Cole Hermer and the Ravens - Cole Hermer and the Ravens EP (AKA Quoth The Raven)

Cole Hermer and the Ravens – Cole Hermer and the Ravens (AKA Quoth the Raven)
2013, Cole Hermer

Cole Hermer is an 18 year old senior in high school.  In spite of that he might be one of the most convincing young heavy rock vocalists you’ve heard in some time.  With influences ranging from Axl Rose, Kurt Cobain and Layne Staley to Neil Young and The Black Keys, Hermer is able to surprise you at almost every turn.  Hermer’s songwriting is surprisingly supple for his age, reflecting the disaffection of modern youth as well as the pure joy of rock and roll.   After a number of years with bands such as Ultimate Concussion and Anathemas Blessing, Cole Hermer steps out into the limelight with his debut EP as Cole Hermer and The Ravens; a self-titled set alternatively titled Quoth the Raven.

Hermer plays homage to 1980’s heavy rock with “California Breakdown”, instantly inspiring thoughts of bands such as Poison, Guns and Roses and Cinderella, ripping up thoroughly vibrant and powerful sound in the process.  If someone had put out a song like this twenty years ago and it would be a chart-hogging monster.  “Exploitable” is cut from similar cloth, but with a darker, alternative edge.  This is radio for radio right now, and Hermer’s retro metal vocal style just raises the intrigue.  “Friends” is a different breed of song altogether.  Here Hermer is showing a softer, more pop oriented side while lamenting the rejection of ‘let’s just be friends’. “Maybe” is a melancholy, acoustic-guitar driven ballad with a distinct navel-gaze mentality. It’s a solid piece of songwriting that’s good romantic movie soundtrack material.  Hermer gets back into upbeat territory with “Teenage Creed”, a driven mid-tempo rocker with attitude and a memorable chorus.  The pacing here is a bit uneven, but Hermer is on to something here; the song gains intrigue as it bulls to its conclusion.

Cole Hermer and the Ravens offer up an interesting musical study with their self-titled EP.  Hermer refuses to be pigeonholed as a hard rock/heavy metal vocalist in spite of his rough edged sound.  What’s most surprising is how capably he handles the softer material. Everything on the EP is well-written and well-performed, although the pacing at times is a bit off.  This is a great start.  Cole Hermer seems to have what it takes to be a big time front man.  I am not sure if the current trade winds of popular music are in his favor, but with the right break Cole Hermer and The Ravens could be huge.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.colehermer.ca.  

Review: megaphone - Exit Silent Mode

megaphone - Exit Silent Mode
2009, megaphone

megaphone are the reigning princes of Orlando, Florida's Hard Rock scene, regularly outdrawing other local bands and even gaining opening spots for artists such as Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, Everclear, Seven Mary Three and Edwin McCain. Their debut album, 2005's For Crying Out Loud had several tracks featured on MTV's Made and garnered radio play across Florida. While For Crying Out Loud was representative of the band, their latest album, Exit Silent Mode more accurately captures megaphone's live sound across 12 songs and a number of searing guitar solos.

Exit Silent Mode opens with Write It Down, sounding like a cross between 1980's Pop-Metal bands like Ratt and Poison mixed up with a bit of Modern Rock ala Three Doors Down. Big Hooks and a fat guitar sound over a driving beat make this a treat for the ears. Gravitate is manna for hard rock fans, kicking serious axe while holding tight to big Pop hooks that will send you spinning. This has become megaphone's biggest song live and is worth the price of admission. The Sin has a Jersey feel, reminiscent of Glen Burtnik's writing with Plinky. My Favorite Disaster finds megaphone reaching for the commercial lynchpin; this is Modern and Pop Rock radio fodder. It's not as dynamic as some of the heavier material, but proves megaphone can play on the big stage. What If is a big rock anthem with a chorus you won't be able to shake that challenges listeners to let go of petty concerns and grab on to what's real.

