One of more modern music guilty pleasures is without a doubt Saliva. The band graced many movie soundtracks with track selections from 2001's 'Every Six Seconds'. What made that album good makes this album even better in my opinion. I was a big fan of the more rock based tracks that had a dark edge to them. On the bands latest effort they seemed to have built on that and have taken it a step further. The music on the new album is upbeat and even melodic at times. the band hasn't lost their edge, but do the rap rock thing on slightly this time with 'Raise up' that fully embraces it and only very slightly after that. There is alot of crunch here as well. The opening track 'Superstar II' is a sequel of sorts on the original from 'Every Six Seconds'. The track is different, but has the familar melodies from the original. Alot of the music from there is very consistent. Mid tempo rockers with great choruses. Tracks like 'Weight of the World', the first single 'Always', 'All because of you', and 'Separated Self' all have hit potential. What makes that possible is the edge on each song followed by the melody mentioned earlier. One of my absolute favorite tracks on the album is 'Rest in Pieces' which is co-written by Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx. This song has the potential to propel the band even higher. What will be interesting however is how the band will be recieved by their fanbase. It seems like when a band changes their sound a bit, the fans seem to want to reject it. The reason that will be hard to do is the fact that the album is so infectious. I am rather accepting of this however because I already liked the band and I am a big fan of hard edged music that is melodic. Some of my other favorites include 'Pride' with it's strong lyrical assault, 'Storm', and the closer 'Famous Monsters'.
Overall
This is a good release from one of the better acts of todays music. The band has injected alot of melody into the music without losing the edge they are known for. It's also interesting that the disc has a demo on it for Warcraft III. I am a fan of the game and find this an interesting move both on the labels part as well as Blizzard. I guess if you don't like the album, you still have a game to play in demo form. I do think alot of fans will dig this release however.
Kaminari are a German band that have released a six track cd this summer. Kaminari, a Japanese word for Thunderstorm, can also be used as a description for their music. Stylistically the band fits best in the hard rock or metal category depending on the track with some of their sound reminiscent of Iron Maiden in the guitar parts and a bit in their structure. The band really stand on their own however and really aren't a clone of anybody. Getting to the music, the opener 'Fire and Dice' sets the tone right away. The song flows well with some good bass lines and rabid guitar work. There are two versions of the track 'My black colors' which is a good song with cool vocal parts. The second version is a radio edit that is clipped a bit. Check out the solo on this tune in the original version. It's extremely flashy, but is missing unfortunately in the edit. 'Stairway to the galaxy' as far has subject refers to the Apollo 13 incident. The song is straightforward in it's approach. This is one of those tracks where you hear a bit of Maiden influence. What I also find interesting is the Alcatrazz style choruses on the album. Very cool to hear this as I liked it when Alcatrazz did it. Fans of that band will now what I'm talking about without hearing this. 'Babylon' would be the tune with the groove. Mainly heard in the chorus and it makes this song catchy. 'Guardian Angel' is the final track to mention. Once again the song is catchy especially in the rhythms and once again has that Maiden dual sound. The album was produced by the band and Achim Kohler who has also worked with other metal giants like Primal Fear and Sinner. The production sounds very good!
Overall
What makes this release interesting is the bands potential. These guys are just getting warmed up I feel and are gearing up to be a contender in the market. Using a name like Kohler can only help with recognition. I think these guys have a bright future and should definitely be watched in the future. For more info check out the bands website by clicking here. Love that T2 music on the front page!
