1 	Open Spaces 	5:01
2 	We Are One 	8:33
3 	Hell To Pay 	4:24
4 	Have You Heard? 	4:04
5 	To Hell With You 	4:05
6 	Nobody Rides For Free 	3:47
7 	Sincere 	4:32
8 	What A Way To Go 	8:12
9 	Noumenal Blues 	2:07

Bass, Additional Vocals – Brian "Bassgod" Carpenter
Drums, Percussion, Additional Vocals – Shannon "Apocalypse" Larkin
Guitar, Additional Vocals – Tony "Big Tone" Rombola
Producer, Additional Vocals – King Dave Fortman
Vocals – Nancy "The Queen Of Harmony" Koerner
Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Ray "RaferJohn" Cerbone

I grew up in a ridiculously heavy metal part of Queens, New York. You could be mercifully teased for wearing a Guns n’ Roses t-shirt to junior high, since they “weren’t metal” (and somehow explaining they didn’t claim to be metal just made things worse). A special dispensation was given for the band Danzig, though, which was considered metal due to singer Glenn Danzig’s pedigree fronting the Misfits and Samhain, which were actually punk groups. Avoiding the insane metal logic of 12-year-old boys for a moment, Danizg, the band’s 1988 debut album, was and is a beloved record for me. Which is why I flipped out upon hearing The Shape of Blues to Come, by The Apocalypse Blues Revue. It’s very reminiscent of that first Danzig album, while also standing just fine on its own.

There’s always been a weird relationship between metal and the blues. A lot of metal comes from Led Zeppelin which came, pretty much directly, from the blues. And Black Sabbath famously began as a blues band. One has the sense lots of metal guitarists enjoy and appreciate the blues, but the appreciation usually doesn’t translate into their music. Danzig, however, folded in metal, punk, rock, and blues (it even featured a cover of Albert King’s “The Hunter.” I didn’t realize the song was a blues cover until decades after purchasing the cassette) in a surprisingly authentic and accessible way. Danzig, the band, fused all of those elements in a way that pleased everybody. The Apocalypse Blues Revue also wears its blues love on its metal, tattooed, sleeves, and is similarly impressive at weaving diverse musical styles and an atypical lead singer into a wonderfully captivating album.

The band is made up of drummer Shannon Larkin and guitarist Tony Rombola of the metal band Godsmack. But The Apocalypse Blues Review is all about lead singer Ray “Rafer John” Cerbone, discovered by Larkin singing in a bar. The music can best be described as creepy blues. The beats are slow, the guitar tones are disturbingly distorted, and Cerbone’s voice is scary and demonic, much like Danzig’s. Imagine if Jim Morrison had still died, but was somehow resurrected a decade later. The album features traditional blues elements, like slide guitar, but for the most part, the album feels unnatural, like overhearing ghosts performing in an abandoned house. And this, of course, is what makes it such a delightful album.

Tracks vary in terms of scariness. “Open Spaces,” the leadoff track, with its alarming slide guitar, dirge of a beat, and intense Cerbone vocals, is probably not the one to jog to alone in the woods at night. “Hell to Pay” is a little peppier, with a more traditional rock beat and blues rock guitar solos. “What a Way to Go,” which clocks in at over eight minutes, features more bluesy guitar, but incredibly creepy background vocals that sound like they’re coming from a cult of evil, murder-y monks. The band covers a lot of ground stylistically, which makes for an enjoyable listen.

Fans of that first Danzig album should grab The Shape of Blues to Come as soon as they finish reading this review. For anyone else, this is a great album for blues-loving metal fans who want to hear dark tunes performed by a positively compelling lead singer. ---Steven Ovadia, bluesrockreview.com

Rozbluesowana ekipa pod przywództwem muzyków znanych z metalowej grupy Godsmack powróciła w stylu, jaki dużo bardziej odpowiada nazwie The Apocalypse Blues Revue.

Kiedy gitarzysta Tony Rombola i śpiewający perkusista Shannon Larkin, obaj znani z Godsmack, ogłosili w 2016 roku, że tworzą poboczny projekt powstały z potrzeby grania gatunku, jaki kochają, można było się spodziewać, że muzycy mają coś ciekawego do zaprezentowania. Do ekipy dołączył basista Brian Carpenter i wokalista Ray Cerbone. Debiutancki "The Apocalypse Blues Revue" (2016) nie przyniósł jednak jakichś niespotykanych pomysłów, można nawet powiedzieć, że był to krążek wypchany standardowymi, zupełnie niewyróżniającymi się bluesami, jakich powstaje na pęczki każdego miesiąca.

Na całe szczęście ekipa postanowiła w projekcie dłubać dalej, czego owocem jest dużo lepszy "The Shape of Blues To Come". Krążek sporymi fragmentami przypomina atmosferą apokaliptyczo-psychodeliczne kawałki z albumu "The Meddle" Pink Floyd, gitary często uderzają w tony znane ze stylu gry wczesnego Davida Gilmoura. Zresztą długich gitarowych odjazdów Tony'ego Romboli jest dużo, bardzo dużo i w większości słucha się tych improwizacji obgryzając paznokcie z zaangażowania. Bas poszedł niżej, serwuje kapitalne linie no i brzmi rewelacyjnie, perkusja zwolniła, a atmosfera sposępniała, jakby rzeczywiście zwiastując nadejście apokalipsy.

