Good gracious, this is a phenomenal performance by Richie Kotzen
I'm so happy the Winery Dogs is taking off & more people are becoming aware of RK.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Watching the BMW on Golf Channel... has there ever been another golfer more disparaged than Tiger Woods for shooting a 5-under 66 because they missed a few other putts?
Feel how you want about the man's attitude, adultery, or whatever. He's THE best golfer to ever grace the Earth... and he's black in a traditionally white man's game. If I could have the ability in his pinky finger in my whole body for a day, I'd feel like a sports god.
Love him or hate him, history is exciting.
Feel how you want about the man's attitude, adultery, or whatever. He's THE best golfer to ever grace the Earth... and he's black in a traditionally white man's game. If I could have the ability in his pinky finger in my whole body for a day, I'd feel like a sports god.
Love him or hate him, history is exciting.
Took the day off tomorrow:
The wife wants to play some golf in the morning
I offered to accompany her to the Birds In Art exhibit at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum (she's an accomplished & published birder, btw)
Then I thought we'd dine at our favorite restaurant
All in all, I would say a wonderfully full day of wedded bliss.
The wife wants to play some golf in the morning
I offered to accompany her to the Birds In Art exhibit at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum (she's an accomplished & published birder, btw)
Then I thought we'd dine at our favorite restaurant
All in all, I would say a wonderfully full day of wedded bliss.
Turned on Palladium earlier & ran across REO Speedwagon live from 2010. Fortuitously, I landed on a performance of "Golden Country", which for my money is the best and most epic of the REO catalogue. Just a wonderful amalgamation of keyboard subtlety & grandiose guitar.
Driller: The Final Deal review
One day earlier this week I opened my email & found a message from a band named Driller asking if I would review their just released full length disc, The Final Deal. Formed in 2009 by Brazilian brothers Alex & KK Rech, they hail from Edinburgh in the UK and evidently became familiar with me from a previous review. Being passionate about music (and obviously flattered that my opinion was sought, much less merited), I said sure, I'd be honored.
I clicked on the link for the lead single "Heaven's Far" and was immediately struck by the European metal influence, particularly Edguy. Then the main riff shifted and it almost took on the feel of an old school Savatage tune, with a synchopated, yet fluid riff. Overall, the song is well-crafted and features several interesting time changes & solo spots. As the lead single, the details were clearly poured over: the verses are tight, the bridge is excellent, and the chorus is highly melodic. The solo in particular features some impressive fretboard gymnastics without sounding like notes for notes' sake. An impressive introduction from an independent band.
"Mad Science" features one of the best chorus melodies on the record. I really enjoy how this song FLOWS... the galloping riffs meld with the vocals very well, creating some nice tension/release moments. And by song #2, I can tell KK is as big a fan of double bass as I am, using it to great effect throughout.
Title track "The Final Deal" may as well be a leftover Savatage riff from the Mountain King era: beautiful tone, with some embellished hammer-ons thrown in. One thing is clear already: Alex is a budding riffologist. This tune features some nice back & forth vocals in the verse section. Yet another melodic chorus that keeps the listener's attention.
"Wild Dream"... the riff John Sykes forgot to write for Whitesnake. The opening of this song is pure attitude and adrenaline. Throw in a couple pinch harmonics & you've got a metal tune. Good energy fueled by the driving double bass in the chorus. The middle section breakdown is an excellent departure, bringing the energy down until it explodes again into yet another tasteful, melodic solo.
Next up is "Holding On", opening with an extended amalgamation of riffs before settling into a mid-tempo slice of pure 80's brilliance. The chugging riff allows the vocals to take center stage and drive the song. The solo features some impressive Megadeth-infused phrases & note choices. A good example of the recent European melodic rock sensibilities of the last 5-10 years.
"No Tomorrow" has a Pretty Maids feel to it, starting out with a heavy riff and ending up with a beautifully crafted bridge before ripping back into an aggressive chorus. The band throws in some more call & response vocals, which I always enjoy for the tension it creates. This tune, in particular, seems to have been crafted for that purpose: create tension, then release it.
At this point I would be remiss if I didn't mention the musicianship of this band. Alex seems to be able to morph into whoever he wants. At times I hear Nuno, then I'll get some Harem Scarem, string-skipping like Paul Gilbert, squeals that would make Zakk proud. He clearly has an impressive understanding of his instrument. KK is an absolute beast. He never seems to overplay or add fills where they don't need to be. He consistently delivers a driving bottom end that seems to give the songs some pace & life.
