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Yep, that's it! Modern without denying your own roots, a certain hipness without that obligated coolness, commercial potential with misical as well as lyrical pretention.It's all about describing the music of Ray Alder's solo debut "Engine". Certainly, a certain groove-accent can be detected, but the thoroughly-oiled engine, supported by Joey Vera (Fates Warning, Armored Saint), Bernie Versailles (Agent Steel) and drummer Pete Parada (Face To Face) has absolutely nothing to do with other modern metal-bands in the Korn/Coal Chamber/Limp Bizkit category. There are artists that can take on whatever they want, their geniality simply shines through.
If Alder & Co. would have had a financially strong US-major behind them, an ultra-accessible track like "Taste" would have made the Heavy Rotation doubtful. On the other hand songs like the opener "Monster" and "Alone", the track "Bear Your Cross" which can also be found on our latest Dynamit-CD or the very relaxed "Tree Of Life" are much to "deep" ( the German words "tiefsinnig" -profound- and "anspruchsvoll" -pretentious- are still allowed to be mentioned even in times of progressing Americanisation...-red.), to be reduced to chart-ambitions.
Or, to say things in a different manner: those who have no fear of a permanently detectablesadness, combined with highly energetic music, MUST get a hold of this CD, which currently is the runner-up for Best Album of the Year, together with the new Civil Defiance and Steel Prophet -CD's. And the same goes for those who liked the atmosphere of the last Fates Warning disc too, ofcourse.
9.5 points out of 10 |
