 The Maension Raevolution Take This Trip To Mars Records Out Now In the Maension dimension there's always something a bit out of the ordinary happening. Once I'm sure I felt the presence of an alien intelligence. With glamour and heavy metal combining somewhere in the sunny districts of Los Angeles California, the trio of punchy pioneers of modern rock n roll set sail for another killer instinct world tour. With their new recording on offer and being performed in venues of all shapes and sizes around the globe, it's great to see this up and coming outfit stand tall and capable. Their new ten track album rides on the digital revolution stampede that is crafting our modern reality on all levels. The Maension embrace the future of now and keep tradition alive by always remembering to rock. Army of the People begins with a choral eeriness which brings in a rolling of guitar and drum. As the smoke clears, the vocal line begins. Crisp and on tone, the masculine voice of Mark Maension rips open the song as it quickly progresses into heavy duty pounding rock. “Power To Us” is a great line, a crowd can be dangerous and when all facing the same way and for the same reason, then it's a precision tool. Can we handle to power of the people? Time is busy telling us, I am sure. New single Say It brings on a hardcore attitude with chanting roars of progressive energy. Meaty guitar and thrash inspired drums hammer home a track of intense fire and heat. Double quick timing in the chorus riff accelerates the energy into new levels of resolution while melodic nuances deepen the sensations brought forward. Bass and guitar combine with pulse like drums to coalesce into a moving train of music. Cool guitar riffs replace the mighty chord progressions of the previous number and elevate The Engineer into play. More orientated on the vocal delivery than before, the rest of the band frames the story of the song in neat and well meaning bursts of metal. Elation takes a hold of the keyboard and gives it a fair share of the sonic experience. Interesting synths merge with the classic sounds of heavy rock guitars and give the song a great feel. Another great song, describing the feeling of happiness and excitement, it has an attitude in the lyrics and a raucous vitality which almost pierces the air around me. The powerful music seeps with musical competence with clarity of sound and expert song writing. Imagine Tomorrow takes another great melodic vocal line and builds a rock song around it. Nice work. With thrilling lines and pitch reaching, once again the room is brought to life with fabulous heavy metal style maniac riffage. More chunky synths stamp their feet like thunderclouds overhead. Guitar matches the heat and of course drums give everything a whipping and dancing feel. Jumpy riffs give a trampoline of underfooting for the lyrics which rage across the uneven but great sounding surface. Master / Slave reminds us that these states of being are all in the mind. The lights turn low for a section as Happy begins with a sullen and downcast vibrancy. Powerful vocal lines once again dominate and push everything into a rock and rolling emotional journey. This ballad number progresses into power chords and poetic lines of rock romance. High starts with a bluesy sound, and its built on by bricks of distorted chords and chants. More melodic vocal lines tell another chapter of the album's story. The slower sensations of before gradually rev back into higher gears as the track progresses. Marching pace chords raise the bar for every time the chorus bangs its head. Next up, a looped percussive riff begins and palm muted chunky guitars add to the pressure. Stand Your Ground takes us back into the really heavy place that the band began our journey on. Great rhythmic guitars craft landscapes of shining metal that encapsulate everything this band are about. This great album ends on One Way Ticket To Mars. We know that if anyone flies there, it's unlikely they'll get back again. It certainly looks like Mars will one day will a permanent residence for some of us. Want to be one of them? Better get training. Maybe this is also a metaphor for the journey of being in a band these days. Getting something off the ground and into the air is only half the business. It has to find a comfortable place to land. The god of war seems like an interesting destination. Let's see what happens next. |
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