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.
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