Anyway, back to the reason we're all here. "Raise The Cape" is reminiscent of driving, slithery tunes from the likes of Kingdom Come or Pink Cream 69. This song is more guitar-driven than some others on the disc and features a beautiful string-skipping extravaganza in the solo.
When this song first started I sat straight up in the chair and was literally speechless. A song about one of my favorite childhood racers, Ayrton Senna?! A second later I realized the obvious Brazilian connection, but from there I was intrigued. "The Magic Runner" features my favorite opening riff on the album. It almost sounds majestic in delivery. "His head colours remind us where he's from"... If you're not familiar, Senna wore the Brazilian colors on his helmet and it became his calling card, of sorts. Uptempo and driving tune, with a wonderfully crafted bridge section that bounces into another well-crafted chorus. I absolutely love the solo in this song as it seems to "become" the speed and turns of a racetrack. There's some early-era Extreme to the guitar sound that makes this song sound more raw than some of the others. The song ends with Senna's in-car during his victory in the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix.
"City Of Lights" is another Maiden-influenced tune. By that, I mean not Maiden-sounding, but the attitude, the melody, the chugging feel. This song grew on me a lot through each listen. There's an epic feel to the song structure and the melodies are more intricate, but they're there in spades. The solo is pure brilliance from a metal guitar perspective. Alex just keeps delivering time after time.
The only ballad, "Coming Home", starts off with some beautifully crafted piano, before moving into an uplifting guitar melody. I haven't mentioned him yet, but bassist Thomas Silk really shines on this track. His bass lines are a beautiful counterpoint to the laid back guitar chords, creating depth throughout the track. I love the simplicity of the solo here, as it really pulls the melody from all facets of the song. The best compliment I can give this song is it's a ballad that doesn't sound cheesy. There's some definite substance here, especially the melody change after the solo.
"You And My Way", while it has an impressive opening riff, is probably the weakest song on the album. There's promise there, but it feels as if the song is a little out of Alex's range. It needs someone of the Dickinson ilk to really bring it alive, maybe not so much in the chorus but in the verses. Here again, though, this band is impressive as musicians & songwriters. Near the midsection, there's a distinct Extreme III Sides To Every Story influence, as if Cupid's Dead had a baby.
Final track: "Daredevil Blues"... now this is a bouncy track. Right from the get-go it just seems like dirty fun. Frolicking riff, chugging bass, solid downbeats. Reminds me of deep album tracks from the likes of Tora Tora or House Of Lords. A solid, fun way to end an album.
So there you have it... Did I really like it you ask? Yes, I did. Truth be told it took a few listens. Musically, they are spot on, or as Austin Powers would say "A little bit of alright". The vocals were predominantly okay. I thought they could've used some more depth and fullness, maybe some richness to take the "in a box" sound out of them. Think Boston: the more voices, the better. The band is clearly talented, and I think with a producer that can focus some of that talent, Driller has a lot of promise in the melodic rock world. But trust me, there's enough there to make yourself a fan. As in, get on board before it's full.
In closing, I would like to thank the band Driller personally for allowing me to be a part of what you created. You can't possibly know what it feels like to be at least a little part of "the family". Keep doing what you're doing, because I think there's a future there.
I clicked on the link for the lead single "Heaven's Far" and was immediately struck by the European metal influence, particularly Edguy. Then the main riff shifted and it almost took on the feel of an old school Savatage tune, with a synchopated, yet fluid riff. Overall, the song is well-crafted and features several interesting time changes & solo spots. As the lead single, the details were clearly poured over: the verses are tight, the bridge is excellent, and the chorus is highly melodic. The solo in particular features some impressive fretboard gymnastics without sounding like notes for notes' sake. An impressive introduction from an independent band.
"Mad Science" features one of the best chorus melodies on the record. I really enjoy how this song FLOWS... the galloping riffs meld with the vocals very well, creating some nice tension/release moments. And by song #2, I can tell KK is as big a fan of double bass as I am, using it to great effect throughout.
Title track "The Final Deal" may as well be a leftover Savatage riff from the Mountain King era: beautiful tone, with some embellished hammer-ons thrown in. One thing is clear already: Alex is a budding riffologist. This tune features some nice back & forth vocals in the verse section. Yet another melodic chorus that keeps the listener's attention.
