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The big shot producers, label deals, videos for MTV, all the key support slots in those heady, magical days of long-haired rock ‘n’ roll in the low ‘90s.
Indeed, New Orleans survivors Lillian Axe have persevered through more than 20 years of sincere music-loving and music-crafting, arriving at the record chief songsmith and guitarist Steve Blaze calls “our most mature record, the truest to the sound of what the band has wanted to achieve since its inception back in 1983.”
That’s quite the statement, given the unparalleled reputation Lillian Axe has garnered amongst serious musicologists, despite being lumped in with the hair bands of the day. In fact, the almost unfortunate timing of being big news during those days has helped keep relatively secret the fact that Lillian Axe have been - at least from records like Love + War on - a strident, ambitious, complicated band Zeppelin-esque in spirit and Queen-like of explosive creativity and meticulous execution. And yet magnificently, this time-honored surfeit of talent, passion and work ethic deliberately soared tangentially yet boldly from a base that embraced a certain pristine melodic rock sensibility that is, yes, part and parcel of that early ‘90s metal sound now seen as “corporate.”
This astonishing marriage of sensibilities continues – and incredibly intensifies – with the band’s new album, Waters Rising, a record of high yet accessible art, a record where attention has been paid to every detail, an album with a blinding shine.
Waters Rising features a new vocalist in Derrick LeFevre, who is in possession of the same pristine, clear, powerful sound that Ron Taylor had, a necessary trait given the panoramic majesty of these songs, be they dark progressive rockers like “Deep In The Black” or solid gold smash balladry such as “Until The End Of The World.”
On the subject of singers, Steve is candid but confident. “People who’ve heard the record are more than happy, because, you know, when you change a singer like Ron Taylor after 15 years, a lot of people think, that's it, the beginning of the end. And we were fortunate.”
Serendipity to be sure. The result is an album that is gorgeously appointed yet boldly heavy, Lillian Axe relentlessly bringing out huge monolithic chords often European and even Sabbatherian in weight and then having Derrick temper them with his smoothly crooning pipes. Adding to the heaven and hell dichotomy is recurring layered harmonies and twin leads, plus production that is hi-fidelity in the extreme, fully plush yet pounding.
Represented Worldwide
Web Sites:
www.lillianaxe.com
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