Dario Mollo, who returns with his latest
Voodoo Hill record, once again plays his axe to the utmost of heavy and melodic proportions. With his six string attack reminiscent of say, Jon Petrucci meets Zack Wylde, providing the dark crunch, pings, and discreet arpeggios, the Italian guitarist has embarked with even more heavy and melodic pastures along with friend, vocalist
Glenn Hughes for
Wild Seed of Mother Earth. Yes, Mr. Hughes' pipes and co-songwriting skills provide the second element to this record, making for a collaborative effort within the eleven tracks heard here.
Looking at the album in general, there is diversity among the songs, parts of
Wild Seed of Mother Earth grind out with
"Make Believe," then adding more aggression with
"Dying to Live," complete with a Hammond backdrop to compliment the war cry chant within the chorus, another one is the hook laden
"Atmosphere" with its smooth chorus filled with harmonies, and
"Can't Stop Falling," all giving the record the full-on metal stance. But there are more melodic
AOR tinges on the metal stance found within cuts like
"My Eyes Don't See It," "Nothing Stays the Same," and
"Still Evergreen" (with yet another vocal hook that compliments the title) provided Hughes' soulful vocal harmonies along with Mollo's guitar solos. Of course there are R&B and groove related songs like the funked up
"Soul Protector," the psychedelic soul of the title track, and the blues ballad
"16 Guns," letting Hughes' influence carry over with Mollo's metal stance.
Relevant to late-period Sabbath, Hughes'
Addiction record, and The Cage,
Wild Seed of Mother Earth offers the perfect showcase for melodic metal, with Mollo's soloing all over the place, giving many other guitarists a hell of a run, setting yet another true example for how the guitar should be played, along with "the voice of rock" helping him front this band, along with a tight band, bringing the real rock production sound back to light making for a very "live" sounding record.
In the end, it makes for a great melodic metal record, hands down, hitting you harder than the last
Voodoo Hill record and making you wonder why Mollo is not on the cover of every major guitar magazine at the moment.
Written by
Hashman Saturday, September 4, 2004
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