Whisper and Uncelebrated continue the migration to a more Pop sounding Hard Rock that enters the Bon Jovi of the late 1980's territory. We Were Young sticks with the mellow Hard Rock ethic before megaphone amps things up a bit with Making Sense, which may be the best tune on the CD. It's not a complicated tune, straightforward in composition with big hooks, good harmonies and a fast-driving rhythm that would play well to radio (Modern Rock and Pop). Exit Silent Mode closes out with The Last One, a dark and mildly ominous tune sketched in minor keys that reminds listeners that no matter how much time you think you might have the end could be right around the corner. The song challenges you to step up and "go for broke". It's an interesting composition, not really typical of the sound presented by megaphone thus far on Exit Silent Mode but not out of character with it either.

megaphone is an interesting band. Walking the line between 1980's glam and the current trend in Modern Rock isn't all that unusual, but megaphone has the panache of the former and the clean lines of the latter, which is the reverse of what many bands do today. The material on Exit Silent Mode is mixed with a lot of ups and downs, but megaphone has the personality and panache to carry the weaker songs. When everything is working, megaphone approaches greatness. How this plays out over time is anyone's guess, but suffice it to say you can't go wrong with megaphone or Exit Silent Mode.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about megaphone at http://www.megaphonemusic.net/, where you can purchase a copy of Exit Silent Mode. You can download the album through iTunes.

Review: Zydecosis - Zydeco All Night

Zydecosis - Zydeco All Night
2009, Vinyl Records

Zydecosis is the musical brainchild of Houma, Louisiana's Steve Junot (guitar, vocals). He's joined by prodigious accordion player Chubby Carrier, and Lupe Valdeviez, Jr. (drums) with special guests Waylon Thibodeaux on fiddle and Tony Hall (Harry Connick Jr., the Neville Brothers, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris) on bass. Zydecosis plays classic rock standards in Zydeco style, and reminds listeners that Rock N Roll was meant to be fun. Zydeco All Night, the band's debut CD, is good old-fashioned party music. Covers they may be, but at their best Zydecosis restores the spark that these well-worn classics once had.

Zydeco All Night opens with Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love. To be honest this was my least favorite track on the disc, mostly due to the verses (the chorus is very well done). Particularly in the first verse there's a feeling of separation between the vocalist and the instruments that's a bit jarring. Each segment is well done but they just don't seem to mix well on this track. Talk Dirty To Me (Poison) is a whole other matter; this one is a cross of early Elvis Presley (Don't Be Cruel) and Zydeco and works wonderfully well. Aerosmith fans may well bristle at the idea of Walk This Way being interpreted as a Zydeco tune, but once again the song sounds like it was never meant to be anything else. Satisfaction (Rolling Stones) is fairly close to the original in spite of the different instrumentation. Perhaps the biggest treat of the disc is Zydecosis' take on Queen's Fat Bottomed Girls. It helps that Queen themselves never forgot that Rock N Roll was fun and entertaining. This is a song that translates well into most any genre, but Zydecosis seems to have a special affection for this song that shines through in their performance.

Baba O'Reilly (The Who) sounds more like a country arrangement. Junot provides a great vocal but the arrangement lacks the life and energy elsewhere apparent on Zydeco All Night. I Want You To Want Me (Cheap Trick) is presented in a live track with a small but appreciate crowd listening in. The arrangement here just doesn't carry the urgency of the original, or that the song seems to demand. Musically it’s aesthetically pleasing but just lacks the oomph you might expect. Some Kind Of Wonderful (The Drifters) is presented in a sparse arrangement (bass, drums, harmony vocals), adding guitar on the second verse. It's not Zydeco, but is full of the joy that the song's lyrics imply. Your feet will be tapping and don't be surprised if you feel the urge to dance. Zydecosis closes out with Bad Company's Feel Like Making Love in a memorable rendition that might just be better than the original.

Zydeco All Night is an uneven but memorable effort. At the top of their game Zydecosis sounds like one of the best party rock bands there is. Steve Junot is a plus vocalist who's very composed and sings with a lot of heart. Chubby Carrier is inspired on the squeeze box and really drives the album. Most of the songs here are memorable. A few tracks are well done musically but lack the pizzazz or zest heard elsewhere. On the whole, Zydeco All Night is a very welcome project that I recommend.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Zydecosis at www.myspace.com/zydecosis or http://www.zydecosis.com/, where you can purchase a copy of Zydeco All Night. If it’s digital you want, you can download the album from iTunes.