Blaze’s deep musical passion and a strong fan base keeps his devotion to the band burning brightly. With a new label, a new management team and a new singer, he seems poised and confident. It helps that the band had more time to record the album and weren’t rushed.
Singer Brian Jones of Jackson, Mississippi fills the current vocal slot of Lillian Axe. Former vocalist Derrick LeFevre, who could not commit to the rigorous touring schedule, chose to leave after 2010’s Deep Red Shadows. LeFevre was shortly replaced by ex-Metal Church vocalist Ronny Munroe. Munroe is a great singer in his own right, but in my opinion, not a good fit for Blaze’s writing style.
Jones’s vocals are in essence pretty unique, melodic and harmonious. He has a great vocal range and it fits Blaze’s writing style tremendously. His singing style is actually not too different from LeFevre’s, but just a bit more infectious and flavorful. What he brings to the band makes him the right guy for the job. He was a teenager growing up as a fan of Lillian Axe and understands the band’s history and music.
The subject matter of the songs, as in the past, is heavy and reflective. The song writing process is Blaze’s forte. He writes great songs and his guitar skills, sense of melody and harmony match up as well. The lyrics are inspirational, emotional, spiritual, and humanly unique.
“Bow Your Head” is about a 2-year-old boy with a rare skin disease. Blaze’s lyrics and Jones’ vocals capture the pain and suffering that the child and the family has to endure, and the acoustic guitar melody fits the mood perfectly. “Take The Bullet” is about the brotherhood of serving for your country and the craziness of war. The lyrics place you in the soldier’s frame of mind while conjuring up images through the music. The end of times is the theme on CD opener “Babylon,” where the dead walk the earth. It’s an end of the world type of message, yet presenting the listener with a sense of hope.
Blaze’s passion for the band and song writing skills remain strong. You just can’t help but to root for this guy. He has spent many years in the game in relative obscurity, but he keeps slugging away and creating quality, emotional and passionate music.
(released February 14, 2012 through CME Records)
