Reviews roundup – Kris Lager Band vs. Zealand vs. Susemihl vs. Josh Rouse vs. The Sunburst

Reviews roundup – Kris Lager Band vs. Zealand vs. Susemihl vs. Josh Rouse vs. The Sunburst
KRIS LAGER BAND
Love Songs & Life Lines
independent

Hmmm. Yes, this is a hmmm one. See I’ve liked earlier releases from Kris Lager but this one has left me firmly on the fence.

He’s decided to move on from his blues rock roots and has headed off into a mellower, early seventies soul rock direction. I certainly won’t be the first person to use the words Van and Morrison while trying to get you to understand where he’s headed. But it is appropriate.

It’s not that this is a bad album. It’s certainly not what I was expecting as most of the songs are low key, late night and blissed out. There is still a fair amount of great guitar work which is what kept me going. ‘Pickin’ Up the Pieces’ has a fantastic guitar solo and ‘The Heart Wants What the Heart Wants’ is certainly the best of the songs on offer. It’s maybe no surprise that a glance at the wee print shows a mix from Jim Gaines who worked with Van the man back in the old days.

It’s a bold move from Mr Lager who has obviously chosen to follow his muse rather than bung out a fan pleasing release. Fair play to him and I hope it works out.

 

ZEALAND
Liberated
Word Entertainment

I must admit to not being au fait with the contemporary Christian rock world but even I’ve heard of the Newsboys. And once upon a time Zealand mainman Phil Joel took a leading role in said outfit, one of the big names in Christian rock. But he left after 13 years to pursue a low key solo career and to spend time with his family.

But he’s decided to step back into the band world with his new outfit. And it won’t come as a huge shock to fans of his old band. Which is probably the point. He put out an EP a couple of year back under the Zealand name but this is the full length debut and he’s even went out on tour with some of his old chums. So what are you getting.

Well it’s mainstream, nineties styled alt-rock which rarely breaks a sweat but which would go down a treat with fans of Coldplay and Snow Patrol were the mainstream world ever to get a chance to enjoy it. Naturally, the lyrics are worship oriented but the melodies work regardless of your belief system. There are some top tunes which deserve a wider hearing with the title track and ‘End of the World’ absolute gems.

Apparently Mr Joel doesn’t do social media so you’ll probably have to do some deep digging if you want to investigate fully. But it’s worth the effort.

 

SUSEMIHL
Elevation
SM Noise

Now I’m someone who avidly reads liner notes but even I’d forgotten that Andy Susemihl picked his guitar on early releases from Sinner and UDO. But that was the eighties, a decade of booze and pills (for me). So maybe it’s understandable.

But Herr Susemihl decided to take a sideways step way back when and has kept himself busy ever since with a huge array of sessions, productions, projects and solo albums. In fact, this is solo album number five. And it’s a good one.

It’s not a metal release, though, it’s mainly classic rock with a few bluesy riffs thrown in for good measure. He’s pulled in Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, bass), Andre Labelle (Vinnie Vincent, drums) and Bill Leverty (Firehouse, guitar) to help him out and, as you would expect, they do a bang up job of bringing his songs to life. There are some great riffs on offer with ‘Sick Of The Rain’ and ‘Dinosaurs’ the out and out winners for me, and even if he has mellowed since the eighties he can lay down a vicious solo when required.

There are some jazzy licks here and there, as well as the odd reminder of his shredding past, but it’s the songs that will keep you coming back. A good one.

 

JOSH ROUSE
Love In The Modern Age
Yep Roc

I don’t spend much time in the world of Q and Uncut magazine but even I have heard of (and heard) Josh Rouse.

His bag was that indie Americana world where (for some strange reason) people worship the false gods of Neil Young and Townes Van Zandt. So I’m not sure what his fanbase are going to make of his latest release.

See, it’s a synthesiser led album. Yup, he’s hung up his acoustic guitar, got a metaphorical haircut and moved from the seventies into the eighties. For sure, the basic songs haven’t changed much and you could easily pop ‘Hugs And Kisses’ or ‘Salton Sea’ onto one of his earlier releases. But it just sounds odd. Which is probably the point. If the early Human League had decided to make a country record as a follow up to ‘Being Boiled’ they might have ended up with this. If that sounds like your thing give it a go. But you might be the only one enjoying that particular dance vision.

 

THE SUNBURST
Resilience & Captivity
Volcano Records

To Italy now for some modern metal. Which, of course, means they’re not really metal seeing as how alt-metal / modern metal is basically indie rock played Very Loudly.

But “the kids” like this sort of thing so who am I to deny them some pleasure. And as the genre goes The Sunburst do a bang up job. They take the usual Alter Bridge, Shinedown, Staind and Stone Sour influences, rough them up a bit and come up with some decent tunes of their own.

They’ve been around a wee while with their debut coming out back in 2014. Davide Crisafulli has a good voice which helps lift the best of the tunes up, with ‘Crows And Dust’ and ‘Diamond’ the best of the bunch. They’re not reinventing the wheel but if you’re in the mood for some aggressive grunge influenced alt metal then give them a chance.

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