Band:
Rob Traynor-Vocals/Guitars
Johnny Fattoruso-Guitars
Mike Meselsohn-Drums
Oddie Mclaughlin-Bass
Hometown
Brooklyn, NY
Discography:
Debut
Guests:
Info
Released 24/6-2011
Reviewed 19/6-2011
American rock music from Brooklyn is what this is all about and now we are getting the chance also to get this album also here in Europe. This album was actually self financed and released all the way back in 2009 but for Europe it is released in june so it is like a new album. At least I had not heard anything about this band before this electronic promo was made available to me. I cannot really say that the promotional information made me that interested as they stated that it was riff based american rock/metal which usually means that it has the same whiney singer and the same kind of american style rock music that is known from bands like Nickelback and their likes.
And true enough it is just as it seems, musically it is just as I thought, american riffing and sound. The typical american singer that sounds just as whiney as they always do is there, think dull and boring bands like Nirvana or Nickelback with lousy and boring voices. Production is typical american with a touch of radio friendly sound. There are 47 minutes of music and eleven tracks on this album of radio friendly rock music.
I am not saying that Black Water Rising is a bad band in any way, what I do say is that they represent a genre that often bores me to death. I think the main problem I have with this kind of american rock is the singers that they use, they seem to always sound more or less the same and that is not in a good way. The question is how come american singers are always that whiney, their music always seem to have a somewhat positive feel in the musical side of it.
I would say that the mainstream side of this band is the best I think, they do shine through in tracks like Brother Go On and No Halos where they move into very radio friendly music and music that can have a mass appeal. It is also in these songs they don’t sound like any other american riffing rock band, they do sound good here and I can slightly enjoy these songs as they are not that hypertypical american rock which I do not like that much.
I think that overall this album is much better than most releases in this genre is. Although that does not really say much it is like saying something like saying that being crushed by a falling rock is better than drowning. Although I do not really think Black Water Rising is that bad, they are actually quite alright and their music is decent enough to be a decent experience while playing it, even though it is another one of those albums that go into the big pile of albums that will probably not be played again now that I am done with it, it is good and a lot better than the genre in general but at the same time it is just one of those good albums that does nothing for you in the long run.
There are also a few things that is not positive other than the genre, one thing is that the album is too long, 47 minutes is about ten too many. I would say that it would be easier to stand 35 minutes of this kind of music and actually think that keeping the best two songs along with reducing 10-12 minutes of the total length of the album would lead to it feeling much better and just maybe I would actually blacken another H had it been like that. Now it is not like that so it will remain a good album but nothing more but maybe the band will like that I say that they are much better than most of the genre, or maybe not.
The Black Water is Rising up towards higher levels but in its way it makes stuff go bad and it also does not really make you happy, more than maybe a little surface happy. It is alright while you’re playing it and forgotten while you’re not.
HHHHHHH
