There are times in our lives where we are privy to certain things that need to be kept hush hush until the time is just right-  maybe it was that special Christmas gift your parents got for a sibling that you knew about and was told to keep secret; or maybe a surprise party you had planned for a significant other; or possibly sharing some very important news about an incredible life changing event.  We’ve all been there; you get that feeling inside that you (and only you; possibly a few others) have just witnessed or heard something utterly fascinating and you begin to wonder…  just how in the hell am I NOT going to want to share this?  The time I caught the band’s debut performance of “Eternally Present” well over three years ago was one of those moments-  this, my friends, was a game changer.

Shortly before Christmas in 2014 the band debuted “Eternally Present” to a crowd of their fans at the 86 Club in Cincinnati, Ohio.  Their debut release, Circadian Rhythms, had been out for a while and the boys had been working up material after the addition of a second guitarist to the mix, so I was definitely eager to hear something new.  As “band Dad” (my son Ian is their bassist) I tried to make every show to provide support and help as needed, but  also I enjoyed (and still enjoy) catching their gigs because I really do love their music and they are an excellent band.  However, I was not quite emotionally prepared for the utter brilliance of the debut performance of their new song- listening to that version as I write this still brings chills to my spine and a tear to my eye due to the passion in their performance and the incredible atmospherics and overall growth as songwriters.  I remember leaving the gig that night with a huge smile on my face and eager to share this proud papa moment but knowing that I needed to keep it secret for the near term.

After listening to various mixes of this song, catching multiple live performances, and hearing the final mix hundreds of times, I am still blown away on each and every play.  “Eternally Present” is a roller coaster ride of emotions, depth, intensity, and dynamics that gets better each time you listen to it; an incredible journey from the dark to the light and back again featuring a dizzying array of sonic textures and forceful blasts of color- one dim gray, hazy path suddenly opens up into warm hints of sunshine and then turns on a dime into twilight time and then quickly spins you around into a kaleidoscope of other hues, all within a span of five minutes.  Like a good book or movie you are swept up in the moment and carried away, segueing through highs and lows before being brought safely home, emotionally wrung out from the journey but all the better for it.

Musically and performance wise, the band has never been better.  The fire and ice tag team of Michael Bishop and new boy Waylon Baker play off each other incredibly well; Michael’s blazing fretwork countered by the cooler inflections from Waylon provides the titanic structure and sonic elements-  everything from the apreggiated intro to the powerful crunch of riff to the single note melodic runs and eventually through the ethereal, atmospheric tapping section deserves high praise.  Drummer Daniel “DJ” Reinhart is a virtual drum tornado as he uses every bit of his kit:  thunderous of foot and quick of the wrist, his playing is equally dynamic as he pushes and pulls the beat ever so slightly with lighter single stroke snare patterns or freight train triplet force.  His rhythm section partner in crime, bassist Ian Remley (that’s my boy!), adds a third layer to the main riff for more auditory punch, mimicking the main riff with a deeper well of sound and even tossing in a brief, Chris Squire inspired solo spot during the moving middle section of the cut.  And finally vocalist Jake Antony’s emotionally charged performance is the icing on the cake-  aggressive and commanding at one moment then yearning and passionate at others, you can feel him giving it his all as he places you front and center for this aural odyssey.  As I am somewhat familiar to the genesis of the lyric for this song (and I know it means a lot to the band), there are certain vocal elements and lines here that cut through the soul:  Michael’s backing shout and Jake’s echo of “we can live forever” followed by Jake’s commanding “LIVE…  FOR… EVER”; the haunting, almost pained howls and angelic voices deep in the mix before Jake’s wounded roars in the atmospheric middle section; and finally the life affirming “I believe in life, I believe…  I believe in love, I believe” at the close.  Incredibly, incredibly moving.

Biased much?  Hell no… as a parent I couldn’t be prouder but as a music fan this is an incredible piece of work that should easily stand alongside some of the greats in the progressive metal field today.  It is THAT good.  For those of you not familiar with music of a heavier genre it may be a bit of a shock at first, but stick with it because you are in for the ride of a lifetime.  Then play it again…  and again…  and again…  and don’t forget to download it too-  soon you’ll be hyped and ready for the release of The Earth Laid Bare’s new album Flow, coming in November.

To Ian, Jake, DJ, Michael, and Waylon…  love you guys and I am VERY PROUD of “Eternally Present”.  I’m finally glad I can tell the world about what a fantastic piece of music this is and what you’ve got in store for the future.  Bravo fellas…  bravo 🙂

Let’s do it!

“Angry Young Girl” The Parlor Mob, And You Were A Crow

These New Jersey cats’ debut album And You Were A Crow came out in 2004 with a sound that was definitely a bit retro, a touch of Led Zeppelin and Seattle’s Walking Papers with maybe a bit of gloomier folk in vibe here and there.  “Angry Young Girl” is a bit of the latter, laid back in tone with an acoustic base for the riff and understated yet passionate vocal.  Hints of echoed keyboard notes and effective bits of backwards guitar noise are added for dramatic flair, taking you on a journey into those nether regions of the darkest vestiges of the unknown.  Really cool little track.

