Alternative rock, punk, Goth and more meet here. This is a reasonably effective set with some tunes that are quite strong. There are a few things that don’t work quite as well. Still, as a whole, this flows well and has some great peaks and valleys.
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Track by Track Review
The Drifting
There’s a cool punk meets Goth and Raunch and Roll sound to this number. It’s mid-tempo and oozes cool in a lot of ways.
Mantle of Disguise Modern alternative rock, this is again informed by punk a bit. I also can hear just some hints of The Cars (the early stuff) on this tune. It’s another classy rocker.
Out of Control (Into the Void) This one doesn’t really seem to be a big departure. It’s also not really a standout. It’s not bad, but just not all that special.
Nearly Lost You This has a very classic alternative rock sound. It’s more of a power ballad type tune. It’s also quite good and lends much needed variety.
Life on a Standstill An even mellower number, there is a real 80s pop rock vibe to this. It’s got a Gothic feeling to it, too. It’s another standout.
Aimless Breath The mellow opening section of this doesn’t work all that well. When it powers out into harder rocking music, though, it is really effective. This isn’t one of the best cuts here, but it’s pretty darned good.
Blind Fascination This rocker has more of that echo of the Cars. The whole piece is quite cool. This is one of the highlights of the set, actually.
Never Be the Same Alternating between mellower and more rocking sections, this is another that lands somewhere in the vicinity of a power ballad. It seems to combine a modern alternative rock sound with something a bit like David Bowie.
The Elusive Vagabond A little punky, this makes me think a bit of both The New York Dolls and Lou Reed.
World of Meaning This is another that’s good, but not one of the best. I’m not sure I would have ended the set with this. It’s just not all that distinctive or powerful. It’s an alternative rocker with classic reference points. It does have a killer melodic guitar solo section, though.
