Veilside - Along the Way

Veilside - Along the Way (song review) |This Time EP, Island Def Jam Digital Distribution, 2012|

Rating: 5 of 5

Veilside was established in 2006 r. and has since released two EPs – their debut Chapter One (2008) and most recent released This Time (2012) which was produced by Chuck Alkazian. There are five musicians who comprise this Chicago based band. The present line-up includes Tony Engel (lead vocals), Mo Ismail (guitars), Russ Odean (guitars), Bob "Cabo" Hilton (bass) and Ron Thomas (drums). They admit they are inspired by all sorts of music ranging from 70's classical rock, through 80's metal sub-genres to 90's rock, but they don't oppose listening to mainstream music on the radio.

This Time brings six hard rock songs which includes a ballad called "Along the Way". The song has no specific intro, but has been composed to begin with a vocal part instead. The verses are based on classical guitar playing and Tony's strong, solid voice which seems to be a great match to any style of rock and metal music. Tony started his music career as a drummer, however it seems that being a band leader suits him better so far and he enjoys the role. The choruses of this track explode with a full rock sound. Intelligent and stimulating guitar riffs etch the ears with a counterpoint duo by Russ and Mo that bring fresh harmony to compliment Ron's drum beats as well as Bob's bass lines which are matched to the song arrangements extremely well. These musicians cooperate together and display a solid sense of professionalism behind the music.

"Along the Way" is a composition that is both harmonic and melodic. The track is easily memorable due to repetitive hooks, yet not monotone in structure which makes its potential as a hit formidable. The song emulates the spirit of rock and grunge music that is reminiscent of Pearl Jam, REM, Silverchair, Bush, Nickelback, Seven Mary Three, Fuel, Soundgarden or 3 Doors Down. Fans of Veilside should definitely encourage the band to shoot a video for the song to give it an opportunity for even better on-line exposure.

Veilside takes part in various interviews, visits NAMM and posts cool contests periodically on their social networks (like "How many guitars can you see in this picture?") to hold the attention of their fans in-between recording upcoming new releases. The musicians are great supporters of children's charities and also host the annual Breaking the Silence autism benefit show. This band plays a lot of gigs, so be sure to check them out live because according to them, you just may meet that 'someone special' at a Veilside show.
(Katarzyna 'NINa' Górnisiewicz, Fabryka Industrial Rock Magazine , March 14th, 2012)

This song: http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_12278759

http://www.veilsideband.com
http://www.reverbnation.com/veilside
http://www.facebook.com/veilsideband
http://www.facebook.com/vsfans (Street Team)
http://vimeo.com/37389283
http://www.twitter.com/VEILSIDEBAND
http://www.ourstage.com/profile/veilside
2008 video Interview: A quick chat with Veilside.

Buy:
http://www.amazon.com/This-Time/dp/B0076UZ85E/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1331547567&sr=301-1
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/this-time-ep/id498973680

Reviewed by Google+ Music Reviews

Arkayan - Scarecrow

Arkayan - Scarecrow |Arkayan, The Marsh Chapel Experiment EP, 2012| 5/5

This quite new Australian band established in 2009 may get thrust into the limelight of the prime time progressive rock scene thanks to ear-friendly compositions which do not lack hard rock guitar riffs.
After releasing Away From The World in 2010, the musicians of Arkayan have been working on new songs.
One of the new songs entitled "Scarecrow" will be put on The Marsh Chapel Experiment EP that is scheduled for release in January 2012.

"Scarecrow" begins with nice guitar sounds simultaneously accompanied by drums, bass and a second guitar. Then the vocals join in. There is unmistakable potential hidden in Jon Mazzardis' characteristic voice which can be compared to Scott Stapp (Creed) or Chad Kroeger (Nickelback), but he misses their accented "hoarseness" which is a plus in his favor. Jon proves he can sing in both low and high tones which add impact and clarity.
Rachellina Santella supports him with her backing vocals which make this hard rock oriented song sound more subtle. The song lyrics are visual and seemingly speak about human relationships.

If you listen closely to other songs by Arkayan that can be found on their ReverbNation profile, you will notice one simple rule – there is no aggression or other negativity, just positive moods but the band doesn't hold back from incorporating heavy guitar riffs either.
This technique applies to "Scarecrow" as well, in which the song construction is based on repetitive motifs. However, there is agility between the two guitar players whom apply skilled techniques into the rhythm to avoid monotony. Additionally, the drums were placed somewhere behind the other instruments in the mix. This allowed for a decrease of dynamics brought by groovy bass lines which dominate this song in a few spots.

Four talented musicians comprise the line-up of Arkayan: Jon Mazzardis (vocals, guitar), Niall Ridgeway (guitar), Djan Irianto (drums) and Raq Santella (harmonies). Some of them played in other music projects; Rachellina was co-working with DeadLock (renamed to The Book Of Lilith later), while Niall and Jon were headbanging in a band called Fractious. When it comes to bass, Dan Bruce took part in recording the bass parts for "Scarecrow", but it seems that the band is now looking for a new bass player (as of November 2011).

Since there are no miracles on the modern music scene, the success of the band lays in their own hands. Their future is wholly dependent upon listener interaction combined with intensive EP promotion as well as making proper choices while seeking support acts for the purpose of live shows. The music of Arkayan speaks for itself, so finding useful and reliable contacts shouldn't be a problem. (Katarzyna NINa Górnisiewicz, 11/28/2011)

http://www.facebook.com/arkayanmusic
http://www.myspace.com/arkayanband
http://www.reverbnation.com/arkayan
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Arkayan
http://www.twitter.com/ArkayanBand

Reviewed by Google+ Music Reviews