Certain bands are an acquired taste, and it seems like Painkiller Hotel might fit under that criteria. At first glance much of their music sounds familiar and overdone, but after listening to their new album Black Roses a few more times you realize that there is true substance lurking underneath.
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Painkiller Hotel
|  Entertainment
 Art
“Black Roses”
(Severe Records)
Released January 22, 2008
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Though their name suggests a more hard rock mentality in truth the band leans more toward modern country. Backed by Nashville-based Severe Records, Black Roses has gained so much fan buzz that the band has opted to re-release the album. Like a bug in your ear Black Roses at first doesn’t grab your attention. Slowly but surely the album sucks you in with its steady rhythm and solid lyrics.
“We made our name by making good music,” says vocalist and primary songwriter Kevin Presbey. That kind of dedication to the music business is what separates stars from those that just pretend.
The stand out song on the album is track five’s “Becoming Someone Else.” It is a heavy and highly personal rock song in the style of Staind and the Foo Fighters. The fact that the band is willing to stray so far from their key style within the first album says a lot about their musical abilities. The last time an audience wants to hear is an hours worth of the same sound. Painkiller Motel has the guts to mix it up from the start.
This is a debut album done right. Mixed by the famous Georget Tutko (who also did such big names as Duran Duran and The Rolling Stones) the result is a strong and smooth record. Gone is the roughness associated with most first albums, Black Roses could easily have been Painkiller Motel’s fifth or sixth album it is done so well.
The album itself seems almost split in half. The first four tracks or so come across as light country, not bad, just a little slow. But just when you think you have the band figured out they mix it up. Tracks five and six are far heavier and much more removed from the country mentality. As the album progresses the two styles merge into a clear, definitive sound. It can be a little too slow at times, but that will change with further albums.
Painkiller Hotel is willing to stake a lot on their music and one has to admire that. This is a band that has no intention of simply going away. The fact that their style seems so broad will most likely work in their favor. Black Roses is a multi-genre album, many things for many people.
The true test will come with their next album. Painkiller Hotel has the qualities needed to make a true name for themselves. With strong guitars and great vocals, Black Roses is an album that sticks with you. As one of the first albums out of 2008, this album is a sign of good things to come in the music business.
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Written by Guest on 2008-04-15 21:11:06
First of all boring...you make the same ponit over and over again. If you can't think of anything else to say maybe you should just leave it alone. Also perhaps you should do your research before you pretend to know what your talking,about brush up on the bands you write about. Painkiller Motel? Come on get it together before you expose yourself for what you really are, a talentless internet blogger. |
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