PRETTY MAIDS – Motherland

Label: Frontiers Records

Release Date: March 26, 2013

Rating: 8.5/10

Reviewed by: ToddStar

I love melodic rock, but some of it doesn’t hit home with me right away.  Pretty Maids is a band that always seems to be hit or miss in my book.  “Mother Of All Lies” has all teh trapping fo good melodic rock.  The vocals are great and the keyboards mix well with the guitars to create a full sound.  “To Fool A Nation” takes this to the next level and incorporates even more guitar that raises the bar on most things they have done.  The vocals also shift between clear and a rougher rock sound, which adds a bit of depth to the track.  “Confession” is a spoken word intro for the next track.  “The Iceman” comes out swinging with a cool groove that allows the vocals to shift its tone and texture without losing a place in the song.  The keyboards drive this song, but the real standout is the drums.  They seem very lively on this track.  “Sad To See You Suffer” is another great melodic rock tune.  The chorus is smooth and allows the vocals stretch a bit.  The keyboards, although prevalent  are offset nicely by the guitars and bass.  “Hooligan” is good, but lacking something.  I think the chorus is a bit plain and the vocals are all over the place.  Not my thing, but it might just be me.  “Infinity” has a cool piano intro that soon morphs with the rest of the band.  The vocals are softer on this track, and well suited to the rhythm and mood of the track.  The bridge and breaks help the song transition from verse to chorus nicely.

“Why So Serious” has some tempo changes that keep the song interesting.  The guitar work and bass lines on this track offset the keyboards nicely and the vocals fit the shift in the track well.  “Motherland” opens with guitars blazing and drums pounding.  The vocals come storming in and keep this songs edgy vibe in place.  The chorus is very melodic in nature, but the vocals are a little more rough than normal, giving this song some diversity.  “I See Ghosts” has a cool rhythmic, almost tribal groove.  The drums are given a little room to lead on this track, and they do so while the guitars add their thunder to the song.  The chorus is catchy and should go over well live.  “Bullet For You” is next and is a beautiful segue way between rock tracks.  This song, while ballad in form, is not your typical soft rocker.  The vocals and guitars duet nicely while the keyboards add to a larger than life chorus.  The bass line is simple, but is very noticeable in the transition parts of the track.  “Who What Where When Why” is all rock form the first note.  The drums, bass, and chugging guitar riffs get this song cranked up and allow the vocals to come soaring in.  The keyboards add some depth to the chorus, but the shift in vocal tone really add the most to the chorus.  This is one of the better tracks on the disc.  “Wasted” ends the disc on a keyboard infused note.  The song takes on a life of its own when the vocals kick in.  The guitar work is really good, but hard to pull out of the keyboards shadow.  Even the piano interludes are slightly drowned out by the key work.

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Category: CD Reviews