From the depth of Sin City comes a band that Fox News calls the #1 unsigned band in America. After listening to their EP, it is easy to see why. With a mix of metal and radio friendly melody, these guys are sure to make a mark in the music world. Their sound which I would compare to a Nickleback only edgier or maybe the Goo Goo Dolls with a bit more bite, Otherwise has a quality which will have you making a microphone out of any handy object and singing along with Adrian Patrick.
I first heard about this band like many others outside of the Las Vegas area when Adrian sang the duet with Maria Brink of In This Moment on the song "The Promise" from their album A Star Crossed Wasteland. It is easy to hear why he was chosen as his vocal range is the perfect yin to Maria's yang. As they trade screams and melodic passages, it becomes obvious you have two great singers who each bring something special to the world of music. Some Kind Of Alchemy shows you just what Adrian is capable of. With a range that many a vocalist would sell their soul for, he gives you a sampling on this EP of what kind of magic his band has to offer.
With a melodic sense that relies on catchy riffs supplied by Ryan Patrick and a huge chorus sung by his brother Adrian, the band starts you off with a super dose of high energy rock and roll called "Bloody Knuckles, Broken Glass". Here they give us one of those songs that are meant to be blasted at high volume while cruising down the shoreline with the top down. There is plenty of music out there on the darker side and it is good to find someone who likes to live in the world of sunlight once in awhile. Just listening to this song again while writing this makes me want to head outside and enjoy what the planet has to offer.
Turning a bit heavier but still giving you those terrific riffs and dynamic vocals, "Has Anyone Seen My God Damn Dignity?" picks up where the last song ends. Although this one is a bit more serious, you still will be cranking the volume to max and singing at the top of your lungs with this refreshing bit of rock.
Otherwise is a band that knows how to make you stop what you are doing and listen to what they have to offer. They are like caged animals waiting to be released and this disc keeps simmering and simmering just below the boiling point until they unleash their bombastic fury. When they tell you that "Stop, Drop & Roll (Doesn't Work in Hell)" it is done with a churning style that slowly keeps you roasting in the pits of Hades as Adrian sings about the irony of life in the long run with a nice dose of the angst that the title suggest. Another thing that this band will do is make you think and feel what they are trying to say. When you let your mind decipher the paradox in the title and lyrics it really brings out the fact that Otherwise is a band that works on you in many different ways and levels. Not only are you carried away by the music the guys make, you work the grey matter that is inside us headbangers.
"I Am Spartacus" is an example of how they use the song title to describe an attitude they are projecting rather than just using a part of the lyric as the name. Otherwise delivers a beat down just like a gladiator might as you finally get a chance to hear that scream of Adrian's. He uses it as an exclamation point to this devilishly cool bit of melodic metal. It might be my favorite moment on the disc.
They end the disc with the same kind of energy that they started out with. Well, sort of. "Shapes of Metal" continues the anthem like powerful melody and irresistible vocals that you have heard throughout the disc. You might want more by the end of it and Otherwise delivers by slipping in the old hidden track trick.
After a lengthy amount of dead air comes the acoustic ballad "Emerson Road". Believe me it is the capper as you hear a different side of the band and one that is just as appealing as what has come before. A band doesn't have to go full tilt all the time and Otherwise shows their ability to create the beautiful as well as the energetic rocker. It is a great little ballad.
I have to say that this one took me by surprise. From the limited exposure that I had to Adrian's vocals, I had no idea what was in store for me on the album. This is one of those times when I know that I have been listening to a band that is going to be big someday and we are given the opportunity to watch them grow. If this disc doesn't make you want to hear more than all you have to do is go to their myspace and you can hear the further development of the band. On there is the new single "Lighthouse" and if this is the direction they are going than it is obvious that they are heading down the road to stardom. This one spreads out a beacon that will show you the way. Taking a bit of the Disturbed approach, Adrian unleashes that terrific scream in between some dynamite guitar work and terrific singing. I look forward to him using this approach more and more.
This is a very entertaining and good slice of metal music that proves you don't have to be heavy all the time. I know there is a lot to be said for the deep and darker music out there and I love that kind of stuff but sometimes you need to lighten up and when that time comes, think Otherwise!
Track listing:
1. Bloody Knuckles, Broken Glass
2. Has Anyone Seen My God Damn Dignity?
3. Stop, Drop & Roll (Doesn't Work in Hell)
4. I Am Spartacus
5. Shapes of Metal
6. Emerson Road (Hidden Track)
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