I właśnie te najmocniej apokaliptyczne, walcowate kawałki są na albumie najlepsze: unurzany w mroku "Open Space", jakby taplający się w narkotycznych wizjach, rozpsychodelizowany "We Are One", diabelnie klimatyczny "What A Way To Go", czy psychodeliczna miniatura "Noumenal Blues". W tych utworach Ray Cerbone ma wokal rozgniewanego proroka, który pod tanią speluną, przepłukując gardło wredną gorzałą, wieści, że świat się kończy.

Pozostałe utwory uderzają raczej w standardowy blues. Jest "Have You Heard?!" rozpędzony bluesior, twardy na wokalu, ciężki na sekcji i rock'n'rollowy na gitarach, pojawia się rozkołysany delikatnymi gitarami "To Hell With You", napędzany świetną sekcją "Nobody Rides For Free", blues rockowy "Bell To Pay" czy najbardziej archetypiczny blues "Sincere".

"The Shape of Blues To Come" to blues grany znad krawędzi. Mroczny, posępny, brudny i apokaliptyczny. Blues końca świata. The Apocalypse Blues Revue na nowym albumie bez wątpienia znaleźli drogę, którą należy podążać i estetykę, jaka wyróżni ich spośród bluesowych bandów. ---Grzegorz Bryk, magazyngitarzysta.pl

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire ulozto gett bayfiles

back

01. Evil Is as Evil Does
02. Junkie Hell
03. Devil Plays a Strat
04. I Think Not
05. Whiskey in My Coffee
06. The Tower
07. Crossed Over
08. Blues Are Fallin' from the Sky
09. Work in Progress
10. The Devil in Me
11. Blue Cross
12. When the Music's Over (Bonus Track)

Rafer John -Vocals
Shannon Larkin - Drums
Tony Rombola- Guitar
Brian Carpenter – Bass

The self titled debut of The Apocalypse Blues Revue can be summed up in one word; intense. These twelve tracks include some very traditional forms, including blues shuffles, slow blues, mixed meter, minor blues, acoustic blues and blues rock. Regardless of what form of blues they take on, The Apocalypse Blues Revue plays with a level of intensity rarely heard in today’s traditional blues market.

The Apocalypse Blues Revue consists of former members of the post grunge hard rock band Godsmack. Shannon Larkin (drums) and Tony Rombola (guitar) bring their hard rocking ram in down your throat approach to the project and Brian Carpenter’s bass playing fits nicely in the pocket with Larkin’s powerful yet tasteful approach. Vocalist Ray (Rafer John) Cerbone’s Jim Morrison-ish baritone is very refreshing. He sounds perfectly natural and soulful. Tony Rombola’s guitar work is reminiscent of Frank Marino or Robin Trower with vibrato wide enough to throw a cat through. He sounds very authentic as a blues player and not like a rock player trying to play blues.

The Apocalypse Blues Revue opens with the comfortable shuffle, “Evil Is As Evil Does.” From the first note it’s obvious that these guys know what great blues is supposed to sound like. The slow driving “Junkie Hell” showcases Rombola’s great tone and aforementioned vibrato. “The Devil Plays A Strat” is one of the more rock oriented tracks with it’s mixed meter, Robin Trower inspired riff and Cerbone’s wonderful baritone storytelling. “The Tower” is another great Trower inspired track showcasing Rombola’s deeply soulful playing and Cerbone’s impassioned crooning. There’s really no need to tell you about every track, but you should understand that in many ways this is a very traditional blues record. It’s the band’s performance that makes the record really rock hard. On “I Think Not,” they show that they know how to bring it down a bit when the song calls for it. Everyone one is on their spot. No one is over playing. Every member simply play’s balls first.

The Apocalypse Blues Revue is an unapologetic blues album and a very mature sounding debut. The band has discovered a sound that is unique and familiar all at the same time. This talented group of musicians is off to a very strong start. It will be interesting to see where they take it from here. --- Lou Lombardi, bluesrockreview.com

„Od zawsze blues grał mi w duszy.” – mówi Tony Rombola. „Wzięło się to od słuchania klasycznego rocka w stylu Jimiego Hendrixa, Led Zeppelin i AC/DC. Potem dorwałem muzykę takich gości jak Stevie Ray Vaughan i Eric Gales. Zdecydowaliśmy się to wymieszać, łącząc tradycyjnego bluesa i mocniejsze elementy. To powrót do źródeł. Chciałem grać koncerty bez produkcji – tylko wzmacniacz, efekty, gitara i ja.”

„Grałem wcześniej w punkowym zespole Amen.” – mówi Shannon Larkin. „Podczas trasy dostałem ksywę Apocalypse. Przylgnęło to do mnie, mam to wytatuowane na przedramieniu. Połączyłem to z Blues Brothers, bo na końcu filmu grają jako The Blues Brothers Blues Revue. Stąd mamy The Apocalypse Blues Revue. Chciałbym żeby te piosenki zostały ludziom w głowach. Na tej płycie muzyka mówi sama za siebie „ --- godsmack.pl

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex 4shared mega mediafire zalivalka cloudmailru uplea ge.tt

back