The James Byrd Group

The Apocalypse Chime

There are few things in life better than getting ahold of a cd and instantly falling in love with one of the songs on it.  To know that this song is something completely unique and special and a piece of music that will always be adored.  Well, The Apocalypse Chime by the James Byrd Group has such a song, entitled Cold Paradise.   More on that later, but just be prepared when you hit track number four, to be blown away. 

This cd has lots of good things going for it.  For me, the number one attraction, is vocalist Robert Mason.  His vocal performance on Lynch Mob's self titled cd was enough to make me fall in love with that cd, and was the only reason it kept getting played over and over again...Mason is capable of so much, and on Apocalypse he doesn't disappoint.  The vocals are rich and well delivered, he kind of puts that Goran Edman sound on a few of the songs as well, which works very nicely.  The guitar is well executed, and is a neoclassical lover's dream, the fast, crisp shredding of Yngwie Malmsteen mixed with the gentle melodies of Michael Schenker describes the sound of James Byrd's guitar riffs, just minus the aggressive tones that Yngwie and Axel Rudi Pell have.   He can mix in, the "in your face" sound without being too aggressive with it, and the solos are tastefully done, and work with the music instead of over running it.   The drummer is not too bad either, Chase Culp, does a nice job keeping up with some of the odd rhythms that have been thrown at him to reproduce.  The songs are what count though, and the song writing reminds me strongly of Yngwie's best stuff and MSG's melodic wall of sounds.  All the songs are well written, and have their catchy moments.  Here is a rundown of each song.

1. Bosnia---Very Malmsteen'ish with lots of great riffs.  Its a hard rocking, true heavy metal song that gets the cd going with a big BANG!

2.  "One"---Still getting it together, just waiting to blast into the rest of this awesome cd, this song is so good, yet after hearing the next few tunes it sounds like filler material.  That's just how GREAT this disc is.  Hang tight, it keeps getting better. 

3.  Visigoth---This is one of my favorite songs from this album, with the crystal clear catchy guitar opening and the generally Yngwie-like guitar work.  The vocals are gorgeously done, and add just the right sound to the song.  The chorus is so well done and catchy too, there is alot happening in the background of this song.   It kind of reminds me of Yngwie stuff like "C'este la Vie" comes to mind.  

4.   Cold Paradise---this is THE song of the album.  A beautifully created masterpiece that fits in the catchy hard rock formula of McAuley Schenker Group's best songs.  This one you will be singing along to for a very long time.  It gets in your head and its impossible to get it out.  The drum beat is a bit odd timed, Mason puts all the emotion into the vocal part and creates the atmosphere, while Byrd's tasteful guitar spawns a feel good mood to it.  Mix in the bombastic European hard rock stamp of bands like Brazen Abbot, and you get Cold Paradise.  This song alone is worth the price of the cd.

5.  Death (is)---not quite as sinister as the title sounds, this song is still a good hard rock fest with a heavier edge and kind of a bluesy guitar sound that has a vague Hendrix spin to it.  Which gives way to a huge sounding chorus complete with Uriah Heep-ish keyboard.  Not as memorable as the song before.

6.   Dolly Dagger---Everyone seems to want to do a tribute song or in some cases such as Joe Lynn Turner's "Undercover", an entire album.  this is a hendrix song I can't say that I have heard before, but it fits perfectly after Death (is), and from having heard other Hendrix songs, I can safely say that Byrd nails it perfectly and Robert gives a vocal performance that sounds distinctively like himself but successfully puts that Hendrix tint into it, and manages to sound natural instead of like an imitator. Overall its nicely done. 

7.  I've Got A Line On You---a decent song, but to me it sounds the most like a filler.  It has the same European sound that the rest of the album has, its a good song, just not as good as the rest, and doesn't have any standout features.

8.   Lighting the Sky---The ballad of the disc, this has as much as heart and emotion as "Dream Until Tomorrow on the Mason sung Lynch Mob cd.   Maybe a  little more, and its not as plodding as that song was either.   Its a very beautiful song that is carried mostly by Mason's outstanding performance, to me, he makes this song the shining gem that it is.  Most ballads have their share of acoustic guitar fillers, and this one also has that mixed within it.   Overall a wonderful song, that should be a classic ballad.

9.  The Long Road---This song winds you down off the high you probably have by now from listening to all this really top notch music.  Its a medium hard rocking song, but just seems like the perfect note to end this disc on, getting you all hyped up to play it......again......there will be lots of replays for this 'un.

This cd has what alot of cd's DON'T, and that's superb songs that are based around a great guitar rhythm.  Visigoth is the perfect example of this.  It reminds me of the guitar structure of Contraband's "If This Love".  Listen to both cd's and then you'll know what I mean.  If you love TRULY GREAT heavy metal music, then this is THE disc for you, its THE disc for anyone.   I can't imagine anyone NOT liking this.  Oh yes its that great.  For fans of Malmsteen, Axel Rudi Pell, and Rainbow, this is a MUST HAVE.  Its better than just good or even great, this one goes down in my book as an all time classic.  Hands down . The only weak point of the cd is the production, its not all that great, but the songs speak for themselves and shine through.  You get used to the sound and it doesn't really detract from the music at all.

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