REVIEW: Jupiter Falls - Revolution
- Michael Dodd
- Aug 12, 2016
- 2 min read
For a solid debut a band needs to be serious in their craft, have tremendous production, and most importantly give the listener a knock out musical experience. Jupiter Falls strive to achieve these goals in Revolution and on the whole are quite successful. There are sparse instances where they can be faulted in a work of fun, rocking awesomeness.
Production prowess comes from the album being mixed and put together by Roy Z, legendary producer of such acts as Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson and Yngwie Malmsteen. The listener is assured a crisp listening experience, with guitar work sounding as epic as it possibly can, vocals soaring, and the rhythm section enhancing the whole thing beautifully.
Front man James Hart is a revelation. Infusing his lyrical performance with a bouncy, full on cadence that can easily put you in mind of the Offspring’s vocalist Dexter Holland, as well as energy that rivals boisterous Massive Wagons singer Barry Mills, he is not a performer you will tire of. There are ploys plotted throughout the record to keep the listener on their toes too, such as the electronically enhanced vocals in ‘Story of a Liar’, which lend variety and dexterity to the leading man’s presence. Complemented well by back and forth guitar work from Deano Silk and Zachari Daniels, especially on lead single ‘Chasing the Dragon’, these guys have obviously been meticulous in honing their sound on the road for the last three years.
A couple of tracks really stand out. ‘Forgiven’ has serious balls, not least because of what bassist Dan Clark is doing throughout. The slow build towards an explosive, blast beat driven frenzy is a wonder to absorb, and when attending a live performance this may well be one of the songs you seriously hope to see on the setlist. I’m also quite fond of ‘Someday’, from its ambient Iced Earth style opening through to momentous guitar solos it is an example of sheer anthemic class. Lewie Lewington’s drum work really adds to ‘When the Time is Right’, standing out against more laid back guitar and vocal work.
This is a wonderfully diverse yet consistent album which promises much and delivers pretty much all. Sure, these guys are still growing musically and there are a couple of overlong sections or an occasional solo which doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the song. I will say that closing track ‘Where Are You Now?’ which was made epic through the use of piano, could have done without the doctored voice one would normally associate with an Anonymous hacker’s video. But by and large this is one of the best rock debuts you’ll hear this year.
Rattle Rating: 8/10
WORDS: Michael Dodd
Comments