REVIEW FROM SMNNEWS.COMThis North Carolina band play the kind of melodic-rock that was just makes you want to get in your car, roll the window down and sing-along! In this day and age of metalcore bands screaming and growling their way through entire records, it is refreshing to find a band where the singer actually weaves melodies instead of deconstruct them. Secret Lives of the Freemasons have been slugging it out in the VFW Hall and basement circuit for the past few years and 2008 finds them releasing their debut album for Victory Records. Hopefully the label's considerable resources can help the six-piece get the kind of recognition they rightfully deserve.
Their carefree arrangements and hooky guitar refrains recall Hot Rod Circuit's poppier moments. Their entire approach actually brings me back to 1999, when bands like this were more common. The band relocated to Winston-Salem and recorded Weekend Warriors with producer Jamie King who is known more for his work with heavier bands like He Is Legend and Between the Buried and Me. The move paid off in spades as his crisp mix fits the bouncy arrangements perfectly. The songwriting is also impressive with fully realized lyrical ideas and dynamic shifts around every corner. The dissonant chords that push and pull the verses of "Dirty Laundry" set up the kind of triumphant chorus that most bands would kill for! The award for most impressive track goes to "Why We Run." From beginning to end, this one never lets up from delivering one earworm after the other! Time will tell if Secret Lives can reach the larger audience that Victory Records can help them reach but what is certain, they deserve it.
By Carlos Ramirez