Above The Flood, Sugar of Lead

Above The Flood
Sugar of Lead
Reviewed by Rob Acocella
Rating: 4/5

Get the album on CDBaby.com!

Above the flood is an independent Alt Rock band out of upstate New York. We've been friends and fans of Mike Grosshandler since we first heard his work with The Velmas years ago, back when Paragon was actual print magazine. Imagine that, paper with words on it, that you hold in your hand... anyway, I digress...

When we heard that Mike had a new project going with a new bunch of guys, we were naturally excited to hear what it would sound like. What we got was so much more than we had anticipated. From the pounding intro of "Nothing New" to the rally-cry closing of "Get By" Sugar of Lead is a great collection of songs, even if it is a little short (Hey, it's a 5-song EP, what do you want?).

I hear lots of influences in Above The Flood's music, most notably a bit of Seether mixed with Alice In Chains. Not a bad mix, and there's even a little bit of a Type O Negative-like dirge here and there, which I can only rightfully assume is Mike's doing. Matt Shufelt deserves all the credit he can be given for his amazing voice. He's a tremendous vocalist with a great range for this brand of Rock music. He's gritty and smooth all at once, and really projects the attitude of the music. I'm assuming Matt is the chief lyric writer, as the singers typically are, and to that my only comment is: Dude, there's a lot of bitter relationship stuff on here. While that's great Rock song fodder, don't get stuck into a cliche niche of the genre, because you'll have a hard time working your way out of that spot if you ever want to touch on more serious material down the road. I'm all for free speech, but I would assume that lyrics like "I'm a man and I need to control you, then dispose of you" doesn't really win you many female fans, or at least any with healthy self respect. I mean no disrespect in saying this, of course, I just think that lyrics like that are better left to Poison and Motley Crue.

Back to the music: these songs are really catchy, so if you're prone to earbugs, you should know that going into this. I only have to listen to the album once all the way through and I'll have these songs stuck in my head at random times for weeks. No joke, I would wake up some mornings with the lyrics in my head even though I hadn't heard the songs for days. That's the sign of good song writing, and when it comes to hooks, these guys are full of them. I've gotta say that my personal favorites are the 2 most aggressive tunes on here: "Nothing New" and "Love To Hate You."

Overall, I've gotta say that the production value on this is so much better than most debut EPs we get sent, and when you add that in to the songwriting chops, the huge vocals, and all the other little details, this is one of the most solid first releases I've heard from a band in a long time, especially one that isn't signed to a major label with a huge production budget. You can tell these guys take their music seriously and it pays off big-time for them.

For more info on Above The Flood, check out their Facebook Page

Sevendust: Black Out The Sun

Sevendust
Black Out the Sun
Reviewed by: Rob Acocella


I feel that at this point in Sevendust's career, it is fair to say that you pretty much know what you're going to get from them when you pick up a new release. You're going to get the same awesome pulse-pounding drum patterns, grungy riffs, and the combo of smooth and aggressive vocals that the band consistently delivers time and again. You know that as long as there wasn't some massive unexpected change in the inner workings of their songwriting, you're going to be happy with the results. Before I even started listening to Black Out The Sun (ok, I had already heard "Decay" and "Got A Feeling") I knew it was going to be classic Sevendust.

There is only one time that this can be a problem, and that's when you're a journalist trying to come up with descriptive words that you haven't used a hundred times already. It's difficult when you have nothing to complain about, but also don't have fresh new synonyms for expressing how a song sounds or how much you like a particular set of lyrics. Anyway, it's not a bad problem to have, so I'll give it a shot:

Black Out The Sun opens with a melodic, and almost symphonic, arrangement called "Memory," and just when you think the album is going to go the way of an Yngwie Malmsteen CD, the audio assault of  "Faithless" hits you in the face like a ton of bricks. This song can be a bit bi-polar with frequent changes between heavy and soft, but it's that main riff and the chorus hook that makes it an aggressive powerhouse to start the album off. "Till Death" is one hell of a rally cry song, with layers of aggressive vocals ranging from LJ's signature sound to something a little more Death Metal, as well as Morgan Rose's unmistakeable yelling from behind the kit. "Mountain" and "Cold As War" pick up the pace with a more uplifting vibe and then give way to the title track, which brings things down to a more mid-tempo pace temporarily.

A few songs later, we find the single "Decay," which harkens back to early Sevendust. It's a more vintage-style song for the band, and it sounds as though they went back to their first few albums for the inspiration on this song. It's an obvious choice for a single and that would explain why there was a video made for it. (Click the link here or scroll down for the video.)

