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Metal/Prog Metal CD Reviews

Double Drive

1000 Yard Stare

Review by Gary Hill

With the over abundance of rock bands these days it is good to hear something fresh. Doubledrive's debut album is a diverse rock explosion, aggressive and yet still melodic. The really unique thing about this disc is that vocalist Donnie Ray Humbly is actually a good singer. Most rock albums anymore feature the frontman screaming through the majority of the album, but that is not the case on this disc. Just think of Doubledrive as Static X with melodic vocals.

Donnie Ray Hamby (vocals), Troy McLawhorn (guitars), Josh Sattler (bass), and Mike Froedge (drums) are on tour now and sure to please live. In fact, the band is probably best known for their live performance, which gave them legions of fans early on.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: The Early Years Volume 3 at garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-The-Early-Years.

Track by Track Review
Belief System
What better way to start off the disc but with an aggressive track that features awesome guitar hooks and melodies.
Dressed in Light
This is a punk flavored rocker.
1000 Yard Stare
A rock radio favorite, this one is played with a lot of energy and feeling.
Hell
This track is one of my favorites because it is something most new rock bands do not do. "Hell" is a slower track with very catchy vocals.
Smaller
This is a fairly generic track that's only real flaw is that it is too similar to a lot of other music that is on the market.
Vamp
"Vamp" starts out as a dark and creepy track in the vein of Type O Negative. The track then kicks in to high gear with Hamby repeating "Keep coming with their insides out".
Sacrifice
This one features great music but lacks the musical energy that the band is capable of.
Gone
Starting off as a slow track, this one kicks into high gear with raging guitars and vocals.
Tattooed Bruise
A demo of this song rose to number one at Orlando's WJRR and stayed there for several weeks. The guitars and drums on this song are chaos with rocking lyrics and vocals.
Standby
This is a sure crowd pleaser live and a favorite to do well on radio. "Standby" offers everything this band is about - aggressive melodic rock. The track also features the best guitar work on the album.
Hidden Track
The hidden bonus here is Doubledrive's take on the classic Wall of Voodoo song "Mexican Radio". The song worked well for the original band, and definitely delivers here, as well. It starts off like Marilyn Manson's Beautiful People, but becomes a bouncy melodic track with cool harmonies and interesting lyrics.
 
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