“Risen From The Dead” by Hobbsy
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This debut solo attempt by Hobbsy, ex Smokin’ Joker bass player, is an explosive and epic ride on a dangerous, yet exciting highway. This album is loaded with memorable riffs, chilling lyrics both clean and dirty, and incredibly unconventional sounds and approaches to heavy music. This album is for that close-minded metal head that needs to hear something new; that classic rock lover who has lost faith in modern hard rock; that music lover who wants to get into heavier music. This album has no shortage of head banging breakdowns, awesome vocals, and grungy, nasty guitar tones.
The album begins with an epic instrumental track called “Second Coming”. This short track braces you for exactly what is about to happen. This opener prepares you for the blunt confrontation of rock and roll that the rest of the album brings. This initial track ties into the second track “The Few and the Many”. This track is a driving force of chugging guitars, straight-forward drum patterns, and layered vocals that suggest some sort of powerful union that needs to take place. “The Awakening” is one of those “head-bangers” that you could put on repeat for hours on a high-speed drive. This track features some of the first unclean vocals. The vocalist uses this deep, almost goblin-like tone and it makes one feel evil just for listening to it. The constant crashes of the cymbals and fat tone on the drums will get your head moving up and down within the first few seconds of this track. “I Am” is one of the albums more powerful tracks. The guitar tones are fat, the drums are kicking, and the vocals are upfront right in your face. This song has a chorus that gets you absolutely pumped up and ready to embrace the second half of the album.
“Your Silence” is a sweet combination of distorted, gritty throw-downs and melodic, airy melodies. The vocals on this track are so unique and epic compared to the previous tracks. This is just one of the times where Hobbsy will surprise you with his incredible ability to write diverse music and also perform it so impeccably. “Mannya Jam” is a very interesting track that involves a more world-style approach to everything from the drums to the guitar riffs. This track is short but includes some background music from the Mannya Dance group in Uganda at the end. “Lay” is one of the heavier tracks on the album. There are definitely some influences of death metal in the drum track and it makes for such an intense piece of music to listen to. The listener gets a treat at the end of this track with the implementation of an orchestral arrangement of the songs main riffs. The final song on this album is entitled “Ascension of the Lesser Path”. This track ends this album out with a punch right in the face .The rhythms are really slamming, the guitars are sort of sluggish and heavy, and the vocals are anything but clean. It’s interesting because there are some hints of melody in this track, but it’s so heavy simultaneously. This track is an incredible closer to a very jam-packed piece of art.
Overall, this album is thoroughly enjoyable and I would definitely recommend it to all rock-listeners. I rate this album 8-10 for its decent production quality, interesting approaches to modern rock music, and the amazing talent of Hobbsy.
Justin Almazan