Adrenaline Mob - Omerta
The band on the album is Mike Portnoy on drums, Symphony X vocalist Russell Allen and Mike Orlando on guitar. Paul Dileo (Bass) and Rich Ward (guitar) also feature on the album but have since left with John Moyer from Disturbed now completing the rhythm section.
The first thing that you notice is that there is some serious talent on display here: Portnoy, Allen and Orlando are all superb musicians - Allen's vocals are excellent, from growling metal to sublimely melodic, Orlando can riff and shred with the best of them and Portnoy ..well.. you know all about him.
Those expecting a prog-fest will be sorely disappointed, what you get is a straight-ahead hard rock album with some definite grooves and a few nu-metal touches, a guest appearance Halestorm's Lzzy Hale and a reworking of a Duran Duran song (now be honest you were not expecting that!). But I think that's the whole point - this is not meant to be a supergroup rehashing former glories, this is a straight ahead, no messing, hard-rock band.
I've just been on a 220 mile round trip in the car, and had a 30 minute traffic jam to suffer as well so I played this album repeatedly in order to do this review - one spin of an album, unless it is a masterpiece is never enough.
First play: to be honest no song really stood above the rest, but it was a pleasant diversion from the early morning A34 rolling past my window...
Second play: it started falling into place a bit more (I genuinely thought there were different vocalists on some of the songs but Allen just appears to be some sort of vocal chameleon) - "Indifferent" and "All on the Line" stood out this time round...
Third play : and I'm singing along.. must mean it's getting under my skin.. "Undaunted" "Pychosane" "Come Undone"..
A few more plays and there are times (particularly on "Hit The Wall") where you can see why they chose to include The Mob Rules to promote the band as there are definite Sabbath/Dio vibes - then there is Orlando's Zakk Wylde style guitar tones..
Sadly not a masterpiece but not bad at all if you can overlook some of the cheesy lyrics.
..and now Mark owes me a fiver as I managed the whole review without mentioning Dream Theater.. aw bugger.
NR.
