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Another good Rock effort from the band, but ends on a less impressive note.-
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| Riotgod: Invisible Empire |
Hard Rock, Stoner Rock
Metalville Records
January 31st, 2012
- Breed - 4:03
- Fool - 4:40
- Crossfade - 5:02
- Slow Death - 4:30
- Firebrand - 5:58
- Gas Station Roses - 4:42
- Tomorrow's Today - 5:44
- Saving it Up - 3:51
- Loosely Bound - 5:05
- Lost - 5:34
- Hollow Mirror - 9:04
- Rebirth - 3:11
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| Review Information |
Release length: 1:01:21
Review posted on January 30th, 2012
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| | Overall Score: 7.5/10 |
 
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| Review |
It's been about a year and a half since the self-titled Riotgod album hit store shelves, and it doesn't seem like much has been said about the band since. Clearly, the album has wound up more of an underground release than anything else, which is a little disheartening to hear. But, that hasn't stopped the group one bit. The group returns to their old-school Rock N' Roll sound, sometimes bringing in a slight Stoner Rock vibe to the riffs, to bring fans and newcomers alike the follow-up full-length effort, Invisible Empire.
Much like the old-school Rock sound the band brings with them, the audio quality shares the same kind of tone. Much like modern bands that play this style of music nowadays, the audio sounds pretty modern and light, but the music itself still comes off as if pushed a little bit further into the background of the mix. This isn't enough to really hinder the music in any way, and in fact seems to help it sound more like an analog lo-fi recording that just had a digital transfer job done on it. The guitars don't have much of a distortion to them, coming off more at the traditional Rock sound of the early seventies up to today's acts, but it just sounds a little dirty, and sometimes can sound like an eighties Glam Rock effect with a very slight echo to give it a darker, back alley kind of vibe. This is the case with the slower, haunting "Slow Death," an atmosphere pushed further thanks to the album's deeper bass presence that becomes far more important at times than the actual guitars, and the clean singing performance that feels a little more emotional here than others. This song also shows off what could easily be described as a bit of an Alice in Chains influence, but a little heavier with a more serious Stoner Rock vibe to it. The drumming works well throughout the album as well thanks to the moderately loud yet very clear cymbal crashes that add a natural richness to the music, snares that often have a slightly deeper sound to them, though not clashing with the thud of the bass kicks, all filling out the music nicely.
But while "Slow Death" offers up a more serious sound to the music, you'll notice a great amount of variety throughout, including some solid, even fun tracks like "Breed." This song's catchy, early Stoner Rock riffs scream a hit single in the indie Rock market of today, but still boasts enough of an edge to keep fans of the style, as well as bands like Mastodon happy. The upbeat sound is met with a very suiting vocal performance that is a little nasal, but captures the spirit of classic Rock n' Roll perfectly with a bit of that dirty atmosphere and what seems like a little extra distortion to the guitar chords. There's a good amount of these kind of songs throughout the album, and while they are very enjoyable, it's the more serious tracks that end up the most memorable. Aside the already aforementioned one, there's also the song "Crossfade" which finds a much deeper, obvious bass presence that establishes the Rock rhythm to the track that gives the atmosphere a much more stern sound. The vocals also change around a bit for this one, having a harsher tone to them, though shortly after the well executed guitar solo they are the cleanest, softest they seem to get on the entire release. "Loosely Bound" also incorporates a ballad vibe to the slower music, having a slight Glam Rock atmosphere to some of the chords, but largely more like listening to an early Rock band pushing out a more emotional performance. The chorus and some bridges are pretty good thanks to the richer sound that comes through, but the audio quality doesn't really allow the main verses to make much of an impact sadly and can come up feeling a bit empty at times.
There are some more unique offerings to be found on Invisible Empire as well. For example, you have "Gas Station Roses," which comes off more as a Southern Rock inspired acoustic track. The quality of the audio doesn't make the music that rich, but overall the performance isn't bad outside a few moments where the vocals can sound a bit off-key. "Saving it Up" departs from some of the Stoner Rock influences for a more melodic, catchy sound that instantly hooks the listener with its edgier Rock n' Roll sound that feels a little more grand than it really is. Again, the bass plays a pivotal role here to make the song a lot heavier, and it's a welcome addition here to get your head bobbing along immediately with the faster pace and performance that clearly finds the band having plenty of fun with the song. Had this been recorded back in the sixties or seventies, this would have easily become a classic by this time. Pretty much the same can be said about "Lost," which is just a thicker sounding track with more going on to keep it heavily melody driven, hooking the listener right from the start another emotionally invested track.
Finally you also have "Hollow Mirror," which for the most part does a good job at maintaining its nine minute track length, and honestly is a pretty good Rock song until the end when you are greeted with a drawn out section of music in reverse that seems to have no end in sight, and wouldn't even fit too well as the closing track in place of the second acoustic song, "Rebirth," which suffers from the same faults at "Gas Station Roses." Sadly that's not all that is bad with the closing of the album. Invisible Empire seems to lose its steam around the time of "Saving it Up." Yes, some songs do sound good, but nothing really stands out much like the first half of the release, and even some songs can become a little more bland and generic.
Invisible Empire makes for a great follow-up album to the Riotgod's self-titled debut, but at the same time it isn't too much else to look at. While the band brings a good deal of variety into the mix, the audio quality of high-end production with instruments having a bit of a low-end vibe doesn't exactly make every song a rich experience, ultimately hurting the album a little more with the lighter tracks. However, where the bass is heavily concentrated is where you'll find the material the is either the fun and enjoyable, or serious with a strong impact to make. Fans of the last album won't be let down this time around, and it even still makes a good jumping on point for new listeners. Hopefully Invisible Empire will bring the band a little more into the spotlight than they have been, as the group does deserve it with some stellar Rock and Stoner Rock songs that do become addicting after the first time through, bringing listeners back for repeat spins right away, as well as further down the road despite some of its hiccups towards the end. If you haven't heard Riotgod before, then this release is definitely worth sampling at the very least.
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Digital review copy of this release provided by:
Metalville Records
via Freeman Promotions. |
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