TRAGIK
"Outlaw" (Self-produced; 2009)
Reviewed by Metal Mark
Back in the mid-1990s, aspiring musician/songwriter Phil Vincent submitted some of his songs to the management of the Scorpions and Ozzy Osbourne in the hopes of launching his career as songwriter. Shortly thereafter, he decided to take his songs and record them himself. He released his first full-length solo album back in 1996. Since then, he has been steadily cranking out the albums under his name as well as the bands Circular Logic and Tragik.
This is the second release from Tragik and the line-up consists of Damian D’Ercole on guitars and bass, Dirk Phillips on drums and Phil Vincent on guitars, keys & vocals. The influences are fairly varied as I hear the Beatles, Journey, Extreme and Dokken. I guess I was expecting straight hard rock and was taken aback when the opener, "... In the Name Of ..." came on in all its AOR glory. It sounded like a ballad that would have been done by Journey or Survivor back around 1982. A good song, but it struck me as odd choice of an opener for what I thought would be a hard rocking album.
Then on comes "Two Timer" which is a stunning, mid-tempo track somewhere between Dokken and Whitesnake. Much of the rest of the album is back and forth between slow- and medium-paced efforts. I enjoyed the bulk of the tracks even if there isn't much of a cohesive sound throughout the whole album. It's very obvious that Phil Vincent and his band play the kind of music they love and that shines through in the quality of the music. They never do a song just because they think they should do that style.
Even though I may not have liked every song I can certainly acknowledge that there was a genuine feel to every song because the musicians involved believe in what they are doing. That sort of approach shines through and goes a long way.
For more information, check out http://www.myspace.com/tragik.
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 ©2009 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
Revised:
12 Aug 2024 14:34:00 -0400.
