Band:
Vocals - Jules Millis
Guitar - Enzo Almanzi
Bass - Trent Wilson
Keyboards - Xavier Millis
Drums - Jim Naish
Discography:
White Widdow (2010)
Guests:
Info
Recorded at Solid State Studios in Melbourne Australia
Mixed and Mastered by Pelle Saether (Grand Design) at Studio Underground in Sweden.
Released 23/9-2011
Reviewed 20/9-2011
Links:
whitewiddow.com.au
myspace
aorheaven
I think I have reviewed at least 30 AOR bands this year and when I have been searching for information and stumbled upon other reviews I have found that all of them is excellent and good enough to be on the top lists when the year is to be summarised. This is something I find quite odd but I guess they have really big top lists over the year like fifty or hundred albums, I will have ten and I have not yet managed to find so many albums rated six or better, while most of these 30 AOR albums that I have also reviewed are almost all worth that rating according to other reviewers and White Widdow is no exception to this. Their keyboard led AOR music is going well down with many reviewers, I guess the recognisable 80s sound along with the modern superpolished production works well with the catchy choruses and high pitched vocals along with a super melodic disposition. The ten tracks and about 45 minutes is all in this format and it is a format that we recognise from many bands from the same label but also bands like Starship and Toto comes to mind when listening to White Widdow.
They are very good and it is impossible not to like them and their serenades, but are they so good that they stand out along with all the other quality acts in today’s AOR genre. I would have to say no to that, they have nothing that really catches your attention, nothing that makes you want to play their album all the time, no melody that latches itself in your mind and refuse to move out of there. Still, it a good album to listen to, the songs and melodies harmonise well with one another and the vocalist is really good as well but the songs are just good. There is a disturbing lack of real hit songs and that is why I will say that this is another album in the genre that will not end up on my top ten list when I summarise 2011.
Still it is a good album, an album that I am sure everyone who enjoyed their first album will enjoy very much. Also an album for those of you who just enjoy catchy melodic rockmusic with a very distinct keyboard style, I think it is not for us who already have and know many great AOR albums as it offers nothing really new and the other stuff I have is better. So in the end it is another really good AOR release from 2011 that will end up like a part of a big sea of AOR-albums, I miss the real attention grabber in this album and think that if they manage that they will be very close to making fantastic music.
Good solid AOR album.
HHHHHHH
