Search - Engine :: Superholic

Ray shining on his own....

David Trombley | Brooklyn Park, Minnesota United States | 05/31/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The first thing you have to do when you listen to this disc is remember....this is NOT Fates Warning....Are we all set...ok...Being the Fates fan that I am...as soon as I saw Ray's first Engine project I bought that...and I knew about this one from being on the Fates and Engine websites on a daily basis...but to the music...Ray tries to be more raw...more aggresive and less clean with his vocal work...The rest of the band has remained the same...Fates' Joey Vera on bass...Ray's buddy Bernie Versailles on guitar, and Pete Parada on drums..The first 2 tracks establish a dense distortion and aggressive tone...steadfast Fates fans will turn their noses up at Ray's growl...and repetitive hard guitar chords...It isn't until track 3 and 4...with I know and Perfect Star that Ray starts to flex his vocal range...The highlights of this disc...an impressive cover of The Cure's fascination street...sped up and a little groovy...Ray's solo acoustic guitar work on 1 AM...The moving track that is Home...but my fave is what seems to me like a continuation from the first disc...from...falling star...to perfect star...both tracks make their respective discs stellar...both songs some of Ray's best stuff outside of Fates...Thanks Ray..Joey..Bernie..and Pete...the 2nd Engine project has now made me crave another...or a new Fates disc...whatever gets to me first..."

Solid metal and perfect vocal harmony.

R. M. Escandon | USA | 06/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ray Alder's voice is amazing and will always make a good CD even better. The first CD was very good "Falling Star" and "Tree of Life" were and still are my favorites. The new one "Superholic" is much heavier and louder. The first two tracks are proof to that fact. The third "I Know" starts to show off the amazing voice that Alder is known for. "Perfect Star" is heavy that is mixed with some harmony vocals that I am so used. The rest of the CD follows a somewhat same type of mix. My favorites include "I Know", "Perfect Star", "1 A.M." - very nice melody, and "Home". I am very pleased with this master piece and I look forward to their next album. I am a Fates Warning fan to the end but it is always refreshing to hear something new and a little different from time to time. I highly recommend this CD and when you get it play it very loud. Thanks for your time and I hope I helped some."

Tight and torque-heavy

Worgelm | United States | 05/29/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I think Engine realized last time around, they had unexpectedly come up with a near-masterpiece. For _Superholic_ they have found the loose screws and tightened the bejeezus out of them. _Engine_ alternated between ultra-heavy thrashers and plaintive ballads like "Falling Star." _Superholic_ has not only the wistful acoustic ballad "1 a.m." but the album's standout "The Perfect Star", a stately, but NOT majestic - note-perfect exercise in songwriting. Okay it is majestic, but you have to subtract the cheesiness that that word inspires. Both "Superholic" and "Save Me" balance interesting electronic textures and drive a generally much more diverse collection of songs. Like the first album, it yields surprises when scrutinized, but also works very well in a disposable setting, offering instantaneously-accessible melodic hooks and thundering downtuned-old-school-beats-the-krap-out-of-nu-metal-riffs. Perhaps the most deceiving is their faithful cover of The Cure's "Fascination Street" which, with its delicate, note-perfect intro, is far more like a reverent nod than a gimmicky stab at past pop glories. The Metal Blade website capsule lauds the production by Joey Vera, and rightly so - its got the squeaky-clean aura of some Terry Date project. On Vera's meticulous soundstage, rather than straining against one another, the bass and guitar unite to become a monsterous metal riffing machine, producing gloriously bruising licks of crushing distinction. There's no room for soloing here, unless you count the occasional disconcerting roar of Bernie Versailles' wah pedal. Check your local Jim Matheos album for those. I could point the finger of influence at Sevendust, who approach them with their melodicism, or perhaps Godsmack's economical songwriting, but there is too much power-metal efficiency in the attack to really blend them easily with either. An excellent album and the perfect middle finger to the sophomore slump."