Sunday, April 26, 2020

On this episode of An Old School Album Review we're looking at 2 singles from the Canadian/American rock band Ariel's Attic.

On this episode of An Old School Album Review we're looking at 2 singles from the Canadian/American rock band Ariel's Attic. 


We interviewed the band prior to the review with our normal questions.. here's what they had to say:

Ariel’s Attic - Old School Album Review Interview

Tunings


We’re usually tuned a half-step down to Eb standard but there are a few exceptions. Blackmore Road is in drop-C and Sator Square was in D if memory serves. Wasteland and Against My Will were both recorded with 7-string guitar and 5-string bass in Bb standard. 



Bands you have played with


Being a studio project we unfortunately don’t do live shows. We have members spread between Ottawa, Canada and Sarasota, Florida so touring would be an expensive proposition.



Major accomplishments for 2019


We spent most of 2019 writing material for our next album, but we did release two singles that will be on the album: Wasteland in January and Against My Will in June. Also of note, although not strictly in 2019, our cover of Leonard Cohen’s classic ‘Hallelujah’ reached 100,000 streams on Spotify in March of 2020.



Goals for 2020


We plan to release our 2nd CD “Tragic Tales” sometime in the summer if all goes well.




Funny or weird story about your band


When Mike Olson and Bob Ross started what would become Ariel’s Attic back in 2015, the biggest stumbling block had been finding the right vocalist. For the better part of 2 years, they considered/auditioned a long list of singers but still hadn’t found the voice they were looking for. 


One night Bob is at a party in Ottawa when someone the host suggests we should all listen to her friend Jenn sing because she’s really good. The room was full of musicians and there were eyerolls all around, because who hasn’t heard that one before? So they fire up YouTube on the TV and put on Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen. Great. Not only do we have to listen to ‘Jenn’ sing, we have to hear her massacre Freddie Mercury. Nice.


So Jenn starts singing and jaws drop. She hadn’t got to the first chorus before Bob is texting Mike saying ‘I just found our singer’. An audition was set up but Jenn wasn’t set up to record so she just sang along to a track we sent her right into her phone. Jenn Hailey’s audition for Ariel’s Attic was literally a voice note. It was more than enough.



Our guests this week include several members of the music community from around the world. 



They reviewed the single "The Show"

You can listen to it here:







Let's get started in Australia with Dam Kel of the band Death Plague. 



https://www.facebook.com/deathplagueww/



Ariel's attic
The show (lyric video)

Ariel's attic's song The Show is one of different complexity and structure. You have the fun riffage and catchy groove technical work but you also have the symphonic orchestral vocal structure thrown into the mix. Well crafted mix of different elements within in the song it's self. The guitars are well blended and tone friendly, keeping momentum through the song from start to finish with a well balanced bridge and solo section. Very pleasing to the ears. The ever present bass structure giving off a nice sense of craftsmanship in keeping the basis of the song on track, it really sets off a nice under tone and keeps a certain element of darkness to the track itself. The drum patterns keep everything held in tight with different changes in signatures and fun little rolls and blends, it pushes itself and the song to a whole level of its own. Very well structured and played. The vocals are what throws a curve ball, not a bad one but a good one. Opening riff gives you a feeling of how the song will play out but then the symphonic vocals break through, with great range and key structures, this girl can hold a note and really push through with the lyrics. Clear highs, lows and miss, even the semi tones she can hold her own. Absolutely a joy to listen to.

The lyric video itself has some great elements, the montage of slides of modern day riots and protests but also some moments of unity and freedom. It's very complex in the way it's portrayed. Lyrics visible enough to read and helps paint the picture of where the song is going. 

All in all, it's a well crafted song with a enjoyed vibe to it. Well done guys, really enjoyed and will be looking to see what's coming up next with your releases.



Our 2nd guest is Jeremiah Pogroszewski from Casper Wyoming with the band From Ash to Stone. 



https://www.facebook.com/fromashtostone/



Here's his take on the song:



Its a pretty good song with a powerful message behind it and it is delivered with a beautiful voice. I had to go watch the rest of the videos they have up after I seen this and heard this one. t

The main riff sounds like a crazy alarm of some sort and I thought it was funny how the lyrics were showing as if I was watching the news lol for sure added it to my playlist and subscribed 🤘



Our next guest is  Craig Raphael of the band Drastic Down from Washington,  here's his view of the song.



www.drasticdown.com



Ariel's Attic "The Show" is a great tune. Lyrically relevant and catchy hooks. I found it to be very "Ghost" like in comparison to a band. The video for the single is a really video as well. Between the song, lyrics, and video, I was compelled to continue to listen and watch and waited in anticipation for more!



At the end of the day, this is a band that I really believe has some great qualities and would expect some great things to happen for them. I would not only recommend them but would like to play a show with them sometime! Great job guys!



Jesse Denner of the Nebraska band S1R3N also reviewed the song.. here's his opinion:



https://www.facebook.com/SirenNebraska/



A dark introspective into the human condition. Heavy chunky guitars, haunting and soaring vocals are right up my alley. Tasty performances all around and a video that reminds us of the brutal nature of the world.



We also had A Xandr Layne review this song.. here's his take:



www.facebook.com/anujannihilation



Here's my review for 'The Show' :

The first three seconds of the video sets the mood for the entire song. Breaking News, this song is taking you places! Brilliant use of visuals throughout the video. 

The intro riff sets a tone for the sinister that we're about to get to know. Guitars sound just right for the theme of the song. It's heavy and evil. 

Lyrically, a great job. The message is compact, clear, and to the point, while painting a good picture. And vocals take you on a ride, where it's scary but eye opening.

A good solo and some well timed key changes make your heart jump a little. 

A well rounded song overall where the entire band complements the track beautifully. Great job again by Ariel's Attic.



Chris Poor of the Oklahoma band Haggardz Hellraizerz reviewed a different single from Ariel's Attic.. Blackmore Road.







Here's his review:



Ariel's Attic wasn't real sure what I was getting so I sit down in my studio pipe it in and press play I was all up and ready for some brutal metal but what I got wasnt that but and amazing blend of killer guitar riffs and melodic vocals and for real a sax solo I mean come on man how freaking awesome is that I really dug this tune and will checking out more of their work.

Mix was excellent so was the writing both musically and vocally.




Many many thanks to our guest panel this week. 



For all things Ariel's Attic please follow them here:



https://www.facebook.com/arielsatticband/



https://www.arielsatticmusic.com/

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