THE BRAVE "Evie's Little Garden"

 

(c) 2021 Independent Release

1. Evie's Little Garden
2. Run To You
3. I've Always Wondered
4. We're Not In Kansas Anymore
5. Elevate Me
6. Creep
7. If I Told You
8. Lonely Bones
9. And We All Fall Down
10. Lucid
11. Come To Me
12. Love: Automatic

Stayce Roberts--Lead Vocals, Lead Guitars, Keys

Malcolm Paris--Bass, Backing Vocals

John Spittle--Drums

From the Out Of Nowhere Files, 2021 saw the return of one of my favorite melodic rock bands of the 1990s, The Brave.  Now, it is true, The Brave did previously make a comeback effort with the release of  the rather unspectacular 2014 record, Rise, but after that disappointing effort, I truly didn't feel like we would ever hear from the band again.  It has been a long time since I was so glad that I was so wrong!  

No, Evie's Little Garden does not fully transport the band back to 1992 and their insanely slick and highly polished Battle Cries album.  Nor does it truly recall the dirtier, bluesier, grittier sound of 1994's Trust record.  However, Evie's Little Garden does find the band settling somewhere in the middle of those two excellent albums, treating listeners to an album that combines surprisingly strong lead vocals (why hasn't Roberts been fronting the band all of these years?!) backed by Paris' tight vocal harmonies, excellent guitar work, and a powerful bottom end that all work together to support some truly great songs that breathe new life into the Christian branch of the melodic hard rock genre.  While Roberts and Paris remain from the original version of the band, and Spittle has been with The Brave since the mid-90s, unlike on their last release, Rise, where they chose to pay homage to their past by re-recording several tracks from their first two records, this time The Brave exclusively moves forward with all new songs and an updated sound.  

The record kicks off with the title track and lead single, "Evie's Little Garden", which sets the Creation of man, and his subsequent fall in the Garden of Eden, to a killer, hook-laden rock track.  Guitars rumble to life to intro the track, then the percussion-driven verses and Roberts' gritty, gravelly vocals snarl their way into the mix, not even hinting at the melodic hook that is going to snare you in the ear once the chorus hits!  Expertly layered backing vocals add to the snarl that Roberts incorporates here, creating one of my favorite melodic rock tracks of the year, Christian or secular!  There's also a great guitar solo, some cool snake sound effects thrown into the mix, and just enough keyboard to round out this melodic rock gem.  This is a MONSTER of a song that had me clamoring to hear the entire record the very first time I laid ears on the track.  But as great as the music is, the construction of the lyrics, particularly the chorus, really grabbed my attention...

"Something's goin' on down in Evie's Little Garden,

Somebody said they saw a snake!

Hell's breaking loose down in Evie's Little Garden,

There's gonna be some Hell to pay...

There ain't no Garden anymore!"

Check it out below...

Follow-up single, "Run To You" shows up next in the track list, this time adding a bit more polish to the sound, with smooth, soaring vocals.  Definitely a bit "poppier" in the songwriting department, "Run To You" sounds a bit like an updated version of the type of tune the band burst onto the scene with on Battle Cries.  Roberts backs off the grit and gravel, vocally, allowing his voice to soar a bit in places, with Roberts displaying a fairly impressive range for a guy who had three separate chances, on three previous albums, to step up to the microphone, and in all three cases utilized a different lead singer!  And while he doesn't have the smooth, rich delivery of original frontman, James Salter, I have to say that I am far more able to listen to Roberts' voice repeatedly as it has that edge that just grabs your attention.  Again, this is a solid rock track, a bit more uptempo than the punchy "Evie's Little Garden", and features some really strong drum work.  Check this one out below...

"I've Always Wondered" heads more in the bluesier direction that the band's sophomore record, Trust, travelled, and I have to say it is one of the best tracks on an album chock full of great tunes!  Pondering the question of what life would be like had Christ not died for our sins, this track hits hard both musically and lyrically.  This type of track really seems to be the band's strong suit, to be honest, and is definitely put together well.  Once again, we have a really good guitar solo following the second chorus run, and Roberts sounds extremely confident with this type of vocal approach.  Again, I have to give a nod to the really well done backing vocals that add even more depth to the lead vocals from Roberts.  And, yet again, the band has offered up a video for what I am assuming will be the third single from the album at some point.  

