Bullistic - 'Chronicles Of Love & Hate'
Released in August 2005 through Back Street Records
THE BAND:
Doug Gibson - lead vocals
Shane Kellis - drums
Craig Lague - bass, backing vocals
Ed Savoy - guitars
TRACK FRAGMENTS:
1.) "Now & Forever" -The intro to this track consisted of
a very intense lead guitar rhythm over the top of a fairly standard modern metal
musical arrangement. The lead vocal lines of the verses were done in a
modern metal style. There is a small guitar rhythm change that connects
the pre-verse with the verse. There is a very cool bass line underneath
the musical arrangement of the pre-verses and verses, but because the rhythm
guitar riffs are so heavy the bass line is almost overshadowed. The music
arrangement change of the chorus had a very abstract feel to it this is due in
part to the main musical arrangement being so intense. The effects pedal
Ed chose for the guitar solo gives the solo a eighties heavy metal edge.
During the chorus after the guitar solo Doug sings a few modern metal vocal
scream accents. These accents are very similar to the stuff Dave Williams
(1972-2002) of Drowning Pool done with "Bodies".
2.) "Discarded Soul" - The pre-intro to this track opens with a lead
vocal line. This opening lead vocal line was very influenced by Godsmacks
"Voodoo". The musical intro of the song has a very laid back feel to it.
The intro section consisted of a very cool bass line. Shane backs up the
bass line with a very heavy bass drum kick in doing this the two musicians give
the rhythm section a very solid groove. The musical verse arrangement
consisted of just bass and drums. Doug has one hell of a voice and the
vocal lines of the pre-verse proves this fact. Underneath the vocal lines
of the verse there is a small Doug vocal overdub. The rhythm guitar
arrangement of the song really doesn't kick in until the verse. At times
the subtleness of Doug's vocals sent chills up my spine. The kick in of
the guitar for the chorus gives the arrangement a different feel. For the
second pre-verse the band incorporated a small acoustic guitar into the musical
arrangement. The laid back melodic sounding guitar solo suited this
musical arrangement perfectly. There is a small lead vocal overdub during
the outro section this overdub was used mainly to accent Doug's vocals.
3.) "Made Of Stone" -This track opens with the guitar, bass, and drums
playing the same notes. For the opening vocal accent Doug pays tribute to
Dave Williams of Drowning Pool. The lead vocal lines of the pre-verse has
a modern metal feel . The band changes the rhythm structure of the verse
giving the song a different feel. The guitar solo was very influenced by
Zakk Wylde. Do not let the length of this track fool you though the song
is only 2:55 it packs a very powerful punch.
4.) "Eulogy" -This ballad opens with a very melancholy sounding guitar
arrangement. The subtle vocal lines of the pre-verse add to the depressive
sound of the song. At times through the pre-verse the song has a Godsmack
feel. I really liked the way the band arranged the acoustic guitar underneath
the vocal lines of the pre-chorus. The lyrical content of this track along
with the way the band arranged the music was amazing. After the second
chorus Ed smacks you in the face with a very simple electric guitar arrangement.
As the song progresses it gets more and more intense. There is a small
lead guitar riff in between the third pre-verse and verse. The main guitar
solo is after the third chorus it was a little more laid back than I expected.
There is a small pause at the end of the song that leads you to believe the song
is over, but the song kicks back for the outro section. underneath the
last chorus Craig rips off a few very cool bass licks.
5.) "Doomsdays Coming" -Words cannot describe how amazing this song
is!!!!
6.) "Brand New Existence" -The intro section of this track was on the
boarder line of being very intense. The bass line underneath the musical
verse just blew me away. Outside of the vocals, the way the band arranged
the verses reminded me of older Judas Priest choruses. Separately each
band member shows you their musical talent within the musical arrangement.
For the guitar solo the band changed the musical arrangement. the guitar
solo itself was very laid back in comparison to the rhythm guitar tracks.
7.) "Stuck In The Middle" - Awesome cover of the seventies Stealers Wheel hit.
8.) "Ignorance & Innocence" -This track opens with a very cool
acoustic guitar arrangement. The vocal lines of the pre-verse have a very
modern metal ballad feel to them. The bass line Craig wrote fills in
several of the empty spaces left by the acoustic guitar. The vocal lines
of the choruses have a Alice In Chains feel to them. This song was very
deserving of a extended version and I am glad too see the band do one. The
guitar solo much like the musical arrangement had a very laid back feel.
9.) "Tired Of You" -This track opens with a very cool rhythm guitar
arrangement. The bass and drum kick in of the pre-verse gives the song a
different feel. I thought the little snare fill of the drum rhythm was
very effective. The musical rests of the choruses gives the musical
arrangement a abstract feel. The guitar solo for this track was very
simply structured.
10.) "The Darker Side Of Me" -This track opens with a pre-verse
arrangement. The drum pattern of the song consisted of a hi-hat opening
and closing rhythm. At times the backing harmonies of the song had a
distant sound to them. After the first chorus the band drastically changes
the rhythm structure of the song for the breakdown section. Over the top
of the breakdown section there is a small spoken lead vocal that was done with a
studio effect. The lead guitar solo was very short and simple.
11.) "Good Luck With That" -This track opens with a drum solo section
before going into the musical intro. The rhythm guitar tracks of the intro
section had a very simple feel to them. The way the vocal lines of the
pre-verse and verse were set up causes the vocal line to run into another.
The bass line underneath the guitar solo intensified the guitar's sound.
12.) "Ignorance & Innocence" (extended version) - A
extended version of track eight.
It does not happen very often were you can honestly say every
song on a release is great. With 'Chronicles Of Love & Hate' you can say
that. This CD is one of those rare gems that you can place in the
CD player and never hit the skip button. If you are in to good solid heavy
metal then this is an absolute must have!