The UNION Asylum first brought you a review of the formal four track UNION demo tape back on November 17, of 1997 to whet your appetite for this awesome new band, and now we are proud to be able to present to you the first review of the complete debut album from UNION. The album is scheduled for release on the Mayhem/Fierce Records label this February 24, 1998, and a world premiere of the album via Real Audio is planned to coincide with UNION's upcoming Hard Radio chat on January 26, 1998. Until either of those dates rolls around, here's your first chance for a preview of what lies in store for you with UNION's hard rockin' debut release!!
"Old Man Wise" (Track time 4:17) - "There's no easy answer, and illusions they die hard" goes a line in what will be UNION's first single (and don't forget the Let It Flow UNION Radio Campaign to support this awesome first single!), and judging from this song UNION will "Die Harder" than Bruce Willis!! In what is a really cool effect, the bridge/breakdown is underscored with the chaotic sounds of sirens and gun fire, which according to Bruce was recorded right off the TV one evening! This song feels like it's stalking you, with a relentless bass & guitar groove that's backed by a very cool drum rhythm with some really "nasty" fills (that's a good thing!)!!
"Around Again" (Track time 6:10) - "It won't be long 'til the voice of truth has had its say" according to the chorus of this song, and the truth is that I hope they had a fire extinguisher in the studio when this was recorded, because Bruce's guitar MUST have burst into flames!!! According to Bruce and John's discussion of "Around Again" in the UNION Asylum feature State of the UNION, this song deals with the concept that "what goes around comes around," and that "silent," dignified truth will eventually prevail over lies no matter how loud your critics and detractors try to shout those lies. Simply a flat out rocker, this song will knock you on your ass! It just steam rolls along flattening anything in its path, the bass line is particularly bone-crunching, continuing its all out assault when it hits an absolutely incredible guitar solo/breakdown! Blistering!!!
"Pain Behind Your Eyes" (Track time 4:33) - A deceptively "low key" intro eases you into the wailing guitars that mark this song's sound, with the song eventually exploding into a great, "in your face" aggressive chorus which includes lines such as, "You run, you hide/But I know right where you are/You bleed, I die/'Cause I always feel the pain behind your eyes." The chorus utilizes a very cool "echo" effect whereby the background vocals sing a line first, followed immediately by John repeating the same line. This song really captures the feeling of what it's like to be so in tune with someone that you feel as if they are actually a part of you, so much so that you feel their pain as much (if not more so) as they do.
"Love (I Don't Need It Anymore)" (Track time 3:44) - A very "bluesy" feeling song, this one has some of the best guitar effects on the album, including a really funky, "wah wah" sound (really technical description huh? :-P) employed during the verses. James' bass also rolls along in a very funky groove, leading into an extremely catchy chorus which exalts, "She said love, I don't need it anymore! /She said love, lies in pieces on her floor!" An amazingly uplifting, feel good song despite what the title might otherwise imply, I can easily picture people singing along to this one at the top of their lungs!
The end of this song signals the start of my favorite portion of the CD, the four songs "Heavy D," "Let It Flow," "Empty Soul," and "October Morning Wind." I consider this part of the CD sacred ground and can't believe my good fortune that these absolutely killer songs just keep coming one after another during this section!
"Heavy D" (Track time 5:41) - "A shadow will encompass you/You know, the sun will surely fade/All I give, I'll take from you/But you know you can't quit me/I'll never set you free." Still my favorite song on the album, one word describes this song perfectly: HAUNTING. This song will blow you away, and I guarantee you will not be able to get it out of your head. Depicting a person fighting the inner demons that plague him (and interestingly enough told from the "inner demon's" point of view!), the song has a heartbeat sound drum intro, which runs into John's heartbreakingly soulful voice for the opening lines of the first verse. Bruce's guitar plaintively wails throughout the verses, creating an eerie "call and response" type feel, playing off John's vocal. This song alternates between a slow (verse) and moderate (chorus) tempo, and calls to my mind the image of waves crashing on the beach then rolling out to sea, only to build up and come crashing back in again, culminating in a tidal wave of a solo by Bruce! SIMPLY AWESOME!!!
"Let It Flow" (Track time 6:09) - Tied with "October Morning Wind" for my second favorite song on the album, this song continues to intrigue and captivate me every time I hear it. This song has the "trippiest" feel to it of any on the album, and invokes a middle-eastern mood and flavor. The drumming in this song is killer, with a really heavy feeling primitive/jungle type rhythm. The chorus subtly bleeds back and forth between the right and left speakers and also has a subtle, but very cool echo effect on John's voice in parts. And when John sings the line "I'm letting go/let it flow...... Just let it go/feel the flow/a journey that never ends" you actually do feel what he's saying! A wonderfully complex piece of music, there are actually several different, distinct sections to this song (they are even formally subtitled as: The Invitation, The Journey, and The Celebration), and according to James in his interview with The UNION Asylum the band nicknamed it "The Opus" prior to it being officially named! This one definately has the potential to be THE killer jam song live in concert. This song just picks you up and floats you along on its trippy "journey" from start to jamming finish! Absolutely incredible!!
