China Blue Twilight of Destiny
Staff Writer
“Projects”can oftentimes be a curse word in the music industry today. For some
projects, a singer will lend his voice or a guitarist will lay down a
few solos on a few tracks merely so the project manager can hype the
release as some sort of supergroup. These fail as often as they
succeed. Rarely does a project come together so completely that you
cannot image this group of musicians have not been bandmates for years,
if not a decade or two. When you hear China Blue’s
Twilight of Destiny,
that is exactly the feeling you walk away with — how is it that Tony
Mills, Eric Ragno, Josh Ramos, Doug Odell and Zane Petersen are not a
full-time band? And is it possible that
Twilight of Destiny is a one-off release … and China Blue will never be heard from again?
Don’t be fooled by the title. The name
Twilight of Destiny surely
mimics the Power/Progressive Metal scene, but this is Classic Rock at
its finest. Think Journey-esque vocals with a little more fierce and
passionate guitar playing; for sure, the musicianship and especially
the vocals set a new standard for this kind of Rock music.
The opening song “What Do You Need But Love” lets keyboardist Eric
Ragno introduce the sound, with spacey, atmospheric keys, and then
Odell and Petersen chug in with a smooth rhythm section. Lead singer
Tony Mills is one of the most distinctive singers in Rock today, one of
a microscopic group who could even pretend to think about replacing
Tony Harnell in TNT. For some reason, maybe without whatever parameters
TNT asks Mills to sing inside of, Mills sounds freer with China Blue.
He lets his vocal hair down, so to speak, and delivers an entire album
full of hearfelt, emotional and unparalleled vocals. Guitarist Josh
Ramos, known for a myriad of high quality projects, is oftentimes the
steel to Mills’ silky delivery, playing with more power and precision
than some of his other recordings of late.
In an
interview with Hardrock Haven,
Ragno, who is the mastermind behind the band, admitted he is taking his
lumps because everyone expected China Blue to be a METAL project. By
the time you hit the second track, “I Feel Like Dying,” it doesn’t take
a genius to understand this isn’t Dragonforce. As far as hit songs, you
could easily pick 10 of these 15 tracks to make waves on the radio, and
“I Feel Like Dying” is one of them.
A standout composition is “Don’t Be a Stranger,” one of the slower tracks on
Twilight of Destiny.
The way Mills sings lends to a storytelling vibe, both emotional and
accessible. The chorus is exactly the kind of melodic epiphany that
Journey sold millions of albums with, and propels their demand still
today. Now, don’t think they sound exactly like Journey — it’s just
music in the same vein. You know, timeless …
“Passions” is a keyboard construct, Ragno steering the song instead
of just lifting up the background. For the most part, it’s just Mills
and Ragno at the start, with Ramos entering with his bluesy, emotive
leads. Instead of singing in his higher range, Mills sings lower,
offering another facet to his vocal style, at least during the verses.
Petersen is allowed to show his talent as well, blasting some stellar
fills while other times playing with intricacy and a deft touch.
China Blue decides to get their rocks off when you hit “Take Me As I
Am.” Ragno’s keys, while uplifting before, are played with an angry
edge, and Mills mirrors that intensity with his grittier vocals. “You
think I’ve let you down; you better think again,” Mills demands during
the pre-chorus. While not as memorable as some of the earlier hits, it
is another side of the band you had yet to hear.
There are three bonus tracks, but before that, the CD ends on “A
Last Goodbye.” In this song, Ramos again impresses with his enormous
ability, and if he wasn’t one of your favorites guitarists before, he
may just be so now. “A Last Goodbye” is an instrumental, and his solos
are more Santana than Steve Vai, but it’s a compliment either way.
Although you have already gotten more than your money’s worth, there
are three bonus tracks at the end: an acoustic version of “Don’t Be a
Stranger,” a reprise of “Passions” and “Selena” from the Melodic
Rock.com compilation.
China Blue’s
Twilight of Destiny is simply put, one of the
best Melodic Rock CDs released in years. It doesn’t hurt that each
musician is an individual talent. The surprising aspect is the level of
craftmanship in the songwriting itself, and how the band collectively
brings that sonic vision to life each and every note, each and every
song. Clearly, China Blue has set the bar high should they (and they
should) decide to follow up
Twilight of Destiny.
Label: Frontiers Records
Track listing:
1. What Do You Need But Love
2. I Feel Like Dying
3. Changing Ways
4. So Wrong
5. Don’t Be A Stranger
6. Crimes (of Passion)
7. Passions
8. Movin’ On
9. Twilight of Destiny
10. Lost
11. Take Me As I Am
12. A Last Goodbye
HRH Rating: 8.8/10