Here is The Ongoing Concept. I have to be honest, before I got this album to write a review, I only knew them by name. I asked a friend of mine what to expect. First and foremost he was surprised that I didn’t knew them and then he said something like: “Expect chaos!” That made me instantly curious, but more about that later.
This is a literal band of brothers, three siblings and a childhood friend. They started to make music together at a very young age and are looking for an own timeless sound. They independently released two other albums before this one, “What Is My Destiny” (2010)and “Descendants” (2011). They are signed to Solid State records and “Saloon” is their first full-length album on this label, it came out in 2013.
It all starts with ‘Let’s Deal The Cards Again’ which could easily be a scéne out of a western movie and let’s say the cards are dealt with the following song ‘Saloon’. I think I never heard such a song before, so variable.
As I said before, I did not know what to expect and it is almost impossible to review or describe this album song by song. It is too variable. One moment you have the idea that you are listening to country music and the other moment it is more heavy rock in the style of AC/DC and if you think you finally get it, then they switch to hardcore and metalcore and then some singalongs. And this all in one song.
We hear the classic metal instruments but then suddenly we are treated to a banjo or a piano and synths. And what about the vocals? Sometimes pure screaming chaos and then interspersed with clean singing to raw rockvocals which immediately make you think of AC/DC. (Can’t help it, I had to mention them again). And there is also a beautiful ballad on the album ‘Sidelines’. So if I someone asks me: “What style are we dealing with?” When they ask me the following: “Is it metalcore? – Yes! Is it rock – Yes! Is it country? – Yes! Is it southern rock? – Yes! Is it metal? – Yes!” You just can’t put them in a box and that is what makes them unique, but it is also a pitfall, you love them or you hate them there is no in-between. I have to say that I love it. When I finished listening to this album for the first time I said to myself: “What did I just listen to?”
I don’t want to end this review without mentioning the song ‘Goodbye, So Long My Love’, somehow this song touched my heart, it is sensitive and emotional although there is some hysterical screaming in this song it ends realy sensitive and fragile, just a piece of art! If you are ready for something fresh, something new and are not afraid to discover some new music, you should realy check them out. Having said this, I also realise that this is not a record for everyone, just give it a try and decide for yourself.
Rating: 8/10
Written by: René Woning
Track listing:
1. Let’s Deal The Cards Again (1:08)
2. Saloon (3:39)
3. You Are The One (4:15)
4. Cover Girl (4:11)
5. Little Situation (4:49)
6. Sunday’s Revival (3:08)
7. Sidelines (4:02)
8. Failures & Fakes (3:25)
9. Like Autumn (3:28)
10. Class Of Twenty-Ten (3:02)
11. Goodbye, So Long My Love (4:47)
Band members:
Dawson Scholz- Guitar, Vocals
Kyle Scholz- Vocals, Keyboards
Parker Scholz- Drums
TJ Nichols- Bass
Discography:
“What Is My Destiny” EP (2010)
“Descendants” (2011)
“Saloon” (2013)
Record label: Solid State Records, Aug. 2013
Weblinks: Facebook / Twitter / Myspace
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission
Video for ‘Saloon’:
Video for ‘Class Of Twenty-Ten’:
Video for ‘Goodbye, So Long My Love’: