Anytime I invite unsigned bands to send me their material for
\nreview here on “The Daily Vault,” I recognize that I could be
\nopening up a Pandora’s box. Obviously, the band wants me to be
\nhonest about what I think of their work, and I find it very hard to
\nbe critical of a band that is up and coming.<\/p>\n
In the case of RainLord, a hard-rock outfit from Florida, I
\nsincerely hope they take what I’m about to say with a grain of
\nsalt, and realize that I’m saying what I am to help them improve,
\nnot to be a Grade-A jerk. ‘Cause after listening to their debut
\nrelease
\nMedicine For The Soul<\/i>, one can hear that this band needs a
\nlot of work.<\/p>\n
Embodying a lot of what went wrong with the hard rock\/heavy
\nmetal scene in the early ’90s, RainLord sounds like a cross between
\nBon Jovi and Motley Crue. Led by singer John Nickoloff, RainLord
\nchanges styles far too often, going from cock-rock (“One Night
\nStand”) to bombastic, half-ass blues (“Mustang Sally”) to
\nharmonized hard rock that works well for them (“Stronghold”). Five
\nwords: Pick a card, any card.<\/p>\n
The two-guitar attack of Reg Monsanto and Jeff Deeter (who is no
\nlonger with the band as of the last mailing I got) is much more
\npowerful when they don’t diddle with their effects pedals. Their
\nacoustic-sounding work is the best, especially on “Call Down The
\nRain Lord,” but when they turn their guitars up to full shred on
\nsongs like these, they blow the whole mood. And while the
\nfull-shred sound works on songs like “Black Widow,” they fail to
\nreally develop a catchy riff in the body of the song.<\/p>\n
Tuning is also a problem on occasion. On at least one occasion,
\nthe guitar solo I heard sounded like the axe was tuned too high; it
\ndidn’t blend with the song. If only it were the guitar that
\noccasionally went out of pitch; Nickoloff’s vocals also cross the
\nborder on occasion. (One of the harmony lines in “Mustang Sally”
\nalso didn’t fit the chord progression – and it’s quite
\nobvious.)<\/p>\n
The production work also leaves a lot to be desired – for one
\nthing, kill the reverb, and make Ralph Abraham’s drums sound a lot
\ncrisper. (While we’re at it, stop burying Matt Minick’s bass in the
\nmix as well.) Had the production quality of
\nMedicine For The Soul<\/i> been better, I think I would have
\nenjoyed the album a little more.<\/p>\n
And it’s not that
\nMedicine For The Soul<\/i> is a complete washout. “I Haven’t Lost
\nMy Faith” is a beautiful song, and the more gentle moments of “Call
\nDown The Rain Lord” show that this band has the ability to be good.
\nWhen they harmonize, like they did on “Stronghold,” RainLord rises
\nabove their own mediocrity and creates something good. If only they
\nhad done this more often.<\/p>\n
RainLord is presently working on their follow-up album. My
\nsuggestions: Hire a real producer to bring out your sound, don’t be
\nafraid to turn down (or even off) the distortion pedals, don’t try
\nto sound like Joe Satriani in your guitar solos when the song
\ndoesn’t call for it, and try to concentrate on one particular
\nstyle.<\/p>\n
Yes, RainLord is a rather big draw down in Florida, and have
\nbuilt up a solid fanbase there. But if they want to cross over from
\nlocal favorites to nationwide recognition, they need to tighten up
\nthe band a bit and work on their songwriting.
\nMedicine For The Soul<\/i> offers very little evidence of this –
\nwere they an older metal band from the ’80s, I would have said they
\nwere on life support.<\/p>\n