I got interested in this record, because of the musicians involved; Tobias Exxel (bass/guitar) from Edguy, Felix Bönkhe (Drums), also in Edguy, Fredy Dörnberg (keybords), who has played in Rough Silk,
Axel Rudi Pell and many others and singer Rick
Mythiasin, ex-Steel Prophet, now in New Eden. In Other words a handful of talented musicians, but what made me curious was, that opposed to a lot of these projects going on, this band was rumoured to sound nothing like any of the members other bands. I must say, that is very true,
Taraxacum is very different from what these guys normally do.
Actually describing this music is no easy task, though the first expression that comes to mind is just Hard Rock. But there is a lot more to this album than just the classic way of playing Hard Rock, and the album seems very refreshing in a time of too many clone bands.
Taraxacum have a somewhat unique approach to their music, and that's the albums biggest force!
Already from the very start the band shows that they have some kind of love for small, strange sound parts in the beginning or middle of some of the songs - the record is introduced with "boohing" cows!
The opening song,
Disfunctional, is one of the more traditional Rock songs, it has this "dirty ol' Rock 'n' Roll feeling" to it and is pretty straight ahead, displaying an energized band.
The best song on the album in my opinion is
Prayer In Unison, with a fantastic melody, and a good varied sound. Starting out in a hard rocking style, the song changes character when the huge, emotional chorus sets in, and its diversity and interesting way of building up, make it a favorite on the album! The lyrics are also well written, with a critical view on the war in Iraq and the political situation, but with a religious overtone.
Some hard riffs sets in after a short "Indian song" intro, and
Rainmaker begins. Also a very rocky feeling in this song, which is one of the hardest tracks on the album, and works very well!
The keyboard sound on
Never To Return is somewhat futuristic, while the song in general has a more classic Metal approach than most of the others. This song seems just a little too experimental to me, like they try to mix a lot of elements just for the sake of doing so. The overall impression is a track that's somehow a little "messed up" and confusing. To make it even stranger, they include some part of a speech in the middle of the song.
Make It Happen sounds more groovy and has a dominant, rhythmic keyboard. This song has a very fresh approach and I can imagine most rock fans will appreciate this. The feeling is also very positive and optimistic, and lyrics deal with chasing dreams and never giving up. A nice track!
If I Had Known is a very quiet, ultra melodic ballad with piano. Rick is singing in a very soft tone, and the song has a huge dose of sugar, maybe a little too sweet, but actually kind of nice.
Once again, it seems like
Taraxacum just have to experiment a little too much for the good of the song in
Game Over. The core is again some sort of Hard Rock, the keyboard play in some sort of weird, high tone and the bass plays some strange groovy stuff. The thing that glues the song together is of course the chorus, which is kind of simple, but still the track seems a little confusing.
Dark Sunglasses is among my favorites on the album, the melody is simply beautiful and I think the rhythmic keyboard add a kind of "musical atmosphere" to the track. The chorus can seem a little overused, but it's a minor detail because so much else is going on in the song, so it seems far from simple. A quality song!
The Red Pill has a nice structure and good variation between hard and softer parts. Rick
Mythiasin sounds a little like Rob
Halford in this song, or at least tries to, and I think his vocal performance on the track is great!
The album ends with
Lo Que Faltó, which is
If I Had Known translated into Spanish.
In a way
Taraxacum has something unique, and I really respect bands that try new things and aren't so afraid of what a Rock band is and isn't supposed to do, even if isn't 100 percent perfect all the way. Anyway the record makes for an interesting listen, because it is so fresh and different. It's too bad some songs seem a little confusing, but never the less, the good outweighs the bad in my opinion.
The lyrics deal with a lot of different aspects from being critical on society, political themes, fear of war, but also religious perspectives and personal issues are brought up. I think the lyrics are pretty well written, overall.
If you want to listen to something fresh and modern, yet still with a classic edge, maybe this is the band you've been looking for.
Written by
Nina Friday, December 5, 2003
Show all reviews by NinaRatingsNina: 6.5/10Members: No members have rated this album yet.
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