As great as "Evie's Little Garden" is, as a song, I have to say that the next cut, "We're Not In Kansas Any More" may be my favorite (although it is definitely close!).  As I alluded to earlier, I really, really liked the musical turn the band took between their first and second albums, and "...Kansas..." definitely has that bluesy style that was utilized so expertly on the Trust record, which I would have previously said was my favorite.  If you are familiar with Trust, the killer "Can't Let The Devil Win" is a great stylistic comparison, and I find myself considering whether I love this track more than that one, which says a lot!  Here, this slower mid-tempo rocker just has such a cool guitar tone, more of those amazing backing vocals, and a big guitar hook that sinks itself in and refuses to let go.  Again, Roberts proves himself to be an expert vocalist with this type of track, and I highly doubt I have made it through this album without hitting repeat on this track every time.  I hope this song is released as a single in the near future, as I think "We're Not In Kansas Anymore" could end up being one of the band's signature songs.  I love it!  

"Elevate Me" stays in this bluesy groove, and I have to admit that I found myself starting to feel like this was the pocket the band would spend the rest of the album working from, and I was completely okay with that.  The Brave definitely has a style that they seem at home working with, and this heavy blues rock style never gets old for me.  As I have mentioned before, the harmony vocals just work incredibly well on this record, and what Roberts and Paris put together here is spectacular.  I'm not sure if there are some other singers added into the mix, but if not, the work from these two guys is top shelf, to be sure.

"Creep" is likely to throw listeners for a loop, with its demonic-vocal spoken intro and the, well, creepy vocal approach Roberts uses to start the verse sections.  Being 100% candid, this is a dark track musically, with a chilling, haunting style running throughout the song.  The solo, which is the finest on the entire album, shifts from a smooth string-bender, using some discordant tones, to a high-speed fret-runner near the end of the initial run, before bleeding under the closing turns through the chorus.  I say "bleeding under" because even as the chorus is sung repeatedly to close the song, the frenetic guitar acrobatics continue, with Roberts really going off near the end.  Definitely a top four song for me, all depending upon how I choose to arrange my favorites here.  Guitar fans are going to love this track, I have zero doubt!

Those demonic vocals pop up on "If I Told You" again, both at the intro and later on in the track, but generally speaking, this is a more straight-forward melodic hard rocker, with another great (but too short!) guitar solo from Roberts.  Spittle delivers some really good drum work here, with some hard-hitting fills and a sharp style that I find myself really appreciating here.  

"Lonely Bones" is the other top four track for me on this record, combining the hard-edged bluesy approach with that haunting, creepy style used in "Creep", but with some big, gang vocals on the slick "whoa oh ohs" used throughout the track.  Punchy drums, a solid bass line, hooky guitars, and smooth-yet-gritty lead vocals...yep, this song pretty much has everything that I could want from a track on this record.  Really, really good stuff here that I again find myself hitting repeat on.

"And We All Fall Down" uses some 80s rock keyboards (think Bon Jovi) combined with a slicker, poppier songwriting style to deliver an uptempo rocker that would find its way onto the tracklisting of several of the melodic rock albums being released by Frontiers Records bands today.  Another fun guitar solo is dropped into the mix here, and by this point in the record, I find it hard to come up with new ways to express just what an incredible job Roberts does as a vocalist.  He just nails the delivery and all the nuances and subtleties of handling the lead vocals on an album such as this seem to come naturally to him.  It seems obvious to me that Roberts was paying close attention to the Elefante brothers back in the early days of the band, and possibly took some lessons away from John Elefante's time in the legendary progressive rock band Kansas, as well.

Speaking of prog rock, "Lucid" is a bit of a curveball on the record, sounding more in line with 70s prog than 80s AOR or 90s/2000s melodic rock.  Think later Beatles, maybe some Electric Light Orchestra, and even hints of theatrical era Alice Cooper, with some quirky synthesizer effects at play in the verse sections of this mid-tempo number.  Not my favorite track, but definitely not throw-away material, either, "Lucid" expands upon the band's influences and presents a song that is more dependent upon synthesizers, along with vocal harmonies and layered musical textures, to set the mood than thundering drums and screaming guitars.     

