Romantic Rebel – Romantic Rebel (Album review)

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Sometimes it is interesting to think about where talented musicians may rise from next into rock stardom. A good example of such is the young aspiring brother and sister combination of vocalist KT Paige and guitarist Alex Vincent.  With dreams of rock-n-roll, the two made the vision a reality in 2012 quickly recruiting Danny D (bass) and Marcus Lee (drums) to form what is now known as Romantic Rebel.  The 4-piece band based out of the windy city of Chicago, IL whose name is lent from an H&M clothing store shirt, delivers a brand of female fronted high-energy rock that is sure to take the scene by storm.  Immediately signing a deal with Pavement Records in 2013, the label immediately caught onto the band’s self-motivated hard work building up a fan base through passionate live performances.  Now the band releases their self-titled major label debut in 2014.  The record features production by renowned producer Ulrich Wild (Deftones, Static-x, Breaking Benjamin) in Los Angeles, CA who gave the band a brutish, raw, and heavy sound which comes down on every listener like a ton of bricks.

The debut consists of eleven thoroughly strong compositions led off by the track “Alive which features excellent guitar-harmonies by Alex Vincent.  The adrenaline-pumping harder rocker “Lie” has an anthem quality and also includes a guest appearance of Brendon Small, creator of Metalocalypse.  Keeping the album fresh with balanced cutting-edge rock tunes are songs such as “Bad For Me and “Blind with huge enchanting choruses.

This wave of relentless guitar driven rock link together like a chain of pearls before the ear-opening strong ballad “Sorry” with its melancholic vibe and tingling chorus.  Interestingly enough, the track was initially planned to be an instrumental but thanks to the band’s ingenuity and production of Wild, it could be one of the best tracks on the album.  As the album plays out it is important not to overshadow the tremendous guitar work of Alex Vincent who pulls a memorable guitar solo out of his pocket for each and every song.  This is exemplified thoroughly through the entire record including finger tapper “Madness”.

In summary, Romantic Rebel created a hybrid monster of modern and classic elements that will rotate on and on in players of fans and critics. KT Paige possesses a rawness and assured vocal delivery similar to that of rock elites such as Lzzy Hale of Halestorm and Maria Brink of In This Moment.  They play modern rock music reminiscent of throwbacks to classic acts such as Van Halen and Aerosmith. Blending female vocals with classic overtones has given Romantic Rebel an upper hand to the seemingly stale rock scene.  Hopefully the band will be noticed as they deserve it with this really strong and fascinating debut album.  CrypticRock give this album 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Pavement Records

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