Andyman1125
A great Lifekeeper album.
Anti-Depressive Delivery is a relatively new blues rock/prog metal fusion, making an excellent case for a heavy prog (prog metal) band. This album, oddly named "The Best of..." isn't a compilation at all, but I guess does encompass some great music, so maybe it is their best...? The band combines a delightful mix of Hammond organ, slightly distorted bass, bluesy guitar, steady drum lines, and a delightful bluesy singer, too. This album is a short little 42 minute display of some fantastic throwbacks to the heavy prog bands of the 70s, featuring 6 killer tracks.
In Pine is a very strong opener. Opening with some simple guitar work before melding in with some bass and synth riffing, the song has a steady head bobbing rhythm and a catchy melody. The great synchronization between the Hammond and the guitar is a really nice sound reminiscent of those signature bands back in the 70s mixed with some modern herbs and spices. The song has a strong blues influence, mixed with a great hard rock and prog influence to make a great tone for the rest of the album. The track opens strong for an overall very strong album.
Glasses is a harder rocking track. It has a more serious tone that its predecessor, and a quicker more deliberate feel. The melody is infectious and, well, melodic. The singer in this band has such a great voice, really making any melody catchy and well developed. Each part in the band plays his part, whether its keeping the fantastic rhythm, filling out the music with chords, or helping push along the epic proggy breakdown leading to a keys solo that is really great, which really pushes that prog influence.
Lifekeeper, as I implied in my first line, is one of my favorite tracks on the album. It really has such a great dynamic and feel rather than just straight on blues rock. Over time this track has really grown on me. It has a really chill mood to it, keeping a more psychedelic sound with some really Richard Wright sounding backing keyboard layering. The melodies are powerful and emotional and compassionate. Overall, the track has one of the bets overall feels on the album.
Goodbye is a little ballad with a chill and funky sound. The song has a much less prog or even blues but more melopop ballad feel. The guitar work is nice, and the vocals are very emotional and compassionate.
True Love brings back that bluesy rock that we heard in the first track. It also mixes in some great hard rock influences and proggy dynamics. The Hammond-guitar duo again has a great sound, as well as the sax that's mixed in. The melody is again really catchy and emotional. The instrumental section features some fantastic soloing and really great bluesy instrumentation. Overall, this is another really great track on this fantastic and dynamic album.
Alive is the 13 minute epic of the album. Obviously prog from its length, the song is one of the best on the album. Featuring many different styles, from blues to psychedelic to hard rock to prog to so much more, the song is the most dynamic on the album on the album. Some of the parts are sweeping and melodic, others crunching and epic, others bluesy and sweet; the song is able to effortlessly weave together countless styles into a wonderful piece of music enjoyable by virtually any rock music listener.
ALBUM OVERALL: An excellent blues rock/prog crossover, with countless other styles sprinkled in for a tasty mix of modern music and classic throwbacks. Anti-Depressive Delivery has really created a gem here. The album has such a chill sound to it, being able to mix sounds from bands such as The Rolling Stones and Lynyrd Skynyrd and then bands like Rush, Uriah Heep and Pink Floyd into a brand of music that is unique and highly enjoyable. The music can a little cheesy at times, but other than that there are very few flaws in the entire album. The album definitely grows on you, for the first time I listened to it I hated it, and now I love it! 4 stars.