LETTERS FROM THE FIRE
Worth The Pain
2016 Sand Hill Records
Female metal singers rock! You really can't beat the sound of hard rock and heavy metal topped off with the exquisite tones of a beautiful female voice. And that's exactly what we have in Worth The Pain, the new album from Bay Area rockers LETTERS FROM THE FIRE, which is due out September 9th on Sand Hill Records.
The band has actually been around for a few years, initially going under the name PARK LANE before making the switch to LETTERS FROM THE FIRE and releasing a self-titled EP in 2014. The most interesting thing about this band is the switch at vocalist that occurred prior to the recording of Worth The Pain. Switches upfront happen all the time, but what makes LETTERS FROM THE FIRE somewhat unique is the fact that they made the switch from a male vocalist to Alexa Kabazie, a female. And while the prior singer wasn't bad, Pittsburgh native newcomer Alexa gives the band a whole new vibe, energy and dimension that permeates throughout Worth The Pain.
Think EVANESCENCE meets LACUNA COIL (sans the unclean singing) with the heavy backbone of DISTURBED and you have a pretty good idea what this band is about. The CD kicks off with the uptempo track "Perfect Life", a great beginning to the 13 song release that immediately showcases that Kabazie isn't just a pretty face, she has the beautiful range and abilities to go with it.
"Give In To Me", the first single and video from the album has a slight NINE INCH NAILS feel to it and the added vocal distortion effects that are used not only on this track, but in several other instances on the record, are a nice touch. "Mother Misery", the second tune that was released once again has Kabazie's vocal talents out front and center. There's also a nice solo here courtesy of guitarist Cameron Stucky. Quite possibly my favorite song on the album is "Last December", and here Kabazie sounds a lot like Amy Lee of EVANESCENCE. "Holy Ghost" is another great one that has a distinct DISTURBED feel to it, in large part due to the heavy groove provided by bassist Clayton Wages and, ironically enough, the track reminds me of the EVANESCENCE hit "Bring Me To Life".
I could go through the entire disc track by track in this manner but quite frankly you'd get tired of hearing me say how good it is, because it really is that good! It's one of those rare CDs that are solid from start to finish with no fillers. The production for Worth The Pain was handled by FAILURE ANTHEM guitarist Kile Odell and is nothing short of masterful, with the sound mix absolutely perfect.
So if you like hard rock and metal with a woman's touch, then LETTERS FROM THE FIRE is definitely for you. The band is out on the road for the next month and a half or so as a support act for ART OF DYING. If you go to one of the shows and miss their performance you will be kicking yourself in the ass for some time to come.
It's said that you never get a second chance to make a first impression and my first impression of LETTERS FROM THE FIRE is enough to catapult Worth The Pain into my list of Top Releases for this year!
5.0 Out Of 5.0
