ROCKSPOSURE.....Be Heard

ARTIST OF THE MONTH: PHOENIX FALLING____________________________RSS
Album Review: "The Beginning"

By Chris Brach

You’re flipping through stations in your car when suddenly a song comes on that absolutely blows your mind. With your car’s speakers hanging on for dear life as you blare this new face melting hit, you flip a U-turn and head immediately to your nearest record store to pick up the CD, elated that you are about to hear 10 songs that will set the new bar for the rock scene. How will your friend’s feel when you brag that you know every word on the CD before they even knew it was out? You are certain this will be your new favorite band by the time MTV runs their world premier video, based on this one song on your radio. You’ll wonder, “Where have these guys been hiding?” Yet after skipping to the next track something is wrong……of the 10 songs on the CD, only 4 are tolerable to listen to and a scant few of those four could be considered “good”….. Damn, you’ve been tricked again by the cruel temptress that is Rock N’ Roll. When she shows you the goods it’s like nothing you’ve ever felt about anything before; she found a way to connect with your inner most thoughts on levels that therapists could only dream of. Like always, she only lets you get so close, and the worst part is it’s only a matter of time before you’ll be back to repeat this process. I’ve experienced this countless times since I’ve fallen into her clutches, but I’ve never heard it put quite so perfectly until our May Artist of the Month, Phoenix Falling, summed it up on their appropriately titled track “Rock N Roll”:

“I don’t trust you, but I lust you….I’m in love with Rock n’ Roll”

Now don’t let the lead in story get you off track, the five guys from Phoenix Falling have put together a great EP entitled ‘The Beginning”. We are far from knocking their album or saying that they fall into this category; in fact, it’s quite the opposite, as I can’t stop listening to it. With a lyric as true as that one, there are few music fans that would have an issue relating to this band out of Naples, FL. The talented musicians from Phoenix Falling have been honing in their respective crafts for years. Mitch Clark (Lead Vocals), Kevin Leman (Guitar / Vocals), Christian Logaglio (Guitar / Vocals), Ben King (Bass), and Colby Peters (Drums) have pooled their talent together to create an extremely deep, intricate sound uniquely combined with powerful vocals and lyrics.

The first three fast paced tracks of “The Beginning” start quick beginning with the a dual guitar intro on “Ghost Town”, Leman and Logaglio immediately introduce you to the high level of play that carries through the entire EP. As Clark starts belting out the vocals on “Addicted” his voice has an amazingly close sound to Boston’s original lead singer Brad Delp. It is remarkably clean with an extremely good range.

As I mentioned before, Phoenix Falling’s song “Rock N Roll” has some great lyrics. But it would be hard to miss the fact this is the band’s strongest song on the EP. With some strong back- up vocals, they throw the mic around the band at several parts of the song, which adds to the attitude that the song is trying to convey. There are also a few great guitar solos and King keeps the band on track with a heavy bass line. This song is a must listen, head over to Rocksposure Radio, we’ve got it queued up and waiting for you.

“Gravity” changes gears a bit for the band as they slow down the tempo. While the guitars are less prominent on this song, Peters gets a bit of time in the spotlight on the drums. Carrying a quick cymbal and hi-hat driven beat, the song has a far different feel then the others on the album.

Phoenix Falling goes the acoustic route on “Heroes Never Die”, a major departure from the rest of the EP. Clark gets a chance to further show the clarity and range of his voice on “Heroes Never Die”. He sounds great on every track, but it is interesting to hear his versatility on this track. After a muted start to the final track “Dreamer”, the band explodes into their full volume and pace. They finish the EP off just like they started: quick, cohesive, and polished.

There’s something about hearing new music that breaks the monotony of your regular playlist rotation. Since it’s easy to get burned by that Rock n’ Roll temptress, it’s often easier to stick with what you know. After hearing Phoenix Falling, it’s great to have some new music to lust over……..even if I know that down the road Lady Rock will be back to trick me and break the trust once again. Thankfully for you, that’s what Rocksposure.com is here for.