In 2015, my younger brother Danny released On the Edge with Rush to War, an alternative rock group that followed his award-winning metal band, The Furnace. In fact, this album was created and developed while The Furnace was putting together their final release, Live Till You Die. The contrast between the two is distinct but both remain outstanding.
The Furnace took the Black Sabbath path to greatness. The one that inspired Metallica and their descendants. Rush to War has more of a Led Zeppelin feel. We hear the Foo Fighters. Maybe The Offspring without the punk edge. My Chemical Romance? Honestly, I'm a little out of my element this time around because I'm not as familiar with the alternative scene. I only know enough not to compare them to Nickleback. But, you've got that Beatles vibe whichever way you go, and you can't escape Nirvana (and The Pixies by default). Either way, it's great fucking music. Again.
The Furnace took the Black Sabbath path to greatness. The one that inspired Metallica and their descendants. Rush to War has more of a Led Zeppelin feel. We hear the Foo Fighters. Maybe The Offspring without the punk edge. My Chemical Romance? Honestly, I'm a little out of my element this time around because I'm not as familiar with the alternative scene. I only know enough not to compare them to Nickleback. But, you've got that Beatles vibe whichever way you go, and you can't escape Nirvana (and The Pixies by default). Either way, it's great fucking music. Again.
Danny is joined by guitarist Casey Weaver, who played with The Furnace starting with Beyond What's Become. The dynamic duo continues to improve each other's game, almost the way a great wide receiver will make a great quarterback even better. Dave Armstrong takes lead vocals. He sang on two albums with The Furnace between the ones that Kevin Flowers recorded. He's amazing. His voice is better suited to this flavor of rock. In fact, the more I listened to The Furnace, the more I associated Kevin's power and range with the heaviness of that music. Dave, however, is as melodic and empathetic as any new rocker I've heard in the past twenty years.
Since I don't have liner notes, I don't know the names of all the musicians, but I love each and every one. Their talent goes beyond the mere session work and elevates this band above my expectations. I figured to be disappointed about the shift away from The Furnace but wasn't. Trust me, the music is better than ever. The ensemble of bass players and drummers provides an outstanding support to the work Danny, Casey, and Dave created. The riffs, leads, rhythms, and drums all excel in a recording that is masterfully produced and engineered. I found myself bopping and singing along to every song. At any given moment during the past week, one was stuck in my head. That's the beauty of great music (and great art). It stays with you long after you walk away.
This time around, I thought it might be interesting (and challenging) to examine the lyrics of the songs. The lack of printed copy forced me to pay attention to the words. Dave offers them with grace and confidence. Here's my take.
The opener, "Another End," assesses our impulses and how we make decisions without thinking of the consequences. This isn't viewed only as the fault of individuals but as a systemic problem inherent in our culture. Dave adds a bit of a rap flavor during the verses, by the way. Think Ozzy in "Let It Die." If you don't want anymore Ozzy references, try Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire."
Track two, "Come What May," addresses how difficult it is to resist change. We're all frustrated that we aren't in control of certain elements of our lives. Dave tells us, "there's not a Goddamn thing that I can do about it anyway." It's at this point that we all want to pound our heads against the fucking wall, but we're comforted by acceptance and tolerance.
"Epitaph," one of my favorites songs, is up next and encourages us all to enjoy the time we have together because life is fleeting. We all should have the desire to be remembered for the positive things we do. We need to make a difference. Even if that impact is only putting a smile on someone's face. Shakespeare's epitaph is my favorite, but if I had to write one for myself, I'd want it to say something about how hard I try every day to be a better person than I was the day before. Oh, and curses be upon you if you touch my bones and all that good shit.
The most tragic song is the fourth, "Now She's Gone." I don't know the exact circumstances, but here we have grieving parents who lament the loss of their teenage daughter. We don't know why the child is gone, but I get the feeling she committed suicide. Not sure why. Perhaps, she got sick and succumbed to her illness. We transition from mourning to anger as the parents don't want to accept that she's never coming home. Knowing my mom lost a child when I was a teenager, this song haunts me and tears me apart. Dave is at his fucking best when he shouts, "And now there's a hole." I watched my mom fall into that hole and don't know if she's ever pulled herself out. Doubtful. It's inspired everything I've written since. See my blog post about 1982.
"Going Back" stands strong at number five, another of my favorites, in its celebration of a returning to your roots. Where you started out doesn't have to be the physical place because you certainly can't go back to your youth, but you can reclaim that spirit. We can't turn back the clock, but we can rejuvenate. A mental return, or an emotional one, is definitely possible. Kind of reminds me of John Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over." When he made that record, he wanted to recreate the feel of his earliest rock records that were inspired by Elvis and the other 50s pioneers. We need to keep the memory of who we are and never let it fade.
"Where I Stand" continues the ongoing motif of movement (or transition) present throughout the album. Sometimes, that's going forward, sometimes back. This includes an obvious frustration about the departure of a loved one (or at the very least, a close friend) that leads to uncertainty over how or if they'll ever reconcile. We don't always know where we stand in a relationship. We're always on the brink of disaster. We never really know how close or how far away we are from those we need and believe in. We're at our most vulnerable when we give somebody else the keys to our heart.
