West Was Burning, The - Martha Scanlan

Advantages: -
Disadvantages: -

...When you first see the cover of Burning Trees eponymous album, you automatically get an idea of what you are about to be treated to. The individual shots of the band look like shots of any number of musicians from the early seventies, a fact that they were probably proud of and one that hides the actual release of the album, 1990. The seventies feel doesnt end there but oozes from every note of their music. Their influences are worn openly upon their collective sleeves, Hendrix, Clapton, Cream, Blind Faith immediately spring to mind. Im sure you could pass these songs off as unleased material by any one of those band just listed. That aside, Burning Tree are no plagaristic rip off merchants, the songs may have a feel of a different era but they are still original. These guys are revivalists rather than thieves, taking old styles... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Good sound
Disadvantages: None

...Citing Radiohead, Incubus and Coldplay, within the booklet, as bands the listener should tune into, it becomes clear, even without listening to a note, where the band's influences will lie. These influences are indeed clear to be seen right from the very start in Charity Burns Green; using Incubus-styled vocals that sound as if they are reaching out to a distant object, attempting to draw it nearer. The result of this is a record that with the punkier guitaring sounds very much like emo, in the vein of Boy Sets Fire, but without the harder, screaming vocals, nor the foibles that we often find in that type of music. Yet, these influences do not define the album. It quite happily has its own sound and a good one at that. Coming together as friends at the local high school in Vineland, New Jersey, it is rare to find six musicians in one... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Lengthy debut album gives a fair indication of the band and their style.
Disadvantages: Difficult to listen to all the way through, only for serious heavy metal fans.

...Overview… The original 'Burn My Eyes' album was released in August 1994. Machine Head's debut was tipped by many metal critics (including Metal Hammer magazine) to be the future of metal music. This was despite the combination of metal and so-called 'thrash' dying a somewhat whimpering death. Indeed, 'Burn My Eyes' proved surprisingly successful in the British charts and allowed the band to become one of the biggest names in the metal world. Album Art/Information… The album cover is interesting and colourful enough but the picture of a man literally 'burning' his eyes suggests this is not music for the faint-hearted. However, too much space is given over to this image of human suffering rather than selling the band. A debut album should alert a customer to the band's name. Instead, Machine Head's black and yellow logo... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful