High-quality rock n’ roll and qualified mainstream metal have been largely missing from the general pop culture spectrum for a few years now, and people are starting to get restless. The zealous beats, the explosive riffs, even the stadium-shaking vocals have been driven back to the underground from which they first came springing up well over half a century ago, but in the fight to keep rock music alive and well in 2021, the movement knows no greater friend than the Las Vegas scene.
INSTAGRAM: www.instagram.com/jeffcarlsonband/
Acts like Vegas’ own the Jeff Carlson Band are proving that sin city isn’t just about the Rat Pack and the Killers anymore; southern Nevada has a force to be reckoned with in its music scene, in the group’s new single “Enemy Within,” they champion its signature sound rather perfectly. Mixing elements of industrial metal, power metal, groove metal, hard rock, alternative rock, and even a touch of that long-forgotten desert rock a lot of us southwestern grew up with in the ‘90s, the Jeff Carlson Band prove they mean business with their formation and that of the scene they celebrate in this release, which was enough to get me really excited about their upcoming album Yesterday’s Gone as well.
The first part of getting anywhere in a storied genre like rock is to set yourself apart from the competition, and by centering their attack on a mix quite literally spilling over with distorted melodic charm, this band shows us they’re offering what few others can in 2021 – beefy musical might. They aren’t contained within the parameters of a minimalist aesthetic, nor trying to align themselves with some post-hipster ‘retro’ concept either. This is a crew that just wants to rock out (and if you’re not pronouncing it rawk, you don’t know what I’m talking about), and they’re more than willing to exploit the benefits of a gluttonous groove or over the top riff to get exactly what they set out for. “Enemy Within” features a truly deceptive title in the sense that this group clearly has the mainstream mundanities of status quo rock bands in their crosshairs, and from the looks of their tenacity in this performance, they aren’t taking their time in going after the villains in this tale.
Jeff Carlson Band
Label : RFL Records Management: Nolan Hodges at MK Music Jeff Carlson Band is : Jeff Carlson – Lead Vocals and Rythem Guitar Robbie Wolfe: Lead Guitar, Backup Vocals Cory Kay :Bass Guitar and Backup Vocals Robbie Sherre : Drums www.jeffcarlsonbandepk.com
You don’t need huge solos or bravado-driven harmonies when you’re making physicality the star of the show, and this is where the Jeff Carlson Band really strike me as players ahead of the curve. They’re incorporating notions of grandeur into their sound the way a noise or post-punk act would while sticking with a post-2000s alternative rock-style melodicism that feels like it was polished up specifically with radio play in mind, and if that doesn’t impress you from a creative standpoint, I don’t know what would. You’d be hard-pressed to find another group quite like this one right now, not only because of the unique talent they’re presenting this track with, but because the competition isn’t willing nor able to simultaneously get as melodic and menacing as they are.
Clay Burton
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