It’s mind boggling to me to hear a record like White Noise Owl’s debut full-length, Condition Critical, think of how much work was put into it and then have it more or less dumped on the unsuspecting masses with barely a peep of promotion. But these are strange times we live in, kiddies, where crap is rewarded and creativity is smothered.
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I’m not going to sit here and pretend to know what the original vision of Life On Planet 9 was but after three albums, I’m hoping that I’m correct in saying that whatever that original vision was it’s been fully realized on their third full-length, Higher. [Read more…]
Whew! Glad the 2016 retrospective is finally over. Now we can get to some reviewin’ and interviewin’ and stuff….wait, we’re doing a 2017 preview, too? UGH! WHY????? Then I guess without further adieu, the top 17 albums that may or may not surface in ’17: [Read more…]
It’s true what they say: Good things come in small packages. In White Noise Owl’s case the “small package” is in the form of a debut EP instead of a full-length and the tracks included within are definitely some of the best hard rock anthems you’ll hear in all of 2014.
Until We Meet Again is a mature helping of hard, heavy rock from a bunch of guys who you probably saw in one form or another on Ozzfest ’98. Make no mistake, though, this is not another version of Snot or Ultraspank or even Evanescence or Staind. WNO is something different altogether. This is a group of guys who have been around the industry and are banding together to forge a new destiny and judging by the results of Until We Meet Again, it’s definitely a promising one.
Vocalist Pete Murray croons on opener “Feed” with the line “I don’t care for what you’re feeding me/And I won’t stand for negativity, no!” and that is exactly the case with White Noise Owl. There’s no bullshit and a focus on the heart of the matter: The music!
“Bomber” is a sonic masterpiece and has some of those grandiose Filter-like radio rock choruses that the band have become known for (Title Of Record producer Ben Grosse coincidentally is the producer and mixer here) while guitarist Chris Shy diversifies the proceedings during the opening of “End Over End” with some down home strumming. The EP culminates with “Are You Breathing” which is probably the best example of the “White Noise Owl sound” as it were featuring stellar drumming from Will Hunt and some fantastic bass work from John Fahnestock along with the aforementioned Shy and Murray.
Look, I’m a fan of most of these guys already. I’ve been Team Murray since I first heard of Ultraspank and their ridiculously underrated vocalist in the late ’90’s, I bought the Snot debut after seeing Lynn Strait leap on stage during a Manhole opening slot in Boston (Fahnestock actually sold me the long sleeve I still own after a Snot show opening for Sevendust in Worcester), and I loved both Skrape records that Hunt bashed away on.
These guys know the biz and they definitely deserve your attention. Hopefully White Noise Owl is the spark that lights a fire under the ass of the hard rock music world.
For more on White Noise Owl including pre-order options for Until We Meet Again (Due on March 11th), head on over to their official Facebook and Twitter pages and please don’t forget to “like” us over on ours.
Amidst the nu-metal craze of the mid-’90’s, some actual great musicians and some actual great bands got lumped in and swallowed up. Luckily for music fans, some of those musicians have persevered over the years and a group of said talented individuals have formed White Noise Owl whose debut EP should be available in the spring of 2014.
You’ve got former Ultraspank vocalist Pete Murray bringing the emotion, Snot’s John Fahnestock with the low end, and Skrape’s Will Hunt behind the kit. A veritable smorgasbord of nu-metal’s unappreciated elite!
Fahnestock, of course, is also a former member of Amen and Murray’s post ‘spank out fit Lo Pro (Who just released their epic third album earlier this year) while Hunt has since played with everyone from Evanescence and Staind to Black Label Society and David Draiman’s Device.
The below teaser is barely a minute long and only gives a hint of what’s to come but there are some subtle electronic flourishes in there with some massive guitar sounds from Chris Shy which is all produced exquisitely by Ben Grosse (He, who produced some equally massive Filter, Marilyn Manson, and Thirty Seconds To Mars albums).
Undeniably, White Noise Owl is one to watch in 2014. For more on the band, head on over to their Facebook and Twitter pages!