Burn - 'global warning'

Burn - 'Global Warning'
Released 5/7/2007 through www.burn.uk.com

THE BAND:
Marc Stackhouse - bass
Jeff Ogden - vocals
Phil Hammond - rhythm guitar
Benjy Reid - drums
Barney Stackhouse -keyboards
Julian Nicholus - lead guitar

TRACK FRAGMENTS:
1.) "Shadow Of The Satellites" -The first measure of this intro consisted of just a rhythm guitar riff. The rest of the band fills out the remaining three measures of the intro section. Phil alters the rhythm guitar riff underneath Jeff's lead vocal lines of the first verse just enough to say that it is a musical change. Though Phil's rhythm guitar riffs have a very mean sound to them if it was not for Barney's keyboard arrangement filling in the spaces in between the rhythm guitar notes Phil's riffs would have sounded a little flat. In the way Jeff pulls of the vocals through the verse sound very similar to the way Sammy Hagar sounded on his 1981 'Standing Hampton' release, or his 1983 'Three Lock Box' release. It sounded as if the first and third lyric line of the opening verse were double tracked. There is a small harmonizing backing vocal that connects the verse to the pre-chorus. There is a minor lead guitar solo in between the first chorus and second pre-chorus. There is a small musical rest that consisted of a small lead vocal line connecting the second and third chorus repeat section. Leading into the major lead guitar solo Banjy switches the bass drum pattern from a single bass to a double bass. This really intensifies the lead guitar solo...Like it really needed to be intensified.
2.) "Dangerous Times" - This laid back eighties hard rock sounded intro section consisted of two different rhythm guitar arrangements. The keyboard arrangement of the intro really sets the tone for the up and coming verse. There s a minor lead guitar solo connecting the intro section with the opening musical verse. The tone of the lead guitar Julian used for this minor lead guitar solo was perfect! The first couple of lyric lines of the opening verse consisted of mainly bass, drums, and keyboards. The rhythm guitar does not kick-in until the third lyric line. Phil kicks the rhythm guitar in with a huge pick slide effect. This effect along with the way the guitar riffs are played gives the song a lot of power. The backing harmonies of the pre-chorus and chorus gives the song a very laid back melodic feel. On the last lyric line of the first chorus Jeff gets a chance to show off his vocal strength and singing ability by singing a accented whole-note. In the way the lead vocal lines of the verses were recorded gives them a almost duet effect. Julian double tracked his lead guitar solo to give it a twin lead guitar solo effect. The way he wrote and arranged the individual notes of the lead guitar solo was very reminiscent to the way Tommy Skeoch and Frank Hannon of Tesla wrote and arranged their guitar solo on early Tesla releases. The lead guitar solo runs underneath the opening vocal line of the third chorus. There is a minor lead guitar solo over the top of the outro section
3.) "Forgive Me" - Instead of a standard intro section this track opens with rhythm guitar and vocals. The lyric arrangements of this opening sections are very reminiscent to Johny Lima's first release. The third or fourth lyric line of this opening verse was double tracked with the underlining vocal having a small echo attached to it. The band does not kick the song in until the opening first chorus. The last lyric line of the first chorus had a small echo attached to it. The echo connects the first chorus with the second verse. In the way this song was arranged makes it a great encore song live. The actual real musical change of the song is not until after the second chorus leading into the lead guitar solo. The lead guitar solo was heavily influenced by Tommy Skeoch and Frank Hannon of Tesla. Though the solo is short it is however utterly amazing!!!! After the solo section there is a small breakdown section that consisted of a musical rest. Over the top of this musical rest there is an effect of a telephone ringing and a small vocal line. This vocal line was done with a studio effect. The effect used gives Jeff's vocals a Paul Laine formerly of Danger Danger sound. There is a small vocal echo attached to Jeff's lead vocals of the last chorus.
4.) "Down In Flames" - The keyboard arrangement over the top of this intro was very reminiscent to the keyboard arrangement Mike Oldsfield wrote for the 1973 move 'The Exorcist'. The main musical arrangement underneath this keyboard arrangement had a very simple yet heavy feel to it. As the underlining musical arrangement progresses it gets more and more intense sounding. There is a minor lead guitar solo that opens the first verse. The main instrumentation underneath the first verse was the bass line. The rhythm guitar does not actually kick-in until the first chorus. The lead vocal lines of this track had a much laid back melodic feel to them. There is a second minor lead guitar solo connecting the first chorus with the second verse. I just loved the simplicity of this track and was glad to hear a band finally get back to basics! The most technical aspect of the song was the major lead guitar solo itself. There is a second lead guitar solo over the top of the outro section.
5.) "Meltdown" -This track opens with a very simple keyboard section before going into the main body of the intro. As this keyboard section progresses it gets louder. There is a minor lead guitar solo that connects the main body of the intro section to the opening first verse. This minor lead guitar solo was double tracked to give the effect of twin lead guitars. The rhythm guitar arrangements underneath the lead vocal lines of the verse were done using very simple rhythm chords. However, with that being said absolutely do not let this fool you. It is this rhythm chords were the songs gets it's intensity. In the way Jeff's vocals were double tracked along with the backing harmonies of the pre-chorus gives the song a very melodic sound. Musically there is no real distinct musical change between the pre-chorus and chorus. As a former musician and songwriter the way the band wrote and arranged this song really got me off!!! Julian's lead guitar solo was heavily influenced by such heavy metal lead guitar greats as Yngwie Malmsteen & Alex Masi. After the lead guitar solo there is a small keyboard solo. Connecting the solo section with the third chorus there is a small keyboard intro repeat.
