Released by: Global Rock Records
Out Now
Line Up:
Lead Guitarist Steve Blaze
bassist Michael “Maxx” Darby remain from the original line-up.
The current line-up is completed by Brent Graham – lead vocals, Sam Poitevent – guitar / vocals, and Wayne Stokely – drums
Tracklist:
1. Breathe
2. I Am Beyond
3. Neverending Me (Dempsey’s Kick)
4. A
5. The Golden Dragon
6. Piercing The Veil
7. Migrating North
8. No Problem
9. Dance Of The Maggots
10. Fall Of The Human Condition
11. The Great Deception
12. Endless Green Fields
13. Feelings Of Absinthe
14. Finally, Clarity
15. From The Mountaintops
16. Ascension
Every music lover has at least one band in their collection that is one they consider a missed opportunity. One of those bands that just missed catching on, whether they just missed the height of that current phase of that particular genre’s rise, or they created a sound that the general music listener wasn’t ready for. As someone who has a vast collection of music, and loves many bands spanning many genres, there are quite a few I always felt could’ve, should’ve, would’ve under the right circumstances. One of those bands, and I know quite a few people tend to agree with this is a band out of New Orleans called Lillian Axe.
Fraught with so much working against them: lineup changes, fickle industry standards, and not quite fitting into a particular easy categorizable box, Lillian Axe seemed always poised for greatness, but always seemed to fall just short of it. Failing to be pigeonholed into the 80’s hard rock style as their music, though melodic and hard, usually fell into a more melancholic and darker direction, but never so despairing as to be alternative. With their latest album From Womb To Tomb they continue to show just how brilliant they have always been and continue to be. Even by today’s standard, the music contained on this album is still not going to be fully appreciated by every music listener. It’s not a hit-churning record, but a complete work of art. Though not a traditional concept album it does have a path of ascension leading from birth to the corporeal release of the soul from the body. Not to say that you can’t listen to the tracks individually, I just think this album is not intended as such. It’s very powerful and emotional, something the band has always been capable of capturing throughout their career.
I would love the see Lillian Axe get the recognition they so richly deserve, but From Womb To Tomb is too much for a casual music listener to absorb, and that works for and against the band. It sets them apart from their peers, making them a far deeper band, but it prevents them, perhaps, from achieving the higher reaches of the charts. But ultimately Lillian Axe wins because they don’t sacrifice what makes them so brilliant just to appease casual music fans. They do what they love, and what has kept their hardcore fans along for the ride for all of these decades.
Written by: Chris Martin
Ratings: 8/10
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