Post by Josh McLaughlin on Oct 16, 2011 19:35:09 GMT -5
Egypt Central
"White Rabbit"
Deluxe Edition
Released May 2011
Produced by Skidd Mills
Egypt Central are a rock band you have probably heard many times on TV shows and movies, but don't know by name. With songs appearing on WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009, as well as movie The Condemned, and having toured with bands such as Seether, Disturbed, Sevendust and many more, they are starting to finally get their name out their! A couple of months back, in May 2011, they released their second studio album, titled "White Rabbits" which has performed well on rock charts, breaking the top 20 in USA Mainstream Rock, and hitting #78 on the Billboard 200. But is the success warranted? Does the album stand out among so many of their hard rock peers? We'll see!
_______
The album kicks off with "Ghost Town", a hard-hitting rock song that is heavier than any previous song I have heard from the band. The sound is crisp and the instruments are tight, reminding me in many ways of Nonpoint; almost a little too much. Having said that, the hooks are good and the angst doesn't seem as forced as some bands in their genre. It's a solid track. "White Rabbit", the title track, is equally as hard-hitting, and the crunch of the drums and roar of the guitars sound great. John Falls, the band's vocalist, sounds great. Although lacking particularly in originality, the band is tight and aggressive.
The third track "Goodnight" changes the pace, and is far more melodic and moody than the previous two tracks. The song is straight-forward and catchy, without sounding like a generic cheery radio rock song. "Kick Ass" picks things up again with epic instrumentals and hooks that make it an instant hard rock anthem. You can't help but get amped up by this song! The screams of "MOVE!" breaking into the guitar solo are great. "Change" is next, and it's more of a ballad. The instrumentals overpower the vocals a little too much until the chorus, where the song really picks up. The chorus is very melodic instrumentally, and the chords really compliment the catchy vocal track. The verses, however, seem a little disjointed. A good track, still, and the guitar work in the bridge is a standout.
"The Drug (Part 1)" kicks in next, with a very bass and vocal driven verse leading into a great rock chorus. It seems that when creating the album they wanted to push further into metal territory, and thus come off with a very similar style to Nonpoint. The tracks are solid, for sure, but identity is lacking in some ways, to me at least. I think this could have been remedied with more variety; not to say there isn't variety, but a little more would have went a long way. "Down in Flames" starts with a beat that sounds like a group of people marching, with an organ heard behind preacher-styled intro clips. Maybe I spoke too soon about variety? The chorus screams of "Wake up your generation; wake up and save the nation, wake up determination; I am afraid we are going down in flames" give the song an anthemic quality. A very good track, the guitar work is good too.
"The Enemy (Part 2)" starts off more melodic with ballad-esqe vocal and guitar qualities. The vocals are great and moody, and the lyrics are fantastic. The song is emotional and catchy, without sounding like a generic radio rock tune ala Nickelback. This song is more of a throwback to their previous album, and their more rock-less metal approach. A standout so far. The next track, "Blame" is another song more likened to their old style, adding to the variety of the album. The verse has funky hooks and the chorus is as hard rock as it gets. The instruments are the standout here, especially the guitar work of Jeff James. "Dying to Leave" is another rock song that crescendos well into the chorus, which is catchy. It seems that the first half of the album is more metal, the second half is more rock. I prefer the second half!
"Surrender" is a thumping tune that combines hard-hitting song that combines heavy instrumentals with vocals that, while rocking out, have catchy elements of pop-rock in them. This track is followed by "Backfire", an acoustic ballad that changes the pace of the album. The song is catchy, soulful and a good way to break up the album and add variety. It's followed by the bass-driven "Liar" which has an uplifting feel to it, despite the negativity of the lyrics. The chants of "burn burn!" are catchy and add to the song. The album closes out with "15 Minutes" which starts out slow and melodic; very moody. Once the electric guitar kicks in, the song crescendos into an ass kickin' chorus that is as catchy as hard rock/metal can get. A great track to close out a solid album.
Nothing here is revolutionary, and nothing here will ever top anyones "Best Rock Songs of All-Time" lists or make a considerable impact on radio. Having said that, that doesn't mean it's bad at all! It's a solid album, theres a lot of great tunes. "Ghost Town", "White Rabbit", "Kick Ass", "Blame" and "15 Minutes" are all great songs on a very well-rounded album. The only thing preventing it from moving from good to great, as a whole, is how closely sounding to Nonpoint some of the songs are.
