Lillian Axe, a band founded in the 80s is currently making its way back into the present music world, with their newest album “The Days Before Tomorrow.” The band Lillian Axe was formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1983. Ever since then, except for a four-year hiatus, they have been producing a breed of glam metal that only they can master. Lillian Axe has such an interesting dynamic, from the chugging riffs of guitarist Steve Blaze, the only founding member left in the band, to the melodic voice of Brian Jones, their new singer. All that followed by the great instrumentals of guitarist Sam Poitevent, bassist Eric Morris and drummer Ken Koudelka. The album starts off very quietly but quickly speeds up with the quick tapping of “Babylon,” which Blaze has mastered during his tenure with the band. The chorus slows down with a steady hi-hat beat that sets the tone for the rest of the album.
The album continues quickly, only slowing down occasionally like during the song “Gather Up the Snow,” which is complemented by another guitar solo that only a few people could play as well as Blaze does. “Take the Bullet,” opens up with a barrage of machine gun fire followed by a quick and military-like drumbeat. The song continues to march along with structured lyrics about the struggles of war. The major power ballad of the album is “Bow Your Head,” which is a very slow song that has slow scales at just the right time to make it sound even more climactic than it already is. The rest of the album continues with a quick pace only slowing its beat occasionally. The instrumentation is absolutely incredible as well as the synchronization of the band.
One issue with the album is the fact that the lyrics get repetitive quickly and lose their power before the song is over.
Overall it is a well-recorded album that deserves a lot more critical attention than some of the “artists” of today. The band seems to knows their instruments inside and out. On their eleventh album they seem to have really found their niche. This album is not just something for metal heads. This is an album anyone who enjoys good music could get into.
