I had heard about Lie Heavy here and there. Nothing in depth or extensive enough to get my distracted brain going to investigate them further. Then, not long ago, a post on social media from the band proclaimed their new CD was available and for everyone to get a copy. At last my brain worked properly and urged me to pounce on it. A copy of 'Burn To The Moon' was purchased and...I couldn't be happier! For someone who was raised on a healthy diet of 70's heavy rock, Lie Heavy are what the doctor ordered. And they are what is needed in the oversaturated world of music of today.
What hits me the most right from the start is how well-written and well-played these brilliant songs are. Everything has a natural, unrestrained flow which always heightens music, if you ask me.And that's definitely one of Lie Heavy's trademarks. They plug in, let their hair down and just play their hearts out. As mentioned above this album is heavily nurtured in the great classic heavy rock of the 70's but Lie Heavy don't rehash anything trying to ride on the coattails of the best music era ever. No, they take the best of the past, soak it in modern sounds, make it their own and the outcome is brilliant.
12 songs are on offer on 'Burn To The Moon' and immediately I'm struck by the influence of Ian Gillan, both as a solo artist and with Deep Purple. This comes out mainly in Karl Agell's voice, or rather his phrasing which has Gillan all over it, especially in 'Nothing To Steal' and 'In The Shadow'. On the latter the music brings out Ian Gillan Band as well, fantastic! Not only that, on 'Lie Heavy' Roger Daltrey and The Who sneaks in, listen to it and you'll see what I mean. I've followed Agell's career since his days with School Of Violence and, of course, Corrosion Of Conformity, so his abilities are not new to me but I am still pleasantly surprised how great his voice is.
Lie Heavy brings in doom metal in the title track which is slow, lurking and mesmerizing as well as in 'End The World'. This one is also very seductive in it's approach and these two polar opposites, doom and seduction works extremely well together.
Not wanting to go slow and low only, the band unleashes some crushingly good heavy-ass rockers in the shape of 'Drag The World', 'When The Universe Cries' and 'Diabolik'. Throwing caution to the wind they just rock hard and with such abandon. Let's not forget one of my favourite songs, 'Unbeliever'. It brings everything Lie Heavy are together: riffs, groove, harmonies walk side by side with heavy crushing parts only to be slow and caressing as well. To me this epitomizes the band 100 %.
Lie Heavy are a quartet based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and consists of the aforementioned Karl Agell on vocals. He is joined by Graham Fry on guitar, TR Gwynne on bass guitar and Jeff JD Dennis on drums. Being a frontman of such pedigree, Agell immediately enjoys attention, and rightly so. However, six-stringer Fry is a diamond hidden in the rough, this guy has it all. No matter which song or what part of them it is, he elevates the music with his string-bending talents. Nothing would come of this without a badass rhythm section. Gwynne and Dennis holds everything all while grooving wonderfully allowing Agell and Fry to step outside the box. And this synergy is what puts the band on a whole different level. Brilliant stuff, indeed!
- Swedebeast