“Jericho” K.D. Lang, Hymns To The 49th Parallel

K.D. Lang is someone I don’t normally listen to but boy does she have one helluva voice.  Her version of Joni Mitchell’s “Jericho” is excellent, ably covering the original artist’s passion and liquid vocal styling yet balancing that with Lang’s more huskier and cooler hues.  The arrangement here is quite a bit more languid than the original, allowing for a greater focus on the vocal and the melody with more brushes of subtle piano, symphonic strings, and acoustic bass (no electric Jaco vibe here).  Hey, if Mom or your cool aunt or older cousin had the original Joni version play her this one 🙂

“Up In Smoke” Blackberry Smoke, Little Piece Of Dixie

Full confession here…  this is the first Smoke song I heard and while I admit I liked it I kinda wrote it off as “well…  not a bad little cut but those lyrics lean a little bro country”.  How UTTERLY STUPID of me, because the more Smoke I heard the more I realized how fabulously killer they are and now are one of my favorite newer bands.  As far as the song it’s definitely a fun little guitar stomper, leaning a little more Blackfoot in heft but still throwing in the Skynyrd/Outlaws tunefulness template with plenty of singalong moments.  Quite the fun and crankable ditty…

“Slow Marimbas” Peter Gabriel, Secret World Live

Essentially an in concert mood piece originally found on the Gabriel soundtrack for the film Birdy, “Slow Marimbas” lives up to its title…  sparse instrumentation featuring marimbas and light keyboards but also includes the haunting violin work from L Shankar, who “voice” sounds akin to that of an Indian vocalist similar to someone like an Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn.  Definitely not a song per se but Gabriel has never been like any artist in the live format, leaving focus not only on the music but also on the striking visuals he deploys for various songs.

“Black Water” Riot, Shine On 

Two for two with in concert mood pieces!  Here, NYC rock band Riot kicks off their live album Shine On with a keyboard woosh then a brief Irish jig played on violin before the full band kicks in to echo the line, sounding a great bit like a Thin Lizzy/Iron Maiden dual guitar bit.  If you like either of those two bands this is definitely up your alley, although it does lean a little bit more to the wild Irish sons.  Always loved how bands will kick off their shows with something dramatic like this.  And check out the dude dropping what sounds like a “F___ Yeah!” around the :18 second mark!

“Addicted To That Rush” Mr. Big, Mr. Big

Those readers of this blog are quite aware of my fandom for one Paul Gilbert, so when word got out that he was teaming with bass monster Billy Sheehan for a new band I quickly set aside a few bucks to pick up the eventual release.  Their self-titled debut led off with the stunning “Addicted To That Rush”, which pleased this guitar loving freak to no end as it features stunning interplay between both Gilbert and Sheehan and rocked like a mother.  Eric Martin is in fine vocal form and Pat Torpey is solid on the kit, but make no mistake, we gearheads bought the album for the dudes with the fast fingers.

“Fight Fire With Fire” Metallica, Ride The Lightning

God, I remember buying Ride The Lightning after hearing the sinister swing of “For Whom The Bell Tolls”, dropping the needle on the album, and then utterly perplexed with the first song.  Talk about a jarring “huh?” moment!  Oddly enough, I’m still not a fan as much as I love old school Metallica.  That riff is downright menacing and abrasive but that Hetfield atonal bark is…  ah…  a little too robotic and cold sounding for my tastes.  Not long after I sold the album and thought I’d given up on the band until giving Master Of Puppets a chance, which eventually blew me away.  As for Ride?  I did repurchase but tend to skip “Fight Fire”.  I’m a blasphemer!

“Tornado” Voivod, The Best Of Voivod

Funny this popping on after the aforementioned song because it’s definitely similar in vibe as far as thrashiness is concerned and likely not something I would have listened to back in the day due to not getting the harsh vocals.  Nowadays I hear something like this and think the vocals are killer because I dig the intensity and passion the singer employs to sell the tune.  Snake (Voivod vocalist) has always been a unique singer, deploying more of a nasally sneer nowadays but for something like early tune “Tornado” he’d mix it up with the occasional hardcore roar.  A headbanger’s delight, this one.

“Love Stays” Sweet & Lynch, Only To Rise

I’ve always respected Michael Sweet’s talents as a vocalist but never really got too big into Stryper, but I’ll be danged if his voice hasn’t dropped into a slightly smokier tenor with age that suits him incredibly well in his two albums with guitar stalwart George Lynch.  “Love Stays” is a great showcase for the singer, a slower laid back burner in which Sweet capably handles during the verses but it’s really chorus time where he rises to the occasion.  To Lynch’s credit he’s more in the background throughout a good chunk of the song, eventually blessing us with some tasty blues licks.

“(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” Otis Redding, The Dock Of The Bay

Otis Redding left us far, far too early.  Those of us of a certain age definitely know “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay” and have likely sung the chorus many a time or have even practiced pursing their lips to mimic that iconic whistling moment near the fade of the song.  What can you say about this one?  Just an incredible laid back vibe and picturesque vocal, one in which we can picture ourselves just like the singer as we chill out and sit on the dock after a long day, silhouetted against the setting sun as the waves crash and the birds sing.  One of my all time favorite soul songs.

Pick of the lot this post goes to “(Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay”, followed by “Addicted To That Rush” with “Up In Smoke” bringing up the rear.