11/25/2019

Progressive Metal Review: Sonus Corona-Time Is Not on Your Side

Release Date: November 22, 2019
Labels: Inverse Records
It’s always a pleasure to review an album before it releases. I was not familiar with Sonus Corona before this review, so it will still be fairly unbiased. Time Is Not On Your Side releases tomorrow, which is exactly the kind of title I would expect from a metal band. From what I gathered off the internet, the band formed in 2015. The six members are from Finland and have been turning the music industry upside down these past few years.

“Induction” grabs my attention with its eerie intro and ominous synths. It takes a minute, but it eventually moves into the metal sound that I was expecting. You get two for one, considering this is a five-minute song. The ending is a little abrupt, but I also didn’t mind it. The lead vocals are a nice surprise. There are some good harmonies, and for the most part, they are pretty clean for the metal genre.

The next song pretty much has every real and synthetic instrument that you could imagine on it. “Unreal” is a cool track. I can’t make out what the lyrics are, but I can appreciate the different vocal stylings that the singer jumps between. It almost has a Michael BublĂ© feel during the verses, but then it jumps to clean spoken vocals. I think the singer just wanted to show off his talents. “Moment Of Reckoning” seems like it has a mid-song crisis, where it has fun, yet out of place, 80’s space-aged solos spread throughout. It seems that there isn’t much that this band can’t come up with, but I also think that it makes the album a little overwhelming for people who have yet to get acclimated to the band.

“Oblivion” makes me think of heaven or something like that. Maybe it’s the lyrics, or the title, or the fact that the three-part-harmonies sound God-like. There is a ton of reverb on the vocals, which probably explains why they sound so heavenly. “Illusions” is one of the shortest songs on the album, even though it is the same length as the average song on the radio. I would say it is a soft rock song since there aren’t even any electric instruments on it. It’s a nice little intermission, before getting back to your regularly scheduled metal on the second part of the album.

This band has its own thing going on, and I would even say they have created their own sub-category of metal. I would call it like a progressive-galactic metal, or a tolerable-for-hipsters metal. Overall, I like the innovation that Sonus Corona brings to the space. Their strange combination of chords and instrumental pairings keeps the listener interested in what is to come next. If you like quirky bands, or you’re looking for something different from most of the music on the radio, check out Sonus Corona. Time Is Not On Your Side will be out by the time that this review posts, so go ahead and show them some love by picking up a copy.

Lily Clark – Berklee College of Music Intern
November 21, 2019


Reviews Provided By:

Rate The Tracks

Tracks:
01. Induction              
02. Unreal          
03. The Refuge  
04. Swing Of Sanity              
05. Oblivion              
06. Time Is Not On Your Side      
07. Illusions                  
08. Moment Of Reckoning          
09. To The Ground      
10. Fading          
11. Here

Progressive Metal Review: Sonus Corona-Time Is Not on Your Side

Release Date: November 22, 2019
Labels: Inverse Records
It’s always a pleasure to review an album before it releases. I was not familiar with Sonus Corona before this review, so it will still be fairly unbiased. Time Is Not On Your Side releases tomorrow, which is exactly the kind of title I would expect from a metal band. From what I gathered off the internet, the band formed in 2015. The six members are from Finland and have been turning the music industry upside down these past few years.

“Induction” grabs my attention with its eerie intro and ominous synths. It takes a minute, but it eventually moves into the metal sound that I was expecting. You get two for one, considering this is a five-minute song. The ending is a little abrupt, but I also didn’t mind it. The lead vocals are a nice surprise. There are some good harmonies, and for the most part, they are pretty clean for the metal genre.

The next song pretty much has every real and synthetic instrument that you could imagine on it. “Unreal” is a cool track. I can’t make out what the lyrics are, but I can appreciate the different vocal stylings that the singer jumps between. It almost has a Michael BublĂ© feel during the verses, but then it jumps to clean spoken vocals. I think the singer just wanted to show off his talents. “Moment Of Reckoning” seems like it has a mid-song crisis, where it has fun, yet out of place, 80’s space-aged solos spread throughout. It seems that there isn’t much that this band can’t come up with, but I also think that it makes the album a little overwhelming for people who have yet to get acclimated to the band.

