Reviews roundup – Lyriel vs. Revolver Avenue vs. Sidney Green Street Band vs. The Experiment No.Q
LYRIEL
Skin And Bones
Afm Records
We’re off to Germany now for some female fronted symphonic goth metal. Not really a surprise, then. However, Lyriel certainly surprised me with the quality of this record. Especially considering I’d never heard of them, despite their decade long recording pedigree. I think this is album number six, and it’s certainly a good one.
For sure, they’re not reinventing the wheel, but within the confines of their chosen genre, they do a bang up job. They grab you from the off with ‘Numbers’, which was pushed as a single. And quite rightly so, as it combines a great riff with some fine fiddling and a good chorus. Vocally. they’re on the harder edge of things, and musically they also bring in a lot of symphonic elements which always appeals to me.
There are some very strong songs on offer with ‘Worth the Fight’, probably my favourite, along with the killer ballad ‘Dream Within a Dream’ which really shows what an excellent singer Jessica Thierjung is. They throw in a few classic metal shapes from the eighties along the way, and on this showing, I’m going to be digging deep into their back catalogue for some more Lyriel.
REVOLVER
Bring You Back To Life
Division Records
For a moment there, I thought we were staying in goth metal territory, but Revolver Avenue aren’t an Evanescence covers band. Rather, the Norwegians are an eighties influenced hard rock band. So a big hurrah for that.
They’re looking back to the days when fellow Scandirockers Europe ruled the airwaves, and they certainly know their way around a catchy melodic, hard rock tune. After a gentle interlude they crank things up and head off into that world of the late eighties which makes me sigh for my youth. Yes, it’s an array of songs which would have picked up lots of airplay over in the American colonies, back in the day.
Jarvid Borge Gjetoy has a cracking voice for this sort of material, and when the big choruses kick in, you could picture them going down a storm in a Def Leppard support slot circa 1989.
possessed of a suitably gritty, melodic voice, the rest of the band more than capable of laying earth-shaking and yet catchy foundations upon which he can work. They do throw in a few post grunge licks now and then, but I’ll let them off when they have songs as good as ‘This Is Your War’ and ‘Face The Storm’. A proper alnum, less than forty minutes long, this made me feel all warm and fuzzy.
THE SIDNEY GREEN STREET BAND
SGSB
independent
Jam band alert! Albeit a highly professional and well seasoned jam band. The members – Lance Doss (guitar & vocals), Justin Jordan (guitar and vocals), Paul Page (bass guitar), Steve Holley (drums) – have performed with the likes of John Cale, Flo & Eddie, Gary “US” Bonds, Dion, Popa Chubby, Kiki Dee, Joe Cocker and many, many more. In fact, Holley has been recording and touring with Ian Hunter for over 20 years and is still the drummer in Ian Hunter’s Rant Band.
Now any band who names themselves after the bloke who played The Fat Man in The Maltese Falcon is off to a good start, but thankfully the music lives up to their billing. It is basically jam band material, but the good stuff. They’re bidding to be the 1971 Allman Brothers Band, not the 1991 .moe, something that caused a hefty sigh of relief round my way.
They also make a few nods towards the psychedelic side of things, without tipping over into self indulgence. They also don’t forget that you need to have a tune, and there are plenty of good ones including ‘Payin’ The Price’ and ‘Get It Back’, which are well worth spinning more than once.
THE EXPERIMENT NO. Q
Self titled
Nembo Records – Ænima Recordings
Blimey! That’s impressive. If you decide to buy this after reading the review, I urge you to track down a copy of the CD, because it is a very impressive package. Probably not a huge surprise as this musical project has been written and directed by the Paolo Vallerga, who knows his way around a graphic design.
Now if I were to type the word Ayreon, then you’ll get an idea of what’s on offer here. Vallerga has brought in some top quality musicians to bring his vision alive, with some of them having served time in Therion. He describes it as a “rock album with some metal peak and with a small rain of poetic atmosphere”. Which sounds a bit airy fairy, but I’ll let him off because it’s really good.
It’s basically prog tinged metal, with some hints of symphonic goth, and it’s quite an enthralling listen. Songs like ‘To The Wise and Understanding Reader’ and ‘The Ship and The Poet’ are beautifully arranged and performed, and even if a few of them have similar musical motifs, it flows really well.
It’s always a bonus when something new comes along to rock your world, and this is definitely one of those.
The Rocker - The Artist Formerly Known As Zeitgeist. TAFKAZ 
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