Fall From Grace – The Romance Years

Label: Road 2 Hell Rekkids

Release Date: January 12, 2012

Rating: 6/10

Reviewed by: ToddStar

Every once in a while you see a band live that makes you walk over to the merch table and buy a CD or two.  When I saw Fall From Grace open for Eve 6 recently, I found myself talking to one of the members at their merch stand after their set.  I wanted to take some of that energy and rock home with me.  I picked this one up and played it first thing the next morning.  Six weeks later I still listen to it.

“Your Majesty” kicks the disc off with a cool guitar riff.  I think I am going to enjoy this disc.  “18 & Out” jumps out and features a great chorus that takes you back a few years.  This tune is very catchy.  The guitar work is tight and spot on for the song.  It is a good rocker with pop sensibility.  “Heart Attack Road” cranks the rock quotient up a bit, but it loses something in the translation in my mind.  The energy is there, but I feel like the song is struggling to find itself.  “The Resurrection” follows the path of the previous track.  I am not sure what happened, but I start to wonder if someone switched discs on me.

“A Train Leaves London” brings the level back up with vocals that remind me of a young Vince Neil.  Musicianship on this track seems to gel well and blends with the vocals.  “Fade 2 Gray” takes it right back in the other direction.  The vocals are not good here – not sure what they were going for with the sound of this track.  “God Of War” is a decent musical interlude, but not sure what purpose it served here on the disc.  Although the sound effects tie into the lyrics of the next track, musically it didn’t seem to tie.  “Stand Alone” is another decent rocker that keeps a pop sound in the mix, but it sounds a bit flat.  Wait… hold out for the guitar solo and breakdown – the solo is pretty good here.

“The Romance Years” starts off mellow, but the drums kick in quickly and the song gets better and better as it runs through a catchy chorus and tight rhythm work from the drummer and bassist.  “Great Expectations” is an acoustic tune that fails to take off.  It has the makings o f a decent song, but just doesn’t do it for me.  “So Long For Now” has a different vibe and the lyrics are quite the story, but much like its predecessor, doesn’t light any fires as a great track.  “Maybe I’m Outa My Head” demonstrates that the band can be consistent.  They have a few songs here that get close, but just don’t seem to cross over into greatness.  If you care to listen any further, there is a bonus track that is different from anything else presented here, in that it has a techno or dance feel to it.  It isn’t bad; it just isn’t really that good.

To be honest, I would probably go see these guys again live.  The show was great with soaring guitars and a killer rock set.  I am hoping they can take those elements and bring them to the studio next time they record.  If they harness that, they will go far.

http://www.fallfromgrace.us/

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Tags: Fall From Grace, The Romance Years

Category: CD Reviews