We last heard from Lillian Axe with their Dark Waters album which found the 80's Hard Rock band back in action and choosing to not follow the original Glam style that they had been largely known but instead opting to upgrade their musical game by delivering well-placed heavy riffs under very melodic vocals. If you liked that one, it is a guarantee that you will love what's happening on their follow up CD Sad Day On Planet Earth The practice of tasty riffs blended skillfully with melodic singing and backing choruses continues as this band that should have been bigger than they were delivers a very enjoyable release. The first thoughts I had about the album was that one didn't need to be a legacy fan of the band to understand or appreciate the goings on with the release and that each track while working with its brothers on the CD seem to be able to stand alone strong. It begins with a nice instrumental track and then the hard hitting groove of "Megaslowfade" draws you in with pounding drums and a sleek guitar riff. The bands lone original member stands with Steve Blaze who delivers some outstanding leads on the album while Derrick LeFevre shines again and again as the bands vocalist. The group is rounded out by Sam Poitevent (guitars), Eric Morris (bass) and Ken Koudelka (drums) and I enjoyed getting the sense that the guys were in a lock on every track. There is a little of something for everyone musically with this one as heavier tracks like "The Grand Scale Of Finality" rock you while the slower ballad type tracks such as "Sad Day On Planet Earth" tug at the necessary heart strings. While you cannot really compare the band to any particular group should you need to do so, I will admit that "Down Below The Ocean" reminded me a lot of Saigon Kick with some of its groove and that was fine with me since I loved that band so much. With fifteen tracks on the album to choose from, I was able to let this one straight through without being bored and how after it completed found myself referring to a couple of key tracks that I enjoyed the most. Among them "Ignite" and "Hibernate" being the first choices that I made.
I liked how this was a dose of Heavy Rock and Roll at a time when it is sorely needed and while calling back to a time when this kind of music was king, it was refreshing to find that there was nothing dated about the sound being delivered on the album. It's an exciting listen that should be a part of any discerning Hard Rock fans musical library and one can hope that the work put into Sad Day On Planet Earth will yield some positive fruit for the band because they deserve it. Words are included along with some photos of the guys in the booklet provided and this release marks their Blistering Records debut. Based on some of the other artists currently on the label, I feel that Lillian Axe is a welcome addition to the fold. Watch for shows supporting this release, they should be good ones.
Track Listing:
1. Cocoon
2. Megaslowfade
3. Jesus Wept
4. Ignite
5. The Grand Scale Of Finality
6. Sad Day On Planet Earth
7. Hibernate
8. Within Your Reach
9. Down Below The Ocean
10. Blood Raining Down On Her Wings
11. Cold Day In Hell
12. Nocturnal Symphony
13. Divine
14. Kill Me Again
15. Fire, Blood, The Earth and Sea
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