Lillian Axe? Prior to this review, the name felt familiar, teasing at the corners of my mind. Perhaps it was simply because it comes across as some sort of amalgamation of Lizzy Borden and Kick Axe but it felt associated with the sort of big-chorused, big-riffed, big-haired rock so beloved of MTV in the mid-late 80s. I’m talking Dokken, Firehouse, King Kobra and plenty of others – i.e. souped-up blues with wailing vocals and fretboard burning solos. So it’s somewhat surprising that opener ‘Babylon’ presents a less-hysterical, more sombre and measured approach to the hard rock genre.
Indeed, ‘XI: The Days Before Tomorrow’ is distinctly un-rocking – there’s nary a Robert Plant-esque wail or screaming blues lick to be found here. Not that this is a problem and once the initial shock of not being assaulted with Whitesnake-apeing lunacy abates, Lillian Axe deliver an engaging platter of ‘light’ metal. It’s an intriguing sound, reminiscent of what you might get if Hammerfall started sneaking in some Nevermore moments into their sound whilst simultaneously working with Journey’s engineer. The melody lines and vocal phrasings are not obvious and indeed, there’s almost a touch of discordance to some of the more progressive guitar moments such as the low-end chugs and spidery arpeggio decorating the bridge of ‘Gather up the Snow’.
A soft production lends prominence to the vocals and the suspiciously ‘amp sim’ sounding guitars (curiously body-less with that odd rolled-off high-end) undermines the album’s more punchy moments – indeed, ‘Caged In’ whilst galloping pleasantly along, really doesn’t have the impact it should and rock it does not. Nope, repeated listens demonstrate that Lillian Axe have two key strengths – interesting songwriting and the quality vocals of Brian Jones.
These two strengths combine to prominent effect on the record’s strongest cuts. ‘Lava on my Tongue’ has an insistent groove (with perhaps the album’s only real nod to the blues) with a good vocal hook. The driving refrains and unusual backing vocal harmonies of ‘Take the Bullet’ also lodge themselves into the brain and refuse to let go whilst ‘Bow Your Head’ is a proper sing-a-long anthem. These moments are well written, well phrased and executed with aplomb. Lillian Axe only really trip themselves up when they ladle on the cheese with a little too much gusto with the ‘arms to the skies’ overwrought tones of ‘The Great Divide’ inviting the skip button.
It’s an unusual one – reading back though this review, this album sounds unappealing. Indeed, I guess it is a pretty weedy proposition (Hammerfall is never a flattering comparison for anyone) but there’s certainly something appealing in the quirky songwriting that kept me coming back for more. Perhaps it’s just because I’ve spent the last week or so listening to Dokken but it’s a cautious thumbs up from me.
http://www.lillianaxe.com
Frank Allain
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