Serial Thrillers - F5

Serial Thrillers - F5
2010, Serial Thrillers

Boston is home to Serial Thrillers, a duo comprised of singer/songwriter Paul Ortolano and drummer Stephen Clements. The two have played together for years, sharing stages with acts such as Kings X, Godsmack, The Tubes, Warrant and Extreme. They also spent some time on tour with Dale Bozzio and Missing Persons. With both regional and national exposure, the Serial Thrillers have reached that point where the right song or album could catapult them fully into the national scene. Serial Thrillers may have found what they’re looking for in their latest EP, F5.

F5 opens with the catchy rock n roll of "Ordinary Days", complete with big chorus and a danceable rock beat. The pop sensibility and melodic sense of Serial Thrillers is top notch on this tune, and while "Ordinary Days" doesn't clearly fit the sort of fare commercial radio typically embraces, it's hard to imagine this song not getting some serious attention on that level. "The Floppy Swing" starts a bit slow, but by the time you get to the chorus you hear the same pop/rock sense that drove "Ordinary Days". Serial Thrillers get into a somewhat more jangly guitar sound on "You Can Say Anything" in an upbeat rocker that's infectiously catchy. Once again, Serial Thrillers are perhaps a bit off the beaten pop/rock path, but it's hard to imagine this song not getting serious attention from commercial radio. In fact, the band might be just different enough to catch on in a big way. "It Comes To You" is the obligatory power ballad, although it's actually quite a bit better than the usual fare. F5 winds down with "Yeah Okay"; an angular pop/rock tune that's light and easy fare but highly danceable and a lot of fun to listen to.

Serial Thrillers have a sound that's just waiting for the right audience. The band plays decidedly edgy rock music with real pop charm and a strong melodic sense. This whole music business is highly fickle, and it's impossible to predict success, but if the lords of musical judgment haven't lost their minds, Serial Thrillers are going to be huge one day. If rock n roll has a future in the post-genre world, then it rests firmly (and safely) in the hands of bands like Serial Thrillers.

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Serial Thrillers at http://www.serial-thrillers.com/ or www.myspace.com/serialthrillers. F5 is available as either a CD or Download through the Serial Thrillers' web store.

Review: Lo-Pro - The Beautiful Sounds Of Revenge

Photo by Matt Mecaro

Lo-Pro - The Beautiful Sounds Of Revenge
2010, My Rocket Science

On May 25, 2010, Southern California rockers Lo-Pro return with their sophomore album, The Beautiful Sounds Of Revenge. After achieving radio success with the song "Sunday" from their 2003 self-titled debut. Several years of languishing in label purgatory left Lo-Pro uninspired, but a series of acoustic gigs with Staind front man Aaron Lewis left the band energized, an energy that carried over into the songwriting and recording that led to The Beautiful Sounds Of Revenge. Featuring front man Pete Murray, guitarist Pete Ricci, guitarist Neil Godfrey, drummer Tommy Stewart (Godsmack) and bassist Jerry Oliviera, Lo-Pro had to overcome geographical separation to take this next step (Ricci lives in Massachussets and the rest of the band are scattered around California). The resulting effort is both meaty and commercially driven.

The Beautiful Sounds Of Revenge opens with "Blame Me", a highly commercial and radio-ready rock n roll song with a dark timbre. "Blame Me" is a bit generic for the Modern Rock market; it sounds good for radio but may have a hard time standing out in a crowded marketplace. "Texas" suffers from the same general feel. In fact, much of the album has a highly glossed and banal feel. Technical proficiency abounds on The Beautiful Sounds Of Revenge, but there is little here that truly sounds inspired. "A Life That's Just Begun" fits into the big power ballad category but fails to stand out. "Ingenious" shows some signs of life; active and full of a dark musical energy, and "Hang On" pushes the envelope a bit further. Here Lo-Pro shows real pop sensibility with a big rock chorus. It's a step in the right direction but not fully dynamic. Likewise, "Early Morning Anger" shows signs of hope. The song is a vibrant rocker but the vocal line is a bit too compressed within the layered instrumentation. As a listener you'll sit patiently waiting for Pete Murray to really let go and soar vocally, but that moment never materializes. The layered sound carries over to "Breathe", a decent bit of lyric rock n roll that's among the best songwriting on the disc. Lo-Pro closes with the bland and lifeless "Letting Go", an attempt at a power ballad that simply falls flat.

Lo-Pro has a few solid moments on The Beautiful Sounds Of Revenge, but never really gets off the ground with a sound that's just too much like too many other bands clogging the Modern Rock Radio genre. Technically the band is very solid, but vocalist Pete Murray just doesn't come across as a rock n roll front man on the CD. Sound often takes the place of energy on The Beautiful Sounds Of Revenge, making the music sound ineffectual at times. This is not the impression that a big rock band wants to leave with listeners.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Lo-Pro at http://www.lopromusic.com/ or www.myspace.com/lopromusic. The Beautiful Sounds Of Revenge drops on May 25, 2010. Keep checking Lo-Pro's website for availability and release information.

Review: Resin - Truth Be Told

Resin – Truth Be Told
2006, Resin

Massachussetts-based Residn are following in the footsteps of Boston icons Aerosmith, Godsmack and Staind. After barnstorming the Northeastern United States for the past couple of years, the band has perfected a sound that ranges from melodic pop/metal to thrash, covering all points in between. Resin’s debut CD, Truth Be Told shows off the charismatic vocal style of Ron Dallaire (sometimes compared to David Lee Roth for flamboyance) and the masterful guitar skills of Pat Pacheco on top of a killer rhythm section (Dave O’Brien – bass; Steve Smith – drums). Resin paces through heavy and light, poignant and prickly in one of the most wide-ranging and deliberate rock albums I’ve heard so far this year.

Truth Be Told opens with Song F, a great driving rock song with big guitar sound. Song F just sets the stage for Not For You. Not For You is a revelatory moment for guitarist Pat Pacheco as he shreds his way through rhythms and sounds that are practically patentable. No offense to Dallaire, but I got so caught up in Pacheco’s guitar on this song that I couldn’t even tell you what the song is about, and I listened to it several times. Resin takes a much more pop/rock turn on songs like Tomorrow, In The End and Done To Me, any of which could have commercial impact, but the gem of the album is Feel. On Feel, Resin achieve the perfect balance of heavy metal sound and hook-heavy pop rock. For A Reason is an interesting change up from Resin, opening as an acoustic piece that allows Dallaire to let the soul loose in his voice. Even once the heavy guitars come in this song retains its gentler qualities. Resin closes out the album in interesting fashion. The second to last song is the heavy-bordering-on-thrash Down The Line, breaking any sense of pop serenity that might have crept into Truth Be Told before launching into the Creed-esque anthem All My Life.

Resin seems equally comfortable with their heavy and melodic sides on Truth Be Told. Even the harder-edge songs on the album have a strong melodic pop sensibility, while even the softest of songs retains an edge. Dallaire isn’t my favorite singer, but he sure can sell a song, and Pacheco is just amazing on guitar. Rhythm sections often get overlooked, but they are the heart and soul of any band, and due of O’Brien and Smith is as good as they come. On the whole, Truth Be Told is a strong debut that should have broad commercial appeal. Resin manages to sound at times a bit like Metallica, Soundgarden or Creed, but in the end seem to have found an interesting and unique band persona that envelopes all of these myriad influences and turns them into something new. The future looks bright for Resin.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Resin at http://www.resinrocks.com/. You can purchase a copy of Truth Be Told at www.cdbaby.com/cd/resinrocks.