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Dearestazazel aren't post classic rock or post new wave
- they are classic rock and new wave - which they deliver on their
One Eleven Records release, Be Mine. This is Dennis
DeYoung and Styx type of classic rock/new wave and
Autograph's power rock. The sonic dazzle of the synthesizers
and howling keyboards of lead vocalist Peter Felix Armstrong
entwine the gripping guitar lines of Jesse Greene crafting
an artistry that is archetypical of '80s power rock. Armstrong's
vocals have a symphonic rock pitch relatable to Europe's
lead singer, Joey Tempest, and the elevating rhythmic jolts
of bassist Patrick McHutchinson IV and drummer Ricardo
Melendez mobilize the tracks into a full force throttle. Dearestazazel
are new classic rock in line with The Limit and Cinder
Road. The band does more than rehash the power rock of the
past however; they incorporate it into the present.
Starting off with the power rock modals in "Sex Is A Sin,"
Dearestazazel roll these out with a sixth sense for excitable
chord twists and quaking rhythms. The keyboards brand the tracks
with dramatic edges and the guitar cylinders cauterize sinewy
riffs coursing along "Darkness. Eternal. You Are There"
and "Bubbles And Nights." The musicianship is on par
with Styx's best work. The rhythm section propagates a catchy
galloping action that makes the tracks feel like they are jumping
out of their containment unit comparable to Germany's Tokio
Hotel. Armstrong's vocals feel like they are jet-skiing across
the rhythmic swells, especially in the track "Get On Board
The Drug Train." The rhythmic pulsations of "She Sells
Sex By The Seashore" have a direct link to '80s power rock,
and the lyrics would feel at home in a James Bond flick
with verses like, "Because she sells / She sells sex by the
seashore / Every night in someone new / And I could not care any
less / About the wayward ways of a wayward soul like you."
The song "Lovely Lovely" has flashing switches that
flicker with a heated rush while the tune, "All My Friends
Are In Love With Satan" hits the mark on sounding dramatic
with a theatrical-pop flare relatable to Panic At The Disco.
If there is one track that is going to pique people's interest,
this is the one. And then there are the stylish electro-pop synths
reaming along "I Never See Them In The Dark" which fixate
on a rhythmic drilling, and melodic sonics reminiscent of Depeche
Mode. This is another track that is built with attractive
riffs that will give you a real rush.
Dearestazazel is a band that needs to be heard by people. It
is music that mobilizes people to come out of whatever they are
stuck in and set a new path. Maybe some people will argue that
Dearestazazel's music would have been cutting edge in the '80s,
but they cannot refute that the band's album Be Mine feels
refreshing. Just like there are some movies that are forever good,
there is some music that is eternally good, and Dearestazazel
have tapped into that vein.
-Susan Frances
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