Search - Agents of the Sun :: Monarchs of a Fallen Society

Good modern rock record that lays the foundation for a bette

George Dionne | Cape Cod, MA | 10/18/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Good

Crunchy riffs and melodic vocals dominate "Wounds", and unlike real ones, it's never dry and crusty. Ray Dobson unleashes all of his anger as the track winds down (although it could have been any of the three members that are labeled vocalists). Thick bass lines and chugga-chugga riffs lead the charge on "Dreams". The layered bridge verses recall a little bit of Alice in Chains. The chorus is a little choppy melody wise, but it's saved by a cool guitar lick. "So Long" uses subtle instrumentation to help emphasize Dobson's lyrics and vocal stylings.



"Camouflage" takes a simple little guitar riff and uses it as the cornerstone for the whole composition. The addition of faint non-drum percussion helps round out the sound. The chorus is delivered with lots of passion and emotion. "Time Line for a Butterfly" brings the energy level to mellow, but kicks it back up during the songs apex. "Sweet Ending" summons the fuzzy sounds of a mid-temp Lenny Kravitz song. It's perfect for rock radio, and I was really digging the addition of piano.



The Bad

Not so much a bad thing, but even though there are a lot of dark themes within the songs, they could stand to bring the energy up a little bit here and there.



The Verdict

I've read plenty of clever and witty blurbs regarding this release, but I'm going to offer one that is simple and plain: Monarchs of a Fallen Society is a good modern rock record that lays the foundation for a better one to follow."