Poe finally returns to the music scene with his newest cd called Life's New Adventure. This 10 piece album features some of the most unique songs around, and features some of his best songs to date. The story is out now!!! It can be found here: http://www.mediafire.com/?vv6kakkg7s6o8m1
Only For A Moment Video
Life's New Adventure Video
Spectre gives this album 4/5
"Life's New Adventure", the second installment in Poe's epic saga propulses us into a medieval tale of love, valor and glory. An album which doesn't beat around the bush, "LNA" features 10 tracks that total just around 27 minutes. Again focusing on easy listening punk ballads, we do notice a slightly darker side on this release which parallels the mindset and emotions evoked in the storyline. For those who might be unfamiliar with the Hero of War saga, both available albums include a colorful fable of legendary proportions.
What is brilliantly achieved with "Life's New Adventure" is the balance between moods. Right from the opening track, "Reliving the History", we immediately notice a different atmosphere versus the previous Hero of War chapter. Both "The Truth" and "The Gate" as well as the title track all follow up on this with aggressive tones and some heavier drumming."Battle Against Hell", which is easily the darkest song, pushes this concept even further with interesting chromatic scales that bring it's title to life. As for the remainder of the album, it is very much in line with Poe's signature style which can be defined as joyous and catchy.
Some of the negative points with "Life's New Adventure" are the prominent uses of two note chord progressions, which tend to drag on too much in areas. The drumming which is a tad bland, and somewhat identical throughout the record also adds to the element of repetitiveness. These points do not however overlook the fact that each song is solidly constructed and that the album is flawless from a technical standpoint. Poe's step in a new direction is appealing and offers something different in terms of overall sound which indeed makes "Life's New Adventure" an album that makes you look very forward to the grand finale of the Hero of War saga.
SPECTRE'S WORD OF ADVICE: @Poe, this album does seemed "rushed" at moments which is ascertained by your own information regarding it. When there's no deadlines that need to be met, don't feel the need to hastily come up with material.
Poe: Hero of War
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" A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." - Christopher Reeve
Poepoe29 presents: Hero of War returns with a new look. This special edition features 11 songs from the top artists in the Punk-o-Matic community, features an album created my poepoe29, the story of the Hero of War, upgraded versions of my hit songs "Hero of War" and "Birth of a Hero" and will (in the future) include a music video for the song "Hero of War" created by Carnage TV's RickJames!!!The Stiory of this can be found here: http://www.mediafire.com/?jg6s43ly7872n6f
Hero Of War Video
Spectre gives this album 5/5
"Hero of War", one massive 21 track album which features not only songs from it's author Poe but several other artists as well (11 to be precise). Of course, analyzing a release like this requires a somewhat different perspective as it's more like a compilation of various artists. That being said, every hand picked track on this album is a wonderful compliment to an already solid line-up of tunes which can easily stand on their own, or in this case be enhanced with "bonus content".
What is refreshing about "Hero of War" is it's eclecticism. Poe entitles his listeners to a variety of styles and remarkable compositions with genres ranging from both pop and edgier punk to hard and progressive rock. What's even more interesting when examining the insert is that every track in this collection is placed in an order that reflects the story behind the album. Thus, as the tale of the Hero of War unfolds, we see how every song and it's title matches the imaginative saga behind the release.
Commenting on the "guest" tracks of this album won't be the main focus however. If we look at the artist himself, we can note a tenancy for more upbeat and straightforward arrangements. Most songs are short and to the point (ranging around 2:00-2:30 minutes on average) and don't throw too many curveballs. While simplistic and "safe" in it's approach, there's an undeniably catchy element to Poe's writing. Expanding on his main theme is probably what this artist does best as most songs stem from a core riff and take off. Mentioning specific examples of this would be rather necessary as the majority of the tracks stick by this formula. There does sometimes tend to be very similar chord and riff patterns between some of the songs, but nothing that renders the overall product bland or repetitive.
When looking at the ensemble of what "Hero of War" has to offer, there are indeed many hits and Poe backs these up with verve and consistency. An album which this critic thinks is definitely worth anybody's time and will undoubtedly lead to repeated listens.
SPECTRE'S WORD OF ADVICE:@Poe, staying in the same key for several songs can sometimes lead to a déjà vu impression when not being too audacious with chord arrangements and pickings. While some keys are known to lend to certain results more easily than others, with enough creativity, any scale can be used to produce a wide variety of sounds.