Track seven, "Wander," is about the desire to escape a toxic relationship and the struggle to find a way out, leave, or somehow, fly away. It's easy to relate to those moments in our lives when we're in a situation we no longer want to be in. This song covers familiar ground, but almost in the opposite direction "Where I Stand" took us. The uncertainty isn't caused by being left behind. It's about getting stuck and longing for the journey to a new, safer place. (By the way, the riff on this song kicks ass. I know I said I'd focus on the lyrics, but I just couldn't let that one go.)
The last track on the album is called "Today," and finally, time is what's moving. We're clearly told we better make the most out of our lives before it passes by. Seize the day. Make your dreams come true. Don't waste a single moment because this is all we've got and we don't get a second chance. We can't take anything with us, so we need to leave everything we've got out there and be proud of it. The chorus is incredibly catchy and lands this song as one of my three favorites.
I believe Rush to War has another album in the can that hasn't been released. Until then, I hope you're able to order On the Edge, not only for the incredible music carved out by these rockers but for the underlying message of hope.
Since I don't have liner notes, I don't know the names of all the musicians, but I love each and every one. Their talent goes beyond the mere session work and elevates this band above my expectations. I figured to be disappointed about the shift away from The Furnace but wasn't. Trust me, the music is better than ever. The ensemble of bass players and drummers provides an outstanding support to the work Danny, Casey, and Dave created. The riffs, leads, rhythms, and drums all excel in a recording that is masterfully produced and engineered. I found myself bopping and singing along to every song. At any given moment during the past week, one was stuck in my head. That's the beauty of great music (and great art). It stays with you long after you walk away.
This time around, I thought it might be interesting (and challenging) to examine the lyrics of the songs. The lack of printed copy forced me to pay attention to the words. Dave offers them with grace and confidence. Here's my take.
The opener, "Another End," assesses our impulses and how we make decisions without thinking of the consequences. This isn't viewed only as the fault of individuals but as a systemic problem inherent in our culture. Dave adds a bit of a rap flavor during the verses, by the way. Think Ozzy in "Let It Die." If you don't want anymore Ozzy references, try Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire."
Track two, "Come What May," addresses how difficult it is to resist change. We're all frustrated that we aren't in control of certain elements of our lives. Dave tells us, "there's not a Goddamn thing that I can do about it anyway." It's at this point that we all want to pound our heads against the fucking wall, but we're comforted by acceptance and tolerance.
"Epitaph," one of my favorites songs, is up next and encourages us all to enjoy the time we have together because life is fleeting. We all should have the desire to be remembered for the positive things we do. We need to make a difference. Even if that impact is only putting a smile on someone's face. Shakespeare's epitaph is my favorite, but if I had to write one for myself, I'd want it to say something about how hard I try every day to be a better person than I was the day before. Oh, and curses be upon you if you touch my bones and all that good shit.
The most tragic song is the fourth, "Now She's Gone." I don't know the exact circumstances, but here we have grieving parents who lament the loss of their teenage daughter. We don't know why the child is gone, but I get the feeling she committed suicide. Not sure why. Perhaps, she got sick and succumbed to her illness. We transition from mourning to anger as the parents don't want to accept that she's never coming home. Knowing my mom lost a child when I was a teenager, this song haunts me and tears me apart. Dave is at his fucking best when he shouts, "And now there's a hole." I watched my mom fall into that hole and don't know if she's ever pulled herself out. Doubtful. It's inspired everything I've written since. See my blog post about 1982.
"Going Back" stands strong at number five, another of my favorites, in its celebration of a returning to your roots. Where you started out doesn't have to be the physical place because you certainly can't go back to your youth, but you can reclaim that spirit. We can't turn back the clock, but we can rejuvenate. A mental return, or an emotional one, is definitely possible. Kind of reminds me of John Lennon's "(Just Like) Starting Over." When he made that record, he wanted to recreate the feel of his earliest rock records that were inspired by Elvis and the other 50s pioneers. We need to keep the memory of who we are and never let it fade.
"Where I Stand" continues the ongoing motif of movement (or transition) present throughout the album. Sometimes, that's going forward, sometimes back. This includes an obvious frustration about the departure of a loved one (or at the very least, a close friend) that leads to uncertainty over how or if they'll ever reconcile. We don't always know where we stand in a relationship. We're always on the brink of disaster. We never really know how close or how far away we are from those we need and believe in. We're at our most vulnerable when we give somebody else the keys to our heart.
Track seven, "Wander," is about the desire to escape a toxic relationship and the struggle to find a way out, leave, or somehow, fly away. It's easy to relate to those moments in our lives when we're in a situation we no longer want to be in. This song covers familiar ground, but almost in the opposite direction "Where I Stand" took us. The uncertainty isn't caused by being left behind. It's about getting stuck and longing for the journey to a new, safer place. (By the way, the riff on this song kicks ass. I know I said I'd focus on the lyrics, but I just couldn't let that one go.)
The last track on the album is called "Today," and finally, time is what's moving. We're clearly told we better make the most out of our lives before it passes by. Seize the day. Make your dreams come true. Don't waste a single moment because this is all we've got and we don't get a second chance. We can't take anything with us, so we need to leave everything we've got out there and be proud of it. The chorus is incredibly catchy and lands this song as one of my three favorites.
I believe Rush to War has another album in the can that hasn't been released. Until then, I hope you're able to order On the Edge, not only for the incredible music carved out by these rockers but for the underlying message of hope.
