (yes, very literally) something for everyone, an
aural arsenal that includes new wave (“March to the Sea”), darkwave (“Little
Things”), 80’s worship (“Board Up the House”) and folk (“Twinkler”), though there
are still tracks such as the opener, “Take My Bones Away,” to please those fans
who enjoy things heavy. But rest assured that Yellow and Green isn’t really about being heavy, it’s about being
stylistically creative, though this massive leap into the expansive deep end
doesn’t always work, leading to tracks that ultimately fall flat on their face
(“Collapse,” “Psalms Alive”). When compared to their past, Isis-aping canon, Yellow and Green is surely a long,
strange trip, one that will almost assuredly gain the band a new crop of fans
while alienating some other along the way. And for as different as this release
is, only time will tell if goes down as a botch or a success.
Grade: B+
Go Download: “Little Things”
For All Those Sleeping – Outspoken (Fearless): To get a quick idea of what Outspoken, the sophomore release from
For All Those Sleeping, envision their debut Cross Your Fingers, only heavier, and perhaps, a tad more pissed.
Gone is poor lyricism and laughable songwriting, with songs about zombies since
replaced with passionate songs penned about real world issues such as
backstabbers and abusive step-fathers. FATS’ core structures still persist, and
though the clean vocals are catchy now and again, those instances mostly pale
in comparison to the piss-laden intensity found in the album’s breakdown strewn
heavier moments. And if you can forget about the album’s unmemorable use of
dubstep, Outspoken offers up a few
noteworthy tracks, including the best song the band has written to date,
“Follow My Voice.” Though Outspoken isn’t perfect, it’s not so bad
that you’d this a sophomore slump.
Grade: C
Go Download: “Follow My Voice”
Staind - Live From
Mohegan Sun (Armoury Records): Though Staind’s Live From the Mohegan Sun is about as good a setlist as you could
possibly expect from this band presently, though as you’ll realize throughout
this live offering, there is something a bit off. Frontman Aaron Lewis’ voice
is a bit lacking, especially when he delves into his (formerly) trademark
growls and screams, most notably on classics (in the Staind fanboy pantheon)
like “Spleen” and “Crawl.” Those tracks make up two-thirds of the trio of such
included off of the bands brilliant debut Dysfunction,
along with set closer “Mudshovel.” It’s criminal that the band didn’t include
the unbelievable “Just Go,” but beggars can’t be choosers. The old material is
balanced smartly by some of the bands best new cuts (“Throw It All Away,” “Eyes
Wide Open,” “Paper Wings”) as well as the obligatory throw-ins (“It’s Been
Awhile,” “Outside”). Aside from some issues with Lewis’ voice here and there,
the rest of the band sound spot on as they clamber through many of their best
songs. With live releases, different people are going to want different things,
and Staind’s Live From Mohegan Sun
release is no different. Chances are high you’ll probably want different tracks
to be included, but no matter what type of fan you are, it’s really hard to
argue with the song selection here.
Grade: B-
Go Download: “Spleen”
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