“Oblivion” makes me think of heaven or something like that. Maybe it’s the lyrics, or the title, or the fact that the three-part-harmonies sound God-like. There is a ton of reverb on the vocals, which probably explains why they sound so heavenly. “Illusions” is one of the shortest songs on the album, even though it is the same length as the average song on the radio. I would say it is a soft rock song since there aren’t even any electric instruments on it. It’s a nice little intermission, before getting back to your regularly scheduled metal on the second part of the album.

This band has its own thing going on, and I would even say they have created their own sub-category of metal. I would call it like a progressive-galactic metal, or a tolerable-for-hipsters metal. Overall, I like the innovation that Sonus Corona brings to the space. Their strange combination of chords and instrumental pairings keeps the listener interested in what is to come next. If you like quirky bands, or you’re looking for something different from most of the music on the radio, check out Sonus Corona. Time Is Not On Your Side will be out by the time that this review posts, so go ahead and show them some love by picking up a copy.

Lily Clark – Berklee College of Music Intern
November 21, 2019


Reviews Provided By:

Rate The Tracks

Tracks:
01. Induction              
02. Unreal          
03. The Refuge  
04. Swing Of Sanity              
05. Oblivion              
06. Time Is Not On Your Side      
07. Illusions                  
08. Moment Of Reckoning          
09. To The Ground      
10. Fading          
11. Here

JJ Chardeau’s Rock Opera "Magical Music Man" Launched with Release on CD & Download of "In Terra Cognita?" - OUT Now!


Featuring Numerous Special Guests from Across the Rock World – Mark Andes (Canned Heat, Spirit), Jerry  Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Brian Auger (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones), Jason Scheff (Chicago), Alex Ligertwood (Santana), Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Michael Sadler (Saga) and others!

French musician and composer, JJ Chardeau has launched his rock opera “Magical Music Man” on CD, Download and Streaming platforms with the album “In Terra Cognita?”

The album features special guests including Mark Andes (Canned Heat, Spirit), Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Brian Auger (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones), Jason Scheff (Chicago), Alex Ligertwood(Santana), Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty), John McFee (Doobie Brothers), Danny Seraphine (Chicago), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Michael Sadler (Saga), Chris Pinnick (Chicago) and Hank Linderman (America, Chicago).

The premise of the rock opera is: When his on board computer fails Magical Musical Man learns that he will crash on a planet reportedly inhabited by Degenerates, called Earth. In a panic he sees only one salvation: calling God the great alchemist-creator of the universe to his rescue. Thus appears God (portrayed by Jean-Claude Drouot) but He has no memory of the human kind. He only remembers a quarrel between the first couple of humans about an apple... So God agrees to accompany Magical Musical Man to Earth to find out what happened to human kind!

The 15 tracks of the album constitute a dreamy and musical trip around the world, made like a movie in space and time, a journey at the edge of earthly music and human societies.

The album is OUT NOW and available via Cherry Red:
CD edition: https://geni.us/InTerraCognitaCD
iTunes: https://geni.us/InTerraCognitiTunes
Google Play: https://geni.us/InTerraCognitaGP
Spotify: https://geni.us/InTerraCognitaSpotify

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

JJ Chardeau’s Rock Opera "Magical Music Man" Launched with Release on CD & Download of "In Terra Cognita?" - OUT Now!


Featuring Numerous Special Guests from Across the Rock World – Mark Andes (Canned Heat, Spirit), Jerry  Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Brian Auger (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones), Jason Scheff (Chicago), Alex Ligertwood (Santana), Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Michael Sadler (Saga) and others!

French musician and composer, JJ Chardeau has launched his rock opera “Magical Music Man” on CD, Download and Streaming platforms with the album “In Terra Cognita?”

