Band: Call Me No One
Release: Last Parade (Album)
Release Date: Out Now
Call Me No One is the side project from Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist Clint Lowery. Following their formation earlier this year the band have been hauled up in a studio and are now poised to release their debut album. Unlike Sevendust‘s nu-metal-tinged alternative sound, ‘Last Parade’ is an album that is so unashamedly American radio rock fodder that when purchased at your local record store it will no doubt come gift wrapped in stars and stripes with a complimentary cheeseburger.
There are a lot of reference points to which you could compare Call Me No One. There are moments that recall Evanescence minus Amy Lee‘s distinctive vocals and character, times when they sound like Buckcherry minus the energy and swagger or Papa Roach without those anthemic clench your fist singalong moments. It is a shame that while Call Me No One have been pinching ideas left, right and centre they have failed to steal any of the attributes that have made their peers so popular.
Taking vocal duties on, Lowery sounds like he has been randomly plucked out of the local supermarket’s bargain bin of generic rock singers with his faux angst. However, don’t worry about lyrics folks as he has clearly received a rhyming dictionary for his birthday this year. Choruses carry such lyrical prowess as “I’d say you’re swell, goodbye to hell” on ‘All’s Well‘. Lowery also regularly flexes his guitar wanking muscles with needless and grinding twiddly solos peppered throughout the album. There are moments when the album feels like it may gain some momentum, such as the bouncy ‘Pleased To Meet You‘ or the dirty riffs of ‘Thunderbird‘, however even these songs are quick to lose momentum and plod along merrily minding their own business.
Call Me No One have brought very little to the table; the lack of fresh ideas could perhaps be excused if they packed a few singalong moments or choruses that got your head involuntarily banging. However unfortunately there’s very little to get excited about on ‘Last Parade’. Although it’s still early days for Call Me No One it might already be time for Lowery and Rose to give the rest of Sevendust a call and get back to their day jobs.
4/10
Reviewer: Gavin Lloyd
