With the progressive pedigrees of Allen and Portnoy, it would be reasonable to expect Adrenaline Mob to play music in that vein, but they do not. Omerta is straight ahead heavy metal/hard rock. The song structures are simple,with thick riffs and a lot of groove. Orlando is heavily featured, with numerous solos throughout the album.
Those expecting complex and progressive music will be disappointed, but if your taste runs toward big meaty riffs and catchy choruses, Adrenaline Mob may be right up your alley. The band changes things up a bit, ranging from harder, nu-metal tinged tracks like “Psychosane” to mainstream rock songs such as “Indifferent.”
Allen has a wide vocal range, but on Omerta sings mainly in his lower register with an aggressive style. He does unleash more of his abilities on “All On The Line,” a song that ranges into power ballad territory. On tracks like the groove laden “Feelin' Me,” there's a heavy Phil Anselmo influence in his singing.
4 out of the 5 songs on last year's EP are included on Omerta. The Black Sabbath cover “Mob Rules” does not appear on this album, but another cover does. The band recruited Lzzy Hale from Halestorm for a version of Duran Duran's “Come Undone.” The original was a mopey, new wave song, but this one injects a major dose of attitude and punch. Hale has a powerful voice, and is a great addition on this track.
There are definitely some flaws on Omerta. The artwork is horrible, there are some filler songs, and some of the lyrics are cheesy. It doesn't have the songwriting or musical chops of Dream Theater or Symphony X, but it isn't meant to. Adrenaline Mob are a solid pickup truck, not a sleek sportscar, and Omerta is solid meat and potatoes hard rock/heavy metal.
(released March 13, 2012 on Elm City Music)