6.) "Made That Way" - The four measures of this intro sections opens with just rhythm guitar. Two measures intro the intro section Julian kicks in a heavier more distorted guitar playing only rhythm chords. It is at this time that the keyboard arrangement also kicks in playing the same musical arrangement as the opening rhythm guitar. The musical arrangement that connects the intro to the opening verse consisted of Benjy's using the ride cymbal instead of the hi-hat. This is something you do not hear that often, and even with me being a former drummer, I can't tell you why. Because it is very evident after hearing this musical section it should be done more often. "I would like to know who in the hell made the rule a drummer can only use the ride cymbal during the chorus or solo sections!" This is one of the few tracks were you can hear Marc's bass line underneath the musical verse. This is due to the fact that Phil & Julian are playing rhythm chords. There is a small rhythm guitar change underneath the musical chorus. There is a musical and vocal bridge that connects the second chorus with the led guitar section. The lead guitar solo on this track is the only one on the release so far that does not sound double tracked. The outro section of the song consisted of a lead vocal and backing harmony solo.
7.) "Pray For Rain" - This ballad opens with a piano intro. The piano consisted of a small echo effect attached to it. Underneath the piano arrangement there is a small sixteenth-note hi-hat rhythm along with a few scattered lead guitar licks. Anytime you have a piano arrangement such as the one for this song and then you incorporate lead guitar effects the lead guitar can really give the piano a polished sound. There is a small tom-tom fill that connects the intro with the opening verse. The musical arrangement underneath the opening pre-verse consisted of a drum line along with lead guitar licks. The band does not kick the song in until the first verse. The intro, pre-verse, and verse kind of reminds you of bands like Foreigner and Survivor. The lead vocal line and backing harmonies of the chorus had a huge melodic hook attached to them. There is a small lead guitar scale connecting the first chorus to the second verse. Jeff's vibrato accents attached to the lead vocal lines are very reminiscent to Joe Lynn Turners. The musical bridge leading into the orchestrated section consisted of a small special effect of Rain. This dramatic classical music style bridge leads to the lead guitar solo and was completely unexpected. Much like the entire song the lead guitar solo was very lid back and melodic.
8.) "In Another Lifetime" -This track opens with a very odd keyboard effect before going into the main intro section. The body of the main musical intro section consisted of a electric guitar rhythm riff along with a drum & bass line. The odd keyboard effect that opens the song runs underneath the rhythm guitar of the main intro section. About two measures into the main intro Barney added a second keyboard arrangement. Though the main rhythm section of the intro does not change for the opening musical verse. Barney added a second keyboard arrangement to distinguish the intro from the verse. The musical verse underneath the lead vocal lines had a very heavy sound to them. There is a backing vocal harmony lyric line that connects the verse with the pre-chorus. In the way the band arranged the pre-chorus has the lyric lines consisting of alternating lead vocal lines with backing harmonies. The lyrical chorus had a very laid back melodic hook attached to it. After the second chorus there is a minor lead guitar solo over a breakdown musical section. This minor lead guitar solo leads into the major lead guitar solo which, sounded like it was double tracked to give the effect of twin guitarist. Standing alone this lead guitar solo section was amazing!!!!
9.) "Weight Of Expectation" - The outro of track eight leads into the intro of this track. The intro to this track consisted of a semi-intense eighties hard rock intro section. There is a lead vocal accent that connects the intro with the musical verse. There is a minor lead guitar scale over the top of the musical verse leading into the opening first lyric line. The rhythm guitar arrangement underneath the lyric lines of the verse had a simple yet intense sound to them. There is a small rhythm change leading into the and running underneath chorus. There is a small lead guitar lick connecting the first chorus with the second verse. Phil's rhythm riffs underneath the lyric lines of the verses had a very memorable feel to it. The choruses of the song really have a huge hook attached to the vocal lines. After the second chorus there is a small musical change. Over the top of this musical change Jeff changes the melody of the lyric lines. The lead guitar solo was done in a twin lead guitar style with a rhythm guitar arrangement underneath it. This gives the solo section a very dense sound.
10.) "I Don't Mind" - This intro section opens with a classic eighties hard rock rhythm guitar riff. Over the top of the main musical intro section there is a minor lead guitar solo. For the musical and lyrical verse the band kept the same laid back eighties hard rock feel as the opening rhythm guitar riff. The verse of this track bleeds into the chorus and it sneaks up on you pretty quick. Jeff's lead vocals through the chorus are some of the best I have ever heard! There is a small lead guitar effect that connects the first chorus with the second verse. There is a small lead guitar lick underneath the first lyric line of the second chorus. My one and only complaint about this track is the lead guitar solo was not nearly as long as it should have been.
11.) "Give Me Tonight" - Underneath the rhythm guitar riff that opens this track is a small snare and tom-tom fill. There is a rhythm guitar change over the top of the main body of the intro section. The main instrumentation underneath the lead vocal lines of the verse was the keyboards. The band used the same rhythm arrangement connecting the verse to the pre-chorus as the intro section. The backing vocals of the chorus are very tight with huge hooks. Jeff's vocal lines on this track was pure gold!!! The lead guitar solo that connects the second chorus with the third chorus was set up in an almost rhythm guitar effect then actual solo.

    There is not many CD’s that I have heard in my life were I can say I like every track from beginning to end first time through. In almost all cases there will be at least one or two tracks that will have to grow on me. This was not the case with Burn’s –‘Global Warning’. In fact, this release was just the opposite! I fell in love with each song first time through. There is no amount of words I could say that could express how great this band or this release is. An absolute must have!!!!