Microdose: Smith & Myers, Lunatic Soul & Bush

Written by Mass

Verdict: Shinedown duo returns with the second leg of their paired album and again with an assortment of covers of some of the most iconic songs of the history of rock and roll (Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell, REM’s Losing My Religion, Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer and Oasis’ Don’t Look Back in Anger), some new hits (Bad Guy by Billie Eilish) as well as several originals which mix so well together like peanut butter and jelly. Brent Smith is at the top of his vocal performance in acoustic rock area and does so well in all categories. He is even further buttressed by his partner in crime Zach Myers who leads and co-leads the singing tasks on Don’t Look Back in Anger and Never Tear Us Apart respectively as well as having the guitar and piano duties as well.

Verdict: Shinedown duo returns with the second leg of their paired album and again with an assortment of covers of some of the most iconic songs of the history of rock and roll (Billy Idol’s Rebel Yell, REM’s Losing My Religion, Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer and Oasis’ Don’t Look Back in Anger), some new hits (Bad Guy by Billie Eilish) as well as several originals which mix so well together like peanut butter and jelly. Brent Smith is at the top of his vocal performance in acoustic rock area and does so well in all categories. He is even further buttressed by his partner in crime Zach Myers who leads and co-leads the singing tasks on Don’t Look Back in Anger and Never Tear Us Apart respectively as well as having the guitar and piano duties as well.

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Had it not been for the sake of The Fountain’s elegance and sincerity, I would have given Through Shaded Woods a 2 or a 3. That is how much I disliked this album. Mariusz Duda, the founder, vocalist and bassist of the Polish progressive rock/metal legends Riverside, and one of my favorite figures in prog scene, made Lunatic Soul in 2008 as a side project to blow off steam or mess about with his music and instruments maybe. But him being who he is, soon this side project turned into an attraction to many fans and as it grew more popular, the music persistently turned away from prog rock and into other realms, like Under the Fragmented Sky in electronic or this last effort Through Shaded Woods in “folk”. He has so frailly and futilely tried his hand at folk; in a pool with Wardruna, Heilung, Danheim, Forndom, and Nytt Land among others, there is not a snowball’s chance in hell for him to come out triumphantly. Despite all his good intentions, Lunatic Soul is long gone awry.

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Bush’s eighth studio release may not be the best grunge there is, but it is quite a worthwhile album for those who like grungy, mildly heavy or hard-ish alternative rock. They have been around for quite a while now (since 1992) and they certainly know how to deliver what they intend to. Despite their earlier digression towards more pop-ish, radio-friendly sound they had in their previous release (Black and White Rainbows-2017), The Kingdom resembles, though it fails to truly capture the essence of, their earlier stuff, like Sixteen Stone (1994) or Razorblade Suitcase (1996). We can consider Gavin Rossdale’s vocal performance and the guitaring of Gavin and Chris Traynor the highlights of this album.
The fact that Bullet Holes has been used in John Wick makes it all the more intriguing.