"Wild Dream"... the riff John Sykes forgot to write for Whitesnake. The opening of this song is pure attitude and adrenaline. Throw in a couple pinch harmonics & you've got a metal tune. Good energy fueled by the driving double bass in the chorus. The middle section breakdown is an excellent departure, bringing the energy down until it explodes again into yet another tasteful, melodic solo.
Next up is "Holding On", opening with an extended amalgamation of riffs before settling into a mid-tempo slice of pure 80's brilliance. The chugging riff allows the vocals to take center stage and drive the song. The solo features some impressive Megadeth-infused phrases & note choices. A good example of the recent European melodic rock sensibilities of the last 5-10 years.
"No Tomorrow" has a Pretty Maids feel to it, starting out with a heavy riff and ending up with a beautifully crafted bridge before ripping back into an aggressive chorus. The band throws in some more call & response vocals, which I always enjoy for the tension it creates. This tune, in particular, seems to have been crafted for that purpose: create tension, then release it.
At this point I would be remiss if I didn't mention the musicianship of this band. Alex seems to be able to morph into whoever he wants. At times I hear Nuno, then I'll get some Harem Scarem, string-skipping like Paul Gilbert, squeals that would make Zakk proud. He clearly has an impressive understanding of his instrument. KK is an absolute beast. He never seems to overplay or add fills where they don't need to be. He consistently delivers a driving bottom end that seems to give the songs some pace & life.
Anyway, back to the reason we're all here. "Raise The Cape" is reminiscent of driving, slithery tunes from the likes of Kingdom Come or Pink Cream 69. This song is more guitar-driven than some others on the disc and features a beautiful string-skipping extravaganza in the solo.
When this song first started I sat straight up in the chair and was literally speechless. A song about one of my favorite childhood racers, Ayrton Senna?! A second later I realized the obvious Brazilian connection, but from there I was intrigued. "The Magic Runner" features my favorite opening riff on the album. It almost sounds majestic in delivery. "His head colours remind us where he's from"... If you're not familiar, Senna wore the Brazilian colors on his helmet and it became his calling card, of sorts. Uptempo and driving tune, with a wonderfully crafted bridge section that bounces into another well-crafted chorus. I absolutely love the solo in this song as it seems to "become" the speed and turns of a racetrack. There's some early-era Extreme to the guitar sound that makes this song sound more raw than some of the others. The song ends with Senna's in-car during his victory in the 1991 Brazilian Grand Prix.
"City Of Lights" is another Maiden-influenced tune. By that, I mean not Maiden-sounding, but the attitude, the melody, the chugging feel. This song grew on me a lot through each listen. There's an epic feel to the song structure and the melodies are more intricate, but they're there in spades. The solo is pure brilliance from a metal guitar perspective. Alex just keeps delivering time after time.
The only ballad, "Coming Home", starts off with some beautifully crafted piano, before moving into an uplifting guitar melody. I haven't mentioned him yet, but bassist Thomas Silk really shines on this track. His bass lines are a beautiful counterpoint to the laid back guitar chords, creating depth throughout the track. I love the simplicity of the solo here, as it really pulls the melody from all facets of the song. The best compliment I can give this song is it's a ballad that doesn't sound cheesy. There's some definite substance here, especially the melody change after the solo.
"You And My Way", while it has an impressive opening riff, is probably the weakest song on the album. There's promise there, but it feels as if the song is a little out of Alex's range. It needs someone of the Dickinson ilk to really bring it alive, maybe not so much in the chorus but in the verses. Here again, though, this band is impressive as musicians & songwriters. Near the midsection, there's a distinct Extreme III Sides To Every Story influence, as if Cupid's Dead had a baby.
Final track: "Daredevil Blues"... now this is a bouncy track. Right from the get-go it just seems like dirty fun. Frolicking riff, chugging bass, solid downbeats. Reminds me of deep album tracks from the likes of Tora Tora or House Of Lords. A solid, fun way to end an album.
So there you have it... Did I really like it you ask? Yes, I did. Truth be told it took a few listens. Musically, they are spot on, or as Austin Powers would say "A little bit of alright". The vocals were predominantly okay. I thought they could've used some more depth and fullness, maybe some richness to take the "in a box" sound out of them. Think Boston: the more voices, the better. The band is clearly talented, and I think with a producer that can focus some of that talent, Driller has a lot of promise in the melodic rock world. But trust me, there's enough there to make yourself a fan. As in, get on board before it's full.
In closing, I would like to thank the band Driller personally for allowing me to be a part of what you created. You can't possibly know what it feels like to be at least a little part of "the family". Keep doing what you're doing, because I think there's a future there.
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