Here's a band who've really got their act together. A year after '
Nights In White Rock', we've got '
White Sands'. See a theme developing here?
Yes, the refreshingly Christian lyrical direction continues with this new release, but don't let that put you off. Sure, we'd all rather be hearing about sex, drugs and rock'n'roll misbehaviour I know, 'cause there's just not enough of that around nowadays.
Sadly, we'll have to make do here with an immediately engaging batch of melodies from Michael Voss, plus a matching set of incisive, topical and provocative lyrics from Jurgen Breforth. All that plus a cool, sonically crisp production sound.
Apart from the obvious, the
Stryper comparisons have a point. Voss's vocal performance does sound amazingly close to Sweet's vowel strangling warble on several tracks. But that just adds to the new direction, and is clearly part of the new design.
The production has brought the guitars further up in the mix than on previous albums.
They ring, they clang, they chime, they sound absolutely fabulous. You don't miss the keyboards for a moment. Kruse and Bergmann provide a solid bedrock of bass heavy rhythms, uncomplicated, to the point.
Opener, '
Family Of Rock' and '
Heaven Is' burn slowly but brightly, making some astute lyrical observation en route, delivered via a couple of inviting melodies.
There's a lightfooted roughness to '
Someone Like You', leading into a heavily harmonised hook.
'
Lluvia' is a massive, adrenalin pumping instrumental with a clear ethnic influence and a definite Satriani feel. It breaks up the album nicely.
Arguably, '
We Fight In White' makes a simplistic point, but as an unambiguous agenda setter it sets out the band's beliefs writ large, with the added bonus of a seriously catchy chorus.
Elsewhere, guitars bite and sting and the band rock hard on tunes that range from courtly metal elegance (
Glorious Night) to pounding, dissonant riffs (
War).
Seems like
Mad Max have found new inspiration and it's clearly working its way into their music. Roll on.
Written by
Brian Wednesday, March 21, 2007
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