December 1997

Static 13 - eye won't fool i
Call Back In An Hour Music/BMI CBIAH 00012
Released: 1997

by Steven R. Rochlin
steve@soundstage.com

Musical Performance ****1/2
Recording Quality ***
Overall Enjoyment *****

[Reviewed on CD]It's all the rage on many college radio stations. If you live in the Northeastern part of the US you may have even seem them in concert, like I have. Well hold on tight because their first recording is now available! It's like great metal/rock with sounds reminiscent of Zeppelin and the Doors--but much more. [Said like an announcer at a rock concert] SoundStage! readers are you ready to rock? I said SoundStage! readers ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!?!?! Head bangers take note here too! Just pop in this CD, turn the volume to TWELVE (eleven is for wimps :-{)+ ). Here's a band that's today's answer to "Where can we find great rock music without any of that techno stuff enhancement or commercial-sounding soulless hype?" Enter Static 13.

The second cut on this album, "eye won't fool i," has been seeing lots of air time, and it starts right out with a driving force able to keep me going over 100+ mph during one of my racing/Formula 1 sessions (and New Hampshire roads are great for that too). Maybe that's how Michael Schumacher does it during the season, but that's another story. If you like music that makes you move, that ever-so-grinding lead guitar sound with screams.... Rarely, but sometimes when I'm asked to write a music review it gets so hard to put the intensity of emotions I'm feeling into writing. This is good in the sense that the music rules, but bad for readers trying to decipher what's up (or what I may be on). There are some mellower tunes on this CD like "can't find you"; well, mellow in the scheme of things. It's not just the music but the lyrics that also allow the listener to truly connect to the music. During a recent interview with the band, the lead singer Ari said "I say that what I try to portray in our music is that fear is your friend. If you can confront fear and learn to make it your companion then you can attain a special kind of power that will help you feel more comfortable with your surrounding life and everyone else's." Ok, so this isn't a song-by-song breakdown review. Maybe that's because to truly discover this music you just can't read about it. You must experience it for yourself. Like growing through hardships in life, you can also grow from broadening your exposure to various music. Get exposed!


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