The album features special guests including Mark Andes (Canned Heat, Spirit), Jerry Goodman (Mahavishnu Orchestra), Brian Auger (Led Zeppelin, Rolling Stones), Jason Scheff (Chicago), Alex Ligertwood(Santana), Martin Barre (Jethro Tull), Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, John Fogerty), John McFee (Doobie Brothers), Danny Seraphine (Chicago), John Helliwell (Supertramp), Michael Sadler (Saga), Chris Pinnick (Chicago) and Hank Linderman (America, Chicago).

The premise of the rock opera is: When his on board computer fails Magical Musical Man learns that he will crash on a planet reportedly inhabited by Degenerates, called Earth. In a panic he sees only one salvation: calling God the great alchemist-creator of the universe to his rescue. Thus appears God (portrayed by Jean-Claude Drouot) but He has no memory of the human kind. He only remembers a quarrel between the first couple of humans about an apple... So God agrees to accompany Magical Musical Man to Earth to find out what happened to human kind!

The 15 tracks of the album constitute a dreamy and musical trip around the world, made like a movie in space and time, a journey at the edge of earthly music and human societies.

The album is OUT NOW and available via Cherry Red:
CD edition: https://geni.us/InTerraCognitaCD
iTunes: https://geni.us/InTerraCognitiTunes
Google Play: https://geni.us/InTerraCognitaGP
Spotify: https://geni.us/InTerraCognitaSpotify

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

11/24/2019

Blues Concert Review: Vanessa Collier At The Stationery Factory

Vanessa Collier Rocks The Blues At The Stationery Factory In Dalton, Massachusetts
November 23, 2019
                                                               



It was another great night at the Stationery Factory to get people warmed up for the Holiday season. Vanessa Collier performed her blues-rock, jazz, soul, and funk selections for a very appreciative audience.

In 2019, she was again nominated in two categories at the Blues Music AwardsContemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year and Instrumental - Horn for the second year in a row. On May 9, 2019, she won the Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year. To her credit and all-around talent, she is being recognized and worthy of the respect received by the blues community and her peers.

Vanessa is a fine vocalist and saxophone player and she also plays the steel guitar. Her killer band is made up of some accomplished players including Charles Hodges on keyboards, Laura Chavez on guitar, TK Jackson on drums, and Daniel McKee on bass. They produce a great sound to compliment Vanessa’s strong vocals and animated saxophone playing.

Vanessa featured many tracks from her most recent release Honey Up. She did inform the audience that she would be going back in the studio in January to start recording a new album. 

What a potential audience and fan base can expect from Vanessa is a great combination of blues-rock, jazz, soul, and funk. That is exactly what she gave us last night and man was it jam-packed with energy! Notable was her kick-ass six-string slinger Laura Chavez. She demands your attention the way she plays and accordingly coaxed many exclamations of respect from the audience during the evening. I spent a lot of my time looking back and forth between both ladies.

The songs that hit home where “The Fault Line,” a real funk-blues workout, “Sweatin’ Like A Pig, Singin’ Like An Angel” and “Love Me Like A Man.” At one point during the concert, she sat down at the front of the stage and started playing her sax then in a short period got up and came out into the audience. She just kept on jamming nonstop, to the delight of everyone there. That was the highlight of the evening and one amazing display of musical virtuosity. 

There is no doubt that Vanessa is a hardworking and entertaining individual that finds it easy to speak to her audience and enjoys telling the stories behind the song’s origins. This always makes the entire experience more meaningful. I can only speak from my perspective but judging by the reaction of those in attendance, they appreciated everything she had to offer as well. 

If you appreciate the blues in a live setting you won’t see a better show than Vanessa Collier. Her reputation is stellar in the music community and she has carved her path to success in her way as an indie artist. I have a lot of respect for individuals like her. It was nice to see her come out to the merch table a few minutes after the encore and sign her swag. I appreciated it and got a copy of her CD Honey Up.

I look forward to her recording coming out in 2020 and would not hesitate to attend another concert by this fast-rising star.

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
November 24, 2019

Founder of:

Review Provided By MuzikMan.net