Good music is innovative. It stirs the soul by its mysterious resemblance to the experiences, feelings, and vision that motivated it. When music can rock hard as well as charm the savage beast, we're on to something.
I remember Peter Frampton's "Do You Feel Like We Do," and "Show Me the Way" as two of the first melodies that caught my heart and opened me up to enjoy serious guitar riffs that often arose later. Elton John helped too. His mini-opus "Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" from Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, with its grandiose introduction on A.R.P. synthesizer -- tuned me in the same way. Every time I hear "The Bitch is Back" one of Elton's best hard rock cuts, it is hard to get it out of my head.
Celebrating such sounds lead us to a new gang in town:
After last year’s release of the five-song self-titled EP which gave everyone an introduction and a taste of their musical style, Adrenaline Mob, the new band featuring Mike Portnoy, Russell Allen and Mike Orlando in its ranks, is ready with their debut full-length “Omerta”. The album includes all four original tracks from the EP, along with six new songs and a cover of Duran Duran’s “Come Undone”, featuring Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale as guest vocalist. - Andrew Bansal of Metalassault.com
Adrenaline Mob is a heavy metal supergroup formed by singer Russell Allen (Symphony X), guitarist Mike Orlando and drummer Mike Portnoy (Ex-Dream Theater). The band was formed in early 2011 and performed their first live performance on June 24, 2011 at the Hiro Ballroom in New York City, with the addition of bass player Paul DiLeo (Fozzy), and rhythm guitarist Rich Ward (Stuck Mojo/Fozzy).
Metalassault.com gives Omerta an 8.5 out of 10 possibe points. Writer Andrew Bansal talks about how he has always really admired Russell Allen’s work as the vocalist of Symphony X, and how voice is eerily similar to that of the late Elf, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell crooner Ronnie James Dio. He hails Mike Portnoy’s virtuosic drumming the best in the business, especially within the realm of prog rock. Bansal calls the fact that "it sounds nothing like the music they are known for, and presents a relatively straightforward hard rock style, " the most interesting thing about their collaboration in Adrenaline Mob.
“Undaunted” is a great start to the album and hard rock fans should find themselves instantly hooked to it, and “Psychosane” isn’t a bad tune by any means, but for me it took some getting used to mainly because the pinch harmonics remind me too much of Zakk Wylde. ... The next two tracks “Indifferent” and “All On The Line” are a little easier on the ears ... After this brief departure, the album returns to its hard rock feel with solidly crafted and thoroughly enjoyable tunes such as “Hit The Wall” and “Feelin’ Me”. The Duran Duran cover comes next, and the band has done well to recruit Lzzy Hale for this one. ... The top half definitely has the catchier songs, but Orlando doesn’t quite get the chance to display his skills on the guitar as much as he does on “Believe Me”, “Down To The Floor” and “Angel Sky”.
I agree with these assertions. It makes me think about what the late Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain said: "I was looking for something a lot heavier, yet melodic at the same time. Something different from heavy metal, a different attitude."