REVIEW: Sailing To Rome - An Outline For Reason

Sailing To Rome – An Outline For Reason
2007 Sailing To Rome

Buffalo, New York has a great tradition of hard rocking bands, from Cannibal Corpse to the Goo Goo Dolls to Every Time I Die, with lots of bands in between. Sailing To Rome sends a very clear message with their debut, An Outline For Reason that they are next.

The album opens with a guitar riff that would fit on any classic Iron Maiden album (“In Our Sleep”), and delivers some of the best melodic hark rock I have heard in some time. Sailing To Rome incorporates an unusual sense of melody and harmony into their songwriting for a band walking the line between punk/hardcore/metal. The vocals are accessible and understandable, and both lead singers are in excellent voice here.

I often try to find other bands/artists to compare to in a review to help readers get an idea for the sound, but Sailing To Rome is very difficult to peg, as they really don’t sound like anyone else. The mix of influences and creative talent has catalyzed into a truly unique, driving and listenable sound. There may be a tendency here at times to overuse screaming for effect, but on the whole this is a very original while still commercial album.

It is difficult to pick favorite songs here, but I would say that highlights are “In Our Sleep”, “Track Record”, and the title track. Sailing To Rome has gained a reputation in the Buffalo area for incredible, high-energy live shows, and some of that spirit comes through here. An Outline For Reason is the kind of debut that can push a band to stardom with the right breaks, and should serve as a reminder to the world at large that there’s a lot more to Buffalo than snow and chicken wings. Check out Sailing To Rome, you will not be disappointed.

Rating: Buy It Now!

You can learn more about Sailing To Rome at www.myspace.com/SailingToRome. You can order copies of An Outline For Reason at www.cdbaby.com/SailingToRome. You can also download An Outline For Reason from iTunes!