DAVID REECE – Cacophony Of Souls (Album Review)

DAVID REECE - Cacophony Of Souls (Album Review)
DAVID REECE – Cacophony Of Souls

Cacophony Of Souls

The voice to listen to in 2020 truly has to be David Reece and his new album Cacophony Of Souls out March 13th, 2020 on El Puerto Records. Anyone that isn’t sure whether they know who this guy is, all you have to do is a simple google search. With past bands like Accept, Bangalore Choir, Sircle Of Silence, Gypsy Rose, Tango Down, and Bonfire (just to mention a few) not to mention his solo career, surely you must have heard something with his voice on it. In 2018 he released a solo album titled Resilient Heart, and as fantastic as that album is, I truly believe that David has taken this one a huge step forward.

Cacophony

Listening to this album, I wondered what exactly what cacophony meant. Simply put it means, “a harsh discordant mixture of sounds”. Well, I for one can guarantee that this new album is far from harsh, but it does definitely have a mixture of sounds! It has exactly what a fan of Hard Rock and Metal wants from an album.

Andy Susemihl rips on the guitars with a Jeckyl/Hyde insanity, one-minute playing like his hands are on fire, and another second it’s perfect harmonies, and it all works like the universes coming together.

Malte Frederik Burkert pounds on the bass strings and Andrea Gianangeli beats the drums, and both hold the strings together making the songs dance like marionettes at the master’s command. Now the master himself, David Reece and his vocals command to the Gods that you listen. His pitch is always dead-on, and the harmonies and melodies mesh it all together into one great song after another.

The Souls Have a voice

With a great opening track like “Chasing The Shadows”, you are immediately drawn in with a hard and heavy guitar riff that has a Slave To The Grind feel to it, and a pounding percussion section before David‘s lyrics come slamming in. Truly a heavy album opener that sets the tone, and pace for the whole project. It shows that even after being in the tumultuous music industry that this guy truly has the heart, and passion of a true artist.

Photos Taken From Facebook

The guitar tone on “Blood on Our Hands” will have your blood flowing, and once the song truly gets going, you will be off your seat and rocking out like you just finished your first tryst your first lover. A song about today’s world and how everyone has some sort of blood on our hands.  “Judgement Day” kicks off with an old school DIO-ish metal sound with an anthemic beginning and the vocals are right there in front smacking you in the face. The true beauty part of this track is the breakdown at the 2-minute mark. It slows right down, and a stunningly beautiful guitar tone comes in and takes it to a new level, that is quickly followed with a solo that just simply soars.

A True Metal Voice

“Collective Anaesthesia” has a very interesting opening and David‘s voice has an eerie quality to it in my opinion. This song definitely seems to carry with it a message. Almost a message about a disconnect of society in today’s day and age. The song also has an Iron Maiden feel to it, but again that’s just to my ears. dark and melodic, but just works, and that’s what matters right? I truly want to hear this one live.

“Cacophony Of Souls” has the vocals in a deep and sinister range, and still rocks amazingly well. The chorus will hook you and have you singing along in no time. Truly a gem of a song on the album. Again the lyrical content is great. I for one love listening to or reading them if you can, to see what the artists could be writing from, or coming from. I’m aware that this is subjective once again, but it’s still fun to hypostasize the artist’s mindset.

Midway

“Another Life Another Time” is the ballad of the album. Beautifully played and sung, this is one for the playlists out there we all create. What this listener would guess is about living in the world of the music industry, and the relentless touring involved needed to make a living in such a business. With lyrics like “take me back home” and “give me love before I die” or “leave it all behind”, I think it could be reminiscent, or longing for a simpler life, but being torn in your passion for what you do, and what a normal life could be like. Truly a road song about being a solo artist.

Photos Taken From Facebook

“Metal Voice” is a tune that was composed for the Canadian based YouTube channel Metal Voice. A song that tells you to stand and raise your voice for what you believe in. The song almost has an early Priest feel to it, and truly will become an anthemic live tune in the near future I believe.

“Over And Over” opens with a snare fill before being joined by the guitars into a marching beat that leads into the vocals and verse. With a chorus that has a huge hook, it’s simple, pure, and a true ear-worm of a tune.

Coming into the last quarter of the album is “Back In The Days”. A running guitar tone and a harmonic chorus will have your fist pounding along, and rocking out with the chugging guitar tones. Another truly well-written tune, that like so many songs from David, actually tells a story and leaves the clichés at home.

The Chief Remains Strong

“A Perfect World” has at all. A great drum pattern in the beginning, guitar rhythms with a few changes instilled into it, and a chorus that grabs you by the throat and growls at you! The vocals seem to be doubled here adding that extra layer of thickness to it and it brings it all together. There is a great sounding breakdown right in the middle and a solo that flows out of the speakers like sweet nectar.

Coming in second to last is “Bleed”.  This track opens with a hard guitar riff, that David adds a vocal growl to that begins the entrance of the rest of the band. The song rocks hard and begins to pick up pace. A smaller breakdown section again lies in the middle but doesn’t detract from the tune at all.

Lastly is “No Disguise”. Opening with a small solo over the band, David comes in and hits the lyrics hard and steady. The chorus has a huge hook, and truly hits the mark of epic in this track. A fantastic way to end an album!

Psycho-Babble

In today’s music age, it’s almost impossible to find an album that every song is truly great. Well, look no further! Cacophony Of Souls is that record. Produced, mixed and arranged by the guitarist Andy Susemihl, it truly is a masterful album from all the band. This album has no vocal gymnastics, no cliché lyrics, and no B-side singles unless you like B-sides. Because if you do, then maybe you should think that this album is full of nothing but B-Sides, and is packed with truly great rock. All this listener has to say is, great job guys! You’ve outdone yourselves with Cacophony Of Souls!

Keep Rockin!

Peace!

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Trevor “Psychoone” McDougall

Email Me at: Trevor “Psychoone” McD

Tracks:

  1. Chasing The Shadows
  2. Blood On Our Hands
  3. Judgement Day
  4. Collective Anesthesia
  5. Cacophony Of Souls
  6. Another Life Another Time
  7. Metal Voice
  8. Over And Over
  9. Back In The Days
  10. A Perfect World
  11. Bleed
  12. No Disguise

Band:

  • David Reece – Vocals
  • Andy Susemihl – Guitars
  • Malte Frederik Burkert – Bass
  • Andrea Gianangeli – Drums
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USXymrnrhjQ[/embedyt]

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