I AM I
We were recently sent through a copy of Event Horizon, the debut album from heavy rock tunesmiths, I Am I. Featuring ZP Theart (ex Dragonforce), Jacob Ziemba (ex KSU) and Neil Salmon (ex Structured Chaos, Led By Vocals, Near Death Experiment, Born Of War and Six Second Silence), there’s a hell of a lot of experience within the band that’s going to stand them in good stead to move forward. Having always loved ZP’s vocals in Dragonforce, I hit play and prepared myself for what I was about to hear.
From the opening moments of This Is My Life there’s one thing clear, this is going to be one hell of a ride. Launching onwards with pummeling drums, pounding guitar work and the soaring vocals, the sound is not only heavy but also uplifting and well crafted. Gone are the over the top guitar solos of Dragonforce and instead, here is a band that know how to play and craft tracks which the fans are going to love. Balancing the different elements to perfection, this is a track which showcases the band as a whole and says one thing to me – THIS is the future.
Moving through Silent Genocide, Stay A While, Cross The Line and In The Air Tonight the power continues, each track presenting a different approach to things and showing that this is a band with a clear set mission, to produce music which is going to move people! The guitar work on the tracks is understated, the drumming clear and powerful, the vocals powerful and melodic, resulting in tracks which simply blow your mind and keep you going through the album. To me though, King In Ruins stands out as a serious moment to make sure you check out, offering a combination of Dream Theater-esque dexterity with stadium rock hooks resulting in a track which harks back to the likes of Europe, but with a more hard hitting approach. Melodic, catchy and emotional throughout, this is a serious high point on an album which is going to take a lot to beat.
Moving through the final tracks of Kiss Of Judas, Dust 2 Dust, Wasted Wonders and Pave The Way there’s no doubt left in my mind (or anyone else’s that I played this to) that I Am I have produced one hell of an album here, the sort of album which is timeless, the sort of album which converts people to their sound and stands them out as a band that are going to connect with audiences all over the world. There’s not a single track on this album which I would consider to be an extra, every single one is as well crafted as the one before it and works to produce the complete album.
In summary, forget ZP was in Dragonforce and go into this as if it’s a new band you’ve just come across, the result is an album which is not only well put together, well played and well produced, but an album which does was music should do, evokes an emotional change within you and makes you sit back and think wow, that was cool.
To find out more about I Am I, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls
From the opening moments of This Is My Life there’s one thing clear, this is going to be one hell of a ride. Launching onwards with pummeling drums, pounding guitar work and the soaring vocals, the sound is not only heavy but also uplifting and well crafted. Gone are the over the top guitar solos of Dragonforce and instead, here is a band that know how to play and craft tracks which the fans are going to love. Balancing the different elements to perfection, this is a track which showcases the band as a whole and says one thing to me – THIS is the future.
Moving through Silent Genocide, Stay A While, Cross The Line and In The Air Tonight the power continues, each track presenting a different approach to things and showing that this is a band with a clear set mission, to produce music which is going to move people! The guitar work on the tracks is understated, the drumming clear and powerful, the vocals powerful and melodic, resulting in tracks which simply blow your mind and keep you going through the album. To me though, King In Ruins stands out as a serious moment to make sure you check out, offering a combination of Dream Theater-esque dexterity with stadium rock hooks resulting in a track which harks back to the likes of Europe, but with a more hard hitting approach. Melodic, catchy and emotional throughout, this is a serious high point on an album which is going to take a lot to beat.
Moving through the final tracks of Kiss Of Judas, Dust 2 Dust, Wasted Wonders and Pave The Way there’s no doubt left in my mind (or anyone else’s that I played this to) that I Am I have produced one hell of an album here, the sort of album which is timeless, the sort of album which converts people to their sound and stands them out as a band that are going to connect with audiences all over the world. There’s not a single track on this album which I would consider to be an extra, every single one is as well crafted as the one before it and works to produce the complete album.
In summary, forget ZP was in Dragonforce and go into this as if it’s a new band you’ve just come across, the result is an album which is not only well put together, well played and well produced, but an album which does was music should do, evokes an emotional change within you and makes you sit back and think wow, that was cool.
To find out more about I Am I, check out their Facebook page HERE.
Words: Dave Nicholls