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A teenage, “hard rock” band – well, yes.  This Southern California quartet delivers a strong  5-song mini-album with some nicely heavy numbers and good production.  There’s a very ’70’s feel in the opening  track. “Shut You Down” and I like it.  It isn’t weighed down in just heaviness, but wrapped in very solid melody.  “Behind Green Eyes” has a good and well-structured melody; if there’s a weak spot, it’s the vocals – both the lead and background don’t do the song enough justice, except on the chorus, where the harmonies shine.  I do give it points for an on-the-one guitar solo that fits.  “Normalcy” walks closely to the edge of a “grunge”-type number, but saves itself with the bridge and chorus – and on this song, the harmonies and backing vocals enhance the song’s power.  “Fall Of Icarus” has some dynamic riffs, a dramatic build and great arrangements.  “Kingdom Of No One” has an anthem-y feel with a full chorus laden with harmony (this band knows what its doing) and I can only imagine it becomes a crowd favorite in their future.  And that’s the key – their future.  If Galvanized Souls continue to write these kinds of songs and deliver albums of this e.p.’s nature, then they have a very bright future ahead of them – and I wish them all the best.  It would be well-deserved.

Not included was a cover version of Cher’s “Believe” – done for the sake of trying to help teens deal/cope with the stresses of their lives and the pointlessness and destruction of suicide, so I will share the video below.  Done for the right reasons – I applaud a band that will try to educate as well as entertain.

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http://galvanizedsouls.com/

 

About the Author

Rob Ross

Rob Ross has been, for good, bad or indifferent, involved in the music industry for over 30 years - first as guitarist/singer/songwriter with The Punch Line, then as freelance journalist, producer and manager to working for independent and major record labels. He resides in Staten Island, New York with his wife and cats; he works out a lot, reads voraciously, loves Big Star and his orange Gretsch. Doesn't that make him neat?

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