Are Elegant Weapons victims of their own hype? One might say so, though I believe that, at a certain point, that would be unfair to the band. The duo of Richie Faulkner (guitar) and Ronnie Romero (vocals) returns with their second album, “Evolution,” and let’s see just how much they’ve… evolved.
First off, I have to say how much I loved the cover art. It’s definitely something truly different from the usual album covers in the genre and clearly much better than that of their debut. Beyond that, the material is pretty much what we expected to hear. That is, a metal-infused rock album with plenty of nods to the ’70s. The modern production brings the band’s sound into the present day.
I can’t say much about the band’s two super stars. Richie has a lot of good ideas, while Ronnie is… pretty much the guy we all know with the beautiful voice. There are some strong moments, like “Evil Eyes,” which opens the album, and “The Devil Calls.” The closing track, “Keeper Of The Keys,” is also good.
But something is missing from the album. I’d say that while it’s a polished piece of work, it lacks that certain something that would make it stand out from the crowd. Although I listened to it repeatedly, not much stuck with me. It certainly didn’t bore me, and that’s an achievement in this day and age, but that’s about it.
I believe that if it weren’t for the musicians’ names, I don’t know how many people would pay it any mind. And that’s a double-edged sword. It’s certainly important that Faulkner is building his name outside of Priest with notable releases, but so far he hasn’t given us anything groundbreaking.
