Haliwel

Album Title: Pandemic
Record Label: Burn United Records
Review by Laura Sorensen
(2008) Page Views

Haliwel - PandemicHaliwel - Pandemic

A new lead singer, a new CD, Haliwel is launching forward undaunted in their mission to bring some great new hard rock to their current and potential fans.  The release of “Pandemic” with Dax Roberts on lead vocals is a demonstration of the admirable talent and diversity of this group of musicians. Blending their instruments in perfect sync with each other and with Dax’s voice, using alternate styles of backup vocals to create various melodic effects for different songs, there is nothing but admiration for this five member hard rock band.  The theme of the CD varies from upbeat, inspirational tracks like the opening song “Firestarter” to no bullshit lyrics with “Truth Is” (you’re a bitch), to softer tracks like “Halo.” You have to really listen to the lyrics to understand the emotion behind each song. “Halo” may sound like a lighter, romantic tune but it really is about finding out someone has deceived you, “My little angel, gonna watch your little halo melt.”  “Sleepwalking” is a great tune with varied lead and backup vocal techniques.  Probably one of the band’s more popular tunes is “My Letter’ which again requires close attention to the lyrics to understand this is a person on the brink of suicide because “I can’t do anything right.”  Concluding with “Calloused,” the longest track on the album, you hear a combination of simple, melodic vocals, becoming more intense on the chorus, and an extended instrumental interlude with the guitars, bass and drums melding together as one fine instrument. 

Pandemic is not for the faint of heart, but for the passionate, the compassionate, and the true fan of what modern hard rock is supposed to sound like.

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