"Come To Me" has a keyboard intro and opening drum line that are VERY much like the song "I've Got A Lot To Learn" by The Storm, which is a good thing, as I love that band and song.  Aside from that keyboard line, however, this is a bit more restrained song, more in the AOR ballad territory than anything else on this album, and The Brave proves they are more than capable of handling this style of song.  Roberts unleashes a great solo heading into the last runs through the chorus, filled with emotion and intensity, and his smooth vocal delivery is on full display here.  I could easily hear this song performed by the original version of the band on Battle Cries, but I honestly believe Roberts' singing and guitar playing are both miles ahead of where the band was at that time, and this song is an excellent bridge between The Brave of the past and where the band is now.

"Love: Automatic" closes the record, and once again we are treated to a hook-filled melodic rocker with a catchy, sing-along chorus, a fun guitar solo, and more of those killer harmony vocals that have highlighted so much of this record.  Uplifting and positive in nature, "Love: Automatic" is probably the perfect closing song for this record (at least of the dozen tunes presented here), as it leaves the listener on a musical high, combining all of the elements that make Evie's Little Garden such an excellent record from start to finish!

Lyrically, the album does not apologize for who the band is or what they believe, as The Brave lays it all out in the open from the very first track.  While a lot of Christian bands today choose to tackle social issues and leave some of their lyrics more open to interpretation and introspection, The Brave hearkens back to a day when singing about Jesus and boldly professing His Word was perfectly acceptable and the point.  While that may not be for everyone, and while it may drive a few listeners away, the hope is that the message also draws some listeners in, as well, providing hope and love and truth to those who may be seeking such things.  

The production is handled here by Roberts who does an excellent job of not being too heavy-handed, not too slick, and not trying to recreated the chrome-like polish of the Elefante Brothers sound from that debut Battle Cries album.  The instruments are each given life and room to breathe, and I particularly enjoy the drum sound and the excellent backing vocals used throughout the album.  Roberts proves himself far more than capable of handling the lead vocals for these new songs, and I'm sure he can tackle anything on the Trust album, as well, plus he's a top-notch guitar player that should garner more attention after this album.  Paris is solid on bass, but is irreplaceable on harmony vocals, and the drummer, Spittle, really adds a spark of energy to these tracks; the man is a rock drummer, through and through, with no quirky jazz fills or off-tempo rhythms to distract from the straight-forward,  punchy attitude of this batch of melodic hard rock songs.

Whether you are a fan of the band from back in the day, or are simply seeking some killer melodic hard rock from a new source, I can't stress enough how good this record is.  Pretty much guaranteed to be in the Top 10 of 2021, Evie's Little Garden is an absolute must-have for fans of the genre.  Available as a digital download pretty much anywhere, you can also order the CD directly from the band HERE.  I truly wish a label would pick this album up so it could get more distribution, more attention, and a broader spectrum of potential fans, but who knows if that will happen.  Once you get the record and fall in love with it, which you will, make sure you spread the word on your favorite socials so that The Brave can continue moving forward with outstanding music such as that found on Evie's Little Garden.  

Rating: A truly crankable comeback!  Crank this to an amazing 9 and let's hope we don't have to wait decades for another record from The Brave!

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**FLASHBACK** HOLY SOLDIER "Last Train"

 

(c) 1992 Word Records

1. Virtue & Vice
2. Crazy
3. Hallow's Eve
4. Gimme Shelter
5. Love Is On The Way
6. Dead End Drive
7. Tuesday Mourning
8. Fairweather Friend
9. Last Train

Steven Patrick--Vocals
Jamie Cramer--Guitars
Scott Soderstrom--Guitars
Andy Robbins--Bass
Terry "The Animal" Russell--Drums

The 1990s were rough for pretty much any hard rock/hair metal band around, and the Christian rock industry was not immune to the damage inflicted by the Nirvana/Pearl Jam/Alice In Chains crowd.  However, as is frequently the case, the backlash against more melodic genres was a bit slower to hit the Christian scene, and several big-named Christian metal bands managed to release some killer albums during the first part of the 1990s.  Holy Soldier was definitely one of those bands.

