The
probable debut for this HM-rocking 3-piece from Tennessee proves to
be quite a delightful surprise, in which the burden of the songwriting
is mostly in vocalist/guitarist/drummer Scott Clarke's hands, also delivering
us powerful, skillful and good taste axe solos.
After an intro, you'll meet "Contrivance", endowed
with an incredible refrain that will unavoidably stick to your minds,
helped by involving keyboards, while "Good Thing" differs
a little, being simpler and more straightforward, with vocal acrobacies
and the bass in the front row. You may as well find "Live it
Free" not too original, it's a most effective party song though,
whereas I think "Read Between the Lies" won't be only
my favorite composition: perfect live, the chorus is slow, the
lyrics great, the vocals double thanks to bassist Ricardo Galvan's second
ones.
Yeah, "Baby I Smile" is the inevitable love song of
the album, but it's not boring at all and is embellished by cellos and
French horns, while I dare to say I can find something similar to Alice
in Chains in "Your Love's Gone Cold" and "Year
of Black" includes the best riff of the whole 15 tracks, alà
Zakk Wylde if you allow me.
I suppose some reviewers may've been tempted to define Chromium Blitz
almost a prog metal band, but for me there's only hevay metal containing
several ideas, some quite fresh actually, and the feeling of 70's bands.
By the way, the recording is fantastic, the guitars crushing, deign
of a thrash band, and the drum work heavy as needed. The two singers
sometimes remind me of Ozzy and on certain occasions Eagles' voice,
in others even Yes's, but this sounds to me a bit pedantic, so I'll
stop with comparisons and I'll tell you that the band can only writea
song like "Visions", only melancholic acoustic guitars,
so as to prepare you to "Til' the Bitter End", a touching
song that every musician, not only guitarists, will appreciate, from
the lyrics, the deep feeling inside and the excellent use of fluid metrics.
The world's funeral has almost arrived, and people need faith songs
about the eternity of the soul like "Life is Waiting"
now; the vocals sound very Ozzy-like here and there're cool bass lines
as well. To me it feels like no beginners' luck to have a tough song
like "Breaking the Rules", grinding all and everybody
home and live; get that ass-kicking chorus that is worth the buying
of the CD by itself!
"I Know" is very strange, at the threshold of psychedelic
HM, but until it's OK to my ears, there's nothing to worry about, while
the closing track "Restless Night" is preceded by a
disquieting intro "911", fit for the darkest and most
wicked song of the group.
The artwork is essential and not de luxe, but very detailed about the
instruments used track by track.
A good 15 tracks for over 68 minutes of coherent high quality rocking
HM. If you miss "Hard Times", you won't be able to
say I didn't warn you!
MARKUS GANZHERRLICH - 5/9/03
Contacts:
Po Box 140216, Nashville, Tn 37214 - USA (include a legal
size S.A.S.E.)
E-mail: chromiumblitz03@yahoo.com
www.chromiumblitz.com
Booking info: 615-8897772 or 615-4590856
Line-up:
SCOTT CLARKE, v., electric & acoustic g., drums and percussions
RICARDO GALVAN: v., b.
JACK BROWNING: Electric g., organ, piano & synth
