Noise 101: CD Reviews for Oct 23
Coyote
Proof of Life
Fountain Pop Records
Score: B
This is an overall pretty cool, pop/rock music album with a heavy keyboard presence with an ‘80s feel. If I had to connect it to something popular it would be the accidental love child of Bono and Brandon Flowers.
They have good variety, ranging from pop to electronic rock to a bit of funky stuff and then slowing it right down for the final track, “Toothache,”
The music does tend to get a little busy, but it’s overall easy listening. Any track on the album would fit nicely into the playlist of “a teenage heartthrob romantic comedy.”
— Matt Sutton
Dan MacCormack
Symphony of Ghosts
Self-released
Score: B-
This is an overall pretty cool, pop/rock music album with a heavy keyboard presence with an ‘80s feel. If I had to connect it to something popular it would be the accidental love child of Bono and Brandon Flowers.
They have good variety, ranging from pop to electronic rock to a bit of funky stuff and then slowing it right down for the final track, “Toothache,”
The music does tend to get a little busy, but it’s overall easy listening. Any track on the album would fit nicely into the playlist of “a teenage heartthrob romantic comedy.”
— Matt Sutton
Dragonforce
Maximum Overdrive
earMUSIC
Score: B+
The fastest strings in the land of metal are back. Dragonforce is now shoving twice as much in, leaving many songs either a confused mess or just painfully average.
Then there’s that absolutely horrid cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” which should cost them an entire letter grade.
Still, that doesn’t mean there aren’t some songs worth listening to on this album — make no mistake, this is the cheesiest album from a band famous for their over-the-top exuberance.
Highlights include the Castlevania-inspired “Symphony of Fire,” the march-like “Three Hammers,” the soaring melodies of “The Sun is Dead” and the brilliantly bombastic “City of Gold.” Despite the dearth of memorable songs on this album, Dragonforce remains true to their roots: a fun, pop-inspired barrage of sound that will always be a guilty pleasure.
— BAJ Visser