When it comes to slow-tempo, my favorite Sevendust track had always been "Angel's Son" but on Black Out The Sun they tucked in a little gem near the end of the album called "Got A Feeling" which just tied neck and neck with "Angel's Son" for my favorite semi-acoustic Sevendust song. I'm a sucker for a good acoustic melody and harmonized vocals and they really knocked it out of the park with this one. I'm not going to lie, as a photographer and budding videographer, if there aren't already plans in place for a video for this song, I'd love to someday help with creating that. Yeah, I like it that much.

The album closes with "Murder Bar" which brings us back to the grungy riffs and schizophrenic drum patterns that you come to expect already. The song fades out the end of the album with a spacey treatment that eases you out into nothingness, or right back into the album opener (if you've got your CD player or iTunes set to repeat).

A solid effort that I can't really find any flaws with. I can always rely on Sevendust to put out quality songwriting and not stray too far from the band's signature vibe that made me love them in the first place. I haven't caught them on tour for this album yet, but I have no doubt in my mind that some of these songs will fit their aggressive, high-energy live show perfectly, and I look forward to catching them soon.

Rating: 5/5

Megadeth, "Super Collider"

Megadeth
Super Collider
Reviewed by: Rob Acocella

By this point in my life, I think I'm finally able to use the term "lifelong fan" without worrying about how I didn't know about the band when I was 5 and technically it hasn't been my whole life. I've been a fan of this band ever since I became a fan of Metal back in junior high, and I've stuck by them through all the highs and lows since. And, like every lifelong Megadeth fan, I was curious to see how they'd follow up 2011's TH1RT3EN.

Super Collider opens with what you would think would be the obvious single, "Kingmaker." While it didn't make it as the first single, I can tell that this song will be a big hit in the live set, as it's one of the few anthemic tracks on the album. It's got a classic Megadeth vibe with a more modern personality. The second track is the title track and lead-off single. I have to be honest and say that when they previewed this track online I thought it was a very bad sign of things to come, but it's a grower, and now that I've heard it a few times, I don't mind it as much. It's just odd for Megadeth to have a title track that winds up being one of the less aggressive songs on the album. It honestly feels like Dave decided to try writing a Classic Rock tune with this one. Considering how long the band has been around (this is NOT an age joke, by the way) it makes sense to put out at least one track that could possibly appeal to another range of radio stations to get more airplay. Nothing wrong with doing that, and it's still a good song if you're open enough to the fact that they're not going to be putting out a second recording of Killing Is My Business any time soon.

"Burn!" and "Built For War" aren't bad songs, but I feel they're just the run-of-the-mill album filler. They have their place on here, but aren't really standout tracks. "Off The Edge" and "Dance In The Rain" are reminiscent of World Needs a Hero and the sound the band went for on that album. "Dance In The Rain," in particular, is, lyrically, one of my favorite songs on here, focusing on the plight of a middle-class worker struggling to get by in an economy that doesn't allow one to thrive. And, as you could expect, there is the expected social and political commentary from Dave on this one.

"Beginning of Sorrow" is another strong track and an obvious favorite with an awesome bass intro and bitter, brooding lyrics about an unwanted teen pregnancy. At this point in the album, you can imagine that the listener has already picked up on the vast array of Megadeth flavors peppered in. But if you're anything like me, when you get to "The Blackest Crow," you're first thought will be "...fucking banjo?!" Believe me when I say this, give it a chance, because even though the intro is deceiving, the ganjo (not a typo, ganjo is an actual instrument, apparently) actually fits this dark song pretty well.

"Forget to Remember" picks up the mood again with a more lively energy and plenty of radio-friendly hooks, making it a great Rock song, if not slightly depressing, as the song is about a battle with Alzheimer's Disease. The Jazz style jam that introduces "Don't Turn Your Back" quickly slides into a pulsing riff with double bass drums with a vibe that could have easily put this song on Cryptic Writings. The album then closes strongly with a cover of Thin Lizzy's "Cold Sweat" that is done pretty true to the original, if not a good bit heavier in classic Megadeth fashion.

Super Collider is a collection of songs that covers a gamut of style ranges for the band, and provides some thought-provoking messages. It's a solid follow-up to TH1RT3EN and, even though some songs may need to grow on some people, I feel it will ultimately earn its place among some of the band's best recordings. The musicianship, as always, needs no description. If you don't already know what a talented lineup this is, then I question why you're even reading this.

Rating: 4/5