Michael Cutting is gone, and Scott Sonderstrom is in on guitars, but other than that change, the Holy Soldier train kept rolling along with this, their sophomore release.  Sure, there is a bit more of a bluesy sound to this effort and a tad bit less "hair", but there is no mistaking that this is still Holy Soldier (trust me...there would be PLENTY of mistaking that fact on the next studio album when the "grunge factor" would kick in).  Steven Patrick's soaring vocals are still in top form here, proving equally powerful on hard-edged rockers like "Virtue & Vice", "Crazy", "Hallow's Eve", and "Dead End Drive", as well as the soaring ballad work of "Tuesday Mourning".  It's interesting to hear Patrick tackle the Rolling Stones classic, "Gimme Shelter", and I really enjoy the Holy Solider spin on this song, but I am willing to bet that most Stones fans would shudder at the band's approach.  But, to my ears, nowhere does Patrick deliver a more complete performance than on the album-closing title track, "Last Train", which finds the singer delivering a mournful, bluesy moan approach he had not shown before.  When combined with the exceptionally powerful lyrics of this song, I think this last track, with this line-up, is truly the pinnacle of the band's career.   They even managed to get their label to put together a video for this stellar song.  Check it out below...

Musically, I think the band really found their sound on this disc, finding that perfect balance between the Sunset Strip sound that got them their record deal and the blusier work that they incorporate on several tracks.  They do nothing to alienate their fan base, and, much like Cinderella and Great White altered their approach as they matured, incorporating more of a bluesy style, Holy Soldier sounds more like a band who is growing than they do a band in some sort of transitional or experimental phase (again, that would come later).  Soderstrom holds his own on guitar, and he and Cramer again deliver a brilliant axe-tandem that could compete with any duo of this time period in the genre, in my opinion.  Robbins and Russell provide a solid backbone for the music to be built upon, as well, and, as a band, these guys can write and execute a hook as well as anyone at the time.  In fact, had these guys been on a major label at the time, instead of the Christian-only label they were signed to, I find it hard to believe these guys would not have been all over hard rock and Top 40 radio, as well as MTV.  They had the look, the sound, the style, and, at one time, the fan following that major labels were after...they just also had an uncompromising message that they were not willing to sacrifice.  Remember, there was just Stryper out on the frontline as far as Christian hard rock and metal being accepted by the mainstream at this time; there was no Skillet, no Red, no 12 Stones, no Thousand Foot Krutch, and no Brian "Head" Welch at this time to garner mainstream radio or video play.

Produced once again by David Zaffiro, this album has a killer sound with nice, full production and a solid mix.  Band pictures and lyrics are included in the packaging, which is always a nice touch.  Overall, this is an excellent album from one of my favorite bands of the genre, Christian or secular.  Sadly, this would be the swan song for Patrick, who would exit the band for a solo career, taking with him several song ideas that would have made for a great third Holy Soldier album (several end up on his solo record, Red Reign).  As it stands, the band...ahem...soldiered on without Patrick, releasing the heavily grunge-influenced Promise Man album and a live record (which actually saw the surprise return of Patrick on a couple of classic-era songs), before disbanding.  Fortunately, this album, and the band's also-excellent debut record are still out there, reminding fans of the genre that Holy Soldier was truly a force to be reckoned with at one time.

Rating:  Crank this one to a most excellent 9, with only nine songs likely being the reason it's not a 10!

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BLOODLINES "Hevel"

 

(c) 2021 Facedown Records

1. Lotus
2. Devil (featuring Brook Reeves)
3. Colder
4. Ruah
5. Hevel

Alexis Rodriguez--Vocals

Daniel Camacho--Guitars

Aldo Mayorga--Bass

Matthew Benavides--Drums

Fresh on the heels of the blistering new War Of Ages EP, Facedown Records unleashes another pummeling mini-album of metalcore, this time from Bloodlines.  Entitled Hevel, which translates from Hebrew to "meaningless", the EP focuses on crushing, start-stop-start riffs, hard-hitting drums, typical-of-the-genre harsh vocals, and some really tight, clean vocal harmonies, wrapped around several heavy breakdowns, some surprisingly progressive moments...and a few surprises thrown into the mix to keep Bloodlines from becoming just another band in the metalcore world.  

