Well it's probably easy for many to approach this record with either apprehension or high expectations, because first off, one of the key players is well known (singer would be more appropriate to describe), and the main man is just beginning to crack the surface as one of the most inventive guitarists to come forth within the past few years. Whether looking at this as a guitar aficionado album, or one of many
Dream Theater offshoots, one promise that can be made to you is that this record exceeds expectations, a bold statement considering that the past work of the two has always been way above par within whatever endeavor or appearance has been made by either Labrie or Donahue.
With that said, I will introduce my pick of the month, Tim Donahue's
Madmen & Sinners, for which is his strongest album to date, moving beyond the typical instrumental guitar record to more imaginative heights, adding a full time vocalist, rather than the occasional appearance, which many amazing vocalists have appeared with Donahue; and who better than James Labrie for this disc.
When looking at Donahue's musicianship and production skills, one should note that besides his playing, his instrument of choice sets him apart from many other axemen, by playing a fretless guitar, creating odd pitch bends, detuning, and chorusing effects, not to mention note sliding that has a tone that is not as harsh as a slide guitar, but yet adds a characteristic not seemingly heard on many guitar records. Since he plays mostly with a thick buzzsaw distortion sound, it's really hard to hear the warm attack that the guitar actually has, obviously played clean it might sound like a fretless bass, just pitched quite higher. Besides his lead guitar work Donahue plays all the bass, keyboards, and acoustic (with frets, for that axe), while lending himself as producer and engineer, proving that this is his baby. Labrie himself puts his stamp all over the record and even worked with Donahue on some of the lyrical phrasing, becoming more involved than just a session singer.
When looking at the ten tracks, all create an instinctively heavy atmosphere for the concept herein (a fairly dark apocalyptical theme at times), creating a technically balanced record for such characteristics of this mood driven record. It's easy to compare this record to Donahue's past work, and of course
Dream Theater (
Awake era, so to speak), all the songs filled with strong choruses and hooks to fulfill memorable songs. Beginning with
"Million Miles" a seemingly anti-nuclear war stance, with the thick heavy guitar structure, provided with the drumming of Mike Mangini (Mullmuzzler/Steve Vai), making
Madmen & Sinners' point, offering spooky
Armageddon overtones, making clear that this record is going to flow to extreme throughout.
Within the structure of the album we have aggression within cuts like
"My Heart Bleeds," the extended title track, and the sporadic jamming of
"Fell my Pain." Some of the more progressive related songs include the Queensryche-meets-planet X opus
"Children of the Flame" and the Threshold-ish
"The End;" while other diversifications include acoustic ballads such as
"Wildest Dreams" and
"Let Go," not to mention the Gregorian chants of
"Morte et Dabo," reproducing the vibe that you are in a cathedral.
Overall the record has the 50/50 dark versus bright atmosphere, with each song offering it's own stance.
Madmen & Sinners perfectly showcases the talents of Donahue, Labrie, and Mangini creating one fucking phenomenal record, offering an extremely strong album filled with all the appropriate technicalities and textures brought fourth.
Written by
Hashman Sunday, May 2, 2004
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