Sheer Mag’s sound is one that you don’t really want tampered with. You want more from them, but as a fan, you worry how they could ever evolve from 2017’s Need to Feel Your Love in a way that doesn’t leave you deflated.
A Distant Call assures you it’s not gonna be like that from the very first shriek that powerhouse frontperson Tina Halladay lets loose… with one big qualifier: your feelings towards hair metal.
This sophomore record follows the same sentiments as their first, venting political frustrations through crunchy distorted guitars. But this one comes from a more introspective viewpoint. It’s more vulnerable in both the lyrics and the riffs, which are at times so smooth they’re almost gentle. “I was broken and awoken / By the nightmare of history,” Halladay grieves in the album opener “Steel Sharpens Steel.” Then four tracks in, “Silver Line” shows that softer side with a Fleetwood Mac bassline and steel guitar that lay a foundation for Halladay to tone it down a bit for a happy surprise.
But if you can’t rock out to the by definition over the top hits from the teased and glittery bands form the 80’s, you might be put off by the jump from the 70s to the 80s. And in my humble opinion, that’s your damn loss.
The reminiscent decade may have changed, but Matt Palmer’s ability to be a storyteller, a poet, and a complete badass in his lyrics is the same. Halladay may have recorded with Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Code Orange) instead of on an 8 track, but her volcanic power and irresistible shrillness are the same. Guitarist Kyle Seely’s riffs are a little further off the rails but they’re still crystal clean, and his brother Hart Seely’s basslines make their way out of the rhythm section and into the melody as often as they need to to keep things moving.
The bright melodies throughout the record bring a lightness to the heavy subject matter in the lyrics, and the overall feeling is that this is the one life we’re given and we’ve got to make the most of it.
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