DROWN AGAIN – Emerge (2022)
DROWN AGAIN is the new band involving veteran and award-winning vocalist Rob Mancini (Boneyard Dog, Scar For Life, etc), along with guitarist Frank Blair, Erik Lundquist on bass & vocals, and Jason Blessing on drums. “Emerge” is their debut album, produced & mixed by Mancini, the mastermind of the project.
The band and the CD bends Mancini’s classic hard rock roots with a modern sound, vibrant on the guitars and groovy in the rhythm section. There’s some edge on a few cuts making ’em pretty heavy however really melodic, balanced by midtempo rockers with a pop-rock / melodic rock punch and a couple of songs with modern arrangements – all working very well as whole.
Production is very good propelling these songs with crisp effectiveness. On tracks like ‘Measure Of Man’, alongside the detailed mix & mastering, reminds me of Marillion, or even TOTO.
In a time when compression is rule in modern mastering, Mancini tries to avoid brickwalled sound and each instrument is clearly audible in the mix. the band feels tight, while the voice of Rob at this age has a certain Eddie Money color to it, just more edgy, rocking.
All the 10 songs has something of interest. As examples; “This Life” has an infectious drum groove and a ’90s melodic rock / pop melody, and gives way to a different approach that will continue through the rest of the songs, such as in “Letter From A Father”, a melancholy tune that perfectly fits the rest of the material.
On the other hand, “Drown Again”, the song that gives the group its name is a bit more aggressive, with Blair dropping some thick riffs and abundant solos.
“Emerge” is a very good debut from DROWN AGAIN, a band that try to sound different from the crowd, with an ear put in the classic side of rock and other on a modern, clean sound production.
Highly Recommended
01 – The Saving
02 – Cage of My Own Skin
03 – Measure of Man
04 – Drown Again
05 – This Life
06 – Sister Mysterious
07 – Letter from a Father
08 – Pride Before the Fall
09 – The Raven
10 – End Begin Again
Rob Mancini – vocals, keyboards
Frank Blair – guitars
Erik Lundquist – bass and vocals
Jason Blessing – drums
BUY
drownagain.com/product/drownagain-emerge-pre-order-cd/