With most of the material here, Bloodlines takes a route not wholly unlike what bands like Fit For A King have adopted on their last couple of albums, or even fellow Texans, War Of Ages.  However, Bloodlines goes a bit further in differentiating themselves by incorporating pretty atypical instrumentation for the genre.  For example, Bloodlines incorporates hip-hop-styled electronic drum patterns into a couple of tracks here, specifically the newest single, "Lotus", and what may be their best, most diverse song, "Devil".  With "Lotus", the programmed drums hit near the end of the track, giving the track a different feel as the screamfest comes to a close.  It threw me for a loop the first couple of times through, but after repeated listens, I have to say it works pretty well and isn't the distraction it was initially.  "Lotus" also features some pretty good clean vocals on the chorus sections, and the bottom end of the track (and the entire EP, for that matter) is really tight, really heavy.

"Devil" may be one of the angriest songs I have heard in a long, LONG time.  Were it not for the fact that Bloodlines is a Christian band, and the lyrics to the song leave little doubt as to that fact, the truly demonic-sounding vocals at the end of "Devil" would send chills up my spine.  If you've ever wondered what the sound of the Biblical gnashing of teeth might sound like, you need only scan forward to about 3:30 in "Devil" (you can't miss it....it follows more of those electronic drums I mentioned), and you will hear brutal vocal anguish in a way I can't say I've heard before.

Those harsh vocals are quickly put in the rearview by the clean, melodic vocals that intro the album's lead single, "Colder".  This track incorporates some of that more radio-ready metalcore style that I alluded to on "Lotus", with some definite crossover appeal that carried the track into some non-metal/metalcore formats.  There are definitely more melodic, clean vocals on "Colder" than on the previous two tracks, and the band makes heavy use of harmony parts on the chorus, which works really well.  Even the harsh vocals don't take on the brutality level of something like "Devil", and the breakdown here is pretty sick, but non-threatening.  The lead riff on the track is one that instantly gets stuck in my head, and "Colder" is a track that stays with me for a long time every time I hear it.  "Colder" has spent quite a bit of time on various Christian hard rock and metal format stations, and really did a good job of introducing the band to the scene.  Check out the video for that track below.

"Ruah" is another straight ahead scorcher, from the aggressive guitar that intros the track to the barked vocals that Rodriguez attacks with straight out of the gate.  Multiple layers of harsh vocals carry the pre-chorus into a pretty melodic chorus with really strong clean singing soaring across some thick rhythm guitar riffs and really solid drum work.  Again, not as brutal as "Devil", and a bit more melodic overall than "Lotus", "Ruah" is likely the third single from this EP (at least it would be if I was in charge of the promotion), and I think it has the potential to do well across multiple hard formats.  Still a punishing track, featuring a solid breakdown coming out of a spoken word section...more of a prayer than anything, inviting God to breathe His breath of life upon His people..."Ruah" really has a more progressive feel to it than a lot of the music of this genre.  Good stuff.

The EP closes with the title track, which is where those progressive elements I mentioned in the first paragraph really pop up.  "Hevel" starts off very soft, very melodic, completely clean as far as vocal style, and you are lulled into a false belief that the band may actually be tackling a ballad.  Where's my Zippo to thrust into the air?!  In fact, during each of the verse sections this softer approach is utilized, with the drums taking on something of a more controlled marching cadence in places, more of a jazz style in others, but the chorus...whoa...the chorus unleashes the harsh vocals and the thick rhythm guitar and bass cords, going from a quiet, contemplative sounding track to a swirling morass of aggression and angst.  The dichotomy of styles here works really well, and while I definitely wouldn't call this a ballad (no slow dancing, for sure), there is a musicality here that I think will end up serving Bloodlines well in setting themselves apart in this genre. 

How far Bloodlines goes is obviously totally up in the air at this point, but Hevel is a great starting point for the band.  This is a debut EP that makes a statement, and I hope that the band can catch on as the opener for some touring band, or get onto some festival stages, to get themselves broader exposure.  Available digitally pretty much everywhere, you can also order the CD here (I believe vinyl is also available).     

Rating:  Crushingly crankable!  Blast this at an 8!

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