Special note for those of you who are learning to or play guitar: when you get the album, cue up this song, listen, repeat process....... THIS is how kick ass guitar playing is done!!! Bruce absolutely sets this song on FIRE! He has showcased some of the most ferocious guitar playing and solos I've heard in a long time in this song, yet has done so without overpowering the song. He manages to make the guitars sound like barely controlled beasts trying to break free of the song, yet they still sound right at home as a part of the song. The concept of playing boldly yet for the song is a difficult one to master, and many guitar players are never able to do so. Bruce has......... magnificently!
"Empty Soul" (Track time 4:50) - This song has a 60's/Hendrixy feel running through it, with some very cool, unusual sounds floating around just under the surface. There is some type of musical "shift" (Minor key? Octave pedal?) right as the song goes into the chorus that is really different (and I mean that in a GOOD way!!) and heavy. The song is a lesson in self-examination ("Everybody's hungry/Everybody's trying to fill an empty soul") with the chorus explaining that "We gotta try looking inside/It's been a long time/You gotta try, ask yourself why/Well take it easy, it's alright/The things that you want, you've got to leave them behind/'Cause you've already got what you're trying to find." The vibe during the chorus is incredibly intense: it grabs you, lifts you up, and then leaves you with an almost overwhelming sense of empowerment! Another one that's gonna stick with you.
"October Morning Wind" (Track time 4:09) - "Leaves begin their color change/Kiss the ground like falling rain/I hear the distant howl begin/Cold October morning wind." The image this song conjures up is incredibly vivid, so much so you can actually see this song as well as hear it! There are some Beatles-esque harmonies in the chorus that are truly amazing and a joy to hear, simply beautiful! The acoustic guitars are incredibly full and rich, creating a "warmth" that counterbalances the "coldness" of lonely and wistful lyrics like: "The sun is hiding once again/Its warmth is like a long lost friend/The pictures fading in my mind/Are memories of a young boy's life/The weeping willow by the lake where we could run and play/Lost all its magic, it's become a ghost in time"..... a brilliant juxtaposition! This is scheduled to be UNION's second single, and for my money this is the song that has the potential to be the breakout monster hit of the album!
"Get Off My Cloud" (Track time 4:08) - Unquestionably the "attitude" song of the album, this song is a perfect F-you for all those people who can't stand to see anyone else happy if they aren't! Ever been having a great day until some jerk comes along and seems to deliberately try and knock you off Cloud 9? Well now you can tell them to: "Get off my cloud/My life's just fine without you/Get off my cloud/Your world is on the ground/Blows me away/How you can be so stupid/There's no room up here anyway!" This one showcases fantastic drumming from Brent with extremely cool fills and use of cymbals. John delivers the vocals in this one by emphasizing/punctuating the words and phrases in a rather unusual, yet very cool manner - it sounds like someone delivering a thinly veiled warning, which is exactly what this song does! And once again there are some absolutely amazing harmonies in this song, this time in the bridge.
"Tangerine" (Track time 4:43) - No, that isn't your stereo freaking out. It's just the wild effect of the screaming guitar intro of this song running back and forth between the right and left channels of your system! After announcing its presence with authority, the song moves into a very tuff "scrub" guitar sound that chugs throughout the verses like a chainsaw, while the entire song revolves around James's wonderful "walking" bass line! "Can you tell me what it means/Searching for my tangerine/It's almost never heard or seen/I can't find my tangerine." The song seems to be a clever metaphor about searching for something sweet to hold onto, the good life. Also another one that's got a bit of a Hendrixy feel to it in the awesome guitar work.
"Robin's Song" (Track time 4:28) - "Is there something I could say to make you change your mind/Never thought I'd have to write this song (I was wrong)/When I see you on the streets/I see it in your eyes, your love is gone/My love was wrong." Wow! This is quite simply the most intense ballad I've ever heard. Period. The incredibly moving and honest lyrics are sung over a beautiful acoustic guitar arrangement, and the story they tell would be intense even if you didn't know the history behind this track. But for those who've read John's interview with The UNION Asylum and do know the story behind the lyrics, you will find this song absolutely heartbreaking. "Hope you find the things you said you need/I'm just dying here 'cause it's not me." John has laid it all on the line in this one and I dare you to not be moved by the almost unheard of level of raw emotion in this song.
Some general impressions:
Those of you who've come to love John's one of a kind voice can rest assured, it's as soulful and powerful as its ever been. Those of you who will be experiencing it for the first time with this album, man are you in for a treat! Bruce? Bruce's guitars are blistering from start to finish! He has showcased some of the most impressive guitar playing I've ever heard on this album.... unquestionably his best work to date! No need to worry about how these guys are doing, the kids are alright!
Brent and James round out the band extremely impressively! Brent's drumming is fantastic! Creative rhythms and cool fills are liberally peppered throughout the album, with the overall drum sound being positioned beautifully in the album's mix! James more than completes UNION's rhythm section attack with some of the nastiest bass grooves I've heard in quite some time!! Many a song on this album revolves around his wonderful "walking" bass lines.
The overall sound of UNION's debut is definitely radio friendly, there are a lot of beautiful harmonies and catchy hooks/choruses, but without sacrificing anything to convention. It's obvious this combination was meant to be! These guys already sound like they've been playing together forever and they have created something really special with this album. UNIONites, strap yourselves in and prepare because on February 24, 1998 UNION is gonna rock your world!!!
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