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Independent Clauses
The Phoenix Rising

A piano. Fuzzy-like.

Lullaby

I listened to no more than two songs off this album before I knew it was going to be one of this year's best. When you combine an excellent singer with hardcore-tinged modern rock that's actually original, nothing but positive results can occur.

 

The Phoenix Rising is all about rock; their choruses, their breakdowns, their very style is all about adrenaline. Their pulsing, riff-driven rock is wild, chaotic, and tough to pin down, as elements of electronica, space-rock, and emo infiltrate their sound. The drums are thrashing, the bass actually plays a part, and the guitars pound away; it's safe to say that this rock rocks. It gets even better when the vocals appear; the vocalist sounds like Further Seems Forever-era Chris Carrabba; flailing, wailing, empowered, and excellent. If FSF released The Moon is Down with their guitars cranked to full, more anger, and an affinity for calamitous instrumental sections, Lullaby would be it.  

Best element: Calamitous breakdowns and brilliant riffs.

Genre: Hardcore-tinged rock.

Label: Action Heights Records

Website: www.thephoenixrising.net



From the wicked, stomping breakdown in "Shadows and Silhouettes" to the brilliant riff from "Awakening" to the eerie gravity of "To Paris in a Coffin" to the pure cathartic bliss that is "Mid-July", this album will leave an impact on you. Lullaby is the album to repeat this year, and The Phoenix Rising is the personification of a thunderstorm: merciless, unrelenting, and a wonder to behold.