Now, that being said let’s talk about the fifth major label release from the boys out of Cali.  If you’re a fan, you’re not gonna be disappointed with this one.  They’ve strayed little from the territory covered in 2006’s “The Paramour Sessions” – in fact my only complaint is several songs are strongly derivative of their own earlier works (or in the case of “March Out of the Darkness”, a little vintage Pink Floyd perhaps).

Undeniably, after ten years as a band, vocalist Jacoby Shaddix, guitarist Jerry Horton, bassist Tobin Esperance & new drummer Tony Palermo know how to mix a decent, guitar fueled rock anthem with blatant radio accessability – even if their hormonal subject matter might make such airplay difficult in certain instances.   Clearly there has been a focus on marketing with this release, but no more than any other MTV worthy rock band & in my opinion, not at the expense of quality song writing.

However, the first two singles “Lifeline” & “Hollywood Whore” are not the best representation of what is contained in this CD – at least as I see it.  Both of those tunes are more ballad-ish, while superior chant-alongs like “I Almost Told You That I Loved You” and “Live This Down” SHOULD be what is cranking out on the air waves.  Again, the lyrical content is probably the issue here but would love to hear those tunes played live.

Speaking of lyrics, Sixx A.M’s vocalist James Michael had a hand in co-writing the words for 5 of the songs (including the last two mentioned) and frankly, his prescence is strongly felt but doesn’t explain the apparent Jekyll/Hyde nature between some of the tracks; some being angry break-up rants, others seemingly about addiction and still others being thinly veiled homages to backstage naughtiness.  Jacoby seems unafraid to spill his guts lyrically, which makes for an all-over-the-road feel if playing the disc straight through but does leave one appreciating that the bad boy frontman has his demons as well.  “Carry Me” for example has a great chorus with “the hardest ones to love, are the ones who need it most” – possible influenced by the very public problems the band had with former drummer/founding member Dave Buckner.   Honest without being schmaltzy,  “Carry Me” would’ve been my vote for first single if something slower was needed.

So in the end, I’ve found myself replaying this disc a lot but not for the songs I originally thought would pull me in.  Instead, I found little gems hidden away that had me hitting the ‘repeat’ button more than once after finding them.  There’s a little bit of everything – rockers (including a guitar solo by Mick Mars on “Into The Light”),  odes to survival & overcoming obstacles and then the  occasional slower tempoed piece.  But thankfully no real filler.

The guys are currently touring with Avenged Sevenfold & Buckcherry, and this seems to be a great fit for where they’re at musically these days.  Check them out when they come to your area & do give the CD a listen.

This ain’t just your momma’s rock band anymore.

They sound (to my demented ear) in the vein of Garage or Grunge with more than a smattering of Punk thrown in for good measure, but call themselves ‘Dirt Rock’ so what do I know.  Ok, ignore categorization and listen to them yourself – you decide.  Each song on their Myspace page stretches slightly into a different musical direction like a parasitic tentacle, drawing from the past yet melting it into something all its own.  On their homepage, guitarist Jason Beickert lists ‘None’ under influences – we’re not being entirely honest now, are we Jason? There are elements of Jam band, the aforementioned Punk & Grunge, Hardcore, Metal and even good old fashioned Rock.  Hardly a ‘NON - influenced’ band.

But in all honesty, they have the makings of a group that thrives on live performance.  Nothing wrong with that, but I can only guess if I’m accurate since I’ve yet to see them.  Regardless, give’em a listen and see if you’re not like me – wishing they were outside, jamming in your garage so you could crack a cold one and listen in.  

I also bought their new CD while I was there and am happy to see it has more ‘unusual’ song titles as we’ve come to expect. My favs so far are the aforementioned ‘Love Me Dead’ as well as ‘Drunken Lament’, ‘Lake Pontchartrain’ (a little ditty about a carniverous lake) and the theme song to my marriage – ‘The Horror of Our Love’. Check out a sample of these lyrics;

“I want you stuffed into my mouth
Hold you down and tear you open, live inside you – love,
I’d never hurt you
But I’ll grind against your bones until our marrows mix
I will eat you slowly . . . ”

Almost sounds like something Six Feet Under would play, doesn’t it? But no, it’s recorded by a band looking like a Lambda Lambda Lambda reunion. You can check’em out on their Myspace Page.

The new cd entitled “Time is Fiction”, due out around February of 2008, represents more of the band’s desired sound compared to their initial release “A Burn or a Shiver” as they shared production duties with industry veteran Nathan Dantzler, who’s previous work has included everything from country to contemporary Christian to metal.  Make no mistake, this isn’t a hard rock disc nor some lilting emo cryfest, but instead a compilation of heartfelt musings & mature rock melodies that defy easy categorization. 

The 12 songs offered vary in tempo and mood from the energetic “Let Go” to the more reflective “Chances” to the soulful title track, but all share catchy & skillful musicianship, earnest vocalizations by either Joshua or Mountain (sometimes both), and a few diverse choices in instrumentation (most notably chimes, trumpet & and a real string section on ‘Jean Val Jean’ & ‘All Our Memories’).

Probably the best songs are the U2 reminiscent ‘End of You’, the softly sentimental ‘Jean Val Jean’ and the strongest on the disc, the haunting ‘All Our Memories’, but there is no filler to be found.  Each song showcases the band’s determination to produce something of quality, and distinction, to the listener’s ear.  Strolling through this disc is akin to a musical art exhibit where each piece tells a separate, compelling story while still completing a larger mosaic of emotion and thoughtfulness.

Lyrically, the band writes as meticulously and honestly as they play.  Several songs highlight admission of growth & understanding to past experiences (‘This Control’, ‘Chances’) while others celebrate life and passion (‘Cold Condition’, ‘Our Bodies Sing’) and still others make a positive call for action (‘Children in the Streets’).  The commonality amongst them seems to be an unpretentious display of inspiration and self-realization.

Ultimately, I know the industry isn’t fair and often the best don’t rise to the top, but these guys deserve to be huge.   As an avid listener of heavier, more brutal fare – this CD found it’s way into my car stereo far more times than I ever would have guessed.  And it should find it’s way to yours as well.