The Illuminati
"On Borrowed Time"
Liquor And Poker
When I first put this CD in the player, some of the early sounds to come out of the song "Sphere of Influence" suddenly made me think (in horror) of all of those other bands a few years back with names starting with "The". You know the ones I'm talking about, I'm sure. The stylings were pretty much the same. But luckily the sudden tempo changes and guitar solos that followed made me sit back with a sigh of relief and brought back the sound that made me like their original EP so much.
While that "garage-rock" sound is still evident in many areas, it could be understood considering the fact that founding members Les Godfrey and Nick Sewell started in that style of band up in Canada before coming to their senses and branching out. Add in drummer Jim Gering, and we have a great new band; The Illuminati.
Even while hailing from the Great White North, I still see that Southern-style rock I mentioned in the EP review peeking through on some of these offerings, and even some "boogie" thrown in, such as on track seven's "Goin' Down". This is one of my favorites on the disc as well.
I wouldn't try to pin The Illuminati down to any certain style, however, because they seem to have a blend of so many specific genres that they are totally unique in my mind.
They go from the grooving sound mentioned in "Goin' Down" to a somewhat heavy, plodding sound in "The Jericho Mile". All the while still holding one's attention with no actual boring or weak song to fill the album. Well, unless you count track 13 simply called "Untitled". It's just a 54 second span of noise. Maybe they needed a specific amount of time to fill, I'm not sure. Hopefully we can ask them some day.
One of the more interesting tracks would be "Sir Lord Brubeck", which sounds like Corrosion Of Conformity playing Black Sabbath. The music is definitely Sabbath inspired while incorporating COC sounding vocals, which he has throughout.
These ever-changing tempos and basic styles are what keeps the listener focused and entertained. While the talent level and music in general are great, one can't help but wonder what type of song will be next.
All in all, I was really impressed and would definitely recommend this album to any fan of bands like COC, Fireball Ministry, Dangerous Toys, Nebula, or anything of that sort.
Here's the song listings:
1) Sphere Of influence
2) Black Russian Blues
3) Message Home
4) Impressions
5) Casual Surveillance
6) On Borrowed Time
7) Goin' Down
8) Rain Delay
9) The Jericho Mile
10) Sir Lord Brubeck
11) Lay Low
12) Steal 'Yer Thunder
13) untitled
14) On My Way back Home... Again
The official release date is June 27, 2006
Enjoy.
