Countryside, Milwaukee & Palatine
Continued from page 28
Sat. Apr. 12
Holiday Inn
Countryside
6201 Joliet Road (Rt.66)
Countryside • 847-409-9656
Show Hours: 10-4pm
Sun. Apr. 13
Serb Hall
his gospel roots via "How Great Thou Art."
Besides that 25 track show in its entirety,
there's also a newly discovered bonus disc
featuring a "test run" performance from
the Richmond Coliseum just two days
before the main event, which was recorded
in mono and showcases 22 of the same
tunes in an understated but still rollicking
new light. And from August of the same
year, five additional bonus rehearsals are
unearthed from RCA Studios in
Hollywood, providing a rare, unvarnished
glimpse of the master (warts and all) getting ready for a future Las Vegas run.
Granted, none of these segments were
recorded during Presley's popularity peak,
but they all demonstrate he still had plenty left in the tank before his untimely passing three years later.
– Andy Argyrakis
7
QUADRON
Avalanche
(Vested In Culture)
You know who might've just been able
to make something of this insubstantially
slinky, electronically over-cushioned popR&B? Gino Vannelli. Melodramatic
though he was, he could sometimes create
the illusion of significance no matter how
slight his material. Denmark's Coco O., on
the other hand, half-coos her sweet noth-
5101 W. Oklahoma
Milwaukee, WI
10am-4pm
concept and lyrics, to the production an
musicianship, Oceanborn have created a
impressive audio and visual experience
Comparisons to Dream Theater, Ayreo
and Evergrey are not off-base, while als
taking a cue from '70s prog rock master
such as Gentle Giant, Genesis and Yes. Th
11 songs that grace the disc seamlessl
segue into each other, creating one bi
orchestral suite. Following the cinemati
instrumental opener, "Silence," the firs
proper song, "Still With You," spells out th
plot of the story within the first verse.
Combined with the music, the album
theme elicits some chilling emotions an
feelings that will completely immerse you
There's also an interactive comic book fea
ture on the band's website (oceanbornmu
sic.com) that further enhances their story
Vocalist Lance Ferrel puts in a spectacula
performance, proving his vocal range is
perfect fit for this type of music. Guitarist
Christopher Lee and Dominick Camill
execute some well-crafted solos while th
whole band goes above and beyond th
call. It's an especially rewarding exper
ence when a relatively unknown an
unsigned independent band, who als
self-produced and self-released the album
puts forth such a brilliant effort as they d
on Hidden From The World.
- Kelley Simm
9
ESPER KYD
Metal Hurlant Chronicles
(Sumthing Else)
Though the rock contributions largel
Sun. May 4
Holiday Inn
Express
1550 E. Dundee Rd
Palatine, IL • 847-409-9656
Show Hours: 10-4pm
Oceanborn
ings as if she's two drinks past her limit
and
trying
to
remember
what
Urbandictionary.com says "Get your freak
on" means before she passes out. Robin
Hannibal does what he can to accommodate his bandmate, thoughtfully subduing
the energy and beats per minute lest they
overwhelm. Even the dance-floor-targeted
"Hey Love" feels tame. And, on occasion,
his thoughtfulness works small wonders.
But Kendrick Lamar's gauche stab at gentlemanly suavity on "Better Off" is pure
date-rape drug.
--Arsenio Orteza
overshadowed the scores for the origina
Heavy Metal movie and its lesser-know
but still musically powerful sequel, Heav
Metal 2000, the orchestral accompanimen
to both pictures was superb. This 23-trac
recording from the new spin-off TV series
which is based on the French version o
Heavy Metal magazine, is a fitting com
plement to those earlier compositions
Since each live-action episode tells
unique story, the myriad instrumenta
5
OCEANBORN
Hidden From The World
(Self)
Giving it your best shot in whatever
you choose to do is what life's all about.
Local progressive roc