FERREIRA – V (2014)
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Apart from his participation on bands such as Goodbye Thrill or Venturia, singer, songwriter and musician Marc Ferreira has been fronted his on band FERREIRA for many years, and now are releasing their fifth studio album via Melodic Rock Records. There has to be a story somewhere why on the album art there’s the number “5” but the album is titled the Roman numeral “V”.
The other bandmates in the band are Dario Seixas on bass and brother Alex Ferreira on drums, and the combo make for a talented trio, and point blank, this is the best Ferreira release yet.
It’s like going back in a time machine to the early ’90s when I’m listening to Ferreira’s “V”.
“Hit the Door” leads things off and it’s a bit surprising, because the musical entrance runs 1:12 minute without vocals. You don’t really expect a Melodic Hard Rock band to have this sort of intro, certainly you could expect it from one of his other bands, Venturia.
It works, though, and if you’ve ever seen Alex drum live, they somehow captured his maniacal power on these recordings and it adds an energy and adrenaline to these melodic yet edgy sounding compositions. Marco has a chance to show his guitar prowess by starting with this kind of intro, and you’ll be reminded the dude can do a hell of a lot more than just sing.
Next we have the first single, “Heaven is Her Name” which starts with a bludgeoning rhythm, where Seixas drives the song with a pumping bass line, there’s sharp riffs in and out and the dums marks the tempo. While the verses are a bit on the heavy side, when you hit the sticky, syrupy chorus, it creates a cool aural balance. “She’s gotta be the one cuz I don’t wanna run … heaven is her name,” sings Marco. Sure, it’s simple, but also catchy as all get out. It’s one of the best songs on the release.
There’s a bit of musical menace in “You’re No Friend of Mine”. Again, you’ll hone in on Alex’s drumming; it just seems like every musical component is brought to the forefront from a production standpoint on “V”, and the sound is vigorous.
One of the best riffs is found on “Midnight Romeo”. Just hearing the guitars open up, and then Alex bash the hell out of everything while Seixas is thumping on that bass gets your heart pumping and your liver begging for some more alcohol abuse. This is the musical equivalent of lightning in a bottle.
While that song is for the guys, “Don’t Let Go” is definitely for the ladies. An acoustic led ballad, Marco actually sings in a bit more throaty style than you are used to him using during the chorus, adding some passion and intensity to the delivery.
Songs like “That’s The Way It Is” might remind you a bit another kick ass band he was in, Goodbye Thrill, while “Sometimes Love’s Not Enough” is just from the title the expectation of another ballad, but it’s not. It does, though, feature another chunky riff that makes “Midnight Romeo” such a killer composition.
It all ends on … well, “In the End”. That’s good planning. This track is gloomy, it chugs along at a nearly uncomfortable pace with a dark rhythm. You’ll hear something different than everything else on the album, and it’s an interesting choice for inclusion on “V”.
From start to finish, “V” is a polished yet powerful album. It’s got everything you want in a Melodic Hard Rock, anthemic release, and the individual musicianship works out really well on every track.
Marco also produced, mixed and mastered the album, all correctly done but I would have liked a more crisp final result.
So whether you call it ‘5’ or Five or “V”, doesn’t matter; it’s Ferreira, and it’s really good nineties influenced Melodic Hard Rock.
01 – Hit the Door
02 – Heaven Is Her Name
03 – You’re No Friend of Mine
04 – Night to Remember
05 – Midnight Romeo
06 – Don’t Let Go
07 – Leaving Town
08 – That’s the Way It Is
09 – Superstitions
10 – Sometimes Love’s Not Enough
11 – In the End
Marc Ferreira – vocals, guitars, keyboards
Dario Seixas (Firehouse, Goodbye Thrill) – bass
Alex Ferreira (Goodbye Thrill) – drums
thanks to Derric Miller
BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/v-Ferreira/dp/B00IDBJWGG
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