The title of the album is four different symbols. This is the same thing that Led Zeppelin did on their fourth album but that is where the similarity stops. This band from Los Angeles has a sound that is more reminiscent of the 70's middle of the road rockers like Head East with maybe a little bit of 38 Special thrown in. There is nothing wrong with that but the sound is very standard hard rock that simply has nothing that will leave any kind of lasting impression.
The band deals with some interesting topics with their music. From the tale of corporate greed ("Line 'Em Up") to the strange case of an inmate at Guantanamo called "Room 19". Lyrically there is some very good stuff going on at times but only sporadically. From there they go into well charted territory with songs about mythical beings ("The Flying Dutchman"), rising above it ("Phoenix") and of course the obligatory tales of the bottle ("Bottle Of Love") and ("Been Wasted"). Whether the story is good or bad, it is lost in the musical banality that surrounds it.
Don't get me wrong, there is nothing on the disc that I would call bad. Every song is listenable but with the thousands of bands out there, this one just doesn't show me anything new or exciting. Mike Clark is a very good guitar player and he does give this one a good shot! There are a couple of cool solos and his musical style suits this type of sound very well. Bill Moore on vocals is someone who does not inspire at all with his ability. He sings in a very limited range that has a very ho-hum type of delivery for the most part. They do manage to pull it all together on the best song on the disc "Phoenix". After that though, this is a very run-of-the-mill offering.
Track listing:
1. Parallel Lives
2. Line 'Em Up
3. The Darkness
4. The Flying Dutchman
5. Shadow Of The Wolf
6. Lightning And Rainbows
7. Lab Rats
8. Phoenix
9. Go On Home
10. Bottle Of Love
11. Room 19
12. Be Not Afraid
13. Been Wasted
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