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“Superbands” are always more than welcome, mainly because they make us “dream” about lineups that normally we would neither listen on normal CDs nor have regular compositions… It is true though that most of the times all those projects are left aside either as studio albums or we can’t see them live due to agenda problems of the members. Luckily, this is not the case, because Adrenaline Mob has everything in favor to stay in this show business long enough both in studio and live shows. David Aresté |
| 10/10 |
Adrenaline Mob gathers together 3 experimented musicians such as Mike Portnoy (founding member of Dream Theater, apart from being member of Avenged Sevenfold, Transatlantic and many other projects), Russell Allen (from Symphony X) as the voice, and guitarist Mike Orlando. On the very first steps of the band others joined, like guitarist Rich Ward or bass player Paul diLeo, but they have to leave the band, leaving John Moyer (from Disturbed) as final bass and the second guitar’s place empty.
That first lineup recorded the debut EP, with the promo versions of some of the songs included in this Omertá (honor code in the mob’s vocabulary), with a rock sound close to band like Rob Zombie, Disturbed, Kiss, or even Black Label Society… obviously far from the root bands of the members of AM.
And this is one of the reasons why we won’t find an intrepid or extremely technical part by Portnoy in the album, or at least not all the time… but his work on it is based on inflicting power and character to the songs, and being partner to the brutal voice of Allen, who rejects being left behind.
Mike Orlando might be the one who really does as he pleases in the 10 songs off the album, playing as he likes with the guitar. But it must be pointed out that he really knows how to fit his sound to the band’s format, such as for example in the ballads “Angel Sky” or “All the Line”, where Orlando adapts perfectly to the songs pattern, giving it the emotional feeling a ballad really needs.
Maybe we are not really very objective or we might exaggerate, but leaving aside technical patterns or styles, we have in our hands the best Allen has recorded in a long time relating vocals. We could say his voice has no limits and he won’t restrain it at any time, he goes with the music, he’s led by his feelings, and he roars as never did. We can easily hear it in the frist track, “Undaunted”, or in “Indifferent”, “Hit the wall”… but especially in the powerful rocker last one “Freight Trein”. The only collaboration on the album can be found on the vocal part (and must obviously be at the same level as Allen’s), so we find his female alter ego, Halestorm’s Lizzy Hale. The American vocalist shows her strength and her melodic tone helping Allen in “Come Undone”, being both main and backing vocals.
Honoring his name, this album means lots of adrenaline torrents while listening to it from first to last tracks. The CD has no “filling space” song, and each of them fulfils its function on the whole. We’ll wait and see if the first tour brings them to our country, or else, maybe we have a new album soon enough. No doubt it’s one of the top albums of the year, mandatory to buy it.
David Aresté
Track-list:
1. Undaunted
2. Psychosane
3. Indifferent
4. All On The Line
5. Hit The Wall
6. Feelin’ Me
7. Come Undone
8. Down To The Floor
9. Angel Sky
10. Freight Train
[youtube]http://youtu.be/TJkIy1IqBGc[/youtube]
.jpg "Tarja Turunen")