7.5/10
"White Rabbit"
Deluxe Edition
Released May 2011
Produced by Skidd Mills
Egypt Central are a rock band you have probably heard many times on TV shows and movies, but don't know by name. With songs appearing on WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009, as well as movie The Condemned, and having toured with bands such as Seether, Disturbed, Sevendust and many more, they are starting to finally get their name out their! A couple of months back, in May 2011, they released their second studio album, titled "White Rabbits" which has performed well on rock charts, breaking the top 20 in USA Mainstream Rock, and hitting #78 on the Billboard 200. But is the success warranted? Does the album stand out among so many of their hard rock peers? We'll see!
_______
The album kicks off with "Ghost Town", a hard-hitting rock song that is heavier than any previous song I have heard from the band. The sound is crisp and the instruments are tight, reminding me in many ways of Nonpoint; almost a little too much. Having said that, the hooks are good and the angst doesn't seem as forced as some bands in their genre. It's a solid track. "White Rabbit", the title track, is equally as hard-hitting, and the crunch of the drums and roar of the guitars sound great. John Falls, the band's vocalist, sounds great. Although lacking particularly in originality, the band is tight and aggressive.
The third track "Goodnight" changes the pace, and is far more melodic and moody than the previous two tracks. The song is straight-forward and catchy, without sounding like a generic cheery radio rock song. "Kick Ass" picks things up again with epic instrumentals and hooks that make it an instant hard rock anthem. You can't help but get amped up by this song! The screams of "MOVE!" breaking into the guitar solo are great. "Change" is next, and it's more of a ballad. The instrumentals overpower the vocals a little too much until the chorus, where the song really picks up. The chorus is very melodic instrumentally, and the chords really compliment the catchy vocal track. The verses, however, seem a little disjointed. A good track, still, and the guitar work in the bridge is a standout.
"The Drug (Part 1)" kicks in next, with a very bass and vocal driven verse leading into a great rock chorus. It seems that when creating the album they wanted to push further into metal territory, and thus come off with a very similar style to Nonpoint. The tracks are solid, for sure, but identity is lacking in some ways, to me at least. I think this could have been remedied with more variety; not to say there isn't variety, but a little more would have went a long way. "Down in Flames" starts with a beat that sounds like a group of people marching, with an organ heard behind preacher-styled intro clips. Maybe I spoke too soon about variety? The chorus screams of "Wake up your generation; wake up and save the nation, wake up determination; I am afraid we are going down in flames" give the song an anthemic quality. A very good track, the guitar work is good too.
"The Enemy (Part 2)" starts off more melodic with ballad-esqe vocal and guitar qualities. The vocals are great and moody, and the lyrics are fantastic. The song is emotional and catchy, without sounding like a generic radio rock tune ala Nickelback. This song is more of a throwback to their previous album, and their more rock-less metal approach. A standout so far. The next track, "Blame" is another song more likened to their old style, adding to the variety of the album. The verse has funky hooks and the chorus is as hard rock as it gets. The instruments are the standout here, especially the guitar work of Jeff James. "Dying to Leave" is another rock song that crescendos well into the chorus, which is catchy. It seems that the first half of the album is more metal, the second half is more rock. I prefer the second half!
"Surrender" is a thumping tune that combines hard-hitting song that combines heavy instrumentals with vocals that, while rocking out, have catchy elements of pop-rock in them. This track is followed by "Backfire", an acoustic ballad that changes the pace of the album. The song is catchy, soulful and a good way to break up the album and add variety. It's followed by the bass-driven "Liar" which has an uplifting feel to it, despite the negativity of the lyrics. The chants of "burn burn!" are catchy and add to the song. The album closes out with "15 Minutes" which starts out slow and melodic; very moody. Once the electric guitar kicks in, the song crescendos into an ass kickin' chorus that is as catchy as hard rock/metal can get. A great track to close out a solid album.
Nothing here is revolutionary, and nothing here will ever top anyones "Best Rock Songs of All-Time" lists or make a considerable impact on radio. Having said that, that doesn't mean it's bad at all! It's a solid album, theres a lot of great tunes. "Ghost Town", "White Rabbit", "Kick Ass", "Blame" and "15 Minutes" are all great songs on a very well-rounded album. The only thing preventing it from moving from good to great, as a whole, is how closely sounding to Nonpoint some of the songs are.
7.5/10