RISE TO ADDICTION
"A
New Shade of Black for the Soul" (Mausoleum; 2007)
Reviewed by Mike SOS
U.K. metal act Rise to Addiction send mixed signals throughout the course of their scattershot 12-track release, "A New Shade of Black for the Soul."
While these guys undeniably rip, it's hard to ascertain a distinct identity from this quintet, as their voracious versatility hampers the music's flow across the duration of their album. Does a merger of Thumb, Skid Row, and Pantera work? In the case of "One Sweet Minute" it happens to work quite well, but how many people are actually fans of all three bands?
Sometimes going full metal throttle ("To A God Unknown") and at others holding back for dramatic flare ("The Hive"), everything from Scorpions, Savatage, and Dio to Love/Hate and Alice in Chains shows up on this release. Still, this band is definitely unique and well-versed in the heftier end of the hair metal spectrum and can kick some ass like a modernized version of any of the harder Sunset Strip groups with a bit more of the LA underground scene bite intact ("Fessonia", "I Follow").
Rise to Addiction aren't afraid to groove out like it's 1989 ("Low") and made special mention that they share a hometown with Def Leppard, which is probably how they initially learned all those arena-rocking choruses and hearty hooks.
If you're digging on bands like Protest the Hero and don't mind a multitude of genre-hopping in your metal, take a gander at what this British outfit is cranking out.
For more information, check out http://www.risetoaddiction.com.
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.
Copyright © 2008 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights reserved.
