'70s US cult heavy rock/proto-metal act Bang disappeared from the scene in 1974 after a few albums that saw the band rise to become one of the heaviest, yet most underrated, on the heavy rock circuit. Fast forward to 1997, and the original trio of Frankie Gilcken (guitar, vocals), Frank Ferrara (bass, vocals), and Tony Diorio (drums) reunited to record Return to ZerO, and then with drummer Mark Vaqure replacing Diorio, they recorded & released this strong, heavier album The Maze in 2004. Much of The Maze has a classic '70s feel to it, and while not all of the album contains those crushing Black Sabbath/Grand Funk Railroad inspired arrangements of Bang's early albums, there's still plenty to like here. Since the band recorded this album, Matt Calvarese has now replaced Vaqure on drums.
"The Maze" kicks things off in glorious Bang fashion, complete with pulverizing heavy rock riffs from Gilcken for a tune that has 1972 written all over it. "Mama Rock" also rocks pretty hard, but also has a slight Styx vibe going on, and "Sad and Lonely" is a fairly lush ballad with some strong vocals. I'm reminded of classic Blue Oyster Cult on the mysterious yet hard rocking "RTZ 2", while "Popcorn Dreams" once again features those crunchy Bang styled riffs, yet with soaring Beatles influenced vocal harmonies. The band revisits their amazing folk/prog song "Bow to the King", and it sounds just as glorious as it did back on the original 1972 album, while also giving an update to the lovely power ballad "Love Sonnet". Want more heavy rock? Look no further than the grinding stomp of "413" (man those riffs are nasty!), and both "Eve of the End" & "Isle of Hope" have that mix of hard rock and grandiose prog that again reminds of Styx in spots.
Very strong material throughout The Maze, and while there are perhaps a few too many ballads here, you just can't ignore the strength of the songwriting on even those mellower pieces. The band can still get quite heavy, but there's also a lushness and sense of adventure that's started to creep into their playing & writing that is kind of cool to hear. Word has it that the band are set to embark on a tour here in 2014, so it will be interesting to possibly see some of the old Bang classics as well as a few of these newer pieces make it to the set list for their live shows. If you haven't yet discovered this band and you love heavy rock from the '70s, you absolutely need to check them out.
Track Listing
1
The Maze
4:37
2
Mama Rock
3:42
3
Sad and Lonely
6:26
4
RTZ 2
4:15
5
There Are Times
4:34
6
Popcorn Dreams
3:44
7
Dressing Room Suite
1:52
8
Bow to the King 2
7:34
9
Love Sonnet 2
3:21
10
413
4:48
11
Motion
2:33
12
Eve of the End
3:49
13
In This Time of Mine
4:44
14
Isle of Hope
5:35
15
Redneck Riviera 3:00
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