FAKE FIGURES

"Hail the Sycophants" (Shillen Records; 2011)

Reviewed by Jeff Rogers

With its lineup, Fake Figures could almost be called a super group: vocalist - Russ Martin of Hotwire, guitarists - Travis Miguel of Atreyu and Heather Baker of the Iron Maidens, bassist - Bob Bradley of Scars of Tomorrow, and drummer - J Po of Nightfall. The reason I say "almost super group" is because all of those names are well known but each member brings a different musical style for a monster sound.

This release is a seven song EP and it’s a blast of music from start to finish. If you are familiar with each members' contribution to their band then you might think you know what Fake Figures might sound like, but you'd be wrong. The voice of Russ blends great with Travis and Heather on guitar. Bob and J Po keep a tight rhythm section and when the guitars come roaring in it causes Russ to jump out in front vocally.

The music is fast-paced and each instrument operates on its own at some time. The guitar might take a backseat while the drums are forefront. Russ never overpowers his voice and with a twin attack on the guitar front you can bet the stereo gitfiddle fills your head with some excellent deep grooving riffs.

You could call their style of music experimental because this is an experiment gone right instead of awry.

For more information check out Fake Figures on http://www.facebook.com/fakefigures.


Rating Guide:

A classic. This record will kick your ass.

Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.

So-so. You've heard better.

Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.

Self explanatory. Just the sight of the cover makes you wanna hurl.

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Revised: 26 Feb 2024 13:06:30 -0500.